Sorry that we’ve been a little quiet lately, what a busy few months we’ve had!
Shortly after deciding to travel to Europe we were told that we had to move out of the apartment we’d been living in for the past 4 years. Owners are moving back in, what can we do. So we had just over a month to look for a new place, move and then go on holidays.
We were very lucky to find a great place that’s closer to work and child care. It’s a bigger place so Anna has more room to run around. There’s also a great park nearby so it’s a blessing in disguise that we were made to move.
Shortly after the move, we began our adventure to Holland and France. The much dreaded flight was easier than we first thought. Anna was just under the weight limit for the bassinet and we were glad to offload our lovely 14kg once in a while to reboot the circulation in our legs. A highlight of the journey was definitely when Anna screamed out ‘F$#K’ at Singapore airport when she saw a giant frog – you see, she hasn’t quite master making the ‘fr’ sound, much to the embarrassment of her parents.
We spent the first week of our trip in Holland. It was great for Anna to meet all her Dutch relatives and to spend some quality time with the family. A highlight would have to be meeting her little cousin Pepijn and spending time playing together. It was great to have that time together. In Chinese culture, paternal cousins are as seen as siblings rather than cousins, so it was wonderful for Anna to meet her ‘brother’.
Then off to France we went. It was always going to be an ambitious trip, driving and training across France. As Anna’s at the age of discovering her independence, it was particularly challenging at meal times and nap times for her to sit still or remain seated in the pram. It was frustrating at the time, but we can look back now and be amazed at how quickly our little girl grew up in those 2 weeks across France and what a fantastic adventure it was for all 3 of us. It was also great to meet up with my best friend Laura, even though it was so brief. She has been away for almost a year and it was great for Anna to reunite with ‘Lau-la’ who taught her to stand up all those months ago.
With another 10 days in Holland, we were ready to go home again. Anna was definitely more active on the flight home and she thoroughly enjoyed taking Daddy on walks into Business Class.
Back in Sydney, we settled back into a routine very quickly. Teachers at childcare all remarked on how much Anna was now talking and also how tanned she was. We were asked to prepare some photos from the trip and stories so the children in her class had a Dutch-themed week during which they learned all about Anna’s time in Holland, coloured in paper clogs and looked at the photos on display. Those teachers know how to make parents go ‘awwwwwwwwww’!
3 months down the line, life is back to normal. Anna is no longer using the pram and at almost 22-months of age, she started toilet training. She’s doing great so far, using the toilet at each nappy change. We’ll soon change to pull-up nappies to make it even easier for her. Will keep you all posted on her progress. She has also learned to use the dvd player (thanks Daddy for showing her what to do!) and is going through an obsessive phase with watching The Wiggles. She’s started singing a lot more and now knows all the lyrics from ‘Twinkle twinkle’, ‘ABC’, ‘Bah bah black sheep’ and a few other nursery rhymes. She’s showing a real interest in helping with household tasks, and at the moment she’s in charge of putting all dirty laundry in the laundry basket and putting recyclable rubbish in the special bin.
So once we train her to vacuum and get drinks from the fridge we’ll be all set!
I leave you now with one of my favourite shots from the trip - Anna cracking up herself in the mirror. Enjoy!
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