Zoo time.

Emily is pretty good at using a mix of sign language and words to name animals, and is a huge fan of her plastic "ammils" so we decided a zoo visit was in order.

First up feeding time with the Giraffe's


We think she liked that.


Wandered over to see Chimpanzees. Em was crouching down to admire the platform decking then spied some Chimps and just sat there pointing saying "Oooh".



Back to #1 favorite Giraffe's.



Plenty of other cool stuff there, and we now have a daughter who is big fan of big cats.




There is certainly something to be said about crouching on the other side of a (bullet proof) glass window and looking directly into the eyes of a lion and seeing his pupils adjust, you note that all you are is a meal.

Big Girl Bed saga continues....

Day #3. After the debacle of the cot/bed naptime confusion, we decided that maybe because some of Emily's things were still hanging around in her old room, she was getting mixed messages about where "her place" was. So that night we decided to put her to sleep over night in the big girl bed. We were both a bit apprehensive about making the full switch to the bed, as it gives Emily more freedom to wake and come and see us whenever she wants, including in the early morning hours! Anyway, it was a cold night so we put her in her blue pajama suit which is nice and warm and makes her feel like a teddy bear when you cuddle her. She fell asleep pretty well and cried out around 1am but didn't continue so we left her alone. I woke up at 3:30 and went and checked on her. As I walked beside the bed, I felt a teddy bear on the floor and wondered which teddy it was and whether Bryce had put it there or she had. Just as I was about to pick up the teddy, the teddy took a big breath and sighed sleepily. It was then I realised it was my lil girl, dressed as a teddy, who had fallen out of bed (probably at 1 am, when she cried) but decided to continue to sleep on the floor, head down, bum straight up. Too cute. I was able to pick her up and put her back in bed without waking her and sneak out of the room easily. She woke up an hour earlier than normal but we figured that was going to happen with all the changes. Last night, she slept even better and I think that was partially due to moving all of her stuff into the new room and her really feeling like she has her own place now. She even slept through till 7am this morning and gave us both our sleep in again! We shall see how night #3 goes, but I can almost say that our little baby has indeed transitioned into big girl now!

Big Girl Bed

Last week we began the "Big Girl Room" transition in preparation for the new baby to arrive. We emptied the "Palatial Manor" (the name our good friend Robyn named our spare room, even when it was only a small piece of floor in the kitchen of our old apartment). Then we put in a bunch of kid furniture, all of Em's toys and her new single bed, fitted with Pooh Bear sheets to sweeten the deal. Emily was thrilled and has really enjoyed playing in there for the last week. Also, for the first three or four days, she was very keen to sleep in her "big girl bed" for naptime during the day. Selfishly, we have kept her in her cot in the other room at night to ensure a long sleep and no early morning wake-ups for us!
However, for the past 2 days, Emily has chosen to have her nap in the crib/cot instead and does not want to be in the big bed anymore. Today, she was all excited to sleep in the single bed until just before she laid down and then she was sure she wanted to sleep elsewhere. However, when taken to her cot, she refused to lie down there also.
When given the option again as to where she would like to sleep, she just kind of stood in between the two rooms, unsure. I suggested we read another book before we decide. Instead of going to her bookshelf, she quickly went to the lounge and grabbed Bryce's industrial sized "The History of New Zealand" and pulled it off the shelf. With all its 562 pages and no pictures, it is not the ideal pre-nap time story. I think she knew what she was doing though. We better keep an eye on her!

Wellington Christmas Parade

We adventured down to Wellington last weekend for the Xmas parade. Em stood pretty much transfixed watching the procession, saving extra special waving for the floats carrying cartoon characters despite having never seen many of them. Good times.




Then there was this guy getting a better vantage point.

Newbee continues to grow...

I am at 28 weeks but measuring a belly that should be at 34 weeks! Our midwife is confident it does not mean an earlier baby arrival; it's just that there is an excess of amniotic fluid that is present and pushing my navel out towards the free world. So essentially, I am carrying around a baby paddling pool, which is conveniently attached to my front, so that I am now bumping into people and things more often. It is difficult to squeeze past students in the hallway when it is really busy and more of them are starting to stare now; as I am a bit of an oddity to look at! You know you have a big belly when even close friends laugh at you when they first see you. This is becoming more common, but I am getting used to it. I am pleased, at least, to have the "big belly paddling pool" excuse for being massive, instead of just having to succumb to the fact that I have eaten too many cookies.

Guy Fawkes night

Emily experienced her first Guy Fawkes Night along with her first exposure to fireworks and sparklers. She didn't really get a chance to enjoy the sparklers too much as she didn't get that it needed to be held away from the face. However, she loved the actual noisy fireworks that were going off in front of her on the beach. What a fun night! We were pretty sure she wouldn't stay awake long enough, but having other kids to hang around that were super excited made Emily go the distance.
Once on the beach, we settled down onto a beach blanket and Emily was all cozy and tucked into Daddy's lap. Only removing her hands from Daddy's cupped hands to clap and ask for "more" every time the fireworks stopped going "BANG!"
She was a champ and super cute, despite the cold wind and late night.