So, Paloma is here and she is keeping us busy! (That's my excuse for not updating the blog sooner - but now I have worked out that if I sit on the exercise ball with her in the baby carrier, I can bounce up and down to keep her happy and type in between bounces.) Of course, she is growing and changing every day. I'll have photos soon, but today is a quick post so you will just have to be patient...
Paloma loves to sing and dance. Howard loves to sing too, and does a great rendition of Pony Man (Gordon Lightfoot) every night at bedtime. It's very relaxing for me to listen to him singing, and sometimes it works for Paloma too.
I, on the other hand, have to resort to the radio or our CD collection to keep her happy. Every morning, we listen to classical music on KUNM. Sometimes, we listen to the lullaby CD that we have and I attempt to sing along (although I'm not sure that being out of tune is particularly soothing to Paloma!). I also recently introduced Howard to this song about A little ray of sunshine - maybe one day he will learn to sing this one too. {Incidentally, can you believe that is Glenn Shorrock in the video with all that hair?}
Sometimes, Paloma doesn't like such quiet music. Sometimes, she really likes to rock out. That's when we turn to Axl Rose and Sweet child o' mine. I am totally fascinated by Axl's midriff t-shirt in the video and Paloma really enjoys singing along:
... or else she just needs to have her diaper changed...
Monday, December 7, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
the first Halloween...
This year, it was my fourth Halloween in Albuquerque and the first for Paloma and my Mum and Dad. Australians don't really celebrate Halloween, although trick-or-treating is apparently gaining popularity amongst Australian kids.
Mum and Dad seemed to enjoy Halloween. We gave out candy to the kids who came and knocked on the door. Once again, we didn't have as many trick-or-treaters as we had catered for, so we had to encourage the kids to take big handfuls of candy so that we wouldn't be left with too much the next day. Even so, we did have quite a big bowlful left over - but the sugar hit was most appreciated by those of us who were a little sleep-deprived and old enough to eat treats.
Mum carved a pretty darn good looking jack o' lantern. Those big eyes make it look scary, hey?
Even though Paloma was only a few days old, we dressed her up and tried to get into the spirit of things (ha ha ha). We didn't really have a costume, but we did have a bright orange jumpsuit and a pumpkin-ish hat, so that seemed good enough for this year. No trick-or-treating for Paloma, but someone did give her a lolly that she seemed to want to hang onto. I think Grandma grabbed it off her later (she was rather fond of those taffy lollies).
Here's Grandma, after she has stolen the taffy from her grand-daughter (she does look rather pleased with herself):
Paloma didn't seem to mind the Great Taffy Theft - she was just as happy to snooze and suck on her fingers.
On All Hallows Day, two silly jack o' lanterns were found in our front yard. Time to go smash some pumpkins? (Actually, we're going to feed them to the chickens.)
Mum and Dad seemed to enjoy Halloween. We gave out candy to the kids who came and knocked on the door. Once again, we didn't have as many trick-or-treaters as we had catered for, so we had to encourage the kids to take big handfuls of candy so that we wouldn't be left with too much the next day. Even so, we did have quite a big bowlful left over - but the sugar hit was most appreciated by those of us who were a little sleep-deprived and old enough to eat treats.
Mum carved a pretty darn good looking jack o' lantern. Those big eyes make it look scary, hey?
Even though Paloma was only a few days old, we dressed her up and tried to get into the spirit of things (ha ha ha). We didn't really have a costume, but we did have a bright orange jumpsuit and a pumpkin-ish hat, so that seemed good enough for this year. No trick-or-treating for Paloma, but someone did give her a lolly that she seemed to want to hang onto. I think Grandma grabbed it off her later (she was rather fond of those taffy lollies).
Here's Grandma, after she has stolen the taffy from her grand-daughter (she does look rather pleased with herself):
Paloma didn't seem to mind the Great Taffy Theft - she was just as happy to snooze and suck on her fingers.
On All Hallows Day, two silly jack o' lanterns were found in our front yard. Time to go smash some pumpkins? (Actually, we're going to feed them to the chickens.)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Paloma Lois Brandenburg
Bugalugs is here! After months of speculating and wondering whether it will be a boy or a girl, we now know.
Paloma Lois Brandenburg arrived on Sunday 25th of October at 10.35am. She weighed a healthy 7lbs 13oz and measured 21.25 inches. Apparently there was plenty of baby crammed into my little bump! I can now play with the feet that used to be jammed into the bottom of my rib cage.
We think that she's pretty darn cute. Howard keeps looking at her and then looking at me and saying, "She's so cuuuute!", even when she is crying. Semilla is adapting to being a big sister and is getting used to not being the center of attention all of the time.
Howard is really enjoying being a dad - he has been in charge of most of the diaper changes, particularly the late-night ones. Here he is, warming up Paloma in front of the fire after a bath.
And we have had lots of visitors! Aussie Grandma and Grandpa flew in the afternoon before Paloma arrived, so they had a chance to see me pregnant (for one night) and they were at the hospital as quick as they could hail a taxi the next day.
George came to visit too...
... and Auntie Cathy learnt all about the Australian definition of 'nursing' (holding the baby, rather than feeding).
Grandma Claire came from the Northern lands to visit the little baby Paloma.....
and a little plum tree was placed in the ground with the help of the Burdetts. In the foreground is the container that had the placenta which was placed under the plum tree to provide lots of nutrients to the new tree. WELCOME TO THE WORLD LITTLE BABY PALOMA!!
Paloma Lois Brandenburg arrived on Sunday 25th of October at 10.35am. She weighed a healthy 7lbs 13oz and measured 21.25 inches. Apparently there was plenty of baby crammed into my little bump! I can now play with the feet that used to be jammed into the bottom of my rib cage.
We think that she's pretty darn cute. Howard keeps looking at her and then looking at me and saying, "She's so cuuuute!", even when she is crying. Semilla is adapting to being a big sister and is getting used to not being the center of attention all of the time.
Howard is really enjoying being a dad - he has been in charge of most of the diaper changes, particularly the late-night ones. Here he is, warming up Paloma in front of the fire after a bath.
And we have had lots of visitors! Aussie Grandma and Grandpa flew in the afternoon before Paloma arrived, so they had a chance to see me pregnant (for one night) and they were at the hospital as quick as they could hail a taxi the next day.
George came to visit too...
... and Auntie Cathy learnt all about the Australian definition of 'nursing' (holding the baby, rather than feeding).
Grandma Claire came from the Northern lands to visit the little baby Paloma.....
and a little plum tree was placed in the ground with the help of the Burdetts. In the foreground is the container that had the placenta which was placed under the plum tree to provide lots of nutrients to the new tree. WELCOME TO THE WORLD LITTLE BABY PALOMA!!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
waiting, just waiting....
Well, the due date has passed. The cream has expired. We are still waiting. Bugalugs could arrive at any minute, but I don't think s/he is in any hurry. I'm just sitting at home, waiting. We are coming to accept that Bugalugs is probably going to be a Scorpio rather than a Libra. Oh well.
In the meantime, Bugalugs is still cooking. We never get tired of looking at the belly and seeing how much it has grown, or watch it move around. But we are looking forward to seeing that baby on the outside!!
We have been cooking too. We made the most of this extra time last weekend and whipped up some tomato salsa, ketchup (aka, dead horse) and prickly pear jelly. Oh, and froze a whole pile of carrots (yes, those carrots are supposed to be purple). Now we have a nice little stockpile for the winter and only a few things left in the garden. We still have hundreds of tomatoes (!) and are running out of ideas of what to do with them all...
We have been preparing in other ways too. When the Shriver family came to visit last weekend, Howard got a chance to practise his book-reading skills with Enzo, and his baby-toting skills with Max. I think that Howard gets just as much of a kick out of it as the boys do...
In the meantime, I washed all of the cloth diapers that we received as gifts from our baby shower. Thanks everybody! I know that I probably won't always feel this way, but don't they look beautiful, hanging on the line in the sun?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
let us eat cake
Hello again! We have been busy busy busy celebrating lots of momentous occasions lately (no, Bugalugs hasn't arrived yet). And so we have eaten lots of cake. Lots of delicious cake.
First in our list of adventures, we headed north to Fort Collins/La Porte to celebrate the wedding of Howard's cousin, Brittany, to Tim Hansen. Howard and I made the most of the weekend and took a couple of extra days off work to drive up there, enjoy the countryside, and spend some time together before Bugalugs arrives. And it was wonderful to hang out with some of Howard's family that we don't get to see often enough!
It was a lovely wedding, with very proud parents and a beaming bride. Here she is, walking down the aisle with her dad (Bill).
And here are the newlyweds! Dancing to their first dance...
Our next adventure was the wedding of our friends, Colleen and Yusuf, here in Albuquerque. Colleen caught my bouquet at our wedding and Yusuf caught the garter - very fortuitous, don't you think? They were engaged soon after, and set the date of the wedding for one year after our wedding.
Here is the happy couple, sharing their vows and looking very dedicated to one another. Hooray!
Straight after Colleen and Yusuf's wedding, it was time to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. I can't believe one year has gone by already - and yet, so much has already happened in the first year of our married life!
Howard and I set off for a special dinner together at one of our favourite fancy restaurants in Albuquerque. Here we are, about to head out the door, with Bugalugs up front:
When we came home, we celebrated some more with the top tier of our wedding cake! (Don't worry, it has been in the freezer for the past year.) It was kind of amazing to see it again - all those flowers! Yummy frosting/icing! Perfect orange poppyseed cake... Thanks again to the incredible Leslie.
Speaking of the incredible Leslie, here she is, preparing another special cake for us. This one is for Bugalugs, though. Leslie and Shantih were kind enough to host a baby shower for us - lots of our good friends turned up to celebrate the imminent arrival of the kiddo. We are eternally grateful to everyone for providing us with such a warm community.
And eternally grateful to Leslie for providing us with this fantabulous cake! Check it out:
Oh, and then there was more cake at work on Monday - thanks to Becky et al. for organising another baby shower for us! (Sorry, no good photos of that one.)
First in our list of adventures, we headed north to Fort Collins/La Porte to celebrate the wedding of Howard's cousin, Brittany, to Tim Hansen. Howard and I made the most of the weekend and took a couple of extra days off work to drive up there, enjoy the countryside, and spend some time together before Bugalugs arrives. And it was wonderful to hang out with some of Howard's family that we don't get to see often enough!
It was a lovely wedding, with very proud parents and a beaming bride. Here she is, walking down the aisle with her dad (Bill).
And here are the newlyweds! Dancing to their first dance...
Our next adventure was the wedding of our friends, Colleen and Yusuf, here in Albuquerque. Colleen caught my bouquet at our wedding and Yusuf caught the garter - very fortuitous, don't you think? They were engaged soon after, and set the date of the wedding for one year after our wedding.Here is the happy couple, sharing their vows and looking very dedicated to one another. Hooray!
Straight after Colleen and Yusuf's wedding, it was time to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. I can't believe one year has gone by already - and yet, so much has already happened in the first year of our married life!
Howard and I set off for a special dinner together at one of our favourite fancy restaurants in Albuquerque. Here we are, about to head out the door, with Bugalugs up front:
When we came home, we celebrated some more with the top tier of our wedding cake! (Don't worry, it has been in the freezer for the past year.) It was kind of amazing to see it again - all those flowers! Yummy frosting/icing! Perfect orange poppyseed cake... Thanks again to the incredible Leslie.
Speaking of the incredible Leslie, here she is, preparing another special cake for us. This one is for Bugalugs, though. Leslie and Shantih were kind enough to host a baby shower for us - lots of our good friends turned up to celebrate the imminent arrival of the kiddo. We are eternally grateful to everyone for providing us with such a warm community.
And eternally grateful to Leslie for providing us with this fantabulous cake! Check it out:
Oh, and then there was more cake at work on Monday - thanks to Becky et al. for organising another baby shower for us! (Sorry, no good photos of that one.)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
bump updates
It has been quite a while since we put any Bugalugs bump photos on here. Howard was away a lot in August and September, so I had no-one to photograph me... This is about all we have, but at least you get to see the bump growing.
At the end of August:
A visit to Taos to see the rest of the Brandenburg family (Howard, me, Grandmommy/Frances Joy, Jim, Cathy and Claire):
Our first wedding anniversary! On the way out the door for a celebratory dinner:
The view from the top last week (note that you can no longer see my feet):
Finally, just because we like Semilla so much, here is another little video. This was taken the evening after she had a sleep-over with Halleck (her Best Friend Forever) and had been bouldering in the foothills with Howard and Aaron:
At the end of August:
A visit to Taos to see the rest of the Brandenburg family (Howard, me, Grandmommy/Frances Joy, Jim, Cathy and Claire):
Our first wedding anniversary! On the way out the door for a celebratory dinner:
The view from the top last week (note that you can no longer see my feet):
Finally, just because we like Semilla so much, here is another little video. This was taken the evening after she had a sleep-over with Halleck (her Best Friend Forever) and had been bouldering in the foothills with Howard and Aaron:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)