Over the last few weeks, I've developed two new tricks: sucking my fist and chatting away to those around me.

Dad thinks I'm a particularly clear communicator when I combine the two: "I'm so cute! Cuddle me now!".

Video: Talk to the hand.wmv (2.3MB) Talk to the hand (small).wmv (0.5MB)

Yesterday was a big family day!

I played with Great Aunty Di, Kirrily, Matthew, Liz, Madeleine and a-soon-to-be-relo at Camperdown park.

Left is a picture of me discussing politics with Great Aunty Di.

Right is a picture of Madeleine riding one of the ponies. Hopefully these ones do not have the flu.

Below are some more pictures of us all from the park...

Then in the afternoon Aunty Naomi came over. She made up another excuse but I know it was just to visit me.

Like anyone who had sat around in the sun all day drinking, by the evening I was knackered and had a full belly :)

If mum won't take me to Middlemount to see my cousins, the next best thing is to talk to them on the web. So on Sunday we set up webcam chatting with the Brownings.

Here is a piccie of cousins Tom and Milly. Not from talking to them on Sunday but just so you know who I am talking about. These photos are from our Chrissy in Japan.

It was pretty cool to be able to see and hear them over the webcam!
Ahhhhhh! yes - my generation....we're so tech savvy!

Over the last week I have changed in leaps and bounds. I have a whole bunch of new party tricks.

I can stand with one hand holding me.
I now only take half an hour per feed! (mum loves this one :)
I dribble on everything.
I put everything I touch in my mouth.
...oh oh oh and best of all, I can fit my whole fist in my mouth!

Mum and Dad think I am so clever!

Ever wondered where all the missing socks go?

I always thought that the clothes dryer ate them. However, it turns out that it is the cot that eats them. When mum changed the sheets in my cot yesterday, there were four socks hiding at the bottom.

I hope there isn't a sock monster. 'Cause if there is, he is living in my bed!

Dad laughed.
Mum was disappointed.
...and it all ended in tears for me as there was no photo for me and my site :(

While out walking on Saturday, we ran into the Mayor of Willoughby. He was decked to the nines in the full decorative dress of his honourable position.

Mum thought it would be gold to get a picture of me with the Mayor Reilly when he welcomed me to the prestigious Willoughby shire, and to post it on this site. Unfortunately we only had the camera on Mum's & Dad's mobile phones with us.
-> Mum said let's go - as she thought that the phone's camera was fine and wanted to preserve the notable occasion.
-> Dad said no - he determined that the quality of the photo taken by the phone was not up to the standard expected for this website.

Moral of the story: We (dad & I) wouldn't just give you any old thing on this site!

What's the go with hair?

First I had some. It was beautiful, long and dark. At least 1 maybe 2 inches!
Then it all started to fall out :(
Then I started to get blonde hair growing through.
.....and more of it....and then still more grew.
Which sounds nice, but to be honest I'm starting to look a bit like a fuzz ball.

Then to top it off, I saw the back of my head in the mirror the other day and there is a huge massive bald spot at the back. It has to be at least the size of a golf ball.
(check it out in the picture left)

What is going on?

I've got this new game with mum and dad. It's like cat and mouse. I've been smiling for weeks and mum and dad are yet to catch a good photo of it - despite their best efforts. All thanks to me!

This is so much fun! What I do, is I give mum & dad lots of smiles. I giggle. I smile some more. Then the olds get excited and grab the camera. So - and this is the tricky bit - I smile and then as soon as I see them press the magic silver button on the camera - I STOP smiling. The key to my success is that there is a short delay with digital cameras between when you push the button and when the photo is actually taken.

So now mum and dad have had oodles of smiles and yet no perfect smiley shots :) Here are some of their attempts which have turned out fuzzy or with half smiles etc...

I love routine. So much so that I have often wondered if I have genes from a third parent - like a clock, drill sergent or an Excel spreadsheet!

To make things easier for mum & dad, a description of my preferred routine should have been delivered with me at birth.....but where is the fun in that?

Basically I wake up around 7am. Then for the rest of the day, I continuously follow the following routine:

• Feed for an hour
• Play for an hour
• Sleep for an hour

FEED: I like to take my time while feeding. Usually I feed for an hour or until mum stops me (this includes a midway nappy change). One night she left me to see how long I would go for - and I fed for two and a half hours until mum ran out of milk. Then the olds had to use a dummy to sooth me - as I could have kept snacking. Really I could - after all I do have dad's genes!

PLAY: Then we play for an hour. This involves a combination of you entertaining me, tummy time, sitting on my bouncer etc. Sometimes I feel like the aim of this is to wear me out so that you can have a break while I sleep....but I am sure that is not true?

SLEEP: When I start to show signs of being tired (yawning, jerky movements, staring at fixed points etc), you wrap me, give me a quiet snuggle to help me wind down and then put me down in my cot for a sleep. This hour however is not all sleep! It includes wrapping time, settling time and "I don't want to sleep yet" time.

Then the Feed, Play, Sleep routine starts all over again.

Until you reach my last feed of the day. At which time - I feed, then you cuddle me for 15 minutes and then I go off to that happy warm cozy dream land (all going well!).

I'm pretty easy to predict usually, if you follow the above "Feed, Play, Sleep" routine. It is when I get out of this routine...that I become a little more precious (mum describes it as being a terror though I think that is a little harsh) .
BUT you guys know me best of all, I'm the perfect angel...you wouldn't believe those "terror stories" that mum and dad like to tell, would you?

The following plug-ins have installed themselves on Elimena:

• Mattress-Detector v0.2 - as soon as a "sleeping-Elimena" is transferred from your arms into her cot, she wakes up.


• Car-Motion-Detector v1.3 - Eli is quite happy in her carseat, as long as the car is moving. As soon as the car stops - whether in traffic, at stop signs, at traffic lights etc - loud complaints can be heard from the car seat in the back.


• Sock-Repeller v0.8 - somehow Elimena always manages to get her socks off. No barrier or obstacle stands in her way. This includes shoes, when she is sleeping or when she is wrapped tightly - she still manages to remove them.

Anyone with any idea how to remove these unwanted trojans, please contact her parents.

Such a big morning...some professional ad-men came around to shoot pictures for a ***currently top secret *** ad in our backyard.

I was sure that once I charmed the advertising people, they would want me in the picture for sure.....and what did I do? I slept through my chance! Not only did I miss all of the action...but because I was asleep - I didn't get a chance to convince them to use me for the ad :(

I was so silly. I thought I would just have a quick power nap so as to be fresh and ready for the shoot. Unfortunately I slept through what I am sure would have been my big break.

Aunty Naomi and (soon to be) Uncle Josh - got engaged!

I caught up with Aunty Nai yesterday. Here is a photo of me telling her how extremely excited I am.

On Saturday in honour of Dad's birthday - it was deutsch festivities for all.....

Mum and Dad headed off for a walk in the sun and a Bavarian feast.
While I spent the afternoon listening to the Austrian Symphony Orchestra with Nanny Paul.

Spaß wurde durch alle gehabt!

Mum & I went to the Hoyts Mums and Bubs session today and she is so proud of me.

I slept for the first hour.
Then I ate for a while.
Then I watched the big screen until the end of the movie quite happily.....or so mum thought I was watching the movie but really I was checking out the other kids :)

I wonder if dad has seen the big screen? I am sure he would like a big one like that at home. It's his birthday on Saturday, I'll have to talk to mum.....