Monthly Archives: September 2013

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Boating

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Sunday, 29 September 2013: One Hundred and Eighty One Days Old.

Hubby took Ayla and I out “boating” today (I call it boating because we didn’t plan to catch fish) to show us a beautiful place he found a few months ago.

Not only did Hubby show us “the spot” we saw so many other beautiful and amazing things… things that some people will only get to read about but Baby Ayla’s been lucky enough to witness at less than six months old, and she’s certain to witness them again while we live in the Territory.

We saw the sun rise over land while we steamed out to sea in the cool morning air.

We saw patches of the ocean’s surface bubble and boil as schools of tuna chased balls of bait to the surface (we even caught two different species of tuna!).

We saw a school of two dozen or so mackerel chase down our lures to within inches of the boat before diving back to the safety of the deep blue.

We saw two huge turtles playing “leapfrog”… Well, that’s what we told Ayla they were doing (click here for the real story and thank me later lol).

We saw another turtle up close when he was foul hooked on a lure and we brought him aboard to free him.

And all this took place right on our door step!

It was a great day and Baby Ayla took it all ten hours of “boating” in her stride.

But what struck me the most is that we’re so lucky to live in a place where nature and adventure is a core part of our culture and surroundings.

I sure am glad Ayla’s a Territory kid 😉

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Up a notch

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Saturday, 28 September 2013: One Hundred and Eighty Days Old.

Baby Ayla has certainly taken her interest in food up a notch lately!

Whenever I’m eating or drinking Ayla’s reaching over, trying to grab it with eyes wife and mouth open.

So whenever she’s started to show interest I’ve tried to give her something to chew on; banana, strawberries, cucumber, carrot, even a bit of yogurt!

To try and create a bit of routine with food, I’ve been giving Ayla baby porridge at breakfast and lunch!

I let her grab the spoon and try to feed herself – it makes a massive mess but its super fun!

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Rocking horse

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Friday, 27 September 2013: One Hundred and Seventy Nine Days Old

Ayla got her first horse today… A rocking horse, from her Aunty Let and Uncle Bill.

Aunty Let is Hubby’s mum’s sister and they’re from one of the most remote cattle stations in Australia.

So it was only fitting that Aunty Let would be carrying a rocking horse in her arms when she and Uncle Bill arrived at our house for a visit tonight.

It made me teary to see my little girl so happy on the back of a colourful wooden pony and I wondered (errr… hoped!) that Ayla will one day share my love of all things horsey.

For most of my life, horses have given me freedom, independence, confidence and unconditional love.

They’ve taught me about exploration, perseverance, patience, following my dreams and the kicks that cone from adrenaline, and its a passion I dearly hope to pass on to Baby Ayla when she’s older.

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Family is family

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Thursday, 25 September 2013: One Hundred and Seventy Eight Days Old.

We took Ayla to her Uncle Rob’s (Hubby’s cousin) book launch tonight where she got to meet some of her extended family for the first time.

Hubby has a huge family; he is one of three kids but his mum was one of seven, so he grew up with countless cousins, uncles and aunties in his life.

I remember being overwhelmed by the warmth, love and loyalty of Hubby’s when I first met them.

It didn’t seem to matter which side of the family you were from, how closely related you were or how well you knew them, family is family and that’s all that matters.

It’s an important ideal that I want Ayla to understand and value, despite living thousands of kilometres away from nearly all her family members.

So it’s no wonder my heart brimmed with love as Ayla was whisked off into the crowd in the loving and protective arms of her Aunty.

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All better!

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Wednesday, 24 September 2013: One Hundred and Seventy Seven Days Old.

Ayla is so special, she amazes me every day but today in particular she made me so proud and thankful.

Y’see, Ayla’s all better and she has even more smiles and bigger cuddles than before she got sick.

It’s kinda like she’s returned from the dark side with a new lease on life!

And with each smile, cheeky glance and funny antic, Ayla managed to make me feel a little bit better.

I’m still crook, but Ayla has been a beautiful breath of fresh air and happiness that’s made me so grateful for every tiny moment I get with her.

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Supermarket Peekaboo

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I just remembered this video from the weekend (before we were both sick)!

We were grocery shopping and Ayla got the giggles whenever I put something in the trolley and looked at her.

A cute game of supermarket peekaboo ensued… It’s amazing how little you care what other people think when you’re being silly for your baby!

*** apologies for the crappy sound! Make sure your volume’s up and there’s no background noise nearby!***

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Under the weather

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Tuesday, 24 September 2013: One Hundred and Seventy Six Days Old.

Like Ayla, I’ve been under the weather for the last couple of days but today I realised I’m not tough at all, it’s just that my illness is running one day behind hers!

I feel terrible! How on Earth did Baby Ayla handle it so well? Killer sore throat, burning eyes, headache, runny nose, aches and pains – Ayla’s one brave little girl!

She seems to be a bit better today thankfully.

Her nose has stopped dripping, her cough’s subsided and she hasn’t vomited once, but she’s still a very sad little chicken.

Ayla’s been in tears for most of the day and I haven’t been able to put her down for more than a minute or two.

I have noticed that she’s clenching her jaw and sucking her gums a lot more than usual though, so maybe on top of being sick her teeth have been giving her grief too.

I’m hoping that Ayla’s all better tomorrow, otherwise I might have to take her back to the docs. I’m sure she’s ok, but I can only give her Panadol for so long!

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Power Spews (don’t read this if you’re eating)

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Monday, 23 September 2013: Twenty Five Weeks Old.

Well I’ve just had my first ever day looking after a sick kid and thankfully, we both survived!

Baby Ayla was a pretty good patient, all things considered, and I was amazed at how well I dealt with the never-ending dripping tap of snot coming from her nose.

The worst bit though, was the power spews!

Not so much because of the grossness of regurgitated breast milk, but because it was scary to see Ayla re-enacting The Exorcist.

There’s definitely something terrifying about suddenly being covered head to toe in baby spew, with a similarly covered baby in your arms gagging and coughing until her eyes bulge.

The power spews have also meant I can only feed Ayla little and often, so not only does the poor darling feel crappy she’s hungry and thirsty too.

The doc said Ayla will probably be crook like this for another couple of days, ( 😦 ) and provided it doesn’t spread to her chest we just have to keep up the Panadol.