Bron and Eric - Staying in Touch: June 2009

Lilah turned one a couple of weeks ago! We thought a celebration was in order, since the year has been one filled with joy, fun and some new challenges.

We can't believe our little baby is now a toddler - although she's really only toddling while holding onto things at this stage. I'm sure it won't be too long 'til she's all independent, but for now we're enjoying her cuddles as she leans on us for support.

I had to work on Lilah's birthday, but Eric stayed home with her and they had a fun day together. Then, when I got home we opened some of her presents - we gave her a trike, which converts and changes with her as she gets older and bigger. She also got lots of lovely presents from family here and in the USA.

She was so excited about the trike we gave her - every time she sees it (or another bike) she goes 'Brrrmm Brrmm bike!', and she never seems to get tired of riding in it. However, she's started figuring out how to steer it, which becomes a bit of a problem at times...

The next day we both had the day off, and so we took Lilah to a nature reserve in Ipswich. It's a park with a free 'zoo-style' area, filled with Australian animals, and also a little barn with farmyard animals for the kids to look at.

We pushed Lilah around on her new trike, and she was absolutely speechless - which is pretty unusual. She loved it! Especially the emus - they were pretty amazing, making their growling and thumping drum-like sounds, and coming right up to the fence where we were standing. She liked the kangaroos too - but we had to keep moving in the swan enclosure, because there was nothing between us and some very protective swan parents.

We also had a birthday party for Lilah on the Saturday after her birthday. Thankfully, the weather was great - so we were able to celebrate at Kangaroo Point, in the park next to the river. It's a beautiful location and we love spending time there. We had a BBQ lunch for the family, and then afternoon tea with friends.

All the kids played with toys and on bikes, and everyone had a good time. I even made a penguin cake (chocolate mud cake - yum!) for Lilah (Eric's choice), which turned out pretty well - although it melted a bit in the heat (only in Brisbane would heat be a issue on a winter day!)

Eric decorated the party area, as I had to stay with Lilah while she finished her daily nap. Unfortunately, she still had a cold, but she always perks up when we go out anywhere - she loves to be the centre of attention and is little miss social. When everyone was singing 'happy birthday' to her however, she shyly hid her head against my shoulder - very cute.