Tag Archives: trip

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Luna Disco

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Wednesday, 2 July 2014: One Year and Ninety Three Days Old.

It was the last day of our holiday today, traveling home tomorrow, and this morning we said goodbye to our friends, until next time.

After they left to catch their plane Hubby, Ayla and I headed to St Kilda for the day.

We started off at Luna Park where Ayla rode the carousel with me, the Binky Train with Daddy, AND she went on her first rollercoaster!

Don’t worry though, it was a kids coaster where we say in little elephants that went around and up and down and it was great fun.

After lunch and a cake on Ackland Street we went for a walk along the St Kilda foreshore where Ayla watched mesmerised as skateboarders practised tricks by the beach.

We went back to the apartment for some last minute packing and a nap then caught a taxi to our hotel near the airport.

We found a club nearby and went in for Dinner only to discover they had a kids disco on for the night!

Ayla was in her element, running around and dancing with the other kids, kissing the one baby who was smaller than her, and chasing bubbles as they poured out of the bubble machine.

Hubby and I were beside ourselves with love seeing our baby girl so happy and having so much fun, just like a big kid. It was adorable and a fantastic end to a great holiday!!

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“Fish!”

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Tuesday 1 July 2014: One Year and Ninety Two Days Old

Ayla can say “fish!” and she said it at least a hundred times today!

We spent the morning at the Vic Markets, then headed to the Melbourne Aquarium for the afternoon.

Ayla LOVED it. She is at such awesome age now that she toddled about from tank to tank, pointing and screeching and saying “fish!”

It was so adorable and my heart must have melted a thousand times over.

I think Ayla’s favourite was the coral reef section where there was a mini tunnel underneath one of the tanks that Ayla didn’t want to leave.

She also loved the massive shark tank dome, and she ran from one end to the other and from one side to the other for ages.

At the touch pool Ayla held a shark egg casing and a pearl shell and she touched a sea star.

When we got to the estuary section we kept Ayla well away from the lifelike crocodile model… Just in case!

After the aquarium us girls went back to the room for a rest while the boys hit the Casino, Hubby coming home $200 richer!

So it was our shout for tea and we found a fantastic Yum Cha in Chinatown that proved to be a great way to end an awesome day.

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Little Magpie

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Sunday, 29 June 2014: One Year and Ninety Days Old.

Ayla got to hear the barrackers a shouting tonight when we took her to see Collingwood v Carlton at the MCG!

Hubby and I we’re so pumped to be back at The G and so excited to have our mini Magpie in tow.

Ayla was fantastic, a little overwhelmed at first, but she settled in quickly and watched wide-eyed as the crowed cheered, putting her “go pies” move into action whenever she could.

We had fantastic seats, in perfect view of the goals, but with not much shelter we felt the full force of the 6 degree air.

Ayla was warm, in four tops and two pants, two pairs of socks, sneakers and a beanie, and when I produced a warm bottle of milk and wrapped us both up in a rain jacket she passed out for a whole quarter, without so much as a stir.

The walk home was good, although freezing, but Ayla had the best seat in the house tucked up in the baby carrier on her Daddy’s chest, underneath his coat.

PS – Collingwood won.

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Zoo!

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Saturday, 28 June 2014: One Year and Eighty Nine Days Old.

We took Ayla to the zoo today!

Ayla saw gorillas, and lemurs, and pigmy hippos, baboons, gibbons, tigers, elephants and a peacock before she fell asleep.

I think Ayla’s highlight was the butterfly house where there were hundred of fragile, fluttering butterflies everywhere to be seen.

One even landed on Daddy’s hand and Ayla got to touch it ever so gently before it flew off to join its friends.

The butterfly house was also toasty warm, just like home, but outside in the open air it was only 12 degrees.

All of us were rugged up and pink-cheeked, my fingers even turned white and icy so it’s not surprising that Ayla fell asleep while she was tucked up and warm inside her pram.

While Ayla was sleeping we saw giraffes (my favourite), zebras, a snow leopard and a brown bear, and I wish I could have shared them with her.

But, I’m sure there will be plenty more zoos to come and today was just a lovely chance to catch up with our friends and kick start our holiday.

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The big kid

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Friday, 27 June 2014: One Year and Eight Eight Days Old.

Our friends from Tassie arrived in Melbourne today, to join us on our holiday!

They have the beautiful, chubby cheeked, smiley Baby Evie in tow with them and for the first time ever Ayla gets to be the big kid!

Ayla has plenty of little friends back home but even though they’re a few months younger than her all of them are bigger, rougher and tougher than tiny Baby Ayla.

But Evie is only 5 months old and in all her cuteness she’s fragile and precious and Ayla seems to know.

And for Hubby and I it was wonderful to meet the little darling offspring of our friends, and we stoked to be sharing our first family holiday together!

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Flight No.11

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Thursday, 26 June 2014: One Year and Eighty Seven Days Old.

I was anxious about how Ayla would be on the plane today, even though it was her 11th flight in just 14 months of life!!

My concern was unprecedented of course, Ayla was content and happy to sit with Hubby and I, eat snacks, have a couple of little snoozes and push buttons on the built-in screens.

I thought that because Ayla’s walking now she might have wanted to explore the plane and make as many new friends as possible, but it turns out all her previous flying experience has taught her well.

Ayla did have a little bit of ear pain on landing for the first time, and she went awfully quiet when we stepped outside into the cold Melbourne winter air but all in all we made it safe and sound.

My great aunt was waiting for us at our hotel and took us out for tea with my uncle. It was their first time meeting Ayla and it was lovely to catch up and great to start the trip with a couple of friendly faces!

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Seasoned pro

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Wednesday, 29 January 2014: Three Hundred and Three Days Old.

I am so lucky to have a baby who is as forgiving, placid and easygoing as Ayla.

Up at 4.45am this morning Ayla was happy to wait with me as we huddled under the front patio in the pouring rain and waited for a taxi to arrive and take us to the airport.

Once there, nearly twenty minutes late mind you, Ayla sat comfortably on my hip and I sweet talked our way into three adjoining seats in Row 5 at no additional cost, and Ayla quietly clung on to me as we charged through the security checks,

The two of us spent the next half an hour sitting side by side on a departure lounge couch, sharing a toasted sandwich and watching other red-eye warriors prop their eyelids open with tooth pegs… Or coffee.

The flight itself was great, thanks to Row 5 but ultimately due to Ayla’s awesomeness at traveling; this is her third interstate trip since she was born and Ayla’s evidently a seasoned pro, happy and content to play with her toys and smile at the passengers behind us through the gap between seats.

I didn’t even have to feed Ayla during landing because her ears handled the change in altitude all by themselves, and I was able to somehow bundle Ayla into the Baby Ka’tan and be ready to “disembark via the front door” without a fuss.

Our luggage arrived on the carousel and we made our way to the pick up area where Ayla’s Grandma met us and helped us load our things, smothering Baby Ayla with cuddles and oodles of long awaited love.

From the airport we headed to a shopping centre no less, and while Grandma finished work for the day Ayla and I killed time browsing and stocking up on nappies and fruit.

We finally made it home in the late afternoon and by then Ayla’s eyes were hanging out of her head, as were mine.

Although we’d been able to jag a little over an hours sleep on the plane it was a massive, long, tiring day of travel and Ayla took it all in her stride.

I would have completely understood if Ayla had reached breaking point on the plane, in the car or even at the shopping centre but my baby girl is a trooper and she helps make even the most exhausting day a pleasure.

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The long drive home

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Thursday, 2 January 2014: Two Hundred and Seventy Six Days Old.

We made the long drive home today, despite none of us really wanting to leave.

Ayla was much less settled on the return journey today than what she had been last week, and her tears weren’t as easily wiped dry with a new toy or snack.

After all the excitement and stimulation over the past week I think Ayla found being confined to her car seat boring and lonesome so we pulled out all the stops when it came to entertaining her.

After we’d run out of reasons to stop and stretch our legs, after Ayla had tired of playing baby games on my iPhone and after we’d run out of nibblies to graze on, Hubby and I finally resorted to singing Ayla clips of our favourite hits from the nineties (Corny Parent Status: Complete).

When we finally got home Ayla seemed to know exactly where she was and she started kicking and squealing with delight as soon as she saw The Dog.

Ayla also seemed to recognise her toys, and she got stuck into playing them like they were long lost friends while Hubby and I set about unpacking.