Preparing for our first overseas holiday as a family

Imogen packed about 10 white napkins

We are leaving next Friday for two weeks in Hawaii. Imogen is 17 months old in a few days, so as excited as I am about two weeks in Hawaii, I am also pretty nervous about travelling overseas with a toddler.

We started packing last weekend, well packing for Imogen! Packing her about 10 outfits, 4 sets of PJs, 2 sets of togs (swimmers), a couple of days supply of nappies, nappies for the beach, wipes, a couple of blankets, her two favourite sheep toys, her pram, her trekker and a car seat. Oh and about 6 relitively small books.
In preparing for having to share a room with her for two weeks overseas, it seemed like a good idea, at the start of the week, to bring her into our bed to see if she would even be able to sleep in the same bed as us. Historically she has never found sleeping in our bed relaxing, we just get in her way. Sleeping, to Imogen, is a very physical sport, she's always changing positions and moving in her sleep. During the trial of this new sleeping arrangement on Sunday and Monday night, she slept fine. I on the other hand woke up with a toddler on my head every few hours. Which I think in Honolulu when we can all sleep in and relax will be fine, but at home where we have to get up and go to work... well let's just say the little trial has resulted in Ri and I being exhausted!

our first destination

A prime example of a first world problem, I guess.
Any travel tips are very welcome. :)

Imogen a couple of nights ago

Imogen at 15 months

Bed time bottle

 We have a toddler. I've not sure if I've said it in the blog before or not, but there is no denying the fact that our baby is now a little girl. At fifteen months, she is such an independent little girl.
She has been walking for a few months now, so she is pretty good on her feet. She has finally started to use some English (she's always been an excellent communicator, just never used words!) there has been a huge word explosion in the past two weeks or so, which has made the speech pathologist in me very happy.

Imogen prefers to use her fork and spoon over finger foods

 She is a pretty good eater, and really good when we take her out to eat at restraunts.

Full of wonder at under water world

"Wow!"

Eating out at south bank

in tha backyard

Princess and the peg

Hmm, hope I didn't chip a nail. 

Imogen likes...

"ducks" (every bird is a duck)

a good belly laugh

picking strawberries

eating vegemite (like a good Aussie)

eating alfresco

going to the botanical gardens

going to the local play ground

going to sushi trains!

watching playschool

giggles with mum

mexican night

climbing...

Imogen's actual birthday

Imogen and Ralph at Alma park zoo

Looking at the animals at Alma Park

Listening to the keeper talk about Koalas

Opening gifts

The cake the night before her birthday (we were up for hours finishing it)

Imogen and the cake we made her

Imogen was one on Monday 25/06/12.

Big Girl Walking

Dinner at Hogs Breath

Kangaroo!

Rhys took a half day at work and in the afternoon we took her to Alma park zoo. It was such a perfect day with the three of us. We had lunch at the zoo and walked around for an hour or so, Imogen started pointing to the animals for the first time. After the zoo we took her out to dinner at Hog's Breath and she just loved it. She had a small curly fries and some chicken nuggets and spent more time savouring this one of treat than both Rhys and I did with our meals (usually she is bored with eating before we are half way through our meals). When we brought her home we gave her free range at the dinosaur cake for a couple of minutes. She was just so delightful the entire day.

Imogen's first birthday

the cake we had made by a professional

felt dinosaurs

the photo dinosaurs, one for every 3 months

Imogen after the pinyata was broken

It was about a month ago now, I've just been so busy with work and Imogen that I haven't had the time to add this post.
I think the party went well. I was so stressed with the amount of work that was involved that I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked! I was stressed about small things, like the labels I had made up for the foods didn't get to the table. Imogen had been home sick from daycare the day before the party, so I was worried that she would crack it during the party (she actually had a pretty good time). I just couldn't relax into it and I didn't get to spend the party with Imogen or Rhys because we were all pulled in different directions! So I've decided that her next proper party will be when she is five or six.
The theme was (as I bet you can tell from the pictures) pink dinosaurs. And I think it worked well. We had a dinosaur cake, Imogen had a dinosaur on her shirt, we had a dino pinyata and a dinosaur photo display.
The best part was that so many people came! I was so excited to have a friend fly up from interstate and to have so many of my friends who also had babies in 2011 over was great. We have amazing friends and families.
I just wish that we had been more organised!

Our walker

walking to daddy

 Going over all my photos, I realised that I don't have a lot of her walking yet!

 She took her very first independent step on May eighth 2012 at age 10 months, after this she very cautiously and privately practiced, and it's only been in the last couple of weeks or so that she has been walking more than crawling. Everytime she walks she gets this massive look at me grin.

First independent steps at Chermside

It's her first birthday today! More about that next time.

Imogen at 10 months



our happy clappy girl

Imogen is 11 months, but I thought I would add some photos of her at 10 months. This was the month when she took her first independent step (on May 8th 2012). 

at the museum

 She says bye bye, no and yeah.


at the zoo with daddy

 She is such an affectionate little girl with lots of kisses and cuddles for her favourite people.

She started day care in late April. Her strategy for the first few weeks was to just sleep the entire time she was there. (she had massive 2.5-3 hour naps!) She is being pretty stubborn about eating at day care (usually refuses to eat much at all), but she is only doing one day a week and over-all I think its been good for her. She has become a bit more independent during play time and less clingy since starting. I really like her C&K daycare centre, they appear to have made a really effort to get to know my little girl and her likes and dislikes. Apparently she loves the outdoor play area and dislikes having to go inside!

Two Years

May 2 2010

 It's our second anniversary in just over a week!
So far I have organised to take Rhys to see the Hunger Games this week and I'm hoping to have a series of canvases printed of our honeymoon (it is taking me HOURS to go through all 10,000 of the photos I took on our honeymoon!)
Here are some photos of the day. I'm already being to forget so many of the details that I spent thet 25 months of our engagement agonising over...

At UQ

our venue

my dress

the ring

Party planning continued

Pink dinosaurs

I probably won't have time to make invites! But if I did I love these

Cake!

I am completely overwhelmed with Imogen turning one in two months!

She is only going to turn one once and have one first birthday party so I want it to be great.
I want photo displays, a dinosaur cake, balloons, dinosaur decorations, flowers, candy, friends with and without little ones to show up and have a good time. I just get completely overwhelmed with the thought of it all! I really just need to sit down and write a list of things to do it small steps!
Perhaps even draft a budget.
Wish me luck.