We have all grown...

When Agnes was growing up, she (and her siblings) always had their cousins around especially at birthday parties. Of course, they have all grown up and are living their own lives in different parts of the world. As such, they seldom all get to meet up together. But when they do, it's all so nostalgic.. And as you can't help but notice, the numbers have now increased and will only keep increasing. ;)

Here's to sweet memories...

Jacynth's Evening Walks...

As we enter the autumn season, the days are getting shorter, and the weather is starting to cool down ever so slightly - we really can't wait for the cooler period, as its been one of the hottest summers in Perth. Anyway, we can now bring Jacynth out for evening walks at part of her daily routine.

Jacynth looking stoned as usual during the walks... she just absorbs everything, quietly looking around and studying her surroundings, never making a sound. We think she really enjoys her walks, as she almost never gets cranky during walks.

And this has been our routine everyday for the last couple of weeks. Most of the time only one of us will take Jacynth out while the other prepares dinner. On this rare occasion, we both got to go for the walk together... :)

Jacynth at Astrofest 2011

Astrofest is here again... and Kevin, having volunteered to help out, went early to Curtin University to help set up the booths and other stuff...

the makeshift planetarium...

 Then it was just a matter of waiting for the guests to arrive.... and arrive they did - in droves!

We expected about a thousand or so people based on the numbers that pre-registered for the event, but as it turned out, more than three thousand came!

Then it was time for Agnes and Jacynth to arrive, after Jacynth's regular beauty sleep in the afternoons. Here they are queuing up for the planetarium show...

When it was almost their turn, Agnes transferred Jacynth into the sling so that it would be easier to carry the very wriggly little one. Once in the planetarium, Agnes chose to sit just next to the exit just in case she had to make a dash if Jacynth started to be cranky. Not long after she made herself comfortable in the small space that could accommodate only about 30 people (on the floor), she realized something was amiss. There was no sound (or wriggles) coming from Jacynth. That's when Agnes discovered (to her surprise!) that she was asleep! Well, credit to the thumb... and this kind of good fortune seldom comes to us... ;D

She woke up soon after they came out of the planetarium though. After that, Jacynth was drunk from feeding and fell asleep again! Or maybe astronomy's too boring for her.... :P

It was good that she was sleeping though, which meant Agnes and her could hang around while Kevin helped to pack things up...

All Smiles :)

And so, when Jacynth does have enough sleep, she is a very happy baby and that makes us very happy parents. She's usually all smiles when she wakes up...

And all smiles the rest of the time too...

...even after getting 2 vaccination jabs!

...and in a laundry basket!

With those tiny eyes of hers whenever she smiles or laughs, she undoubtedly looks like the baby in this 30 year old photo! :)

Now if she'll just stop waking up numerous times in the middle of the night... that would be perfect!

Aftermath of the Malaysia trip...

Clearly, the extensive travelling did not do Jacynth any good at all. Coming back to the hottest summer in Perth's record only made matters worse. She came back from Malaysia already with heat rashes on her face, but more appeared in the full heat of summer. Also, she has been really resistant to sleep so whenever she didn't get enough sleep, she would be cranky and unsettled...

kicking herself down the rocker...

The dummy (or better known as pacifier) was pretty helpful to settle her but she soon learned to play with it and would start crying once it's out of her mouth. So, we decided to ditch it altogether.

Meanwhile, her thumb has found its way into her mouth so that was good. 

 

It has been a month since we arrived back here and while we have established a pretty good routine for her and for ourselves, we are still working on her sleep issues. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye, since her feeds have also been somewhat affected. On top of that, she started rolling two weeks ago so it has become harder to settle her in the cot since she just wants to roll and roll and roll, while still not being able to fully control her body...

so, sometimes she gets stuck! ;p

On rare occasions, we would be able to settle her to sleep in her stroller when we are out and about. Here we were in the creche room in church. When she does get enough sleep, the reward is truly amazing! And that is up next! ;D