Evelynne at 8 months

Evelynne turns 8 months tomorrow. (And huraah, I am so going to get this posted BEFORE that milestone).  She is currently downstairs taking a nap.... it's been a huge week for us all - we moved house on Friday  - just across the street, but still, everything has to be packed, un-built (my love/hate relationship with ikea continues), moved, unpacked, and rebuilt.

I'm sitting on the couch that took me 3 hours to build yesterday, using 'borrowed' internet (ours hasn't been connected yet), and I'm surrounded by bags and boxes and pots just full of stuff. Now that I think about it, this is the 7th time I've moved in as many years.  And I guess I will count the 8th when we move all our stuff from storage at Russ' parents up to our house at the end of the year.  

So, apologies for lack of photos, but we've been a bit busy!

At 8 months, Evelynne is crawling everywhere, under, around, over, through....whatever she pleases.

She has become incredibly inquisitive, and loves to check out everything.  Her concentration astounds me sometimes.  She will pick up the tiniest bits of fluff and crumbs (a lot of which are around at the moment.  Moving has so much dust attached to it!) and throughly 'check it out before I either get it from her, or it goes into her mouth.

She is very socialable, and loves interacting more and more, and so far (knock on wood) hasn't started the "I only want MUMMY phase".  She starts creche in 2 weeks, and I think she'll really like it.

She is eating everything and anything (loves to chew on my apple cores), and I have started to give her finger foods, which she handles no problem at all.

She still has only 1 tooth, and to be honest, there is no sign of any others joining it as yet.

Current likes:

Playing Peekaboo

Bathtime

Food

Being read to

Being in a group of people

Dog spotting

Current dislikes:

Nap time

Going to bed for the night

being told NO! when something is not allowed (it has no effect yet, I think she is more p!ssed by being removed from what she was doing)

I am pretty impressed by how she has handled the move.  Sleep has been a bit disturbed, but overall, not to bad.  Until we get all our furniture together, curtains on the windows, and rugs on the floors etc, the places is very echo-ey.  Evelynne thinks this is the best thing ever.  and tells us all about it.  very loudly.  all the time.

Busy Busy People!!

This poor old blog. It's fallen by the way-side

But I'll make an effort to at least dot point what we have been up to. And I'm sure, the, what? 5 readers I have? might appreciate a few photos of the Girl.

July we went away for a 2 week holiday to Brittany.

It rained. The whole time. Except the day that we drove home. Bum-ah.

Still and all, Brittany was a nice place to be, and we did a lot of tourist-ing, which we hadn't planned on (we had planned on just hanging out at the cottage we hired, and play in the pool, and just generally R-E-L-A-X.) Instead, we visited the Aquarium (very cool!), drove miles and miles along country lanes, bought a painting, watched TV, visited a few Chateau (Chateau's?), just general ' keep out of the rain' type activities.

Then, the final day was Be-oootiful. So we went to the beach. Oh, it was good fun. Even the part where Evelynne was eating sand.

While we were away, Evelynne 's first tooth appeared. It's still the only tooth she has, and that was close to a month ago. I thought these things came in pairs? Anyway, she handled it pretty well, I think, she had just one cranky sleepless night.

She also turned 7 months. And I didn't do a post, and I didn't even send out my family email, which I started when she was born. Having so many family and friends on the other side of the world who don't read this blog, I used to send a monthly update with some photos. To be fair, we didn't have great internet access while we were away. That's a pretty good excuse, no?

So at 7 months, Evelynne:

- had 1 tooth (it arrived on her 7 month birthday!)

- could sit alone no problem at all

- could crawl in reverse (oh, but now she has the hang of first gear - that's a whole other ball game!)

- fell in love with the labrador at the cottage we hired

- stopped sleeping through, and started waking again every 3 hours (but that could have been because we were away, as thankfully she is back to sleeping 10 hours - touch wood)

Her likes:

Andy the labrador. I think we would have brought him home with us if we could!

Lamaze Dolphin

Food!!

(finally), her bottle! (hurrah, all set for creche starting soon!)

The Play school CD, which drove me NUTS. Seriously, her kiddie songs would be whirring around my head at 3am. Not fun.

The swing

Dislikes:

Her carseat

Wearing a hat

Having sand down her swim nappy (don't blame her)

Not being able to crawl forwards (oh! the frustration!)

Ok, enough of the typing. Here's want your wanting to see

Tired out after walking around Mont Saint Michel all day

Whheeeeeee! Swinging is fun!

Playing in the sea, Normandy.

Bad, Bad up-to-dater

I just re-read my last post. 20 May. That's almost 2 montsh ago. And I "owe" Evelynne a 5 month update, AND a 6 month update, and photos. I wanted to type them up, because, you know, I've forgotten stuff already. Slap over the wrist for my lack of updating - if not for anyone else, at least for Evelynne, who might like to read it one day (FYI: Also, not so good at keeping the baby book up to date).

So, in a nutshell..............

May (5 months) Evelynne rolled when she was 4 1/2 months, from back to tummy. She's still rolling - and normally only from back to tummy.

In May, we vistied Kukenhof with Grandma and Grandpa

In May, Evelynne was happily eating a variety of mushie foods - all except Banana, which gave her belly pains (and still does). I think she was still sleeping through the night (that's an on again off again relationship now!)

Specific likes and dislikes

Likes: Grandma and Grandpa, "Baby Loves Peekaboo" Book, putting everything in her mouth, rolling, swimming, the Jolly Jumper.

Dislikes: ????? (note to self... see why you should try and update this at least monthly!!)

Photos are from May (around 5 months old)

MIA

Nice long post to come...

• Visitors
• 5 months old
• Rolling over
• Laughing
• Kuekenhof
• Play group
• More vistors

List for for now is good

And a photo

A bit of travelling with our visitors

Ieper, and Brugge (again!). Can't get sick of Brugge though :)

I am really so impressed with Evelynne's 'travelability' (made up word). She is quite happy to be in the car going places with us, and adapted easily to staying in a hotel overnight - she only woke up once during the night, and was perfectly happy most of the day being strapped in the pram as we walked around Brugge.


I guess when I look back at it, she did manage to do a major road-trip at just 10 days old. I just have to get used to the absolute MOUNTAIN of stuff I have to pack each time. How does one little person require so much stuff? And it's not like I can leave anything at home, either.


Grandma and Grandpa seem to be enjoying their time here - they've certainly taken full advantage of Belgium's better known assets (chocolate and beer), and Evelynne is loving the grandparental company!




And big news at this house this week - as of Friday, Evelynne has mastered rolling from back-to-tummy!... And now we are safely home again, I have to take Eveynne for her needles tomorrow (sob!).

More Visitors!

On Tuesday, Evelynne's Grandma and Grandpa arrived from Australia. None worse for wear after a looooong flight, they slipped straight into the excited grandparents-meeting-their-newest-grandchild-role very well.

Evelynne, naturally, loved the attention!

We've been a busy bunch of people since! Hockey (and more hockey), a trip to the botanic gardens, long walks, a planned trip to Brugge and Ieper, Kuekenhof, and more hockey. We are all taking advantage of this fantastic spring weather we are having!

Love my new fancy-pants camera

And just have the *best* subject to photograph!

Even if she isn't so cooperative at times!

My Little Water Baby

LOVED the swimming pool. Even though the water was only about 27 degrees.

And how cool is this? (verrry)

It's a travel bed (both Evelynne and I are in it. yes. it was a tight squeeze for me), no set-up required, you quite literally take it out of the bag, and it pops up like that, complete with self-inflatable matress. It even has netting to keep the mozzies at bay, and when all packed into its bag, weighs about 2 kilograms, and is about the size of a large dinner plate. Evelynne has just about out-grown the bassinet component to her pram, which is what we were using for her to sleep in when we travelled previously, so it was time to get a travel cot. I like this one, I can take it on the plane to Australia later this year and she can snooze at the airport while we wait around for the connection in Singapore. Plus it takes up only a smidge of car boot room, which is more than I can say for the pram!

1/3 of a year

Evelynne turned 4 months on Friday. And such a busy little 4 month old she has been! This month was highlighted (in flashing neon lights) by a visit from her cousins, which she just loved, followed by a visit to her cousins. With 3 kids at her beck and call, she really started to vocalise her wants! One of my favourite memories of the time we spent with them in Switzerland, was when we arrived after a long drive, and we went and said hello to everyone, and the noise level rose a fair bit - Evelynne was right into telling everyone about her looooong, boooooring car ride!

Rolling has become her new favourite 'game' however, she is quite content to only roll onto her side, and lie there and play with whatever is in reach. She hasn't quite grasped rolling all the way over yet. Tummy time is now alot more tolerable. Her tongue is less interested in the taste of the rug she's lying on, so less time is spent being face-planted, and far more time is spent with her head up, looking around. Most times she's managed to wriggle her way a quarter turn to be face-on with whatever toy was placed at her side (the aim of the toy being to encourage her to roll towards it, but whatever, she's moving somehow)

Her hands have become very, very busy this past few weeks. She loves to hold on to absolutely everything.... toys, her clothes, my hair, fluff (which is always blue.... why is that?), and shove it into her mouth. It's very amusing to watch her try and fit a toy, her clothes, and fist into one mouthful. Mmmmm. yum!

The weather has been absolutely beautiful this week. Sunny and warm - warm enough to ditch the coat, and even take Evelynne for a walk with the pram sans her blankets, beanie and socks. Bare feet and sunshine are pretty exciting to this 4 month old. I think she like to feel the wind in her toes (more so than in her hair, seeing as she seems to be losing it all).

I bought a high-chair this week, and she's had a few turns in that. Little Miss Queen bee perched up there, she thinks she's pretty clever!! She's also discovered "the baby" in the mirror - and could smile and chat at her all day long.

Grandma and Grandpa arrive in just over a week. She can't wait to meet them. Such a lucky little girl to have so much family come visit.. and it's only April!

Current Likes: Monkey Island play gym, Octopus Toy, having a shower with Mum or Dad, people singing to her (she'll join in - don't worry!), sitting in the high chair, lying in the nuddy in the sun after her bath/shower.

Current dislikes: Daytime Nap (not on your life mum! isn't +/- 12 hours at night enough?), wearing her sun hat, getting dressed after the bath.

Bone of contention: None this month. I've given up on the bottle, so she won that round! Don't know what I'm going to do later in the summer when it gets really hot (for example, when we go to Spain) and she's old enough to drink something other than b00b-juice. Hopefully she'll drink from a cup?