***

Eulalie and her 2 1/2 year old cousin, Keeley. I snapped these a few weeks ago down by the beach. Lalie is obsessed with older kids, especially this cousin of hers. She can't take her eyes off her, staring with complete and utter fascination. It's so cute to watch. I imagine these two will be quite close... a two year gap might be obvious now, but I think it will seem less when they're a bit older.

There's just something about Keeley in that outfit (and that hair) with a sherbert lollipop. Feels so old school...kinda nostalgic. I love these pictures of her.

***

My husband loves a good tart. There's a particular street corner in Sydney where you're guaranteed to score yourself the prettiest, sweetest tarts you've ever had. That's right my friends, I'm talking about the one and only Bourke Street Bakery. (Actually... not a one and only anymore. They're popping up all over the place, including Marrickville - our old stomping ground). Oh, how we miss that place. Paddy and I went there so often it started to become a little embarrassing. In the end we decided we'd take turns at going in alone, to try and make our visits look less frequent... more occasional. Every second day didn't look AS bad, right? I don't think it worked... they were on to us.

If they hadn't released a recipe book, I dare say we'd still be in Sydney. The fact that we could at least attempt to recreate these treats at home was the deal breaker. At least we had the recipes in hand. It was safe to leave.

A few weeks ago, Paddy tuned our humble little kitchen into the Townsville branch for a day. Ginger brûlée and chocolate mousse tarts. Our favourite! Good thing the recipe quantities make batches of twenty. Forty tarts*... just a quiet afternoon tea for two.

Buy the book here or here. Alternatively, I found the ginger brûlée recipe online, but I couldn't find a reliable recipe for the chocolate mousse tart (if you email me, I can send you a copy). Enjoy! And if you're in Sydney, do pop in to your local Bourke Street Bakery and tell them I said hi.

* Okay, I lie. We halved the recipe. But still! (I don't like the truth to get in the way of a good story).
 Top image via www.bourkestreetbakery.com.au.

***

I think summer might be back again already. It's been high twenties for the last few days and really humid. The beautiful weather we've had for the last few months has been really deceiving. I forgot how brutal a tropical summer can be. I'm already feeling it. There's always pros and cons to any most situations, though...

PRO -Lalie being able to wear minimal clothing, revealing her delicious milky skin and chubby folds (as seen above).
CON- Me having to wear minimal clothing,  revealing a neglected complexion and chubby folds (shan't be seen anywhere on this blog).
PRO - Swimming! At the pool. At the beach. Grandma's and Nana's house, too!
CON - Torrential rain. Tonnes of it. Weeks and weeks of it. Soggy mess = confined indoors.
PRO - Thunderstorms. Enormous, grumbling, cracking, thrilling displays of Nature's force. I love them. Will Lalie? Hmmm...
CON - Bugs, mosquitoes and other undesirables. Especially mosquitoes*. Useless, bloodsucking vermin who seem to love Lalie's delicate skin (carnage seen above). Poor darling.
PRO - Fruit. Delicious, local fruit. Sweet and juicy and cheap.
CON - Electricity bills. Full time air conditioning is absolutely essential during some months. Not Cheap.
PRO - Vintage rompers - yay, finally!

You'd think after a blogging break I'd have something more interesting than the weather to talk about. Apparently not. But Anna reckons everyone's doing it, So I don't feel so bad. I'll ride that bandwagon, too.

* Does anyone have any advice or recommendations for a safe, natural insect repellent for babies? You guys are good with advice. See that teething necklace? Was it your idea? Thank you.

***

I think this is what they mean by the term "active baby".

Oh, and two things really need to be excused here...
1. My rather silly and embarrassing 'Lalie voice'. (Come on Mum's, you all do it. And Mum's to be - so will you).
2. The CRAPTACULAR quality of this video. As you can probably tell, this is my first time editing moving pictures.

7 months

If this months portrait looks vaguely familiar, it's because all I've done is rub out the number six from last month and change it to a seven. "Eulalie 6 months" has been on the chalk board this whole time. When I say this whole time, I know it's only been a month. But so much has happened. Life has changed for our family forever, and I think we're still to fully realise the profound enormity of this loss, for at this moment... everything still feels very surreal.

As one life sadly comes to an end, another leaps forward with determined advancement. Eulalie has changed so much this month, and with everything that's happened, it's been a challenge keeping up with her. The last few weeks we've felt lethargic and unmotivated while Lalie has upped the anti, armed with a new found confidence and desire for independence that comes with learning and discovering so many new skills and abilities. And with this also comes the frustration of wanting to do more. more. MORE! She wants it all and she wants it N.O.W!

We finally moved her into the cot, in her own room. She loves the cot, and since realising she's more comfortable sleeping on her tummy, her daytime naps have lengthened considerably. The nights have also improved slightly, but the broken sleep is still a killer, even if it's only once or twice a night.

The other day I put her in the cot while I tidied up her room. She loves it in there. She hangs on the bars and wobbles around groaning like a gorilla at the zoo. This particular day she proceeded to pull herself up to a standing position. I just stared in absolute amazement. When she stood all the way up, she just looked over at me and giggled as if to say "Whoa, did you see that? And you're all the way over there... so that means I did that ALL BY MYSELF!".

She's not far off crawling, which I'm kinda excited about. Yes, I know I'm going to have to baby-proof everything and watch her every move... but I think being able to get around is going to ease her frustrations and make for a happier baby who can entertain herself for longer.

Oh, and how could I forget to mention the arrival of two little toothy pegs? They've caused Havoc, but they're finally here. And the hair? One of the most frequently uttered phrases in this household of late is "Her hair is going gangbusters!". Pretty well sums it up.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm a mum. I have a baby. I'm here, doing it. It's happening. This is it. The past seven months has been such a whirlwind, I can't believe we're actually here. But then, it's like I can't remember (at least I can't imagine) life without our Lalie Bug. And I don't want to... she brings us so much joy and laughter and a love that is out of this world...

...and it's this joy, laughter and love that is going to see us through the bleak days ahead. I know it will.

***

Thanks to those of you who left such comforting messages, it really means so much. And to any newbies that have stumbled here via the seventy tree, welcome! I know it's been a little slow around here... but I'm happy to be back.

goodbye

Rest in Peace Timothy "Timbo" Connell.   

17.09.1945   -   04.08.2011

Father, (my) Father in Law, Grandad, Husband, Brother, Friend... 

We will be with you... it hurts to let you go.

'Bronte' - Gotye, Making Mirrors, 2011.

***

I am taking some time away from this space for personal reasons. I will see you soon. In the meantime, please visit some of my favourites...

dear olive
ché and fidel
she had us at hello
the beetle shack
seventy tree
fast times in münchen

***

How cute is this little hand knitted jumper that I found at my local op-shop? I want one in my size! Those sleeves are hilarious but so damn cute. I'm enjoying dressing her in what I like until the day comes where all she wants to wear is 'Dora the Explorer' costumes.

On a side note, I was amazed at how many of you have followed Baby Led Weaning and love it. And thanks to those of you who recommended the book, I'll definitely be checking it out.

***

 

She is adamant on feeding herself. I had a feeling this is how she would roll. After Kellie's recommendation in the comments on this post, I seriously considered Baby Led Weaning, which basically involves offering the child a selection of finger foods and they choose what and how much they'd like to eat. The only thing that held us back was the fear of choking, which doesn't seem to freak us out as much now that we've seen her food handling skills.

So far she's gobbled up a myriad of combinations of pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, apple and carrot. I was all prepared for this whole eating thing to take a good couple of weeks...most people warned me that she'd just spit it out at first, and that I'd have to persist. Not Lalie, she's polished off nearly a kg bag of organic carrots in just over a week. She's a natural eater, just like her Mum.

... so I might just give Baby Lalie Led Weaning a try. Has anyone else gone down this path? Would love to hear all about it.

* Note to self - Must invest in some proper bibs. The napkin stuffed down the collar approach is clearly failing me.