I typically avoid photographing anything touristy, but we walked home over the Brooklyn Bridge and I couldn’t resist this shot.
NYC Tourists
Travel
Raising a Little Aussie
Something I think about frequently is identity, specifically through nationality. The full identity issue is a much larger discussion and blog post than I’m tackling here. My national identity is pretty simple – I’m a Australian – at least fourth generation if not further. No matter how long we live abroad, I will always think of myself as an Australian. My parents are 100% Australian, as was my childhood home and education.
So where does that leave Eloise? Is she American or Australian? Will she feel American because she lives here? If we move back to Australian in a few years, then what will that make her? Technically she’s an Australian born in the US, with dual citizenship. I often wonder what she will feel like as she grows up. As she starts school she will pick up an American accent (nooooo!!!) and identify with her friends more than with us. Whereas Alec and I yearn for things like Cadbury chocolate and Gippsland yoghurt, will she prefer (god forbid) Hersheys and Chobani?.
How do we help Eloise embrace her Australian heritage and nationality so it forms part of her identity? Read her Playing Beatie Bow, serve her Vegemite, make her watch The Man From Snowy River? Will she even care?
The point is we do care, even if she won’t for what will probably be a long time. I hope that by constantly going back home to visit and by surrounding her with global experiences that she will embrace an identity of being more than just an American.
Christmas in Hawaii
We decided to fly to Hawaii for Christmas and meet my family there instead of flying back to Australia. I booked us a three-bedroom suite at a resort in Ko Olina, right on the waterfront.
The flight was brutal – 10 hours straight. Eloise napped just once and then was awake for 12 hours straight.
The resort and beach were so beautiful. Ko Olina was a little piece of paradise. We spent most days walking around the beaches, swimming in the ocean and pools.
We also did the toddler dolphin experience at Dolphin Quest. It was wonderful to meet dolphins with Eloise. It totally blew her mind. She was fascinated by them, and has been saying “dolph!” and pointing to pictures of them since.
One thing I really wanted to do was the Disney character breakfast at Aulani. It was so much fun! A decent buffet breakfast with a great omelet station, Minnie Mouse and Goofy wandering around to the tables for meet and greets and photo ops. Every so often, “Auntie” would strike up music and sing cute Hawaiian-y songs, handing out instruments and leading the kids in a parade around the restaurant. Eloise was in absolute heaven.
Alec and I had a few hours to ourselves one day so went for a drive to Mokule’ia Beach, where Lost was filmed. It was stunning – a pure white sand beach with almost no one in site for miles.
We also went on an easy hike one day with Tim and Michele up to Diamond Head. It had an amazing view of Honolulu.
I also got up super early one morning to see Pearl Harbour with Michele. It was a sobering experience to be there and see the sunken Arizona ship.
Even though I get really sea sick pretty much just by looking at boats, I thought it would be a fun idea to get on a boat and go snorkelling and whale watching. True to form, I felt ill the entire time, but we did see about 10 Humpback whales.
We went for a stroll through Waimea Valley. It was really beautiful – a little too manicured, but some amazing plants.
We also went on the Ranch and Movie tour at Kualoa Ranch, where a lot of movies and TV shows have been filmed. I loved the tour – especially seeing where Jurassic Park was filmed for the famous scene with the log below.
It was really strange being somewhere other than in Warwick Farm for Christmas morning. It was really lovely, but also really strange! My first Christmas not in Warwick Farm in my life so far. We had breakfast at the neighbouring Marriott resort, followed by present opening and relaxing.
What a wonderful trip! It was so great to see my family all together. Hawaii is paradise – can’t wait to go back again.
Oh Canada!
We had a quick trip to Canada so we could renew visas after Alec quit his job. It was so cold that it was hard to enjoy the trip. Also, we went to Ottawa – the Canberra of Canada. We did do one cool thing – visited the Museum of Civilisation and the Children’s Museum inside it. It was absolutely amazing – Eloise was loving it.
This was our first trip since our big Australian one the previous December, and Eloise was really great. Slept in the treavel crib pretty well – but still woke a lot more than we would have liked. It was still great though and boosted our confidence to travel again.
Eloise’s 1st Birthday Party
For our little girl’s first birthday, we threw a party at Jane’s Carousel, Dumbo. We were blessed with a gorgeous day, with everything coming together beautifully for our little baby’s big day.
Welcome to the party! All stationary via Bekkah Little, Etsy.
Sugar cookies in the shape of ballet slippers from SugarFairies, Etsy. Photos of Eloise taken each month and assembled in a row.
Strawberry lemonade cupcakes from Betty Bakery, Brooklyn. Ballerina toppers from Annie’s General Store. Tutu cake toppers from JeanKnee, Etsy.
Vanilla cake with dulce de leche filling and pink vanilla buttercream, from One Girl Cookies, Brooklyn. Ballet slippers and sign from Crumby Art, Etsy.
Tutu!
Eloise’s headband by Devon Evenson, Etsy.
With birthday buddy, Clementine.
Lunch was bagels from Mocha Bagels, Brooklyn.
Carousel ride!
Cutting the cake.
Cupcake face plant.
With Daddy.
Happy birthday to our dearest love. We love you more and more every day, little Cheese.
Photography by Raquel Frechette.
Eloise’s 1st Birthday
A huge occasion – our little Cheese’s first birthday! I’m finding it hard to come to terms with my little baby turning into a toddler.
To celebrate the day, we had lunch at Artisanal, followed by present opening and a cake smash.
Spring in Central Park
Spring in New York is my favourite season. The cherry blossoms bloom in the parks and sidewalks, and the gardens are full of daffodils, tulips and crocuses.
We took a trip uptown to see an exhibition at the Jewish Museum. It was Eloise’s first gallery experience, as well as her first cherry blossom in nearby Central Park.
Riding the subway like a big girl.
Gorgeous.
Asleep with Dad.
Hey hey, looks who’s back!
Eloise – Month 5 – 6
Week 23 – Jan 21 – 27
Eloise’s first winter snow! We had a great snow fall and went for a walk in our winter wonderland.
First winter snow. 22 wks old.
After several more days of having a lot of trouble with Eloise and sleeping, I decided to try and increase her awake time, since it was taking over 30 minutes, up to an hour, to rock her, screaming, to sleep. Amazingly this seemed to work! Keeping her up around 2 hours at a time then putting her down not only resulted in her going down easier, but also her staying asleep for longer. And, wonder of all wonders, she also started to sleep better … An almost 5 hour stretch followed by two more good nights. No more waking up with gas. We also tried her in the Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit that my mother’s group rave about. Again, amazingly, she had a great night, only waking up twice to feed on the last night of this week – almost 6 hours after being fed for the first feed, then a four hour stretch, then awake at 6 with a poop. Damn the 6am poos.
We tried her second solid this week – mango puree. She liked it a lot better than the cereal.
Eloise keeps getting easier and easier, and so much more fun. She can entertain herself now for periods of play on her back or in the exersaucer. She is starting to like more interactive toys so we are starting to look at the 6mth and up toys to get her soon.
She also loves her feet and spends a lot of time holding them and shoving them into her mouth. Now she has discovered her fingers, she loves to stick either her thumb or first finger in her mouth and suck on them.
Eloise’s personality is really starting to show now. She is happy and smiling the majority of the time, only crying when there is something wrong – like if she’s hungry or has a shock or something hurts. If she’s bored or doesn’t like something, she squeals and tries to talk to us.
She really loves best when we play with her. I do a few exercises most days using Eloise as a weight and she just loves them. She smiles and laughs her head off.
Week 24 – Jan 28 – Feb 3
Had a nice weekend out, to the Brooklyn Flea market and Le Petit Cafe on Saturday and skating in Central Park on Sunday.
Family day out in Central Park. 23 wks old.
Solids: avocado, carrot, butternut squash. Eloise didn’t like the avocado, loved the carrot, and tolerated the butternut squash.
Her sleep is FINALLY improving, with some almost 5 hour stretches and less waking up with gas. She even napped in her crib.
Eloise is outgrowing her toys. She is now interested in investigating things. She loves the exersaucer, blocks, toys that spin, rattles.
After doing really well for about 5 nights in a row, Eloise seemed to regress a bit. I think she had a bit of a stomach bug, as she was obviously feeling off, and started waking up multiple times a night again …
Week 25 – Feb 4 – 10
Solids: Peas! Loved them. Increased her solids intake to twice a day. and stretched out the breast feeding to every 4 hours.
Solids. Butternut squash. 24 wks old.
We had a great lunch at the Plaza food court. Eloise’s second visit to the Plaza since she was born.
Eloise is sitting really well on her own now. She is also putting more weight on her legs when held up.
Eloise gets bored of things fast, so we are rotating through her toys and activities frequently to keep her entertained. The exersaucer definitely entertains her the longest.
Week 26 – Feb 11 – 17
We started crib training this week. We rigged a vibrating unit to he crib that vibrates for 20 mins then switches off. The first day, we had good success for her naps, but then at night time she woke, screamed inconsolably for 2 hours, and we put her back in the bouncer. Day two was much more positive. She slept the night really well, only waking from 12:30 – 1:15 am with gas and to feed, then sleeping till 6:30. Amazing.
We are trying a bit of controlled crying as she screams when being put in her crib (she also screamed when being put in the bouncer, so this is nothing new). First attempt – 10 mins of crying and she fell asleep. Victory! After a few days, it’s working well. We gave Eloise a little lovie toy and she uses it to comfort herself and send herself to sleep. It seems like she wants to put herself to sleep now, as she pushes our hands away if we try to rock her like we used to.
Solids this week: Peaches! Really enjoyed them.
Eloise is so close to rolling over from back to front. Any day now. She is also pushing things away that she doesn’t like and interacting with other babies more and more. She’s also sitting really well and taking more weight on her legs. She loves kicking her legs, and tries to sit up in the BabyBjorn bouncer.
First Valentine’s Day. 25 wks.
First Valentine’s Day this week. Alec worked from home and we went out for lunch to Le Petite Cafe.
Week 27 – Feb 18 – 19
Solids: Fresh banana – not really a fan. Yoghurt: LOVED it.
Loving yoghurt. 26 wks.
First trip to Alice’s Tea Cup for high tea on the UWS. Can’t wait to take her back when she’s a little older.
The past few days Eloise has started making a new whiney noise when she’s bored or tired. She also makes high pitched squeals around the same times.
Feeding wise – I now only feed Eloise four times a day (roughly 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm), and twice at night (10pm dream feed and during her night waking which can be anywhere from 12:30, 2:30 or 4:40am) . I’m trying to cut out the night feeds but so far it’s been proving challenging. We feed her solids in between the mid morning and mid afternoon breastfeeding.
Snow Day!
My first true winter snow in New York. It was really beautiful and not too cold at all. Uh-mazing!
View from our apartment
Eloise – Month 4 – 5
Week 18 – Dec 20 – Dec 23
We had a baby nurse visit us to give us help with Eloise’s terrible sleep habits. Amazingly, we were able to get her to sleep in the crib for two naps during the day – something she had been unable to do up until now. So fantastic. I was also told that I was feeding her too frequently, so have to cut back to during the day, no oftener than every 3 hours, and at night, no oftener than every 4 hours. This means some pain for us as we will have to settle her back to sleep at night when she wakes instead of the easy path of me feeding her back to sleep …
The rest of the week we tried to keep up with the advice, but it was hard when we were going out so much and couldn’t keep on a schedule.
Development-wise, this week Eloise spent a lot of time on her back on the floor happily watching us or amusing herself. Her grip improved dramatically. She now reaches for objects and examines them, usually shoving them in her mouth.
Christmas in Sydney Hyde Park.
Hyde Park 17 wks.
Week 19 – Dec 24 – Dec 31
Eloise’s first Christmas! She was spoiled by her family. It was so lovely to celebrate with her – looking forward to the next Christmases as she gets older and can open presents and understand what it all means.
Santa! 18 wks.
Christmas Day.
Developmental changes this week: Trying to roll from front to back. She lifts her legs and can roll to her side, but can’t quite get over. First finger and thumb constantly in the mouth.
Eloise has also started to develop a pincer grip with these fingers, using them to grab her ear, her nappy, and more. She reaches for us all the time now, particularly our faces. She has also started blowing raspberries! She blows them non stop 🙂
First swim in a pool this week. Eloise really loved the water and was in for over an hour. We also took her to Balmoral Beach and put her feet in the sand and in the water. She didn’t know what to think of it all!
First swim! 18 wks.
At Balmoral Beach.
Week 20 – Jan 1 – Jan 7 2012
Our last week in Sydney. After doing way too much and going out too much, Eloise was finding it hard to sleep, frequently waking up after we put her down to sleep.
The big event for this week was Eloise’s naming day. She was a bit overwhelmed by all the people, but was really good natured and managed to put her toes in her mouth for the first time. It was such a fantastic day, with our friends and relatives coming down from Newcastle, over from Perth and all over Sydney.
Cutting the Eloise cake at Eloise’s naming day.
Developmentally, Eloise is changing so much. She rolled over for the first time from front to back (3/1/12). She is really interested in everything we are doing, especially when we are eating or drinking. She also loves touching our faces and following out voices. She is chatting a lot now – even during the night when I feed her, she happily chats away.
Eloise is suddenly so interested in everything. She reaches for our faces frequently, as well as anything we are eating or drinking.
Last big event for the week was the trip back to New York. A huge 24 hours – 12.5 hour flight from Sydney to LA, a four hour layover, then a 4.5 hour flight from LA to New York. Eloise was pretty fussy and didn’t sleep much on the first flight, but was in a fabulous mood and slept for most of the second flight.
On the Virgin flight from LA to NY.
Week 21 – Jan 8 – 13
JETLAG. This week is all about jetlag. Eloise was hit really badly by it on the return leg and hardly slept for nights.
Eloise is really enjoying putting her feet in her mouth. She is also loving our water bottles and reaches for them frequently. She is constantly reaching for things now, so curious about everything in the world. Her co-ordination is improving as well. She really loves Sophie the giraffe now. The toy is the perfect size for her to grab and put in her mouth.
Eloise and Sophie.
Eloise is trying to roll from back to front. She’s slowly getting there … a great improvement is that we can now put her down on the floor and she happily plays there for a while on her own.
Trying to roll.
Week 22 – Jan 14 – 20
First solid! Organic whole grain rice cereal, mixed with formula. I think she enjoyed it – at least, she was very curious about it, and didn’t spit it back out. (16/1/12).
Towards the end of the week, the jetlag seemed to finally wear off, and her sleeping returned to normal – waking at around 9:39, then 12:30-1am, 4:40, then 6am. Blergh. So tired.
A great first this week was Eloise falling asleep in her stroller, not once, but twice! Uh-mazing.
She is really loving exploring our faces and mouths, particularly our teeth. She is so fascinated with everything we are wearing and doing.
Loving my teeth.
This week was our first outing in the cold.
First outing with Daddy. Minus 2 degrees C.