The Three AmiGohs

Linden and I flew to Perth last Sunday (21/06), we will be there for 2 weeks while Ivan went to Japan for a cultural exchange conference (or so he tells us).

As it’s Linden’s first time on a plane, we thought it would be a good excuse to fly business class where it’s more comfortable and less people. Ivan has accumulated so many frequent flyers points I thought we should take advantage since we’re unlikely to be going on a holiday anytime soon No one sat next to us on the flight, we had the whole row to ourselves, which was a bonus and provided more privacy during feeding. The air hostesses were very helpful, opening the toilet door during nappy changes, they were always at hand incase I needed any assistance. The customer service manager even took Linden for a tour of the cabin and helped take a photo of us.

Before the flight I was worried how Linden was going to react and deal with his ears ‘popping’. However there was nothing to fear, I fed him during take off and landing and he was fine. During the flight he slept, fed, play and slept again, there was no whinging at all. The air hostesses and the lady sitting across from us even commented on how well behaved he was. I was so proud, good boy Linden

Linden and I went to the Craft & Quilt Fair at the Sydney Exhibition Centre – Darling Harbour last Friday (12/06). It was a good opportunity for Linden to get in touch with his creative and feminine side

Despite the frosty morning, we brave the cold to be out and about. It was a beautiful winters day with endless blue skies, a chance for Linden and I to soak up some vitamin D

After a nice long stroll across the Pyrmont Bridge we arrived at the Exhibition Centre. The queue for ticket was very long, however as there were about 20 booths selling it was only a short wait. I didn’t realise how big the fair was until we got inside. The place was packed with people, large crowds of women and big groups of female students out on a school excursion. I don’t recall seeing any men aside from Linden, the exhibitors and ticket sellers, oestrogen overload!

It was really overwhelming, there were hundreds of exhibitors showcasing their work, thousands of items for sale, award winning pieces on display and workshops (free and paid). All things arts and craft was under one roof – beautiful quilts, cards, embroidery, beaded jewelleries and lots more. I feel dizzy just thinking about it. Where to start, what to see??? There was so much to cover but I had to be selective because Linden got bored after sitting in the pram for about 5 minutes so I had to hold him with one arm and steer the pram with the other, it was hard to get around the stands. I actually pushed the pram into a number of people, luckily they saw that I had a baby in my arms and didn’t seem to mind.

After about an 1 hour and half, I was exhausted so we met up with a friend and her baby plus her friend and toddler and left the Fair to have a coffee break at Star Bucks. We got our wrist stamped on the way out just incase we wanted to come back. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to go back because Linden was tired and it was proving to be a bit difficult to get around the place with a baby in my arm. I would have liked to spend a whole day there, oh well, time is a luxury when you have kids. Nevertheless we had a great time

I dropped off Monica and Linden at the airport this morning. They were off to Perth to spend time with family as I will soon be in Tokyo, Japan! It was a little quiet and lonely in the apartment this afternoon and evening. It felt as if Monica and Linden were on a really long nap as I sat watching movies by my lil’ ol’ self. I miss them already and it’s only been half a day. How will I manage when I’m away for 2 weeks!?

Final day at work tomorrow and I think I will start getting excited about my Japan trip. I actually have to pack; normally Monica does all the packing as she thinks of everything. It’s something I definitely take for granted. Anyway I think I’m all good. I have enough socks, underwear and the all important facemasks

Now I’m just waiting for my iPhone to get the new firmware update, sync up my tunes and all should be just about done.

I went to the Early Childhood Centre yesterday to attend the ‘Introducing Solids’ talk. The session was jam packed with mums and bubs, lucky I was there on time and managed to get a seat. Some of the late comers had to stand amongst the prams

The nurse who presented the session was very soft spoken, it was a little bit hard to understand what she was saying, especially when there were a few crying and whinging babies in the room. Nevertheless, I picked up some good tips and look forward to introducing them to Linden in the coming months. I hope he’s not going to be a fussy eater

I also weighed Linden while we were there. At approximately 5 months, he is 6.3kg (with clothing & light jacket).

This weekend just gone by was a long weekend made possible by her majesty the Queen of England. It was a public holiday on Monday to mark her birthday and we celebrated the weekend with a couple of fun activities:

1. Feeding Linden his first solids ever (rice cereal & breastmilk)
2. Afternoon relaxation at Whitton Park (directly opposite our apartment block)

Unfortunately I had to work the long weekend too because of a bid that was due, but I’ll plan a day off somewhere down the track.

At any rate we fed Linden solids once each day at his second usual feed time. He took to it with gusto and it was funny watching him attack the spoon. Babies use a “nosing around” reflex that helps them attach to boobie-nipples when they feel a touch near their mouth, particularly on the cheeks. Hence the rapid, side-to-side shaking of his head when he feels the spoon near his mouth, looking like a rabid dog! We started him on a teaspoon of rice cereal with lots of breastmilk to make a sloshy, soggy mush not dissimilar to the final Weetbix dregs left in your cereal bowl in the mornings.

Then it was off to the Whitton Park so we could spend a little time in the sun generating some vitamin D and melanin to avoid looking like vampires. I managed to take some photos that aren’t too bad although I had issues with lighting that I need to learn how to shoot around. Monica made a couple of classic chicken baguettes that the MasterChef TV series would be proud of and we ate lunch alfresco.

In the evening I read Linden a storybook with pages even bigger than him. It was about fish but he didn’t seem too impressed with marine life. You can see this and a bunch more photos in Linden’s 5th month photo gallery! Click HERE for the direct link.

I took the day off to help celebrate Monica’s birthday. Hope you like your flowers, presents and a day at the movies watching Angels and Demons!

Linden slept through the night again last night, from midnight until 0:500. That’s two consecutive nights, I wonder if he can make it three and perhaps permanent. Maybe I am pushing it, so I’ll just be grateful and take it one night at a time

Last night Linden managed to sleep through the night. He slept for 7 straight hours from 21:30 to 0:430, hooray Hope he continues to do this so I can finally get some uninterrupted sleep.

Note: Sleeping through the night is defined as 5 hours for babies.