It's a glorious spring day in Cape Town after weeks of rainy cold squalls. I watched my two favorite boys (Joel & Jack) playing in our garden, beautifully sandwiched between dreamy blue sky and gleaming green grass. Our garden - or to be specific - the patch we've planted, is budding, blossoming and burgeoning. Plants that I've seen on the mountainside near our home and never taken too much notice of, are budding in our front yard! There's the exotic looking pincushion, which has a cone shaped bud and every day this week I've watched slow, thin tendrils of yellow unfurl themselves from the cone, like a multitude of pins slowly raising their heads to the sun.
Jack is going through a learning curve of note, and comes up with new words every day. He copies what we say, and then also very quickly takes in new words we teach him. We're growing to love him more and more every day. I find it hard to think back to my days before him, without his quirky, feisty little / big presence.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
This and that...
Our new fireplace
Jack wearing his dad's AFL cap!
He's always pretty pleased with himself when he has this cap on!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Pics from Joel's birthday dinner at mum & Tony
We went to my mum and Tony's for dinner for Joel's birthday. After dinner we chilled in the lounge, had red wine and watched Jack's antics! Joel also tried on Tony's Russian hat - we all thought it suited him!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Come on baby, light my fire!
Today we had our new fireplace installed. The one that was in when we bought the house had rusted right through and the flue had corroded, making our bedroom upstairs unpleasantly smoky when we lit the fire downstairs. So the workmen arrived today with a brand new ceramic fireplace, glazed in turquoise-indigo blue tones with a new flue. I headed out with Jack because it would've been too hard to have him toddling around under the workers' feet while Joel stayed behind and supervised.
I went to fetch my mum and we went to our new favourite place, 'Ellie's Deli', which has a lovely sandpit plus toys for kids. We had breakfast inside first, by the fireplace as it was quite chilly, and Jack sit in the high chair provided and nibbled on bits of toast while we had our bacon and eggs. Then we took our second cups of coffee outside, took off Jack's shoes and put him in the sandpit. At first he was a bit reluctant because the sand was cold on his bare feet but when I got in with him and showed him the spades and buckets, he got interested. He toddled around doing various industrious things with the bucket and spade, while mum and I chatted and sipped our coffee. Occasionally Jack came over to show us his bucket, we oohed and aahed, and he toddled off again, quite pleased with himself.
Then we loaded him into the car and headed off to my mum's flat. Jack fell asleep in the car, just in time for his usual midday nap, as I'd hoped, so I carefully unbundled him from the car when we got to my mum's and put him on the little makeshift bed of soft blankets and cushions that she makes up for him when we go there.
While he slept, we sat in the lounge and chatted some more, and watched the soft winter rain falling outside the window. Then, when he woke up later, my mum played with him while I did some work that I'd brought along. Then I fed him lunch while my mum made muffins and tea for us. After his lunch, he toddled around the flat busily while we ate in the kitchen. When he came in to show us his car, I pulled the hood of his jacket onto his head (it's a fluffy brown jacket with little ears on the hood) and exclaimed, 'Qu'est-ce qu'il est beau, ce bebe!' (How handsome he is, this baby!) and Jack got a very self-satisfied little smile on his face. Then it became a game, where he toddled off for a while then came back and tugged on his jacket, for me to put the hood on again and a happy little smile spread on his face as I exclaimed how cute he looked. I hope I'm not teaching him to be vain, but rather to be happy with himself, as a wonderful creation, like we all are.
After that, Jack and I headed home to see our new fireplace. It's beautiful and it was hard to wait the required 12 hours till we can light it! So tomorrow night, a cosy fireside evening is planned.
I went to fetch my mum and we went to our new favourite place, 'Ellie's Deli', which has a lovely sandpit plus toys for kids. We had breakfast inside first, by the fireplace as it was quite chilly, and Jack sit in the high chair provided and nibbled on bits of toast while we had our bacon and eggs. Then we took our second cups of coffee outside, took off Jack's shoes and put him in the sandpit. At first he was a bit reluctant because the sand was cold on his bare feet but when I got in with him and showed him the spades and buckets, he got interested. He toddled around doing various industrious things with the bucket and spade, while mum and I chatted and sipped our coffee. Occasionally Jack came over to show us his bucket, we oohed and aahed, and he toddled off again, quite pleased with himself.
Then we loaded him into the car and headed off to my mum's flat. Jack fell asleep in the car, just in time for his usual midday nap, as I'd hoped, so I carefully unbundled him from the car when we got to my mum's and put him on the little makeshift bed of soft blankets and cushions that she makes up for him when we go there.
While he slept, we sat in the lounge and chatted some more, and watched the soft winter rain falling outside the window. Then, when he woke up later, my mum played with him while I did some work that I'd brought along. Then I fed him lunch while my mum made muffins and tea for us. After his lunch, he toddled around the flat busily while we ate in the kitchen. When he came in to show us his car, I pulled the hood of his jacket onto his head (it's a fluffy brown jacket with little ears on the hood) and exclaimed, 'Qu'est-ce qu'il est beau, ce bebe!' (How handsome he is, this baby!) and Jack got a very self-satisfied little smile on his face. Then it became a game, where he toddled off for a while then came back and tugged on his jacket, for me to put the hood on again and a happy little smile spread on his face as I exclaimed how cute he looked. I hope I'm not teaching him to be vain, but rather to be happy with himself, as a wonderful creation, like we all are.
After that, Jack and I headed home to see our new fireplace. It's beautiful and it was hard to wait the required 12 hours till we can light it! So tomorrow night, a cosy fireside evening is planned.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Full of thanks
Today was one of those golden Cape winter days, soft and still with gentle sunlight, after 3 days of tempestuous rain and cold wind. We went to Simonstown for breakfast, and sat overlooking the still blue waters of the harbour, which was bristling with the masts of yachts.
Jack sat in his pram and asked (by pointing and going 'uh, uh') for sips of juice and pieces of toast as we ate. It was granadilla juice, which he's never had before, and after each sip, he'd close one eye a little and screw up his nose a bit, because it must've been quite sour for him. I gave him his bottle, held it for him while he drank and told Joel that most of the kids at Mums & Tots are holding their own bottles. So we decided to teach Jack to hold it himself. He wasn't that keen, but when we clapped each time he held it up himself, he began to enjoy it!
Then we took a walk along the Main Road and browsed around the shops. It seems that having either a child or a dog alongside, is a great ice breaker and I had some good chats with the various shop owners, who'd comment on Jack's curls or his rosy cheeks. We stopped at The Sweetest Thing, my favourite French patisserie in Simonstown, and bought a choc eclair and an apple brioche, (both of which are calling my name now, after a light supper!)
Befoe heading home, we took a walk along the jetty and showed Jack the boats and the birds. He pointed at a boat that was gliding past and said, 'car' so I said, 'No, it's a boat.' 'Car' is his first word and most favourite one at the moment. His next favourite word is 'Ba...' which is very useful because it means ball, moon and bird. So when he saw the seagulls, he pointed excitedly and called out 'ba, ba....!'
When we got home, he'd fallen asleep so I put his warm, heavy sleeping little body into bed and crept downstairs. I took the chance to paint the frame that Joel made for Jack's room and was quite happy with the finished product. It's a burnt red colour, which I sanded down after two coats to make it look worn.
Then when Jack woke up, I put his shoes on, which he knows means he's going outside, so he ran to the door and got very excited. Then we played outside, me throwing the ball for Nala and Jack running after it alongside Nala. He toddled around on the grass, giggling as he went and generally had a wonderful time. His third word, which he's just started saying, is 'fla...' for flower, but he says it out the side of his mouth like a gangster whispering something top secret. We try not to laugh because it is a difficult word to say, but it's very cute!
After that, we went back inside and Jack played with his blocks and his bus, while I chatted on the phone to Caroline. Then it was time for supper and to clean up his toys before bath time. We're teaching him to clean up his toys and put away his books before bath time - it takes quite a bit of patience but it's a start. When he puts a book away, we clap and he claps his little hands and looks pleased with himself.
Tonight I was telling him to put his last block away, while Joel stood nearby. Jack picked it up and threw it a few times, so I got stern and said, 'No, Jack, put it in the box' and he threw it again, so I went to sit down on the couch, preparing for a longish session, but didn't realise his bus was just below me as I sat bang on the puppy bus driver sitting at the top of the bus. I got a fright, went 'ooh' and my face must have looked a picture, because Jack took one look at me, burst out in this deep throaty belly laugh and rolled around on the lounge carpet. It was a lovely momet for all three of us.
Now, as Jack sleeps upstairs, I sit writing this while half-watching a movie with Joel and feel my heart full with thankfulness for such a lovely blessed day.
Jack sat in his pram and asked (by pointing and going 'uh, uh') for sips of juice and pieces of toast as we ate. It was granadilla juice, which he's never had before, and after each sip, he'd close one eye a little and screw up his nose a bit, because it must've been quite sour for him. I gave him his bottle, held it for him while he drank and told Joel that most of the kids at Mums & Tots are holding their own bottles. So we decided to teach Jack to hold it himself. He wasn't that keen, but when we clapped each time he held it up himself, he began to enjoy it!
Then we took a walk along the Main Road and browsed around the shops. It seems that having either a child or a dog alongside, is a great ice breaker and I had some good chats with the various shop owners, who'd comment on Jack's curls or his rosy cheeks. We stopped at The Sweetest Thing, my favourite French patisserie in Simonstown, and bought a choc eclair and an apple brioche, (both of which are calling my name now, after a light supper!)
Befoe heading home, we took a walk along the jetty and showed Jack the boats and the birds. He pointed at a boat that was gliding past and said, 'car' so I said, 'No, it's a boat.' 'Car' is his first word and most favourite one at the moment. His next favourite word is 'Ba...' which is very useful because it means ball, moon and bird. So when he saw the seagulls, he pointed excitedly and called out 'ba, ba....!'
When we got home, he'd fallen asleep so I put his warm, heavy sleeping little body into bed and crept downstairs. I took the chance to paint the frame that Joel made for Jack's room and was quite happy with the finished product. It's a burnt red colour, which I sanded down after two coats to make it look worn.
Then when Jack woke up, I put his shoes on, which he knows means he's going outside, so he ran to the door and got very excited. Then we played outside, me throwing the ball for Nala and Jack running after it alongside Nala. He toddled around on the grass, giggling as he went and generally had a wonderful time. His third word, which he's just started saying, is 'fla...' for flower, but he says it out the side of his mouth like a gangster whispering something top secret. We try not to laugh because it is a difficult word to say, but it's very cute!
After that, we went back inside and Jack played with his blocks and his bus, while I chatted on the phone to Caroline. Then it was time for supper and to clean up his toys before bath time. We're teaching him to clean up his toys and put away his books before bath time - it takes quite a bit of patience but it's a start. When he puts a book away, we clap and he claps his little hands and looks pleased with himself.
Tonight I was telling him to put his last block away, while Joel stood nearby. Jack picked it up and threw it a few times, so I got stern and said, 'No, Jack, put it in the box' and he threw it again, so I went to sit down on the couch, preparing for a longish session, but didn't realise his bus was just below me as I sat bang on the puppy bus driver sitting at the top of the bus. I got a fright, went 'ooh' and my face must have looked a picture, because Jack took one look at me, burst out in this deep throaty belly laugh and rolled around on the lounge carpet. It was a lovely momet for all three of us.
Now, as Jack sleeps upstairs, I sit writing this while half-watching a movie with Joel and feel my heart full with thankfulness for such a lovely blessed day.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
To the repeated strains of 'Row, row, row your boat...' I savour the last sips of warm coffee, while Jack toddles busily around the lounge and Joel prepares for another DIY Saturday painting the wall we've just had built on to make Jack's room. It's rainy and grey, with fleeting bursts of golden sun touching the tips of the trees.
That's about all I've got time for - Jack's asking for his bottle and then to be put to bed for his midday sleep.
That's about all I've got time for - Jack's asking for his bottle and then to be put to bed for his midday sleep.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Divine drudgery
Before enlightenment
Changing nappies, washing bottles
After enlightenment
Changing nappies, washing bottles
There is dignity in the daily
divinity in the drudgery...
Changing nappies, washing bottles
After enlightenment
Changing nappies, washing bottles
There is dignity in the daily
divinity in the drudgery...
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Roll aside the stone from the tomb of longing
I'm up in the quiet dark of the house while my two J men sleep. Thinking of a poem by David Whyte, with the last line (above) that sings inside me. I remember reading a Reader's Digest article by a writer and mother of two, who described getting up an hour before her family, in order to get some time to herself and write. This makes sense to me now. To have some silent space around me, the luxury of finishing a cup of tea while it's still warm, and the quiet time to delve a little bit deeper inside myself, to follow tendrils of thought, seedlings of longing and to unfurl these into a sentence....I need this.
I had my first 'business' event yesterday since BJ (before Jack) - a Simply Rhino software networking event for boat designers - and it went well. I was quite nervous and was sure I'd forget something vitally important but, apart from not bringing my business cards, I had everything covered. The participants all seemed to get a lot from the event.
Next week I'm running the first Rhino workshop since BJ and so far, have 5 bookings, which is very exciting! Organising these two events has felt quite flowing and it all seems to have happened quite easily: developing a good relationship with the Boat Building Academy, getting marketing done by MIASA (Marine Industry Association of SA) and McNeel (Rhino developers) and getting bookings from unexpected people.
Yesterday, I got to the venue a bit early and was sitting in the car preparing the agenda for the meeting, when an older bespectacled man came over and asked if I was the woman who'd called him about the catering. We had a good chat and he's going to send me a quote for the catering for the workshop next week. This felt flowing and effortlesss too, which I think is a sign that one's on the right track.
I look out of the dark window onto our new garden bench, sitting invitingly under the tree at the bottom of our garden that I recently pruned, and it makes me happy. I find that lately, I've been wanting to create several spaces around me for sitting and simply being... the less time I have for this, the more I think about decorating the space, buying cushions that will be comfy and pretty, making sure there's a surface alongside for tea, looking longingly at my unopened library books, remembering the days when I'd move from one cosy corner to another, finishing one book and cracking open the next. Sharing my days with a 14-month-old doesn't leave a lot of time for being or reading!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
haikus (great poem form for mothers of toddlers!)
small slice of heaven
chunky custard cheeks milk-full
asleep in my arms
******
silent swoop of cranes
hooks onto my spirit
soaring-sky kinship
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Graduation for a 13-month old!
We took Jack to Mowbray Maternity Hospital yesterday for his developmental check up. He had to perform in front of a doctor, a physiotherapist and three student doctors! Luckily he didn't get stage fright! He stood, held on to furniture, chased a ball around the floor and generally produced a star performance - the doc was very pleased and officially discharged him from MMH! Yay! No more nerve racking visits or homework exercises to do with him.
Last night he took some of his first steps on his own, walking drunkenly from Joel's arms to my arms, with a big proud grin on his face! Today, at his gran's, he got up off the floor and walked a few steps on his own, while we were chatting - so there has been much celebration and proud hugs and cuddles!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Melancholy Monday
The sweaty heat of the past few days has been drizzled away by a cloudy moody Monday. The dogs up the road were howling so Nala padded down to the driveway gate, lifted her head and joined them in a lonesome, oh-so-blue howling lament.
I've got David Gray playing, singing to the artist in me while the mother in me washes bottles and picks up Jack, who's a bit niggly because of his teeth, I think. I've been reading the latest Oprah magazine article on 'Living your best life' and while the cynical part of me is tired of over-used words like 'passion' and 'living your dream', the longing in me unfurls its leafy green head, seeking rich soil and a place to grow.
So I steal a few minutes in my study, while Jack roams around the room exploring and chatting away to himself. to blog these tendrils of thoughts. What to do when the longing in me needs solitude, time and space? Carve a little moment for myself, in between the mothering and the doing, to lay these feelings and unfinished sentences down, one at a time. I want to write more, to express myself more, so I start with a small brief blog entry. It's a bit like eating only the tip of a strawberry when what I want is a bowl full, drenched in cream, but at least it's something.
Off to change a nappy now...
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