A birthday weekend

A special birthday for Luis, we packed up the car and headed for the beach, for a weekend filled with food, family and relaxation.




And there certainly was a lot of food.....black forest gateau, pastel de choclo (Luis favourite Chilean dish) frankfurters, chorizo, hams and salamis, velveted prawns, pancakes, pavlova, chocolate, ice cream, and nearly a whole cow...





We did nothing too strenuous, we strolled along the beach, dipped our toes in the water, went into the town centre for yet more food (Sorrento is famous for it's vanilla slices, and I ate 2 of them...) and coffee, and ambled around Red Hill market on Sunday morning. Other than that we just sat about eating and reading.




Toby was in heaven, with all the people and all the attention.





He found some fish (all fish are now "Nemo" to him) in the pond in the garden, and terrorized them whenever he could, poking them with sticks, feeding them dirt, usual boy things i guess.



We all built sandcastles and he took great pleasure in knocking them down the minute the bucket was removed. He splashed in the sea, and he ate plenty of things I normally don't allow him to. It was Easter after all.

Moments of delicious-ness

"Ma-Da!" being one of them. Mine and Luis's names confused, mixed together in a moment of excitement, the one word referring to both of us at the same time.

The gathering together of his favourite toys, Gaw-Gaw, Biba (the Bilby)and Woof-Woof just before his afternoon nap, he hugs them tightly to his chest, buries his face into them, and rolls around on the floor, kissing them.

He starts shouting "Gaw-Gaw!" and looking around for his beloved Lion, when he is ready for his afternoon (actually it's more like mid-morning) nap.



A couple of weeks ago now, he spilt something on the hallway floor outside my bedroom. He came running in to find me as I was drying my hair, his voice full of concern, "Mama! Mama! Oh dear, oh dear!" and pointing into the hallway, eager to show me where he had had his little accident.

He shakes his head vigorously from side to side when asked any question, even when he means yes.

When we leave any shop or home, he always shouts out "bye-bye!" in the sweetest voice I have ever heard, his arm waving in his own flappy style.

When I sit on the floor, he creeps up behind me and throws his arms around my neck, cuddling me and saying "aaahhh!". I could die of love for him at that moment.

He loves his shoes, and sits on the bottom step, his little legs dangling down, trying to put them on his feet himself.

He still remembers and loves his Gra-Gra and Gra-Pa. I made these little things for him awhile ago, and whenever he finds them, he snatches them up and walks around whispering "Gra-gra, Gra-Pa" to his own little tune.



When he is super excited (and often the smallest thing will do it, like being allowed to open my lip balm and put his finger in it) he bounces up and down on his bottom, his eyes wide with wonder,laughing,his face filled with pleasure.

Whenever I mention Uncle Phil to him, Toby pulls his own hair whilst making squeaking sounds, copying the thing he remembers most about him.




A few days ago now, I was super cross with him after he refused to eat any of his lunch. I pulled him out of his high chair and told him to go away from me. He knew he was in the bad books, and he kept away from me for an hour or so (which he never ever does) while I tidied up. He then came into the kitchen, with a bag in each hand and a teddy under his arm and shouted "bye-bye" to me and headed for the stairs, as if he intended to leave home. All was forgiven instantly. Too cute.

Busy Saturday

Toby had a fun packed day today.
A swim at the local pool first thing this morning, followed by a visit to the toy library. After a nap, we went out for lunch in Albert Park, where Toby enjoyed some sushi...


Then he walked to the beach, mucking around in the dirt on the way, picking up and throwing down sticks


It's the first time he's been to the beach since he's been walking (its always been to hot, or the sun to strong to go) and it was a bit of a sensory overload for him. He loved splashing about in the water, pointing at the helicopters flying overhead, picking up handfuls of sand...







He wasn't too keen on the sand on his feet afterwards though. He was so tired by the end of the day, he was crying out for Gaw-Gaw in the car.

The Moomba Festival

We spent the morning at the Children's Garden, part of the Moomba festival, with Fiona and Lily.
Toby had a great time.
He got given balloons, he walked everywhere,
we made some paper flower decorations together out of recycled stuff






and he visited the farmyard animals.




He got himself completely over excited with the animals, and could barely concentrate for more than a few seconds at a time. Running back and forth between the ducks,the rabbits, the fancy chickens, goats, sheep, geese, copying all their sounds, pointing and laughing. So when one of the staff picked up a tiny piglet for him pat and it started squealing, Toby absolutely lost it, sobbing and barely able to breathe. And he had been in love with them before that incident. Laughing as I pointed out their bottoms and curly tails, shouting out "Pig!" at them and trying to make snorting sounds.



After the pig incident we had to leave, but we had a great morning.

My Favourite Part of the Day

Sometimes I wonder if it is sad that the end of the day is my favourite time. But to me, those last few moments are the most magical. Full of joy, innocence and laughter. Often a complete contrast to how the rest of the day may have been.


The later part of the afternoon is hard. Toby is often too tired, and cranky. He whines and clings onto my legs as I try and make his dinner and start preparing dinner for Luis and I. And trying to get him to eat after putting so much energy into making his food, can be an impossible feat. The moment he shouts "Bath!" and points at the stairs, its all over. Even if its only 5 minutes after he has sat down to eat. There will be no more eating for him.

But the moment I take him downstairs and start running his bath, his mood lifts. He becomes super excited, squealing and running up and down the hallway. I have to take his clothes off on the run, dodging the toys he is delightedly chucking into the bath. Shouting when it takes me too long to get the water temperature right. Clapping his hands together in excitement. And once in the bath he is just in heaven with all his toys, splashing about, trying to blow bubbles in the water, lying full stretch on his stomach pretending to swim. He'll wash his own face now if I give him a flannel.
And his is just as excited when he gets out. As soon as I put the hood of his towel on his head, he is off, running and shouting and laughing, arms in the air, his towel billowing out behind him like a super heroes cloak. It's such fun to watch!


After he is dressed in pyjamas, he has his milk, cuddles Gaw-Gaw, and me and Luis take it in turns to read his bedtime books. All lying on our bed together. We normally read him about 4 or 5 books. Toby shouts out "Mama!Dada!" as he looks at the pictures, excitedly pointing out his favourite bits to us. Practising his words. We always finish with Puff the Magic Dragon (his favourite book, bought for him by Gra-Gra) and off he goes to sleep clutching Gaw-Gaw, and sucking his thumb.

It is just magical.

What a Strange Day

It's the end of summer, its still hot here, and this is our roof terrace this afternoon,


very strange.


We were in the city just strolling around. The sky went dark very quickly, and I was just thinking that it looked like it was night time, and suddenly it started to rain. We quickly ducked for cover and realised that it was not raining, but hailing. And the hail stones were huge!


Toby watched in amazement, but soon got scared when a sudden gust of wind pelleted everyone with the hail stones, people started screaming and running. The hail stopped after about 15 minutes, but the rain that followed was torrential. Bourke St was like a river. All the shops were flooded, water was absolutely pouring in through the roof of the shopping arcade we had taken refuge in, and I started to get scared that the roof would collapse. Then the thunderstorm started. We were trapped in the city for about an hour, until the rain eased enough that we could get to the car. It was unbelievable. I never seen weather like that since I have lived here.

But enough about the weather, this is Toby's blog...


and here he is eating grapes


He's a bit obsessed with them at the moment, every afternoon he demands them, and shoves a handful of them into his mouth at once. We scares me slightly, this afternoon after we got home he started choking on one, he managed to cough it up himself after I lay him over my knees, but I was shaking for a while afterwards. Truely frightening.

Yoghurt

Will he ever tire of sticking his whole hand into a freshly opened yoghurt pot?


Yesterday evening, he had absolutely no intention of eating that yoghurt, within seconds of opening, it was all over his face. And he was so joyous because of it.
I think he also realises the more messy and disgusting he is, the quicker his bath begins, and it is his very favourite part of the day....

Gaw-Gaw

He won't leave his cot without him, won't drink his milk without him, won't go to sleep with out him. He has breakfast with him, they play together, watch Waybuloo together, and generally hang out and have fun all day, the two of them.

Gaw-Gaw and Toby.

(He named him about a week or so ago. "Gaw" being Toby's version of ROAR!)
I only have to wave Gaw-Gaw in front of his face, and he goes into a frenzy of thumbsucking. And the tail! When he is at his tiredest, the tail is the only part of Gaw-Gaw that he wants. He rubs it over his nose, folds it in half, then twists it around his thumb, before sucking furiously.


I accidentally left him at a friends house last week, and that proved to be a disastrous mistake. It took about 2 hours to get him to sleep without his adored Gaw-Gaw by his side. Needless to say, I was straight over to bring him home the very next morning, that stinky, saggy old lion. (Not actually so old...he was a gift from his beloved Gra-Gra when we arrived in the UK, but after nearly 3 months of constant play with his sticky, slobbery fingers...)

I really don't know what made him so attached to that particular toy. I wonder, is it because they look so similar....?

We're Back!

I think it's high time I started blogging again, after such a lovely break.
I think we are both still missing England, and cold, and snow, and Gra-Gra, and Gra-Pa, and Toby is definitely missing having so many people around to play with, but we are slowly adjusting.

Toby has his first pair of properly fitted shoes....I nearly cried when he had his feet measured, he looked so grown up. And how much he loves them! (Well, at least as much as he loved his wellies)



And he had his first fall, with blood.....I'd forgotten about my fear of blood, until I started shaking and totally freaking out at the sight of Toby's. Poor little mite, he tripped in the kitchen, face down. I scooped him up and thought there was nothing much wrong, until I looked at him a few seconds later, his t-shirt, his mouth, his nose, my arm, covered in blood. His top lip bitten through. An hour or so later and he was as if nothing had occurred, but with a most enormous lip.


And he is just full time walking everywhere. He loves it! This is him, walking around the zoo...

The penguins and the seals were his favourites this week, but I think that only because the lions were sleeping.....

Walking!

How much the little man has changed over the last few weeks since our arrival in the UK!
Today, after a couple of weeks of practising,

he decided that he wanted to walk all day along, everywhere, and without any need for encouragement from any of us. I thought my heart might burst with pride at the sight of him walking, he looks so adorable toddling along.

Other new things he has been doing are blowing kisses, (the waitress at the restaurant where we had lunch today received about 8 of them, and just loved it!), initiating the "Cheers" when everyone is at the table (only he ofter likes to do it constantly throughout the meal, and gets a bit cross if you don't oblige), waving and shouting "bye-bye" as he leaves a room, and he has plenty of new words, including "Car", "Cup", and "Baby" (which he shouts out whenever he sees one, even if they are older than him!)

He has also been doing a lot of real kissing, with Rosa.....