Baby Kay

Upon Arrival...

2011-02-13T05:32:00.000-08:00

We can't believe that we are already here and that our Argentine adventure is upon us!

We left England on one of those most glorious of February days in which the promise of spring is tangible. There were crocuses and even daffodils opening their faces to the beautiful and very welcome rays of spring sunshine. The breeze was gentle and the temperature a very mild 12 degrees centigrade.

The flight seemed long, but we finally made it to a day which wasn't nearly as hot as I was dreading. Knowing that temperatures in BA often end up in the high 30s, a humid, but relatively cool, 22 degrees was very welcome.

One of the deputy heads of our new school came to the airport to meet us and another Brit called Thomas (who will be teaching science at the school). Rob greeted us and lead us outside where we waited about 5 min for a dilapidated minibus to collect and transport us to our new accommodation. The first thing he said when he saw the car seat was 'you won't be needing that here'!!! So Sophie went into the minibus and did not sit in her car seat for the ride. She did not even wear a seat belt as the minibus obviously did not come equipped with such a new-fangled idea ;)

On the way to our new homes we passed through the school to collect Soledad who was given the job of making sure all the new staff settle in well. Soledad is a very lovely lady of around my age who used to go to the school as a student and now works for the college in the admin office. She took us to our new flat and showed us everything we needed to settle in (including a fridge full of the essentials). She has helped us with our health screens that we had to do, taken us on a tour of the school, translated for us and is even in the process of helping us get wi-fi set up in our flat. I don't know what we would do without her!

But every one here has been very friendly. Jo and Simon have been in contact with us for ages, helping us plan what to bring and pack and giving us good advice from a family who have recently made the move. Michaela, Chris and Thomas are new this year as well and it has been very nice to be able to share this new adventure with others. Peggy, Melanie and Ian we have met a couple times for lunches as well which has been lovely. It seems as if there is a supportive expat community here which makes Stephen and I very glad that we will be able to have at least some friendly faces around in the first few months until we get to know the language and customs a bit better.

Our flat has 2 bedrooms and is not large. It is modern though with a comfortable sofa, nice furniture and lots of storage space (which is a nice change from a British flat). There is a nice balcony off the living room with lovely views of the river. It is strange to be so high up as neither of us has lived in a tower block before. The benefit of it though is that you have a bird's eye view of the area which is very nice. The kitchen is tiny but it also has a small balcony off of it with a washing machine, sink and some storage space. There is one bathroom with rather amazing good water pressure in the shower and one powder room near the door.

The complex of tower blocks is security guarded and very safe. Children as young as Sophie seem to have the run of the place and everyone stops and chats to and tease all the little kids. There is a little play park, a swimming pool, lawns to play games on and enough paved space that Sophie can scooter all she likes in complete safety. We are working on her right now so that when she wants to go play on her own she can ring the buzzer from downstairs, we can buzz her in and she can then get to us without us having to even leave the flat.

Jo and Simon remarked that the only way to get on here with a child is to take what we know as the good parenting guide in England and throw it our the window. Things are just so different and while there are dangers where they didn't used to be there is also a much more relaxed way of doing things. Parenthood seems to be as much a community led thing as a parental responsibility. For example, Sophie went swimming today at the pool at the school and because there were other children swimming and the lifeguard is actually the swimming instructor for the kindergarten classes she could go in swimming by herself rather than on a one-to-one ratio of parent to child like in the UK. She had such great fun and after introducing her to the lifeguard and saying what she was capable of I was free to go back to our delicious asado (bbq).

Although it is early days yet and we have yet to start our real purpose here in teaching, we are very optimistic that we will enjoy it.

Argentine Bureaucracy

2011-02-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

During Stephen's interview process for the job in Buenos Aires and again in a leaflet sent out by the school about the reality of trading a comfortable and familiar British life for that of an expat, more than one warning was given about Argentinian Bureaucracy. Stephen and I laughed about this and and were just so excited about the whole idea of an adventure that this warning pretty much went unheeded! Both of us are quite easy-going which is a good thing as there, indeed, has been lots of strange requests we have had to deal with en-route to living here.

The first step in our process to legally work at St George's seemed straightforward enough. Scan all of our passports, birth certificates and marriage license and send them to admin at the school so they could then begin the mammoth task of applying for a work visa on our behalf from the DNM, otherwise known as the Direccion Nacional de Migraciones. That didn't seem so difficult until we learned that we then had to get all our documents ( birth certs, marriage cert, university degrees, teaching diplomas, etc, etc ) all apostilled.

Apostilled you ask? Well, the apostille is a seal affixed to a document which shows that it has been authenticated by the government. The gist of it is that any country who signs up to the Hague Convention then recognises any document which has been apostillised in its country of origin. This was okay for our British Documents as all we had to do to get them done was take them up to Milton Keynes and pay for them to be stamped. Our Kiwi documents were a bit trickier as we had to take them to the NZ Embassy in London to be notarised by a Kiwi notary and then FedExed to Wellington to be apostillised, but this was still manageable and relatively easy. The Canadian documents however, were a different story!

As Canada did not sign the Hague Convention, all Canadian documents must be authenticated by the Canadian Government and then legalised by the Consulate of the country you are sending the documents to. Apparently if you post your documents to the Canadian government it will take them 35 working days to sort out and post back to you. However, if you take the documents to them in person they will do it for free in 15 min while you wait! I was going to have to fly to Canada to get this done but my wonderful parents decided that they would spend their 36th wedding anniversary driving my documents 6 hours to Ottawa to be authenticated, then another 5 hours to Toronto to be legalised by the Argentine Consulate (as the Argentine Embassy in Ottawa won't do it!). They then FedExed the documents back to me just in time for me to scan them and send off to the school in Argentina and for them to send on to the DMN who then send them back to the Argentine Consulate in London!

I think we must have the best travelled documents in the world!

I am sure that as time goes on we will have many other examples of how Argentine Bureaucracy works... Watch this space!

Leaving London

2011-02-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have posted. However, as we are beginning a new adventure, I thought that it would be an ideal time to continue our blog. I have begun another posting to shoulder the gap between the last time we posted and now (almost 2 years later!), but it is taking quite a long time to complete and I really want our blog to contain some of my feelings, emotions, hopes and dreams before we actually embark on this most exciting adventure.

Yesterday we went into London for the day. Back in October I had ordered 6 tickets for the London Eye through an accumulation of Tesco vouchers and we planned on using them to take the Taylors and the Sawyers for a pre-Christmas excursion. However, on the chosen day, there was a terrible snow storm which precluded us from journeying into London from Guildford. Trains were running, but it was touch and go whether or not they still would be when we wanted to come home. So yesterday was the designated rain check - or snow check as it were.

Lizzie and Sophie were so excited to be making the trip. We had spent the night before at the Sawyers' house and both girls were too excited to sleep much at all. The catch word all morning, and for the entire train journey, and for waiting in the queue, was 'London Eye!!!' And I don't think it disappointed in the slightest. The girls, Andrew and Maisy spent the entire trip around the wheel hooked over the railing and marvelling at the sights below.

After the Eye was a boat trip up the Thames to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. We walked around for a while followed by pizza at Zizzi's. The kids loved the day and even though we were all desperately tired by the time we got home it was a lovely way to say good-bye to the beautiful city which has been our home for the last 8 years.

I am really excited about the move and I am really looking forward to a new adventure. BUT... There is so much that is unknown and up in the air. We know where we will be teaching and generally what we will be teaching but we have never met any of the students and never been to the school. We know that we will be living in a 2 bed flat a 5 min walk from the school but we have not seen any pictures of it or even seen what the block of flats looks like from the outside (except what you can see on Google Earth). We know that they will mostly speak English at the school but most people will speak Spanish which we don't understand. We know that Sophie will be in full time school but not who her teachers will be or even how many students will be in her class. So much to find out!

And we will find most of it out the day after tomorrow. Eek!

Florida - February 2009

2009-08-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I am getting a bit rubbish at posting, but I thought that while I am on summer holidays I should catch up on blog entries I have missed! So here is a photo diary of what Sophie and I got up to on our yearly migration to Florida to visit our own personal snowbirds...

Christmas 2008

2009-02-15T14:45:00.001-08:00

Sophie's 2nd Birthday

2009-02-15T13:51:00.001-08:00

Lucky Sophie had 3 parties for her 2nd birthday! One with family (and Grandma Kay was there!), one with Bella at the Farnham Sports Centre, and most of her close friends to dinner on the actual day. All the parties were loads of fun, and having her friends to dinner on the day was so successful that I think it will be a yearly tradition!

Great Grandma Paddy's 80th Birthday

2009-02-15T13:28:00.001-08:00

Halloween

2009-02-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

Auntie 'Chele Comes To Visit

2009-02-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

Visiting with Great Grandma Paddy

2009-02-15T12:59:00.001-08:00

We went to visit Grandma at Wendy and Chris' place near Maldon. We had a lovely afternoon at the park on the harbour front.

Here are a few pics...

Four Generations

2009-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

Just before we left Canada we stopped for dinner with Poppa. Here are 4 generations of eldest children...

Summer in Canada

2008-10-05T08:24:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few pics to show what we got up to in the summer in Canada...

New Zealand Grandparents to Visit

2008-10-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

Stephen's parents came to visit in July. Sophie had a lovely time getting to know them as we painted bedrooms, went for walks and read books together.

Here are a few picture-memories...

Canadian Grandparents in Bath

2008-07-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

For my birthday weekend my parents surprised me with a visit. It was nice to see them again, lovely for them to get to spend more time with Sophie and we had a fab visit to Bath.

At the thermal spa... Anyone for a bath?

Cushty's Puppy

2008-07-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Mr Cush, has just bought himself a puppy. It's a very cute puppy and in a bid to try to get me to agree to us buying a puppy Stephen took us to visit Mr Cush's little spaniel Dixie. Dixie is extremely adorable and Sophie just loved galloping around with her. The two of them teased, chased and kissed each other in an over-excited frenzy while the rest of us looked on and laughed.

A very cute puppy and a very good effort Stephen, but no. We can't get a puppy yet... maybe if we move back to Canada....... ;)

Cricket

2008-07-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

This summer Stephen has played a bit more cricket than in recent years and most game days have been so lovely that Sophie and I have tagged along to cheer on our fav cricket star. Tomorrow is the playoff for their team so fingers crossed the weather will hold out long enough to make cheering an attractive sport!

Cool baby in shades!

Out with the Brothers Kay

2008-06-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I have found a new pub not far from us where the atmosphere is relaxing and they serve yummy food. Saturday evening Stephen's brothers, their other halves, Stephen, Sophie and I went out for a meal there. It was really nice, but sad to be thinking it will be one of the last occasions where we will all be together before David and Vanessa leave for NZ. Will will miss them 'heaps' as they say in Kiwi-speak.

Frensham Little Pond

2008-06-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

One of the nicest things about living in England is that even though it is so crowded there are lovely places all around where you can go to feel isolated, as if you are in the middle of nowhere. Frensham Little Pond is 15 min away from us and feels like that.

Saturday Charlotte and I took Sophie and Bella there for the morning. The two girls loved running about, playing football and doing their best to go swimming! Sophie even tried to copy a dog and drink out of the pond! I was very glad I had worn a skirt and flip flops so I could dash in after them...

One stump each.

Awww! Baby cuddles and first friendships are so cute...

Sophie is very into pointing to everything at the moment and asking "Whazat?" A place like Frensham Little Pond has countless things for her to explore. Here she is asking about a pine cone.

And finally at the Bridge for a cream tea after all that activity!

Breakfast

2008-06-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sophie has decided that her favourite breakfast is now Rice Crispies... They not only taste yummy but they stick well to her spoon and make funny noises.

Poor Cat!

2008-06-01T01:04:00.001-07:00

Playing with the neighbours

2008-05-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sophie on the neighbours' trampoline

Libby and Keiran playing with Sophie in our garden

Doing some colouring

A few pics from the last few weeks...

2008-05-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Taking Keira the Cat for a walk

Playing with Daddy

Climbing into the toy box

Torturing Keira the Cat

'Let me have the camera!'

The Shepherd and Flock

2008-05-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sophie and I have been going lately to the walk in Farnham which begins at the Shepherd and Flock Roundabout. It is a really lovely walk passing some beautiful houses and farmland. At this time in the year there are baby lambs gambolling about and even a baby alpaca to see.

These first 2 pictures are from last Sunday afternoon when we went by ourselves... Sophie spent forever looking at the lambs and baa-ing at them.

These pics are from yesterday when we went with Charlotte and Bella. Unfortunately Soph threw her snack wrapper in the stream and when I ran out to get it grabbed a whole handfull of stinging nettles! Ouch!

Sophie's Friends

2008-05-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Sophie is beginning to interact with other children and play with them rather than just alongside them. She is beginning to say the names of a couple of her friends so that now all little girls are 'Kasey' (the name of the childminder's daughter) and all little boys are 'Alfie'.

What is really sweet is that every time she goes outside she calls out 'Alfie' as loudly as she can to try to get the attention of the neighbour's little boy who is 3. The two of them play really well and are generally back and forth over the back fence 3-4 times a week. So cute! I'll add some pics of that when I find my camera!

Here are a few pics of Sophie with her friends... the first is Sophie holding hands with Alfie and the second is Sophie and Tabitha laughing and playing together. Sorry if the quality isn't fantastic - they were taken on my mobile phone.

1st Haircut

2008-04-19T02:08:00.000-07:00

Monday morning bright and early we took Sophie into Farnham for her first haircut at a place called Spikes and Curls. It is a specialised shop that only does children's hair so I thought that they would be better equipped to deal with a squirming baby than most places! They were really lovely there even though there isn't that much of a diference...

Bamboo Floors

2008-04-19T01:30:00.000-07:00

With two persian cats and a baby our carpet was getting very smelly and stained so Stephen's little project over this holiday was to rip it up and to install hardwood floors.

We chose bamboo as it is a renewable resource, hard wearing and around the same price as a good quality laminate (and much nicer than laminate too!). We priced it out in lots of stores and then ended up going for an internet company. They were really good as they let us choose our (free) delivery date and provided all we needed to do the floor for around 75% of what it would have been in B&Q!

This is the carpet all ripped up and the underlay going down...

Unfortunately we had layed almost all the underlay down before reading 'This Side Up' on the side we had put down! So it all came up and was layed the right way before Stephen, David and Vanessa could start laying down the wood!

And the finished product...

A huge thank you goes out to Stephen's brother and sister-in-law who gave up 2 days of their holiday to help!

April snow brings...?

2008-04-19T00:57:00.000-07:00

The first Sunday of the school holidays lots of snow (for England) fell and stayed on the ground. Sophie wasn't quite sure about it!

Sea World

2008-04-13T01:55:00.000-07:00

Animal Kingdom

2008-04-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

Airboat on the Florida Swamp

2008-03-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Our first day in Orlando we went to a swamp and went for an airboat ride to meet some crocodiles...

The crocodile's snout and eyes

Road Trip

2008-03-24T05:37:00.000-07:00

Jet Lag - even seasoned travellers get it!

2008-02-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

Lunch with the ladies

2008-02-20T13:33:00.001-08:00

We went out for lunch with my mum's red hat lunch group today and although Sophie was a little slow to wake up after her nap, by the end she was the centre of everyone's attention and loving it!

On the beach

2008-02-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

A veteran traveller

2008-02-20T13:09:00.001-08:00

Sophie is such a good traveller by now that I never should have bothered to worry about her this trip. It was long and I am very glad I had the portable dvd player with me but she was such a good girl that all the flight attendants were completely charmed by and in awe of her good nature. I was complemented by several of the fellow passengers as well which says a lot!

Here are a couple pics from the journey... check out her suitcase!

Out for lunch

2008-02-20T13:06:00.001-08:00

Out and About

2008-02-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

Sunday, while Stephen and David were golfing, Vanessa, Sophie and I went into Guildford to do a little shopping. Vanessa wanted to pick something up to use to teach Sunday school and I wanted to get a few little toys to wrap up for Sophie to open on the flight to Florida. We ended our trip in a coffee shop and then met the boys for lunch. It was a beautiful day and nice to spend it wandering around town with family.

New Words

2008-02-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

Sophie has been a little chatterbox these days and keeps coming out with new words and new ways to express herself.

New words include, ta (taught to her by Claire her childminder), please, cheese, Bunny (her special stuffed animal), Daisy (her little doll from her favourite TV show - In the Night Garden), cup, cat, kitty and yes.

Ways of expressing herself include blowing a kiss to say please, thank you or bye-bye (the signs for please and thank you are very similar to the motion of blowing kisses), waving her hands in front of herself to say 'no', putting her hands out palms up to say 'What is it?' 'Where?' 'How?' Or any other question, pointing at things and saying 'this', and screaming tantrums when she isn't getting what she wants.

We have been going through a rough month since returning from Canada in terms of sleep and tantrums (due to a lack of sleep), but slowly as the sleep issue is sorting itself out she is returning to the happy Sophie once again.

Sophie loves singing and dancing at the moment. When she wants you to sing to her she opens and closes her hands (the signs for Twinkle, twinkle little star) and starts singing. Her favourite songs are Twinkle, Twinkle, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Incy Wincy Spider, and Slowly Creeps the Snail. When she wants to dance she either makes her signs for you to sing so she can dance to the music, sings to herself while dancing or turns on one of her musical toys. She also likes listening to music to go to sleep.

Another thing that Sophie loves is going outside. She will find her shoes or boots, bring them to me so I can put them on, find her coat and bang on the door saying 'Aaah aah aah' until you let her out into the back garden. She loves going for walks and hates having to leave the park.

Stephen has been taken Sophie swimming on a Sunday before church. She really likes it but ends up swallowing so much water that she has thrown up a couple times in the pool! Gross.

What an exciting journey life (and parenthood) is! It felt as though there were a few months where everything stayed the same but right now it feels as though every day something new is happening and she can do something different. We feel so priveledged to be part of it.

Mmmmm Chocolate!

2008-02-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

What a big girl!

2008-01-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Sophie brought a nappy and her wipes over to me and said "poo poo". She then proceeded to do one while stood in front of me!

Teeth

2008-01-27T01:16:00.000-08:00

While we were in Canada Sophie grew 6 new teeth! She now has all her 8 front teeth and 1 complete set of molars... Only 8 to go........

Let it Snow!

2008-01-27T00:30:00.001-08:00

Christmas in Canada

2008-01-07T01:53:00.000-08:00

When we arrived in Canada Sophie adjusted really well to the time difference and was fantastic on the plane and journey to Wasaga Beach, but fell asleep so soundly at 6pm on the second day that we couldn't wake for anything! What a cutie!

Christmas Day was lovely with Mom,Dad, Michele, Sean, Ana, Sophie, Stephen and I. What a treat to all be together!

We dressed Sophie in the outfit I wore as flower girl for my Uncle's wedding 26 years ago for his visit.

Sophie saying goodbye to Auntie Michele...

A visit to grandma

2008-01-07T00:31:00.000-08:00

The weekend before school ended for Christmas break we drove up to Yorkshire to see Stephen's Grandma in Beverley. We had a lovely visit with not only Grandma but Grandma's sister Eileen, niece Tina and Tina's son Oliver as well as Stephen's Aunt and Uncle.

After, we stayed with Stephen's cousin, Sue at her lovely house just outside of Hull It was nice to see her and her husband Ant, and quite exciting too as they are expecting their first baby early this year.

Uncle David's Birthday

2007-12-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about having both Stephen's brothers living around us is that we get to celebrate special occasions with them.

Birthday Girl

2007-12-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Rather than just have one birthday celebration lucky Sophie seemed to have a whole week of them! Saturday we went to another little girl's first birthday party and then came home to have David, Vanessa, Andrew, Lee-sia, the Purkiss family and the Campbells over for birthday cake. All the kids had a great time and it was noisier than it ever has been in our little house! I had made a carrot cake and I think all the sugar went straight into their blood streams!

Then Tuesday some of Sophie's friends came over while Stephen was at work and we had another cake! Chocolate this time.

At first Sophie didn't quite know what to do with the presents she received, but she soon caught on!

One of her favourite presents is a doll buggy from her friend Jaden... It is even a three wheeler like hers!

Here she is eating a WHOLE pear! I guess I don't really need to cut them up and peel them any more....

Sophie and daddy all dressed up and ready to go to Tabitha's birthday party.

Another of Sophie's favourite presents is a bottle of bubbles! Everytime she sees it she carries it over to me and won't leave me alone until I blow her some.

Sophie has also taken to babbling like crazy and will walk around the house holding phones and carrying on very lengthy conversations with herself. It is really sweet. She has also started 'talking' at great lengths with us!

What a year this has been! Our little baby has come so far.

The Last Month

2007-11-24T01:03:00.000-08:00

Time just seems to slip past and before I know it another month has passed and Sophie's first birthday is tomorrow. She has grown 7 new teeth this past month and has dropped down to only one nap a day.

Here are a few pictures from the past month where Sophie has graduated from her first tentative steps and is now very stable and working up to running!

Mmmm... banana

The pirate face!

I like to read! (Sophie now brings books over for us to read... both of her own volition and in response to us asking her... it is very cute!)

Whoops! Dropped it....

I am happiest when I am making a mess!

At the fireworks

In the park

Sophie Walks!

2007-10-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

So - Sophie is now upwardly mobile! We will have to start baby proofing the house for real now!

Her record currently stands at 8 steps without a fall. Its very hard to get evidence of this - but this is the best that we've got!

Simon comes to visit

2007-10-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Angie has come to visit for two weeks with her son Simon who is 6 weeks younger than Sophie. It has been really nice to have them but both babies got the flu within 2 days of them arriving so both Angie and I are sick to death of crying and sick babies! They have had fun together though as you can see from the pictures below...

Bath Time!

2007-10-26T14:39:00.001-07:00

Mmmm... Speghetti! Time for a bath!!!

My yellow boat is almost as yummy as speghetti!

Oh so cute!

All Kays in England

2007-10-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

With both Stephen's brothers now living in England with their other halves, this last visit from Stephen's parents meant that all his family were in one place at one time... which is very rare when they all live across the world from each other!

Here is 'Uncle Andrew' with Sophie

David and his wife Vanessa cooking in our kitchen

Peter, Patricia and Andrew helping us by stripping the old wood chip wall paper and paint

Grandma Patricia and Sophie at the park

Grandpa Peter at the park with Sophie

Grandparents come to visit!

2007-10-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Sophie was a very lucky girl at the end of September to have both of her sets of Grandparents visiting. We got some photos of what I am sure will be a very rare occurance in her life.

Below are some snapshots of her with them.

Sophie's Christening

2007-10-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday 23rd September
11.15am
Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot
Reception followed the service at 3 Ventnor Terrace.

Sleeping through the night!

2007-09-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Sophie finally, at 9 months, has started to sleep through the night! She has never been a particularly good night sleeper, though she is an excellent napper, but this summer the sleeping deteriorated and she was in bed with us practically every night. I was getting quite desperate for a good night's sleep so out of desperation we decided to try sleep training.

The night after we arrived back from Canada we started by being sure to put her into bed awake and to leave her to cry for periods of 2 minutes at a time. (Many people say to last 20 min or to increase the time by a minute each time you go in, but I am far too soft hearted for that! I even had to wait until I was sure that Sophie could understand that it was bedtime and that she should be sleeping before I had the heart to start trying this method!) The first night was terrible. Sophie was up every 30-60 min and I would have to go in up to 10 times to calm her down enough to fall asleep. The next night was only a little better in terms of how often I had to get out of bed but her crying wasn't quite as desperate. The third night she slept through! And I haven't had to get up more than once or twice since then! AND she is going down like this for naps as well!!!

I feel very happy about this and very proud of myself and Sophie.

Hot fun in the summer time...

2007-09-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well we are now back in England after a wonderful summer in Canada. Sophie has learned to crawl, is cruising around the furniture, waves, claps her hands, makes indian noises, pokes out her tongue, blows kisses and has grown 2 teeth. We tried many times to upload pictures onto the blog but for some reason the connection wouldn't allow us to do so... So here is a "brief" photo essay of everything we were up to:

Brother Sean and new sister Ana's wedding...

Sophie and Aunt Michele at the wedding

Chilling on the dock with Aussie friends

A boat trip to Port Stanton for ice cream...

An evening at the cottage

At the beach at Thornbury

An evening boat ride to see the sunset

Chilling on the screened in porch

Sophie and Simon Salisbury at the waterfront in Orillia

Eating a lime!

Hanging out with family

Sophie trying to get close to animals!

And finally visits with friends!

In canada - wireless connection up and running!

2007-08-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

We've been in canada for over a week now - and Sean has kindly fixed the wireless internet here at the cottage so that we can start to post some pictures on the blog!
We are all having a great time- lots of swimming and relaxing. Sophie really enjoys swimming in the lake - and has managed to twist everyone here firmly around her little finger!
Here's what we have been up to so far.......

ps. Sophie now has two bottom teeth - and has learnt to crawl!!!

End of the school year

2007-07-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

This last couple weeks have flown past in a blur of end of school madness. We have attended a whole bunch of things for the last time before going to Canada; a couple parties at people's houses, cricket games, music group, baby play group just to mention a couple.

Here is Sophie making friends with the dogs at Benny's party last Friday...

Stephen giving Sophie a drink (!!) after the cricket game....

And some of the mums and babies at the play group...

Sophie also ate speghetti bolognese for the first time and loved smearing it all over! Any tips on how to get speghetti sauce off clothes?

It has also been a strange week due to Stephen and I leaving Sophie with Charlotte Tuesday evening while we attended Vanessa's concert in London, and me returning to work Wednesday and Friday. Work wasn't quite as bad as it could have been and it was actually nicer than I thought to be able to leave Sophie in David's care while I had something else to occupy my brain and time.

Now that school is over for the next 5 weeks we are both looking forward to going to canada and having a long break where Sophie can learn to swim in the river and maybe to walk!?!

Stephen and Tara

In the park

2007-07-09T01:45:00.001-07:00

The weather has finally turned for the better! After 300% more rain in June than normal, the sun has once again began to show its face. Yesterday we all went to the park after church to take advantage of the beautiful day. Stephen and Uncle David took turns holding Sophie on their shoulders on the walk over and I pushed the empty buggy. Sophie liked being up so high as she felt like a big girl!

In keeping with feeling like a big girl, Sophie then tried out the big girl swings with her daddy.

And here are a few pictures from Saturday in the garden.

Fun times in a pretty dress

2007-07-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

The sun has finally come out and with it more pretty dresses! Here is Sophie on the swings yesterday...

Sophie has discovered how to stand up by herself using her toy basket!

And here she is with her uncle David.

On the move... sort of!

2007-07-04T06:07:00.001-07:00

Not crawling yet but not far off... !!!!!

A Trip to the (English) Cottage

2007-07-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Stephen's Grandma has been visiting his aunt, Wendy, and uncle, Chris, at their cottage in Essex (which dates back to circa 1750!). Accordingly, Stephen, Sophie and I all bundled into the car yesterday and headed over to see them. It was only their second time seeing Sophie (yes, I know that whe has seen her relatives who live abroad more often....) so it was very special.

Cheerios and Toy Boxes

2007-06-21T13:01:00.001-07:00

Sophie has now decided that being fed by me is not quite as much fun as trying to feed herself... As such she has eschewed purees in favour of food she can pick up and try to put it in her own mouth such as cheerios, peas, bits of fish or chicken and so on. What a mess to clean up after each meal! But she IS so cute!!!

Sophie also is enjoying her toy basket lately. She likes to take all the toys out and can spend half an hour or even more just doing that.

Of course being in the toy basket is just as much fun as taking everything out of it!

Getting over the jet lag

2007-06-20T00:42:00.000-07:00

Well, this was the most difficult trip to get over than any Sophie and I have been on! Last week we were both just dead on our feet and didn't get into our normal routine until Friday... and even then the house didn't get tidy again until Monday!!

Friday we went to baby play group. It is so cute because all the babies are beginning to recognise each other and to really take pleasure in seeing each other.

This last weekend was a D of E one for Stephen. Sophie and I joined him and the other leaders Saturday evening for a bbq. Sophie really likes being outside so it is always easy to take her to out door things. I forgot to use my camera though to take pics of her fascination with the fire and the movement of all the leaves in the breeze.

Monday we went again to music group which Sophie really enjoys as well. We hadn't been for almost a month and so it was really nice to see how well she still responds to it. In the afternoon Sophie and Keira the cat played together for the first time. Sophie loves the cats and squeals every time they come into her vision. The cats are usually a bit skittish around her but can sometimes be very curious about what she is doing.

Yesterday my god-daughter Elizabeth came to spend the day with us. The two girls had lots of fun playing together. It is really nice to see Sophie becoming more interactive.

And finally a few more photos...

Yum! Cheese....

Home again

2007-06-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Sophie and I had a lovely week in Canada and are really looking forward to our summer there with Stephen. It is good to be home though and it is really nice to have Stephen with us too!

Friday my mum, my dad, Sophie and I drove up to Wasaga Beach to see their new house (still just a foundation!). I had never been to Wasaga Beach before so it was very interesting for me to see where they are going to live and where we will be visiting them! We then drove straight to the cottage from Wasaga.

Sean and Ana also drove to the cottage Friday night as they had an appointment in Huntsville to plan their wedding. It was very nice to all be there and I missed Stephen dreadfully as it would really would have been nice for him to be there too. We also missed my sister Michele - by only a week! At least everyone will be together in August for a whole week... it is difficult though to think that my sister still hasn't met my daughter who is now 6 1/2 months old!

Here are some pictures from the time at the cottage...

In the boat.

On the swing with Grammy

Yum! Pancakes...

Playing in water with Grampy and Auntie Ana

Look at that water!

Relaxing on the dock

With "Grammy" Syl

Uncle Sean changes nappies!

Saying good-bye at the airport

On the plane with Grandma Ellen's friends

"I like those flight attendants! Let me go back!"

A Whirlwind Week

2007-06-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

This week in Canada is just speeding past! It has been so nice to be home and to see family and friends again. But it would be really nice if time could slow down a little so we could enjoy it more! Things didn't start out so swiftly though as our plane was late Sunday by 2 hours. We had a long wait to get on the plane and then there were only 2 bassinets on the plane and 6 babies so I had to hold Sophie in my arms the entire 7 hours!! Boy were we glad to get to Canada!

When we arrived Ana's bridal shower was underway and after a brief attempt at a nap Sophie was good natured enough to sit and play while everyone ooh-ed and ah-ed over her and then passed her around the circle. She was so tired that evening that she pretty much just passed out and only woke to feed once until 5am.

Monday morning the two of us embarked at 6 on a whirlwind trip to visit friends. We arrived at my friend Erin's house at 8am bearing muffins and had a wonderful time with her 4(!) children. Sophie loves watching children and both Liam and Katie showed her lots of attention. Erin's 2 youngest are twin girls who are 4 months old, but as they were born early were SO tiny. I couldn't believe the difference between them and Sophie!

Next visit was to my friend Angela who has 2 girls; Robin 2 and Alba 4 months. We had a lovely chat over a cup of tea and homemade cinnamon bread and then went for a nice walk with the babies and Robin.

For lunch we met my friend Angie in Orillia with her 4 month old son Simon. We went to the Mariposa Market (yummy!) and then went shopping in all the baby stores we could find! Simon is so cute - which is to be expected with Jamie and Angie as parents!

Sophie and I spent the night in Brooklin at my friend Clarene's house. Clarene has a baby, Emma, who just turned 1. She is also pregnant again!!! I can't imagine having 2 so close! After leaving Clare's we spent most of the rest of the day with Rachel and her two children, Isaac (almost 4) and Aria (2). Sophie had a great time playing with them and we managed to leave Rachel's house MUCH messier than we found it as Sophie dropped peas ALL over the floor while attempting to get them in her mouth! I gave her 1/2 a cup of peas and I think at least that many ended up on the floor! Probably Rachel won't want us back again!

Wednesday morning Sophie and I went to visit my grandfather (who is a great grandfather for the first time). My great-uncle, Oz, came around as well to visit. We got some great pictures that I know we will treasure for years to come. The rest of Wednesday was spent packing up my old room which is now (thankfully!) finished.

Thursday morning my mother and I walked over to my uncle Oz's apartment to visit again with him and my grandfather. We missed seeing my aunt Janette which was sad, but we will get to see her in the summer at the wedding.

In the afternoon we went to Springridge Farm (where I used to work) to meet Shannon (a friend from high school) and her 3 children. The kids all had lots of fun running around, going through the maze, looking at the goats and chickens and playing in the giant sandbox.

We have had such an action-packed and fun week that I haven't even mentioned yet how happy my parents were to see Sophie again or that she met her uncle Sean and aunt (to-be) Ana for the first time. She 'drove' my dad's truck and has spent lots of time sleeping to recover from all the excitement. What a good baby!

Finished the Deck (well, nearly!)

2007-06-03T04:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the deck now that it is finished and being used!

I have a bit more to do - I'm going to add a step down into the garden, but make the step wide enough to put some chairs on it, and also put up some bamboo screening between us and the neighbours as they are worried that we can now see into their kitchen.

As Tara and Sophie are in Canada for the week I'm sure I'll have lots more time to get everything finished!!!

Stephen

A Deck is Built

2007-06-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it rained ALL weekend. Stephen was due to start work on Sunday, but the weather just wouldn't co-operate. It was wet and temperatures dived to a low of 6 degrees!! But, finally, Tuesday dawned brightly and the work could finally commence.

Monday friends of ours who live on the Isle of Wight stayed with us. Sophie was completely entranced by Zac and Livi (4 and 20 months) and so interested in watching everything they did that she would not nap their entire visit!

We all toddled outside Tuesday morning before the Gavins headed off to witness Stephen's first holes drilled into the concrete outside the house.

After the Gavins left, Stephen soldiered on solo and built the complicated bits of the frame Tuesday. His brother Andrew and Andrew's girlfriend Lee-sia popped 'round in the evening to lend a hand with the long bits of the frame.

Wednesday it rained all day again, but Thursday saw the completion of the frame.

Today, Stephen began cladding the frame and is now halfway finished.

Tomorrow will hopefully see the completion of the deck!!! What a big job...

6 Months Old Today!!!!

2007-05-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe that our little tiny baby girl that we brought home from the hospital is now 6 months old! The time has just flown by and gone so quickly. I feel as if I will wake up tomorrow and she will be going off on her first day of school...

Stephen is off this week for 1/2 term and his mission is to build a deck in our back garden. Here you can see him and Sophie sorting through all the nuts and bolts he will have to use when building it... Daddy's little helper!

And here Sophie is earlier in the week posing in her all together before a bath.

At the moment Stephen is feeding her her first taste of turnip, which she is loving at the moment. Sophie is steadily adding new tastes to her repertoire and loves everything she has tasted thus far (potato, sweet potato, carrot, green beans, peas, rusks, cereal, apple, banana, pear, parsnip and butternut squash) save mango which she refused to open her mouth for this morning after one bite and a giant grimmace! Maybe she'll take to it next time!

Building Works

2007-05-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

So our new back door has finally been fitted! We are very happy with it and it brings SO much more light into our little house. Sophie was very interested in the progress and spent most of the day fascinated with what Danny (the builder) was doing. I have had a busy two days moving everything out of the entire ground floor and then moving it all back down again. Stephen starts building the deck on Sunday or Monday and then it will be on to the tiling. I have also knocked down the wall at the front of the house! Once you get the bug...

Sophie has been doing really well lately. She is very happy and has taken to squealing with delight. She loves being in her cot and will happily spend half an hour there playing by herself every once in a while. I have figured out that as soon as she starts to get grumpy to put her straight there and she will either start chatting to herself and playing or will fall asleep.

She is also eating a fair few foods now and gets so excited when it is food time that she starts to shake. Today I made her apples with cinnamon and rather than puree-ing it I mashed then to make them a little more textured. She wasn't sure at first, but by the 3rd spoonful she was wolfing it down!

Sophie and I have started a new course. It is called PEEP (Peer Early Education Programme) and will give me a lower level GCSE (high school credit) for completing it ;) I will have homework to complete every week, a scrapbook to fill, and I will learn all kinds of games I can play with Sophie to aid her development and about important things I can do to stimulate her as she grows. It is on a Friday afternoon so Fridays are now busy days for us as we have the baby play group in the morning as well.

Sophie has recently found her feet as well and loves playing with and eating her toes while I am trying to change her nappy.

Here Sophie is at the play park with my God daughter Elizabeth on Sunday afternoon.

Mmm mmm good!

2007-05-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today we tried sweet potato...

I think Sophie liked it!...

Grey Skies and a Grumpy Baby

2007-05-12T05:51:00.000-07:00

The weather has turned this week and it has rained every day. Sophie's mood seems to have changed with the weather and she has been very hard work to kee happy. Maybe she has S.A.D. and I should invest in a light box!

I have managed to take some pictures however when there has been the odd smile. My friend Charlotte has lent us her baby ring which helps to keep Sophie from falling on her face when sitting up. It is really good as it can keep her safe while I dash out of the room to catch up on the laundry or dishes.

Two things that seem to keep Sophie occupied are going for walks and having friends over to distract her so we have done both of those many times this week (which has meant that I have gotten very wet on occasion!). The following pictures are of Sophie and her friends Cameron and Charlotte - both 2 1/2.

Hopefully we will be much happier this next week!

Beautiful Weather and a Weekend of Gardening

2007-05-07T04:37:00.000-07:00

Last week the weather continued to be beautiful... we spent much time outside in the back garden, walking around Aldershot, going to the swings at the park, and we went walking again at Alice Holt with some friends.

This weekend we also planted in our garden. I now have a herb garden as well as flowers potted about. I also cut down a massive shrub in order to make more room for the patio table. However, I am in the process of hiring people to put a door leading outside from the dining room and sourcing materials for Stephen to build me a deck over the next half-term, so all those planters will eventually have to move!

Sophie seems to be getting funnier and more interactive with every passing day. She is developing such a personality and loves making me laugh and being tickled. She also really enjoys being outside and around other babies, listening to and making music, singing, squealing, cuddling, reading, playing and dancing. I don't know where the past 5 1/2 months have gone! Where is the tiny little thing I brought home from the hospital?

Sitting!!

2007-04-30T01:37:00.000-07:00

So, Sophie's brief stint at sitting during play group last Friday wasn't just a fluke! She now sits without being propped up. She does fall over occasionally but she is enjoying the freedom of not having to be held all the time.

This weekend Stephen and I have been trying the Baby Whisperer's techniques on getting a baby to sleep without having to be rocked to sleep and on staying asleep throughout the night. So far I have spent countless hours with Sophie picking her up from her cot when she is crying and putting her back down as soon as she stops. Even though this technique is much more labour intensive and back breaking than the controlled crying method where you let a baby cry for increasingly longer periods of time before they actually cry themselves to sleep I like it much better because it just breaks my heart to hear Sophie cry and I don't want her to ever think that I am not there for her when she needs me. But I think that all the effort is paying off because this morning Sophie went off without a whimper... Fingers crossed!

We had a beautiful weekend and Saturday some friends came 'round to see Sophie and I. Here are the pics of us all lounging in the sun in the garden... What an April!

5 months today!

2007-04-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe how fast my baby girl is growing up! Today I gave her some baby rice for the first time. I was trying to get her to 6 months exclusively breastfeeding but she has started crying at the ends of feeds because she is still hungry, waking up countless times in the night, and really reaching out for our food. So I think she is probably ready.

Sophie also sat up unaided today for the first time while we were at baby group! What a milestone. Here she is attempting to crawl... I suppose that will be the next one!

This last week...

2007-04-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

... has been beautiful in England. We are experiencing a very warm spring and it has been really nice to be able to spend much of it out of doors. I have been walking everywhere and only really use the car to grocery shop.

Wednesday I met up with three friends from my post-natal group at Frensham Little Pond and we took the buggies on a walk around the pond. It is so beautiful there and it was such a nice day that we all went home feeling very refreshed.

Friday Sophie and I went to baby play group and I took the cutest picture of Sophie and 4 other little girl babies playing together on the mat... Can you pick Sophie out? And do you think she is going to end up a bully? Or is that just an extension of friendship?

Saturday Sophie and I went to the park where she went in the swing for the first time (she's almost sitting up by herself so I thought it was about time!) I don't know that she loved it, but she definitely didn't hate it so maybe next time the look on her face will be less perplexed!

And finally today we had Andrew and Lee-sia over for the first bbq of the season. It was lovely and Sophie managed to stay awake while we ate outside so that was especially nice. Note that she is sitting in her new Phil and Ted's travel high chair at the table and playing with her very own spoon and a beaker of water. I haven't begun to wean her yet but she is becomming very interested in what happens around the table so I thought that I would get her used to eating utensils before jumping into the whole baby food thing.

Tomorrow Sophie and I are heading into London to pick up my passport. Hopefully the weather will be as lovely as today and we can have a nice day out.

One toy is just not enough!

2007-04-17T02:06:00.000-07:00

Back in the UK

2007-04-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

We are finally back in the UK after a wonderful trip and a couple very long flights. Peter and Patricia saw us off at Auckland. Here they are saying good-bye to Sophie.

And then we were off to Korea where we had an over night stop at Incheon Airport. Sophie was very good on the flight and slept as much as could be expected at the hotel in Korea. Here she is propped up in the sky cot on the plane... what a difference in development these two weeks have been! (notice the bright red cheeks? We think they are most likely teething spots... but no teeth yet.)

In the hotel with daddy...

And in the airport in Korea. As a blonde, blue-eyed baby she was a celebrity! We had several people ask to take her photograph and lots wanted to hold her. Here she is surrounded by Korean women in one of the duty-free shops.

The last flight to London was blessedly uneventful and our little star traveller even slept last night! She is however, very grumpy today! Let's just hope that she will be back to her usual cheerful self tomorrow when Stephen goes back to work tomorrow.

What a clever baby!

2007-04-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

Sophie has developed by leaps and bounds in these last two weeks. She is now reaching for and grabbing anything within her reach, babbling and almost sitting without help. She has also grown very long and thin. Here are some pics of her taken in the last few days...

Here is Sophie drinking her bathwater!

And eating her new bucket that Grandma Kay bought her.

Playing on the floor.

Playing percussion in the kitchen with Grandpa Kay.

And piano with Uncle David... quite the budding musician!

And finally a picture of Stephen and I before we went on a date last night.

A Beautiful Wedding

2007-04-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

The wedding Saturday was beautiful. The weather was overcast but that was perfect because it would have been far too hot if it had been sunny. As it was all of us were comfortable in temperature most of the day long.

This is Sophie and I just before the wedding started.

The signing of the register.

The Kay Family.

A bit of a melt down.

And a dummy make it all better!

Sophie and her handsome daddy.

With Grandpa Kay and Lee-sia.

Sophie and Grandma Kay looking at a spoon.

Sophie and Mummy.

The cutting of the cake (which Patricia made!!! What a clever Grandma!).

Patricia, Stephen and Tara.

And one last one of Stephen and I.

A long flight and lovely weather

2007-04-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Our trip to New Zealand was very long, but Sophie must be a born traveller as she was good as gold. She cried twice in 30 hours and charmed all those sitting around us.

This is Sophie and I in the departure lounge of Heathrow Airport just prior to boarding.

And here is DJ Sophie on the second leg of the flight between Seoul and Auckland. (DJ Sophie's in da house -- Woo Woo)

The weather has been fantastic in New Zealand. Warm (but not too hot) and very sunny. We have taken Sophie to the beach twice already and are hoping to get there at least a few more times before we leave. Sophie loved dangling her feet in the water and the feel of the waves as they washed over them.

We are looking forward to David and Vanessa's wedding on Saturday and will post pictures of us there hopefully Sunday.

Pictures from the last week

2007-03-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

This last week we have been very busy packing for our trip to NZ, going to London, going on walks with friends, and doing our normal weekly activities.

Saturday morning Sophie and I helped at an NCT Nearly New sale where I bought her a few new outfits, some new toys, a mobile and an exersaucer. She really likes her new toys and loves the exersaucer as it gives her the ability to be upright without anyone having to hold her.

Saturday afternoon Sophie and I met up with two friends to go walking at Frensham Little Pond. It was very cold, but the scenery was beautiful, we had a good time, and went for a cream tea afterwards (which was lovely!)

Monday we went once again to music group and then walked into town to get passport pictures taken for me which we took to the Canadian Embassy in London on Tuesday. It was such a lovely day Tuesday that I spent most of it in a t-shirt! We had a very nice day; we took a short trip through the National Gallery after handing in my passport application and spent a wonderful afternoon in Green Park having a picnic.

The rest of the week we really needed to focus on doing LOADS of laundry and packing for our trip. The packing is now mostly finished an I am just being really careful to check everything again so we don't forget anything... NZ is rather too far for us to be nipping back for anything we have forgotten!

Old MacDonald had a farm....

2007-03-25T03:23:00.000-07:00

Friday morning our play group had a travelling farm come to visit. I prepped Sophie all morning for the visit by singing Old MacDonald to her but she was still more interested in all the other people around than in the animals.

Here is a picture of a very happy Sophie waking up from her nap following all the excitement of the morning...

Out for a walk

2007-03-22T02:20:00.000-07:00

Poor Sophie has been sick with a cold this week and feeling a bit out of sorts. She is having a little difficulty breathing while feeding or chomping on her dummy and the first time she coughed you should have seen the shocked look on her face! She had no idea that she could make that sound!

Yesterday afternoon we braved the cold (outside) though and escaped the house for a walk at Alice Holt Park with a friend from our post natal group. It was really nice to be out in the fresh air and Sophie had a nice sleep for the first hour but then woke up and insisted she could no longer tolerate the confines of the buggy... Hence the picture of me pulling the buggy behind me like a horse with Sophie in my arms!

'I have hands!'

2007-03-19T01:15:00.000-07:00

Sophie has been discovering her hands in the last few weeks. And this last week in particular has shown remarkable progress. She now realises when she is holding something, will try to grasp things and reaches out for toys with both hands.

She is also reaching out when I read to her to touch the pages of the book.

Back in the Fast Lane

2007-03-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

Since returning from Florida Sophie has regressed to waking up several times in the night. I am completely worn out as a consequence but despite this we have picked up where we left off and are back into a routine. Mondays we go to music group, Tuesdays we tidy the house, Wednesdays we go out to various activities with friends we have met through ante and post natal groups, and then Thursdays and Fridays we have play groups. Sophie enjoys getting out of the house and the weather has been so beautiful that we have walked everywhere.

Here is Sophie playing during tummy-time.

And with my God-daughter Elizabeth at Thursday's play group.

Sophie at Friday's play group.

And finally one with her pirate father dressing up to make money for charity.

Some more pics to share

2007-03-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from the last couple weeks that were on our camera...

Here is Sophie before we left on the trip just hanging around!

Here is Sophie at play group the Friday before we left.

Here she is in the airport waiting for her first flight ever (and what a born traveller she is! Everyone cooed over her and remarked on how good she was!)

And here is Sophie sitting up in her buggy for the first time.

Feet in the ocean...

And back in England yesterday with Sam (who was born the same say in the same hospital).

A precious little girl

2007-03-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here's our little sweetheart hugging her little lamb to her.

Sophie rolled over!!!!!

2007-03-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 27th February 2007
9:12am
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Tummy Time

"I don't think I like being on my tummy any more"

"Ooh, what's this?"

"What did you say?"

"Ooh! I fell over!"

"Can I go the other way too?"

Fun in the sun

2007-02-26T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well we are more than half way through our Florida holiday and the weather has turned beautiful. It is sunny and warm but not too hot. Sophie is having a great time and, though not fond of sun hats and sunscreen, enjoys not having to wear a jacket, mitts and woolly toque.

Today mum's friends here threw us a baby shower. It was fun and Sophie was given some beautiful gifts. She is definitely going to be the best dressed baby around this summer!

Sophie and Grandpa Riordon catching up on the morning news.

Fun in bed.

On the beach.

Feet in the ocean... what fun!

Giggles this morning after a full night's sleep!

A well seasoned traveller

2007-02-24T05:58:00.000-08:00

Well since that little jaunt to the Isle of Wight Sophie has conquered airplane travel! We left England via Gatwick Airport on Monday morning and safely arrived in Florida Monday evening. Sophie then got right into the swing of things and has spent some lovely time with her grandparents in the sun since then.

Here is Sophie with her grandparents the morning after arrival.

A new sun hat from Grandma...

A make shift play gym... how fun!

A tired out Sophie in the sun.

Sophie, Mum and I on the Pier.

A blurry but oh-so-cute pic of a thoughtful Sophie.

One of Sophie in her grandma Ellen's arms thinking 'why can't I have ice cream too?'

A bath in the sink.

And finally some rest after all that excitement!

A Seaworthy Sailor

2007-02-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Stephen, Sophie and I took a trip to the Isle of Wight. It was Sophie's first trip and she did really well - especially on the ferry. She loved the noise, lights and movement and spent the entire trip to and from the Island lying on the table happily looking around and cooing.

We had a lovely day with our friends the Gavins and are looking forward to when we next see them.

Relaxing at the weekend

2007-02-12T02:53:00.000-08:00

It is always nice when the weekend rolls 'round and Sophie is able to spend more time with her daddy. Unfortunately Stephen has been laid down with the flu for the past few days and so Sophie hasn't been able to spend the quality time with him that she normally gets to. Luckily this is half-term week though for Stephen so he will have lots of time to spend with her when he gets better before we head off to Florida next Monday.

And now for the pictures...

This is Sophie with our Kiwi friend Laura Saturday out for lunch.

And here are some pics of Sophie from yesterday.

Play Group

2007-02-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

After being snowed in yesterday (yes! it snowed in England - around 4 inches which caused complete and utter mayhem around here), Sophie and I were glad to be able to escape the house and go to play group this morning. Sophie made a special Valentine's surprise for Stephen (I'll put a pic of him receiving it from her on here next week) and played very nicely with some other babies. She is now asleep... though whether worn out by the excitement of this morning or from her valient efforts to keep Stephen and I awake last night is undecided. Hopefully she will need to sleep for a good, long time so I can bring some order back to our house!!

Here she is playing by herself...

And here she is playing with another little girl...

Bathtime Baby

2007-02-07T04:27:00.000-08:00

Just a quick blog as I am dashing to wake Sophie up and then out the door to our last post-natal class...

Here are a few pics of a happy Sophie before bath time last night.

And a cute one of Sophie and Stephen.

More pics to share

2007-02-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures taken today...

Sophie in her play gym this morning.

And on the phone to Grandma Ellen.

Music Group

2007-02-05T23:51:00.000-08:00

Sophie and I went to a baby music group yesterday. It was really fun and Sophie enjoyed herself though I think she was a bit too overwhelmed to sing along there as she does at home with me!

In music group all the parents sit in a circle with the babies either sitting on our laps or in front of us (depending on baby's age), sing songs, play percussion instruments, and then at the end we lay all the babies on and then under a parachute and sing to them while it is fluttering. Sophie really liked that part as you can see below!

A day of firsts

2007-02-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Today two 'firsts' have happened in our little Sophie's world... She held a toy in her hand for the first time.

And she slept in her crib (cot for all you non-Canadians!) for the first time.

Stephen and I have slipped into the bad habit of rocking Sophie to sleep in her cocoon. It seems much easier right now to rock her to sleep rather than try to get her to go down by herself but I am scared that we are creating a rod for our own backs because at one point in the not so distant future she will be too big for her cocoon and I have no idea what we will do then!

So we have been phasing her in to her cot. At first I would just put her into it in the day to let her play for a few minutes while I folded her laundry in the room with her, and today we have been putting the cocoon in the cot when she falls asleep at nap time so she gets used to waking in it. I think the next step will be to sit next to her and comfort her while she tries to get to sleep on her own in the cocoon in the cot. Hopefully it will work and with minimal tears because I really hate it when she cries and the baby whisperer says that one should never let their baby cry for an extended period of time as it breaks the trust between parent and baby. Maybe we're being too soft but I'd rather she feel secure in our love while she is so little.

Here is another picture of Sophie sleeping in the cocoon in the cot. She likes having the receiving blanket over her face as I think it blocks out stimulation when she half-wakes.

Here is a picture of the two of us taken last Sunday.

And here are a few of her looking very cute on our bed earlier in the day today.

NCT Re-union

2007-01-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

here are some pics from our re-union yesterday. More to follow shortly I hope!

Stephen

Stop and Fast

2007-01-28T04:12:00.000-08:00

Stephen says I have two speeds... stop and fast. And I suppose he is right as that really sums up the last week for me!

Before I got sick, Sophie had a friend over to play and here is a picture of the two of them in the baby gym.

Then I was completely stopped in my tracks by flu. It was terrible, and trying to breastfeed while shivering with a fever is not fun at all! I am feeling much better now although it has taken until today for my cough to die down.

Monday we stayed in all day recuperating, but Tuesday we walked in to town then to the doctor's office where Sophie and I had our 8 week check and Sophie had her first course of vaccinations. Then Wednesday we went to our post-natal group, to a friend's house for coffee and had friends to dinner. Thursday we took the train to Guildford where we saw a movie at the baby and parent screening, went out for lunch with a friend and wandered around town doing some window shopping.

On Friday we went to play group and Sophie played with her feet in Jello and then spent some time grabbing the toys on the mat. What a clever girl!

And here's a series of pictures taken yesterday of Sophie and her smiles...

Its been a while.....

2007-01-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Tara has ben down with the flu over the weekend - so I was left in charge of Sophie and the house!

I managed quite well to look after Sophie - but the pictures below show my lack of tidying ability!