{Project 366} - #31 - Feeding the ducks..

It was another work day for both Brian and I, so Lucas went to his grandma's place again for the day.. Brian took this photo on his iphone just as he was leaving... awww....

Since he had a late arvo nap there, we decided to take him for a walk just before sunset to feed the ducks.. He just loves staring at them, although he wasn't so sure about being left on his own with them all surrounding him though..

{Project 366} - #30 - Eeek!

I totally forgot to post my photo of the day yesterday - I was too busy trying to pat Lucas to sleep and it just kills my back because if we don't hold him down, he'll just roll over and try to crawl away or stand up.. *sigh* At least he had a decent strech of five and a half hours again..

Anyway, we received this bill in the mail for the ambulance ride just after Christmas when Lucas had a reaction to milk protein found in a cracker.. All I can say is thank god for health insurance!! 

{Project 366} - #29 - Toys

Another lazy day spent at home today since it was not only hot, but also humid..

Lucas' favourite toy at the moment is his red rocketship.. He has just discovered the red button that starts the countdown and activates the lights, and keeps pressing it over and over again.. and yes, he also loves to chew on the little alien's eyes..

Back in May last year, I took a photo of Lucas with his rocketship when we first received it.. Boy, he has changed so much since then.. Yes, I was a meanie mummy and had him wait until his 1st birthday for it, but look, he has already pulled the bottom door off! Luckily, it's easy enough to repair..

We also raided some of Brian's old toys that he had as a kid, and Lucas LOVED the Hot Lixx Guitar.. Apparently it was voted the best boys toy in 1989 - still a hit in 2012 too.. haha..

{Project 366} - #28 - Chinese New Year.

We headed to Chinatown for Yum Cha again today, not knowing how busy it was going to be as the Chinese New Year Celebrations were on.. My parents knew though as they have friends who do the whole lion dancing thing, so had booked a table at Cafe Kowloon to check out all the action..

We thought Lucas would be scared of the drumming and lion, but we were totally wrong - he loved it!! He couldn't stop staring and even touched Mr. Lion's tail.. I wish I had taken along my dSLR for some better shots though..

And yes, it was another hot day here, so Lucas was ready to take his shirt off too..

Teeth Update

I thought I'd post an update on Lucas' teething situation.. Since my 1st post about it here, 4 more teeth have popped up for Lucas - another couple of molars, as well as those bottom incisors..

We really need to be vigilant about cleaning them too now as I've noticed black spots on his top two teeth.. Eeek.. not good!! If only he was more willing..

{Project 366} - #27 - Child Care Visit

Woohoo.. thought I'd post this screen print from my Total Baby app first.. Lucas slept for 4 hours and then almost 6 hours last night!! Yay!! If only he could join them together for 10 hours of continuous sleep, that would be total bliss!!!

Anyway, since I had taken the day off for an extra long weekend, we headed to the local Child Care Centre for another visit this morning - we went late last year for our 1st visit.. The assistant director, Jackie, showed us around the baby 1 and baby 2 rooms and answered all of my questions, which was great.. Lucas also seemed to enjoy playing with all the fancy toys and looking at all the art work hanging up, so we have put his name down to start him there one day a week at the start of March.. I guess between now and then, we'll probably be visiting regularly to help him transition in better.. 

{Project 366} - #26 - Aussie Day!

So following on from yesterday's post, we had a much better night last night in terms of sleep.. Lucas slept from 10pm to 2am, had a feed, then slept 2.20am to 6.20am.. It would have been nice if he slept-in until around 8am though.. haha.. Guess the 4hr stretches were a nice change..

Anyway, back to today.. We filled up Lucas' pool with water earlier in the day, so the sun could warm the water up.. Then, just before his bath, we popped him in, along with all his green and gold balls - being Australia Day and all.. He loved splashing about in there, and I just love all his facial expressions.. 

He's also been doing this fake smile a bit lately, which is just so adorable and makes us laugh each time we see it..

{Project 366} - #25 - Wrap-a-bye baby..

We'd thought we would try something new after a few extra horrid nights of (lack of) sleep from Lucas..

Usually we would wrap him up with a large muslin cloth, but because it has been rather warm overnight and Lucas seemed to be overheating, I dug up our old Ergo cocoon and popped him in there with one arm out for his morning and arvo naps..

He still fought sleep for ages, but at least with one arm in tight, it was a lot more effort for him to sit and stand up in it.. He did eventually fall asleep though and I'm hoping it will soon be the end of wrapping him since he gets out of the wraps way too easily anyway.

{Project 366} - #24 - Pork & Spinach Dumplings

Another night, another non-sleeping baby.. *sigh* Took us another 3.5hours to get Lucas to sleep tonight, and the chances of him sleeping through the night is nil - based on past experiences.. lol..

Anyway, I made some pork and spinach dumplings for tea tonight, which were delicious.. Lucas looks like he's enjoying it too which is usually a bonus..

Pork & Spinach Dumplings
60g baby spinach (or around a handful)
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 5 minutes in boiling water
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 small onion
250g pork mince
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
30 gow gee wrappers

1. In a mini food processor, roughly process the baby spinach, squeeze out the excess water and place in a large bowl.Then process the shiitake mushrooms, garlic and onions until finely diced. (You can chop up everything by hand if you don't have a food processor, but this way is just easier and quicker).. Empty contents into a mixing bowl. Add the pork mince, oyster sauce and egg. Mix to combine.
2. Spoon around 1 teaspoon of mixture onto a gow gee wrapper, fold it in half, pressing firmly. Then with your fingertips, pleat the edges to secure it. Repeat until all dumplings are made.
3. Add a little bit of oil in a fry pan or wok (you'll need one with a lid) and then place ~10 dumplings in, making sure they do not touch each other. Pour in 1/2 cup of water, place lid on top and then turn on the stove to a medium-high flame.. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, making sure you check after about 5 minutes as the water will will eventually evaporate cooking the dumplings and the oil helps give the dumplings a nice crunchy bottom.. Repeat with remaining dumplings..
4. Enjoy! =)

{Project 366} - # 23 - Juicy Peaches

Another scorcher of a day today with a high of 38, so Lucas and I just spent the day at home with the aircon blasting..

The other night, we picked our first lot of peaches from our tree as a couple had started to fall down already.. With the hot weather, the peaches are just ripening up real quickly..

They are so juicy and sweet, as you can see.. Lucas just gobbled up almost half of one himself..

Then later in the arvo, I took some photos of Lucas upstairs.. I just love this one.. He's been doing a funny fake smile lately, and it's just hilarious.. At least this one looks genuine..

 

 

 

{Project 366} - #22 - Little Geek

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!! Hope this year brings you lots of love, good fortune and happiness..

Today we had lunch with my parents and brother at Khang's Noodles, Lucas was a bit grumpy when we arrived as he only had a short 20min nap.. Luckily, he snapped out of that phase after eating a few bits of my lunch and was happy for my dad to hold him for a few minutes..

Afterwards, we headed over to my parent's place where Lucas found this pair of frames on the computer table.. What do you think of my little geek? He's such a cutie!

 

{Project 366} - #21 - I am your father...

We popped by the pharmacy this morning to pick up some panadol, claratyne syrup, soap etc for Lucas, so while we were at the shops, we headed into Kmart to have a browse.. 

For those who don't know (or didn't work out the connections), Brian is a huge Star Wars fan.. So when he saw the Darth Vader mask, he couldn't resist putting it on and quoting the famous line..

 

Lucas wanted a go with the mask on too.. Isn't he just the cutest Darth Vader you've seen?

We also went to the Handmade Delights Summer Twilight Markets this arvo to have a quick browse and also to say hello to Tom & Cathy who were holding their first stall there today for TLC Photography..

They were very generous and gave us these two matted prints of the shoot they did for us last year.. Thank you so much!! I hope you manage to get some more interest and sales.. =)

{Project 366} - #20 - Exercise!

Brian push pressing 9kgs (maybe a bit more as there was a special package in Lucas' nappy.. lol).. 

Brian took Lucas to the Aquatic Centre this morning with his grandma.. Apparently he loved it! I guess he's been missing our swimming lessons, so it was good for him to get back into it..

Meanwhile, it was just another work day for me, more meetings and talk about training.. I forgot to mention that New Zealand is off (thought it would be anyway), but we might be heading to Sydney in March instead for a different lot of training.. Guess time will tell..

{Project 366} - #19 - New Toys!

This morning, our wonderful neighbours across the road gave Lucas some of their old toys and also clothes that their twin boys had outgrown..

Lucas loved the walker, and took it for many spins today.. As you can see, he is still working on his driving skills.. No wonder all the kiddies yesterday were so scared!

Then this evening we popped by the shops and the playground before Lucas' bedtime, he was rather bemused with the feeling of the play mat on his feet..

{Project 366} - #18 - Riding in my Car....

"WAAAAHHHH!!! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

Bwahahaha... I can't stop laughing at this photo!! All the little people were not very happy to be placed in the car, especially after we asked some of the other kids who were playing in there if we could use it for a few minutes for a photo.. Look at poor Lucas and Sammy's faces..

Here's the next photo a second after.. Ashton's face at the back was just as funny!

Nevertheless, we spent a lovely morning down at Helicopter park, sharing lunches, shoes, rides and toys..

{Project 366} - #17

OMG, just spent the last 3 hours trying to get the little rascal to bed (it's 10pm now).. He spent the day at his grandma's place again today and apparently only had 2 x 15minute naps the whole day.. You would think that he'd be extra tired and want to go to bed early, but nope, he was fighting it till the end!! Hope it will be a better night compared to last night - I was up trying to get him back to sleep from 3.30am till 5am this morning and I am just exhausted!!

Anyway, Lucas is getting more and more daring, tonight he stood up in the bath and played with the tap and water.. He also started clapping his hands while in there..

Oh, the colours of the sunset tonight was pretty gorgeous too..

 

{Project 366} - #16 - Puppy

Lucas has never been a fan of softies until probably the past few days, where he's found this little puppy to be kinda awesome - especially his nose.. 

He's been sticking puppy's nose in his mouth and taking him around most places, including up the stairs.. Today, he climbed all the way up to the top of our staircase!! Eeeek!!

The dogs were kinda jealous of puppy too and kept barking at it at the window..

Then when Lucas was having his naps today, I decided to do some work.. Unfortunately when he woke up, he found my diary and printouts.. He thought it was great fun to rifle through them!

 

Dumb Girl Poses

Just saw this posted on a friend's Facebook wall and had a good chuckle as I've definitely seen my fair share of these poses! So which one are you?? I think whenever I do a self portait, it has to be the one from above..

{Project 366} - #15 - Mummy & Baby Catch-ups

We spent a beautiful morning down at Tusmore Park with some gorgeous women and their babies.. I feel so privileged and lucky to have found such an amazing group of women who have been fantastic support since I first became pregnant.. As with Nat and Jasmine, it has been so wonderful watching all our babies grow and develop into little people..

 

Six or so months ago, these little people were happy enough to lie still, now we have to be prepared with our cameras or hold them.. As you can see, Sammy almost escaped before we could take a snap of them all lying down..

Amanda was almost attacked by the mob wanting a feed.. I just love her expression!!

Note to self...

I owe the following people something handmade by myself by the end of this year.. 

• Natalie 
• Leona 
• Nikki 
• Cathy 
• Donna 
• Alisa 
• Weez

I thought I'd better put it down somewhere in my blog as the list of names will get lost on my Facebook wall in another few weeks..

Basically, on Facebook, I have put my name down on a couple people's status which had the following:

Pay It Forward 2012: I promise to make something handmade for the first five people who comment on this post. They must in turn post this and make something for the first five who comment on their status.

*The rules are: it has to be handmade by you, and they must receive it before 2012 ends (it can be something as simple a making a friend a cup of tea, or as complicated as a handmade gift)*

 Now I just have to work out what do make or do... hmmm....

{Project 366} - #14 - Standing

I've been trying to capture this moment for a few days now.. Lucas' latest trick is standing unaided for a few seconds.. He usually uses me as support and before he takes his hands off, he gives me this cheeky smile.. Apparently the ball pit is an even better distraction..

Then this evening an hour or so before Lucas' bedtime, we headed down to the lake to feed the ducks.. Lucas joined in and ate some bread too.. haha.. Lucky I threw the mouldy bread out!

 

 

{Project 366} - #13 - Jabs

Friday the 13th definitely started off as a nightmare for my little man.. We went to the doctors this morning so my poor baby could have his 12 month immunisations done.. There was a total of 3 injections, one in each arm and another on his right thigh..

Nawww.. poor baby, so many tears.. this was after the 2nd jab..

He was much better after a few cuddles and even smiled 10 minutes after.. So far he's been really good, so hopefully he doesn't get any reactions..

 

We also had him weighed and measured, he is now 8.9kg and is 73cm long..

Oh, and the last few days, he's been standing up on his own for around 3-4 seconds, but tonight he stood for a good 10 seconds! Clever monkey! 

{Project 366} - #12 - Nat & Miss J..

Lucas and I spent a lovely afternoon at the Botanical Gardens today with Natalie and Miss J..

It's has been such a joy watching them grow up together so far.. I remember the 1st time we met, Jasmine was only 8 weeks and Lucas was about 3 weeks.. Look at them now!! Lucas even 'shared' his lunch with her..

  

Here's Jasmine giving Lucas some cuddles... Awww...

And them clapping to "If you're happy and you know it..."

Hot Dog & Spaghetti Spiders

So what do you do with a child that doesn't want to eat? You make hot dog & spaghetti spiders! I was inspired by this pinterest photo, so decided to give it a whirl.

Basically you cut up your hot dogs into chunks, then slide spaghetti or any other thin, dry pasta through it. Then bring a large pot of water to the boil and pop them in for about 8 to 10 minutes – or the same time it would take to cook the pasta itself.

I went a bit further and cut up match stick sized pieces of carrot and threaded them through the hot dogs too as I wanted to add some veggies into Lucas' diet.. However, when you do this, cook the spaghetti hot dogs for 5 minutes first, then add the ones with the carrots in for about 3 minutes, otherwise they will overcook and disintegrate..

He was none the wiser and still loved them! Well, he usually eats sausages anyway, but it's a way to add some carbs and veggies into his diet to help fill him up..

{Project 366} - #11 - zzz..zz...

I took Lucas for a walk to the playground this morning on his trike since it looked like a pleasant day outside today - it did require us to don our cool weather gear though as it was really windy..

I just love this photo I took of Lucas at the park.. He's such a serious little man, but he's definitely a lot more smiley, especially at home now.. Hmm.. not sure what went wrong with the colours here!!

Then on our way back, he fell asleep 2 minutes from home.. I managed to capture the moment his eyes drooped and closed.. too cute!! 

So after a quick nap, he was full of beans again and practiced walking by pushing one of his activity tables along the carpet.. It looked like he was getting pretty good at it.. He also tried climbing the stairs and managed to get to the 4th step before I got him back down.. Eeek!! Not good!!

{Project 366} - #10

Lucas went to his grandma's place today for the day while both Brian and I went to work... I'm no closer to finding out if the training in Auckland is on or not.. Guess I will find out when I'm back in the office on Friday, hopefully.. In the meantime, it might be worth us getting Lucas' passport sorted as it takes 10 days to process, apparently..

Lucas is also down to one nap a day now, which is good in a way as it means that he's in bed by 8pm, rather than 10pm.. The top photo was of him just before we put him to bed.. his eyes were still HUGE!!

I also received in the mail today the Dairy Allergy stickers, sent from an old high school friend and the bottom ones were given to me by Nikki, Mack's mummy.. It's so wonderful to know that they are thinking of us! It also gives me hope that Lucas will outgrow his allergies too, since their children have..

{Project 366} - #9

Another quiet day at home with my gorgeous boy.. The little monkey spent a good 10 minutes banging on the sliding door and playing with the vertical blinds, which was fantastic as it meant he wasn't in my lap or climbing on top of me.. haha...

He is also getting so good at cruising the furniture now and even taking his hands off things for a few seconds.. Definitely won't be long until he takes his first steps, I think!