18 months old today!

At 1.01am today, Gaby was officially 18 months old! WHERE the hell has time gone? She has changed so much in 18 months, it really is amazing - and I wish there was some way to record every single second of it - so that I could play back those early days and remember how tiny she was, the cute little things she did back then, and watch her development - from that tiny baby I brought home from the hospital, who pretty much only ate, fed & pooed - to this gorgeous 18 month old who can tell me what noise a motorbike makes, tell me what sound a cow makes, put her socks on......

She does seem to be getting cheekier & cheekier with each day that passes - as I type this she is tipping water from her sippy cup, onto the floor. It's only water. It won't stain. She certainly knows when she's doing something she shouldn't be - she'll look at me (or anyone!) and wave her finger at them while saying "no", it's too damn cute & it makes it so hard to actually stop and get her to stop what she's doing. She's copying ALL of our language - mostly good words, but some bad words! At Mum & Dad's on Thursday, we were leaving the house, when she quite simply puts her hand up to her mouth & says "Oh shit!". WHAATTTTTT? So now we are making a huge effort to keep our language 'clean' around her - although we were trying to do that anyway, obviously not hard enough though.

Gaby got to see her Aunty Terri over the last couple of days, which I think they both enjoyed a lot! Terri & her friend were going up to Auckland for a concert, and they were flying out of Christchurch - so we were lucky enough to have a few hours with Ter! Terri got lots of cuddles and cute behaviour - I think Gaby enjoyed having someone new to show off to! On the way back from the airport last night, Gaby seeemed to have Terri & her friend very impressed with her language skills - repeating lots of words they said. It was Terri who taught her how to say "brmm brmm".

Photos from Hong Kong - part 1

Here are some photos from Hong Kong! Blogger is playing up so I'm not able to upload anymore photos at this time! Will upload more later today or tomorrow

Gaby helping herself to Mummy's sundae

Mummy & Gaby on the flying Dumbo ride

Mummy & Gaby with Goofy

At the entry to Disneyland.. Mickey riding Moby Dick

Outside THE entrance to Disneyland

The view from our hotel room

Front Desk of the hotel

Gaby about 20 minutes off the plane from Auckland - Hong Kong

long overdue update!

Gosh, so much to update, I'm not sure I can get it all in!

On April 7th, me & Gaby - along with Alison & Joelle, left New Zealand for Hong Kong! We had a crazy/amazing/wonderful/exciting/tiring 5 nights in Hong Kong, and the best part of 32 hours travelling & in airports.

When we arrived in Hong Kong it was 6.45am Tuesday 8th April - it felt more like midday (because that's what the time would have been in NZ). Gaby coped with the travel pretty well, she had a few grizzly moments on the 11 hour flight from Auckland to Hong Kong, but was in surprisingly good spirits when we arrived in Hong Kong! Our first day in HK was spent getting acquainted with the hotel, and we went for a swim in the hotel pool. What a beautiful pool it was! Gaby loved the pool, I think she (like the rest of us) enjoyed the relief it gave from the 85-95% humidity!

Wednesday & Thursday were spent at Disneyland!!!! It felt bizarre to actually BE at Disneyland - it was a place I imagined I'd NEVER get to visit - let alone be a place I'd be able to take Gaby. I think Gaby was a little young to properly understand how cool it was to be at Disneyland, but she did have a good time. Her favourite rides were the Flying Dumbo's, the Carousel, the Pooh ride & the Flying UFO's. She fell asleep within 10 mintues of getting into Disneyland, which made me laugh! Gaby wasn't too fond of the mascots wearing full body costumes - such as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & co. - funnily enough me & Dad aren't too fond of mascots like that either! She did like the princesses though, and we got a photo taken with them. She did grizzle a bit while we were there, but I am guessing it is because of all the people, the heat, and being in a strange place in general.

Gaby could almost be the newest attraction at Disneyland! Hundreds of people stopped me so that they could take Gaby's photo, or have their photo taken with her - because of the blond hair & blue eyes. It was a little scary, but if Gaby was in a good mood, she didn't seem to mind. It did bother me a bit when people touched her - I felt it was overstepping some kind of boundary... I should have charged $5 for each photo, if I had, I'd have come home fairly rich!

The photo taking carried on into the hotel as well! It would take us about 20 minutes to get from the front desk to the elevators, because people would stop us to take her photo, and to talk to her - by the end of the trip Gaby knew how to work the crowd, even if she was crying, as soon as someone started talking to her, she'd be all smiles and waves, and when walking away she knew the perfect time to wave & say "bye bye". It was pretty adorable really.

On the Friday we took our first trip away from the general vicinity of the hotel & resort area - we took a train into Tsing Yi so I could buy (of all things) nappies! They only had newborn size nappies at the hotel, and I ran out of my supply. Gaby loved going on the train, and I found the train's to be wonderful! They were very regular, and once you knew what you were doing, they were very easy to use!

In Tsing Yi we went into a big mall, it had about 3 or 4 levels (I can't remember). I think it was all a bit of a shock to Gaby, and she had a few grizzly moments, but was pretty good in general. We stopped at McDonalds, where Gaby gained a couple of friends! There was a family sitting next to us, and by the time we were getting ready to leave, they were sharing their chips with Gaby, and talking to her - and of course she was making them laugh. I couldn't help but laugh myself, it was so cute. I didn't realise how friendly she was until we went over there! I managed to find nappies eventually - COW PRINT nappies! After that we got the train back to Disneyland, and then the free bus back to our hotel.

On the Saturday we went up in a cable car to Ngong Ping village, where we were able to very clearly see 'the Big Buddha' (Tian Tan Buddha), it was really amazing up there - I'm not exactly religious, but it was a very spiritual place! Gaby wasn't terribly fussed by the cable car, she just sat in her stroller & talked to/waved at the people on the car with us! She ran around a bit & got in the way of peoples photos - oopsy! She seemed to be quite happy that afternoon, we didn't have much crying while we were on that specific expedition, and enjoyed drinking a juice with us at Starbucks. On the way back the cable car was temporarily suspended, due to thunder and lightning! It opened again, we got on, and about 1/4 of the way down, the lightning started again - the others on the car were a bit freaked by it all, but I found it wonderful!!!! We had a really good view of the airport - I didn't realise how massive it was!!!

Sunday was our final day in Hong Kong, and that day we actually went INTO Hong Kong city, which was another big experience. It was all a bit hustle bustle for me - so many people, and tonnes of massive buildings, I felt very claustrophobic, and I think Gaby felt the same way. She was quite unsettled for most of the day, but she did have a few moments. We met another family, they had two little girls, and one of the girls gave Gaby her balloon - I thought that was incredibly sweet! Toward the end of our time in Hong Kong city, we went out to the Central Pier, and had a look at the view of the city from there, it was less crowded and Gaby seemed to relax a little... as did I! We got the train back to Lantau Island for the final time, it was quite sad really - but at the same time, it was exciting to know we were getting closer to going home!

Sunday night we had around 2 hours in Hong Kong airport, waiting for our flight. Gaby didn't handle this very well, mainly because we didn't have a stroller! Silly to think that airports in NZ will let you borrow a stroller, but a huge airport like Hong Kong don't. Eventually we boarded our plane - and it wasn't very full, unlike the flight over! Gaby seemed pretty happy on the flight - and she slept for most of it (thank goodness), the staff on the plane were great, more than willing to accomodate us - they certainly made the trip a lot easier (as did Ali & Joe!). I managed to get some sleep, but when we woke up for breakfast (which was around 10.30am NZ time), I decided it would be best for me & Gab to stay awake, so we could hopefully fit back into the NZ timezone.

The last hour or so of the flight went really quickly - and as soon as we touched down on Kiwi soil, I let out a huge sigh of relief. It was so lovely to be back in our own country, and to know where we were going, and what to expect! We had about 2 hours at Auckland Airport before we FINALLY left for Christchurch. The flight to Christchurch was fine! We had a family of 4 sitting across the aisle from us, they had a 5mo and a 2 1/4yo, so Gaby was fascinated by the kids, and me & the Mum talked a bit. Gaby managed to sleep the last half of the flight, which made me very happy - because she needed a little sleep! 5pm we touched down in Christchurch, at long last. Didn't take long to get down to where Mum was waiting for us - god it was good to see a familiar face! Gaby realised it was Nan & went up to her for a cuddle, we went and got our bags then made our way back to Mum & Dad's... Gaby saw her Poppa - and then it was all over..... we were officially back home!

That was Monday 14th. Tuesday 14th Gaby slept until 10.15am, Wednesday 9.15, Thursday & Friday 8.30am - making up for all the early mornings in Hong Kong. I failed to mention that Gaby would wake up for the day between 4-5am didn't I!!!!!! That wasn't particularly fun, but luckily Alison wasn't able to sleep over there, so she would usually take Gaby for a walk, and then I would get myself out of bed around 5.30am and we'd go for a walk around the grounds of the hotel. It was awesome - got a decent wee walk, and Gaby got to run around. One day we even found a frog, which was pretty exciting for me - having never seen a frog! Gaby did stand on him though, but somehow he was fine and didn't get squashed!

The hotel (Disneyland Hollywood Hotel) was amazing! It was beautiful inside, all done in black and white marble - I loved it! The staff were all really friendly, particularly with Gaby - and they didn't seem to mind all the messes she left behind in the restaraunts! We had complimentary breakfasts at the 'Chef Mickey' restaraunt - now THAT was a breakfast! It was buffet, and Gaby had a large mix of foods! Bacon, eggs, sushi, teriyaki chicken, pikelets, waffles, yogurt, breads - she had a ball! Us adults had similar breakfasts, it was way too easy to go back for 2nds or 3rds or 4ths (or 5ths!). For dinner we went to the other restaurant in the hotel, the name of it slips my mind right now. They had a delicious drink called a Peppermint Twister - it was non-alcoholic, and delish! Could do with one of those about now!

All in all, it was a great trip, and I am sure that in a few years time, Gaby will look back at the photos and want me to tell her stories about the trip - it was such a great opportunity for the two of us, and I think the break away from 'real life' helped the two of us, though we both missed our family!

my little lunatic

Gaby was in a very crazy mood earlier this morning! Everything she did made her laugh - and made ME laugh. She kept climbing on me, kissing me, squealing, pulling clothes off the chair - to name but a few things. Toward the end of her little crazy-girl-mood, it was getting a bit old, possibly because I was trying to tidy the lounge, and she was making it near impossible! It reminded me a lot of Terri when she used to get hyper on Brown Sugar. Note to self: Gaby is no longer eating Porridge with Poppa.

her new favourite accesory - Kai's hat!

The little poppet continues to amaze me more and more each day. The last week she's REALLY become a little person, as opposed to a baby or infant - when she talks in her little protolangauge, you can tell that she's having a real 'conversation', and what she is saying has meaning. New words this week include 'light' and 'Gaby', along with 'biscuit' and 'baby'... What next? Every word I say she seems to try and copy, so I'm making an effort to be a bit more careful with my choice of language I am using, and also to use language properly. Y'know speak real proper like.

"Yes Mummy, I'm sound asleep"
... a photo taken when Gaby was meant to be asleep in bed last night
(it looks like the light is on, but that's the flash)

In 3 days we leave for the start of our journey to Hong Kong. Friday after Kai finishes work we're heading down to Temuka - where we'll stay with Deb & Mark. Saturday we will make our way down to Dunedin - where we are going to stay with Sue & the girls. Sunday we are going down to Gore (of all places), so that Kai can pick up some parts for his car - so I'll use this as an opportunity to stop in & visit Teresa, Josh & Bryce! Sunday we'll be heading back to Dunedin - and Kai will be making his way back to Christchurch. Monday - well, Monday is D-Day. At approx 5pm we get on a plane & leave for Hong Kong - via Christchurch & Auckland! I am nervous about how Gaby is going to be on the plane, but I'm going to try not to worry about it. I can't control what is going to happen, so no point stressing about it! I wonder if Gaby will realise that she's going on a PLANE!?

my little helper!

Gaby helped me unpack the groceries today! It was pretty dang cute - even if it took about 10x as long as it usually would have! She got all the cans out, one by one & handed them to me, then the packets, boxes & stuff for the fridge. Very adorable! I wonder if she can just go and do the groceries by herself next time?

This weekend is Gaby's first easter where she'll be able to delight in all of the chocolatey benefits of the holiday! I bought her a hollow egg last week - but of course I got in a grump and slammed the bag containing the egg on the ground. Oops. One smashed egg! I got her a hollow Cadbury egg today, and was very careful with it, and now it is stashed in the top of my pantry, awaiting... hmm, whatever day you're meant to eat easter eggs on!

Today Gaby is playing with her friend Josh, while I go out - Serena is being fabulous and watching her again. Hopefully they won't get into too much mischief! I have put Gaby to bed so that she won't need a nap this afternoon - and fingers crossed, won't be tooooo grizzly for Serena! It's so cute seeing Gaby & Josh playing together, especially now that they are old enough to interact with one another.

potty time?

Gaby has made it pretty clear that she knows when she's going to do wee's or poo's.... Mum has mentioned a few times that perhaps now is the time to start thinking about potty training my little Gablet, and I think she's right.

Obviously 16 1/2 months is still pretty young to be starting the potty training, so I think I will go into it more as potty-getting-used-to for a start. I will try and get her to sit on the toilet daily - but if she doesn't want to, I will follow her lead and leave it for awhile. I don't expect her to do anything in the potty at this age or stage, but if she does, it'll certainly be met by lots of praise & excitement!

Potty training seems to be a big milestone to me - the milestone that makes her more child than baby. I don't want my baby to grow up! But, it is also really exciting! All these milestones seem to creep up on me really fast, but before I know it... another milestone has passed!

We go to HK in under 3 weeks now, and I am still feeling pretty apprehensive bout the flying aspect of the trip - but really, it is only 12 hours out of our trip (well 24 there and back), so if the experience is bad, so be it.. Her passport arrived yesterday morning which was very exciting - she seems too little to have a passport for international travel!

"no Gaby" "no" "don't do that Gaby" "GABRIELLE"

busted doing something naughty!

Oh man... my daughter is a monster!!! The past while Gaby has been getting into EVERYTHING. I think that all I say is "no Gaby, don't do that", "Gaby - no!", "Gabrielle!", "GABRIELLE!!!". This morning after turning the TV on & off about 20 times, while laughing at me the entire time - and running straight back to the TV after I would move her away, she proceeded to pull all the wipes out of the wipes pack - while I was cleaning that up, she started playing with the stereo - got a hell of a fright when she turned it up & messed up the tuner.... THEN it was into the pantry (oh crap, when did she start being able to get in there?) and pulling food onto the floor. I was sorting out the pantry - and Gaby was into her pre-school bag, pulling out all the contents.... What else did she play with? God only knows, but I see now that the wipes are back on the floor. Moral of the story?? Put everything about two metres off the ground!!!!!!! (yes, I know I could put things away too!).

stealing my phone
....while I'm cleaning up one of her messes!

She seems to be laughing at me constantly - in a cheeky way which I know means she is plotting against me. It's a pity it's so bloody adorable!!! I can't help but laugh at her, which doesn't help the matter at all - only serves to encourage her. Trust me, if I could keep a straight face and be stern - I would!!!!!!!

Dancing seems to be one of her favourite things to do as well. She will stand there, rocking side to side, clapping her hands, wiggling her fingers around, sometimes moving her head side to side, crouching down & then standing up. Beautiful - it's just beautiful (and cute) to watch! Her favourite song at the moment seems to be 'Don't Stop The Music' by Rhianna, and 'Bleeding Love' by Leona Lewis. They must do dancing a bit at preschool I think - either that or she's naturally a musical little monkey!!!