bluebonnets

"no"

It's confirmed, Bella's first word really was NO. A couple of months ago when I left her with an 'Angel Sitter' who was about 70 years old. Apparently she told Bella "no" a lot when she got near the stairs, near the drawers or near just about anything. When I returned home after a few hours, Bella greeted me with a very audible, intelligible "no" when I picked her up and looked at the babysitter to see how things were when I was gone. I thought it was a fluke, but since then she's said it more clearly and means it. She'll even shake her head which makes her whole body wiggle. It's a really cute, but firm no. Since then she's says "ut-oh" when something falls. She'll also say "ee" when Penny is around, but it's not as consistent and "ee" is in a lot of other words too.

Just wait, soon I'll be posting about her first steps!

P.S. Angel Sitters are certified, licensed baby sitters assigned to you through a broker. You call Papi and she asks how old your child is and what area of Houston you live in. She matches you and voila! a babysitter is sent. It's $10 an hour for a minimum of 4 hours + $10 transportation fee. I thought it was reasonable for last minute child care. Bella was 'sick' according to daycare (very slight fever) and Matt was out of town while I had to go to a meeting.

last days of vacation

Our last meal in Perth was fish and chips which was very fitting since our first dinner in Perth was fish and chips too! I love it when things come full circle!


Bella really did begin to like the sand as our trip progressed. She even ate a large cupful of sand without crying. She just winced and spit out what she could. We washed the rest away...but still heard gritty chomps later in the day. We spent an afternoon at Cottesloe Beach. As you can see, Bella borrowed Chloe's swimming clothes and was dressed as an Australian baby - always a hat, plenty of sunscreen and a swim shirt.

surfer girl

Oh how we miss Perth! The weather was great (except for the one surprising rainy day) and there was always something to do or someplace to go. It was beautiful.all.the.time! Yea, Houston may have queso, but it doesn't have cool ocean breezes with spectacular white sand beaches populated with laid back, yet fit people. After visiting, I'm now annoyed with
stop signs (vs. roundabouts), trash cans in bathrooms (vs. hygienic rubbish receptacles or nappie bins, sorta like a diaper champ),
humidity (vs. ocean breeze), vast expanses of concrete (vs. parks and playgrounds with shade sails) and crushed grass and overfilled trash cans (vs. gas grills or "barbies" in manicured local parks).

Most of all I miss Kimberly, Marc and Chloe. We had such a good time visiting, traveling, exploring and watching the girls mimic each other. Kimberly is the best hostess!