Wednesday, 29 December 2010
I Swim in da Big Pool
Darren and family came over yesterday and we all went to the local rec center for a bit of fun in their indoor pool. It was so much fun. I swear though, in my current ultra large pregnant state, I displaced enough water to raise the entire pool by at least 2 inches. No pictures of this phenomenon - sorry.
A Very Merry Christmas
Christmas was pretty low key for us this year. I did all our shopping online to save my back from having to deal with crowds, or walking around shops or malls. I put up minimal decorations. (Our place is so small we don't have space to store a bunch of stuff anyway). And, we didn't go too crazy with a big meal this year. Christmas eve we had dinner at Mack's parents house with his family, and then on Christmas day we had lunch at my mom's place with Darren and family. Down to earth and fun.
Taz was adorable this year and was so excited to get and unwrap presents. When she walked into the lounge and saw the presents under the tree she got this huge smile on her face and said, "for me? Are those presents for me?" And then she kept thanking us profusely for every gift we gave her. She was excited for all of them, but the kitchen unit and tea set are her ultimate favourites and she hasn't stopped playing with them.
One thing I didn't think about was the wrapping paper I bought. It was all shiny and pretty, but it would not rip. Taz was very disappointed when she tried to rip the paper off her first present. Not a mistake I'll be making again I tell you. Anyway, we survived and a good Christmas was had by all.
Taz was adorable this year and was so excited to get and unwrap presents. When she walked into the lounge and saw the presents under the tree she got this huge smile on her face and said, "for me? Are those presents for me?" And then she kept thanking us profusely for every gift we gave her. She was excited for all of them, but the kitchen unit and tea set are her ultimate favourites and she hasn't stopped playing with them.
One thing I didn't think about was the wrapping paper I bought. It was all shiny and pretty, but it would not rip. Taz was very disappointed when she tried to rip the paper off her first present. Not a mistake I'll be making again I tell you. Anyway, we survived and a good Christmas was had by all.
Thursday, 23 December 2010
A Promise is a Promise
Remind me next time to check on the weather before I make a promise to my child that I just HAVE to keep.
We promised Taz that we would take her to see the Christmas lights at the zoo, and typical of us, we kept using it as bribery through the whole day. Oh Taz, if you eat all your food, we'll take you to the zoo. Hey Taz, if you take a nice long nap we'll go to the zoo when you wake up. Well, she woke up and jumped out of bed and said, "Lets go to the zooooooooooooooo." And thats when I looked out the window and saw not just a slight drizzle, or even a steady downpour - oh no - it was bucketing down with rain. I couldn't suddenly tell her that we couldn't go to the zoo. Rain is no obstacle to a two year old, its only an obstacle to her infirm mother. So like the fantastically, amazing parent that I am, I started to pull on my thermal underwear.
I told Taz that she would have to wear her warmest clothes. She dashed into her room, and came out dragging her Butterfly costume from Halloween. Apparently the warmth of that costume had made an impression on the child, because she could not be swayed into wearing anything else (except one of my scarves that she insisted on adding to her ensemble).
And thats how we ended up spending our evening walking around in the pouring rain, with no animals to be seen, but with a 2 year old in a butterfly costume jumping into any puddle she could find with the biggest grin on her face.
Was it worth it? Every goosebump!
(Thanks to Ouma, she had her froggy umbrella.)
(Daddy, I saw Santa.)
(Hot chocolate on the go - no stopping this one.)
(The highlight of the evening - the carousel- twice.)
We promised Taz that we would take her to see the Christmas lights at the zoo, and typical of us, we kept using it as bribery through the whole day. Oh Taz, if you eat all your food, we'll take you to the zoo. Hey Taz, if you take a nice long nap we'll go to the zoo when you wake up. Well, she woke up and jumped out of bed and said, "Lets go to the zooooooooooooooo." And thats when I looked out the window and saw not just a slight drizzle, or even a steady downpour - oh no - it was bucketing down with rain. I couldn't suddenly tell her that we couldn't go to the zoo. Rain is no obstacle to a two year old, its only an obstacle to her infirm mother. So like the fantastically, amazing parent that I am, I started to pull on my thermal underwear.
I told Taz that she would have to wear her warmest clothes. She dashed into her room, and came out dragging her Butterfly costume from Halloween. Apparently the warmth of that costume had made an impression on the child, because she could not be swayed into wearing anything else (except one of my scarves that she insisted on adding to her ensemble).
And thats how we ended up spending our evening walking around in the pouring rain, with no animals to be seen, but with a 2 year old in a butterfly costume jumping into any puddle she could find with the biggest grin on her face.
Was it worth it? Every goosebump!
(Thanks to Ouma, she had her froggy umbrella.)
(Daddy, I saw Santa.)
(Hot chocolate on the go - no stopping this one.)
(The highlight of the evening - the carousel- twice.)
Friday, 10 December 2010
Cravings
I don't remember having one specific craving when I was pregnant with Tamsine. It was more like a constant need to be stuffing my face. If there was a food ad on TV, then thats what I wanted. I did crave Cafe Rio for about two weeks during my first trimester, and then I remember really enjoying KFC, but I didn't have any specific craving during the rest of my pregnancy. I also didn't have any serious aversions to food. My sense of smell was incredibly acute and I couldn't stand the smell of garlic, but I still pretty much ate everything and anything.
This pregnancy however has been a little different. My sense of smell is once again insanely sensitive, and I don't like the smell of garlic or any sort of hot chilli (which it seems is Mack's only source of nutrition at the moment), I can smell when people have had anything to eat with either of those in it. Awful! This time I have also developed an aversion to meat. I can eat it, but only in very small portions. It just doesn't seem appetizing to me in the slightest. I also went off sugar or anything sweet for the first and second trimester. I would gag on anything that had sugar in it. Too bad that one went away - I'm making up for it now though, sigh.
I have had very specific cravings this pregnancy. My first trimester all I wanted were big, firm tomatoes. I ate them constantly. I wanted them with lots and lots of salt and white pepper - oh my goodness they tasted SO good. Then I moved onto really juicy cantaloupes, still with salt on them though. I would slice them in half and have one half for breakfast, and the other for lunch. Yummy! But, for the last few months all I've wanted are kiwi fruit. I can't get enough of the little green nuggets of joy. I'm not sure what they have in them that my body needs, but I am loving them to the point that I want to write an ode to them. I've been remembering my days in London, where I could get a bag of about 20 kiwis for 1 pound. I would eat them ad nauseum then too. Oh kiwi, I love you so.
Another craving (and this one has been since the nausea and puking stopped) is for Milo. I drink about two BIG mugs a day, sometimes more. I have already gone through one and a half cans of the powder all by myself in the last few months. I have a mug of it next to me right now. Its a really good thing they sell it in this country or I would be up the creek.
I have to admit that I'm grateful my cravings are for healthy things and not for junk food, not that I'm not eating my fair share of cookies, ice cream etc.
Oh, and because I love the kiwi so, I'm putting in a picture.
This pregnancy however has been a little different. My sense of smell is once again insanely sensitive, and I don't like the smell of garlic or any sort of hot chilli (which it seems is Mack's only source of nutrition at the moment), I can smell when people have had anything to eat with either of those in it. Awful! This time I have also developed an aversion to meat. I can eat it, but only in very small portions. It just doesn't seem appetizing to me in the slightest. I also went off sugar or anything sweet for the first and second trimester. I would gag on anything that had sugar in it. Too bad that one went away - I'm making up for it now though, sigh.
I have had very specific cravings this pregnancy. My first trimester all I wanted were big, firm tomatoes. I ate them constantly. I wanted them with lots and lots of salt and white pepper - oh my goodness they tasted SO good. Then I moved onto really juicy cantaloupes, still with salt on them though. I would slice them in half and have one half for breakfast, and the other for lunch. Yummy! But, for the last few months all I've wanted are kiwi fruit. I can't get enough of the little green nuggets of joy. I'm not sure what they have in them that my body needs, but I am loving them to the point that I want to write an ode to them. I've been remembering my days in London, where I could get a bag of about 20 kiwis for 1 pound. I would eat them ad nauseum then too. Oh kiwi, I love you so.
Another craving (and this one has been since the nausea and puking stopped) is for Milo. I drink about two BIG mugs a day, sometimes more. I have already gone through one and a half cans of the powder all by myself in the last few months. I have a mug of it next to me right now. Its a really good thing they sell it in this country or I would be up the creek.
I have to admit that I'm grateful my cravings are for healthy things and not for junk food, not that I'm not eating my fair share of cookies, ice cream etc.
Oh, and because I love the kiwi so, I'm putting in a picture.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Update
This is what we have been up to lately:
Tazling - My child has developed a vocabulary that she uses to its full extent. She talks almost non-stop which is adorable most of the time, and only annoying on occasion. She also loves to sing and will often sing through her repertoire while she is playing. It is too cute for words. she has yet to develop a vocal range though and so Incy Wincy Spider, Mary had a little lamb, ABCD, Old Mc Donald and Twinkle Twinkle are all fairly monotone. She has also developed her own sense of fashion. She gets pretty annoyed when I try to pick her outfit for the day, and will often refuse to wear something and then say, "No, dis one" and hand me some thing she would be willing to wear. She has also been know to tell me to "take it off!" and will hand me something she thinks is more appropriate from my closet. She does that often with the shoes that I'm wearing. For some reason she feels I should wear heels 24/7. Prissy! She is also quite a crafty kid and loves to draw and colour, especially in her Cares Bears colouring book. One of her favourite things to do however is to cut things out with her "squeezers" and then glue them onto another piece of paper. She'll lead me by the finger to where I keep her glue and scissors and then point to it and say, "Mommy, lets ga-loo". I also have a large plastic table cloth that I allow her to sit on and paint with water colours. When she paints though, she likes to get creative with the body art so she has to paint naked and then take a bath directly afterwards. I don't mind though - I like to encourage her creative side. She knows all of her colours, but refuses to say the word yellow - why? Who knows. She also knows most of her shapes, including heart, diamond, octagon and rhombus, thanks to her dad. And thats enough bragging for now.
Mack - My dear husband is still completely enthralled with his salt water aquarium and spends large amounts of time messing with it, and staring at it with a small torch (flashilight). Then, he'll come tearing down the passage with the hugest grin on his face and say something like, "Babe, there(s) a/are (insert random scientific name for aquarium bug) in the sump/refugium." Like I'm supposed to know what that means. He has completely corrupted the munchkin too, and she'll often grab the torch (flashlight) and yell down the passage, "Dad, daaa-ad, lets go look for ampopods." I just sigh. He is still doing well in his language course and is excited to put his Pashto to the test once the course ends in Feb. Other than that, he has shouldered most of the chores around the house while I am incapacitated with my back problems and pregnancy. He doesn't like all the extra work, but is taking it fairly well. Bless him.
Me - I spend most of my day sitting in a recliner with my swollen feet up. On a scale of 1-10, my pain levels are at a constant 7. My back has gotten to a point where I struggle to do most things, including walking, sitting and standing. I still have 10 weeks of this pregnancy however and its not going to get any easier. Its been really hard, surprisingly more so emotionally for me than physically. Because I am such in independent person I struggle to delegate, especially things like looking after my child etc. Also, I feel like a lazy bum just sitting on my butt all day. I know I have to take it easy, but there are things to be done and I have the time to do them - I just don't have the physical ability right now and its driving me crazy. I have finally gotten to the point though where I've realized I'm not doing myself or my family any favours by being stubborn and hurting myself because I need to feel useful. So, Taz is now going to a sitter in the mornings from 8-12, and I use the time to take it easy so that my back can relax a bit and I can then handle spending at least few hours in the afternoon till Mack gets home from work, playing with my daughter. My belly is getting bigger by the day (and so is my wide load bum - but we won't talk about that) and I look pregnant now, and not just like I'm getting fat. I do have to admit that I'm counting down the days till this little one arrives, and more importantly, till I can have an epidural and finally remember what its like to be pain free, if only for a few hours.
And I think thats enough news for now.
Tazling - My child has developed a vocabulary that she uses to its full extent. She talks almost non-stop which is adorable most of the time, and only annoying on occasion. She also loves to sing and will often sing through her repertoire while she is playing. It is too cute for words. she has yet to develop a vocal range though and so Incy Wincy Spider, Mary had a little lamb, ABCD, Old Mc Donald and Twinkle Twinkle are all fairly monotone. She has also developed her own sense of fashion. She gets pretty annoyed when I try to pick her outfit for the day, and will often refuse to wear something and then say, "No, dis one" and hand me some thing she would be willing to wear. She has also been know to tell me to "take it off!" and will hand me something she thinks is more appropriate from my closet. She does that often with the shoes that I'm wearing. For some reason she feels I should wear heels 24/7. Prissy! She is also quite a crafty kid and loves to draw and colour, especially in her Cares Bears colouring book. One of her favourite things to do however is to cut things out with her "squeezers" and then glue them onto another piece of paper. She'll lead me by the finger to where I keep her glue and scissors and then point to it and say, "Mommy, lets ga-loo". I also have a large plastic table cloth that I allow her to sit on and paint with water colours. When she paints though, she likes to get creative with the body art so she has to paint naked and then take a bath directly afterwards. I don't mind though - I like to encourage her creative side. She knows all of her colours, but refuses to say the word yellow - why? Who knows. She also knows most of her shapes, including heart, diamond, octagon and rhombus, thanks to her dad. And thats enough bragging for now.
Mack - My dear husband is still completely enthralled with his salt water aquarium and spends large amounts of time messing with it, and staring at it with a small torch (flashilight). Then, he'll come tearing down the passage with the hugest grin on his face and say something like, "Babe, there(s) a/are (insert random scientific name for aquarium bug) in the sump/refugium." Like I'm supposed to know what that means. He has completely corrupted the munchkin too, and she'll often grab the torch (flashlight) and yell down the passage, "Dad, daaa-ad, lets go look for ampopods." I just sigh. He is still doing well in his language course and is excited to put his Pashto to the test once the course ends in Feb. Other than that, he has shouldered most of the chores around the house while I am incapacitated with my back problems and pregnancy. He doesn't like all the extra work, but is taking it fairly well. Bless him.
Me - I spend most of my day sitting in a recliner with my swollen feet up. On a scale of 1-10, my pain levels are at a constant 7. My back has gotten to a point where I struggle to do most things, including walking, sitting and standing. I still have 10 weeks of this pregnancy however and its not going to get any easier. Its been really hard, surprisingly more so emotionally for me than physically. Because I am such in independent person I struggle to delegate, especially things like looking after my child etc. Also, I feel like a lazy bum just sitting on my butt all day. I know I have to take it easy, but there are things to be done and I have the time to do them - I just don't have the physical ability right now and its driving me crazy. I have finally gotten to the point though where I've realized I'm not doing myself or my family any favours by being stubborn and hurting myself because I need to feel useful. So, Taz is now going to a sitter in the mornings from 8-12, and I use the time to take it easy so that my back can relax a bit and I can then handle spending at least few hours in the afternoon till Mack gets home from work, playing with my daughter. My belly is getting bigger by the day (and so is my wide load bum - but we won't talk about that) and I look pregnant now, and not just like I'm getting fat. I do have to admit that I'm counting down the days till this little one arrives, and more importantly, till I can have an epidural and finally remember what its like to be pain free, if only for a few hours.
And I think thats enough news for now.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Shred Fest
We decided it was high time to do a little paper shredding at our house, so Mack dutifully shredded, while I snuck off to have a shower. He thought I was in the other room supervising the munchkin. She however was supervising herself - all over the couch. Did I mind - no. As long as she was having fun, and the mess could be cleaned up.
Blue and Sparkly
This is what happens when you don't notice that your 2yr old has found a bottle of nail varnish and sneaked it to bed with her. She has a grand old time.....I have to buy new bed sheets and pajamas.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Smells Like Puke
My house smells like puke!
Last night as we were putting the munchkin to bed, she climbed on my lap, held her hands over her mouth and said, "Mommy, I pook." I thought she just needed to burp, so I told her to go ahead, and that it was okay. The next thing I knew I was covered in vomit. I cleaned both of us up, only to be puked on again, and then again. After that we got wise and took her to the bathroom to puke in the loo.
She was so tired the poor thing that she fell asleep almost immediately when we put her down, but woke up a few hours later to throw up a little more. That is pretty much how my night went. She threw up 8 times over the course of the night. Eventually at around 5am, she asked for a glass of water. I held it for her thinking I would just let her sip it slowly, but as I held it to her lips, she grabbed the glass and chugged the water like a crazed woman. The child was so dehydrated it broke my heart. Alas, that too was spewed a few minutes later (into my lap). And for the next two hours she whimpered and sobbed about wanting water, juice, powerade, whatever she could think of. Eventually at about 7am, I gave her a few sips of pedialyte. When she held that down for 30 min , I gave her a little more, 10 min later I gave her a little more until eventually she had had enough. Finally at about 9:30am we both collapsed into bed for a well deserved rest.
Why am I telling you this? Because my house still smells like puke.
Last night as we were putting the munchkin to bed, she climbed on my lap, held her hands over her mouth and said, "Mommy, I pook." I thought she just needed to burp, so I told her to go ahead, and that it was okay. The next thing I knew I was covered in vomit. I cleaned both of us up, only to be puked on again, and then again. After that we got wise and took her to the bathroom to puke in the loo.
She was so tired the poor thing that she fell asleep almost immediately when we put her down, but woke up a few hours later to throw up a little more. That is pretty much how my night went. She threw up 8 times over the course of the night. Eventually at around 5am, she asked for a glass of water. I held it for her thinking I would just let her sip it slowly, but as I held it to her lips, she grabbed the glass and chugged the water like a crazed woman. The child was so dehydrated it broke my heart. Alas, that too was spewed a few minutes later (into my lap). And for the next two hours she whimpered and sobbed about wanting water, juice, powerade, whatever she could think of. Eventually at about 7am, I gave her a few sips of pedialyte. When she held that down for 30 min , I gave her a little more, 10 min later I gave her a little more until eventually she had had enough. Finally at about 9:30am we both collapsed into bed for a well deserved rest.
Why am I telling you this? Because my house still smells like puke.
Trick or Treat
This year the munchkin was a butterfly. We've actually had her costume for a month. We went to the shops to get Mack a pair of pants and she came running up the isle with the butterfly costume in her had demanding we put it on her. Mack did, and when we tried to take it off her, she threw such a stinking tantrum that we just ended up buying it and she wore it out of the shop. She did look incredibly adorable though, so we didn't mind too much, and at least she picked a warm costume.
We first took her to the army base, where they were having a trunk or treat. When she realized that people were just kind of handing her candy for her to put in her kitty bag, she got so excited. She had this huge grin on her face and kept saying, "Mommy, I gotted de candy!" Then she started getting picky and told people she only wanted chocolate. Unfortunately it started to pour at the base, so we packed her up and drove to Mack's parents place about 20min away, hoping the weather would be a bit better so we could do some proper trick or treating with her. The weather was much better when we arrived, but we took a little too long waiting for her cousin to put his costume on, and so by the time we walked out the door, the rain had caught up with us. We persisted however, and Taz loved being out in the rain, jumping in puddles and playing in the gutters, and of course saying, "Trick or Treat" and getting candy.
We first took her to the army base, where they were having a trunk or treat. When she realized that people were just kind of handing her candy for her to put in her kitty bag, she got so excited. She had this huge grin on her face and kept saying, "Mommy, I gotted de candy!" Then she started getting picky and told people she only wanted chocolate. Unfortunately it started to pour at the base, so we packed her up and drove to Mack's parents place about 20min away, hoping the weather would be a bit better so we could do some proper trick or treating with her. The weather was much better when we arrived, but we took a little too long waiting for her cousin to put his costume on, and so by the time we walked out the door, the rain had caught up with us. We persisted however, and Taz loved being out in the rain, jumping in puddles and playing in the gutters, and of course saying, "Trick or Treat" and getting candy.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Making her Pretty-er
My friend Emily called me a few weeks ago and asked me to do some make-up for her. She was getting some preggie pictures taken before her big day. I was so excited to whip out the brushes again, and I always get excited when I know the "canvas" I'll be working on is already attractive. I used silvers, grays and pinks to match her wardrobe choices. Here are a couple of the final shots, and heres the link to her photographer Every Little Moment Photography. Thanks for letting me share these Em.
Monday, 11 October 2010
Potty Success
We are officially potty trained!! Yay! Its taken a couple of weeks, but we're finally at the point where I can say that we are done!
Taz took to the potty pretty well. I started noticing that if I left her diaper off after bath time etc, she would get anxious if she needed to pee. So, we whipped out the potty one night and she had a successful wee wee in it. The next day she had a successful #1 and #2. Excitement abounded. I decided to start leaving her diaper off during the day, and made sure that her potty was in the room with us. After a few days she would just use the potty by herself, without any reminding etc. It was great, she would use it and then let me know she was done and I needed to empty it. We would put a diaper on if we were going out somewhere, but then after a while she would cry and run away from us if we tried to put a diaper on, saying, "I wee wee in potty." So, we took a few exploratory walks outside where she didn't wear a diaper, and if she showed signs of needing to go, we just ran home quickly, but we still put a diaper on her if we were going out in the car.
Yesterday she decided she was done with the potty and it was time for her to start using the toilet. She got her steppy stool, placed it by the toilet and climbed on by herself. She did her business, wiped and then flushed. Proudest moment of my life so far. So, last night we decided to take a diaperless car drive. We took her to a really cool park about a 30 min drive from our house. I packed the potty in the car and off we went. She played at the park for about 10 min, then showed signs of needing to go. We opened the trunk and she peed in her potty, played a bit more, and then peed again (on cue) when we were ready to leave. Dry bum the whole way there and the whole way home! Woohoo!!!!
I've only had one accident with her, and that was when I tried to get her to wear a little pair of knickers. She considered it a diaper and so wet herself. So, I just leave the knickers off for now and as she shows more bladder control and she understands a bit more, will slowly introduce them to her again.
I am so glad she potty trained before winter. YAY!!! No more diapers for the Tazling!
Taz took to the potty pretty well. I started noticing that if I left her diaper off after bath time etc, she would get anxious if she needed to pee. So, we whipped out the potty one night and she had a successful wee wee in it. The next day she had a successful #1 and #2. Excitement abounded. I decided to start leaving her diaper off during the day, and made sure that her potty was in the room with us. After a few days she would just use the potty by herself, without any reminding etc. It was great, she would use it and then let me know she was done and I needed to empty it. We would put a diaper on if we were going out somewhere, but then after a while she would cry and run away from us if we tried to put a diaper on, saying, "I wee wee in potty." So, we took a few exploratory walks outside where she didn't wear a diaper, and if she showed signs of needing to go, we just ran home quickly, but we still put a diaper on her if we were going out in the car.
Yesterday she decided she was done with the potty and it was time for her to start using the toilet. She got her steppy stool, placed it by the toilet and climbed on by herself. She did her business, wiped and then flushed. Proudest moment of my life so far. So, last night we decided to take a diaperless car drive. We took her to a really cool park about a 30 min drive from our house. I packed the potty in the car and off we went. She played at the park for about 10 min, then showed signs of needing to go. We opened the trunk and she peed in her potty, played a bit more, and then peed again (on cue) when we were ready to leave. Dry bum the whole way there and the whole way home! Woohoo!!!!
I've only had one accident with her, and that was when I tried to get her to wear a little pair of knickers. She considered it a diaper and so wet herself. So, I just leave the knickers off for now and as she shows more bladder control and she understands a bit more, will slowly introduce them to her again.
I am so glad she potty trained before winter. YAY!!! No more diapers for the Tazling!
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Sugar and Spice...
Looks like we're continuing the tradition of pink in the family. I had my ultrasound last night, and its another little girl. No names picked out yet. I figured I should give Mack more than one option this time. I am leaning heavily towards Bianca (Bee-ann-ca, not Bee-un-ca) though. And no, I don't want comments on that, its my child not yours and I don't care what you think about the name. :)
At least we'll already have a pink pig hat when it comes time for her to start asserting her own fashion sense this time.
At least we'll already have a pink pig hat when it comes time for her to start asserting her own fashion sense this time.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Thursday, 16 September 2010
African American
Its official, I became an American citizen on the September 1st. Now I am no longer a legal alien, but an African American. Yay!
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. There were 205 people from 64 different countries at the naturalization ceremony. We all had to sit separated from our families to take the oath, and would you believe that the only other South African there ended up sitting right behind me. And, I knew him growing up in Cape Town, Quintin Atkinson. Small world eh? We had a good chat waiting for the ceremony to start.
I have to admit that I became quite emotional during the oath (but I blame that on pregnancy hormones), and it was really hard to give up all loyalty and patriotism to South Africa (the words caught in my throat just a little), but at least I get to keep my SA citizenship and become a citizen of my new home, so its the best of both worlds for me.
I completely forgot to take a camera, but my amazing and dear friend Jen and her family came to the ceremony and she had her camera so at least the moment was documented - Thanks hon.
Just sitting and waiting for things to begin.
All done, and waiting for my citizenship certificate.
That ones mine.
And its official.
Thats Jen, her husband Josh, and their little boy, and the other three you should recognize.
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. There were 205 people from 64 different countries at the naturalization ceremony. We all had to sit separated from our families to take the oath, and would you believe that the only other South African there ended up sitting right behind me. And, I knew him growing up in Cape Town, Quintin Atkinson. Small world eh? We had a good chat waiting for the ceremony to start.
I have to admit that I became quite emotional during the oath (but I blame that on pregnancy hormones), and it was really hard to give up all loyalty and patriotism to South Africa (the words caught in my throat just a little), but at least I get to keep my SA citizenship and become a citizen of my new home, so its the best of both worlds for me.
I completely forgot to take a camera, but my amazing and dear friend Jen and her family came to the ceremony and she had her camera so at least the moment was documented - Thanks hon.
Just sitting and waiting for things to begin.
All done, and waiting for my citizenship certificate.
That ones mine.
And its official.
Thats Jen, her husband Josh, and their little boy, and the other three you should recognize.
Tiny Tots Dance
I enrolled the Tazling in a dance class and today was her first lesson. We dressed her suitably in a leotard and tights, which she was just thrilled about. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about how she would do in the class, but she was too stinking adorable for words. Let me tell you, uncoordinated two year olds are about the funniest thing to watch in a dance class. I spent the whole 45 min laughing my head off. The parents aren't allowed in the classroom, but there is a two way mirror that we can watch through.
There are three little girls in Taz's class so far, and the teacher is absolutely amazing with them. First they got to put on their tap shoes, which delighted Taz. She loved the noise they made on the wood floor. Then they got to change their shoes to ballet shoes to do a little ballet and jazz. Taz generally followed the teachers lead, but at one point was just enjoying the music a bit too much and started doing a little freestyle by twirling and twirling and then lying on the floor on her stomach with her chin on her hands and kicking her legs. Too bad, the other two thought what Taz was doing was more fun, so started to follow her lead instead of the teachers. But, where I laughed the hardest was where Taz kept trying to see herself in the mirror, but the teacher was directly in front of her, so she kept leaning to the side to try and see herself around the teacher. It just cracked me up so much.
I would have taken a few more pictures of the munchkin, but she just wouldn't pose, so these are the best I could get. Hopefully I'll get some better ones next week.
There are three little girls in Taz's class so far, and the teacher is absolutely amazing with them. First they got to put on their tap shoes, which delighted Taz. She loved the noise they made on the wood floor. Then they got to change their shoes to ballet shoes to do a little ballet and jazz. Taz generally followed the teachers lead, but at one point was just enjoying the music a bit too much and started doing a little freestyle by twirling and twirling and then lying on the floor on her stomach with her chin on her hands and kicking her legs. Too bad, the other two thought what Taz was doing was more fun, so started to follow her lead instead of the teachers. But, where I laughed the hardest was where Taz kept trying to see herself in the mirror, but the teacher was directly in front of her, so she kept leaning to the side to try and see herself around the teacher. It just cracked me up so much.
I would have taken a few more pictures of the munchkin, but she just wouldn't pose, so these are the best I could get. Hopefully I'll get some better ones next week.
Monday, 6 September 2010
Family Photies
Mack's dear mom starts chemotherapy on wednesday for leomyosarcoma. Its a very rare sort of cancer and we were all fairly panicked when she was diagnosed, but fortunately they caught it very early and her prognosis gives us hope. She has been incredibly positive since her diagnosis and has been a source of strength to her whole family while they have been dealing with a reality that no one ever wants to face. Being a naturally whiny type of person, I tend to feel sorry for myself pretty quickly, but Linda's strength has not only surprised me, but endeared her to me in a way that I never really expected. She has also made me more pragmatic about my own health problems I'm dealing with at the moment. Although the hormones are still keeping me pretty darn crazy most of the time.
Anyway, I decided I wanted to take some family pics before the chemo and here they are:
The whole family
The Parents
The Christensens
The Ashleys - Mack's sister just younger than him.
The Gillis' - Mack's second youngest sister
Jenna - the baby sis.
The 4 Siblings
And last but not least, Mack's adorable mother.
Anyway, I decided I wanted to take some family pics before the chemo and here they are:
The whole family
The Parents
The Christensens
The Ashleys - Mack's sister just younger than him.
The Gillis' - Mack's second youngest sister
Jenna - the baby sis.
The 4 Siblings
And last but not least, Mack's adorable mother.
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