sep, 12th - kelly....

day 942 / 41:

we lost our wonderful nanny, Kelly, a couple of weeks ago. she's not actually lost.... although, since she's currently in Italy, she might well be......but we couldn't delay her travels and return home to Australia, any longer. from the start, we knew that she would have to leave by the summer but even though Kelly had no formal nanny training, i knew that she would be brilliant with Limi (with us all in fact) and i'm heartbroken to say that i was sooo right. heartbroken because it's so tough to say goodbye especially when you know that you'll be explaining to Limi for ages that Kelly can't help to look after her any more....and is too far away to even visit.

Jae, our first nanny {see day 389, day 546}, was a tough act for Kelly to follow. Limi and Jae had a fantastic relationship, with Jae helping to get Limi walking, talking, counting, swimming and even tap dancing. Kelly came bounding in with her sunshine enthusiasm and tackled the role with an amazing can-do attitude. i loved this attitude....it led to many adventures for the two of them....for example, we had the following conversation:

me: 'last night, A. took Limi outside to see some fire engines that were fixing an electrical fault around the corner. she loved it. it would be great to take Limi past the huge, local fire station sometime and see whether you could smile a sweet smile and get the firemen to show you around.'

kelly: 'we can do that today on the way to swimming.'

me: 'oh, i wasn't thinking that you had to do it today....but that's great.'

[three hours later, Kelly and Limi have sweetly smiled their way into the fire station and i am receiving photos of them sitting in a fire engine surrounded by firemen giving the thumbs up.]

Kelly taught Limi her colours, how to do an impressive rockstar hand gesture and forward rolls, introduced her to The Lorax (which has to be Limi's favourite Dr Seuss book of all time) , how to eat spaghetti, embraced dress-up every week and finally, introduced her to Darren, her boyfriend, who Limi considers to be her own manny as well......

we were very lucky to have Kelly.....and she will be sorely missed *sob*....i'm not cut out for all these goodbyes.

p.s. the moustache references above are due to the fact that these two have a moustache obsession {see day 803}...i thought that my banner was pretty funny :-)

jul, 2nd - baking days....

day 874:

these pics are from a few weeks ago. they're of Limi and Kelly baking me beetroot and chocolate cupcakes for my birthday. we are trying as much as possible to teach Limi where her food comes from (as much as you can when you buy most of it, unfortunately) and involve her in the cooking process. she loves helping out in the kitchen and is even more excited about getting the sponges soapy and washing up.

the cupcakes were delicious.

jun, 27th - summer rituals....

day 869:

lots of daisies for making lots of daisy chains (Kelly is a master of the daisy chain)........

jun, 1st - conversations with a two year old....

[Limi with Fynn Lucas, the brand new baby of our friends from day 800]

day 845:

Limi: i want three mamas, three dadas and three Kellys

me: what will you do with three mamas, three dadas and three Kellys

Limi: squeeze them, squeeze them, squeeze them

apr, 19th - introducing kelly....

[ Kelly & Limi]

day 803:

figuring out how to have careers and still be there for Limi (for her sake and for ours) has been tricky....it's certainly not a new topic and not one that i want to rehash here...but i've come to appreciate how important a balance is for me and how that balance can be different for every family and every parent. we still haven't managed to get it right (although, hopefully some exciting plans on the horizon will move towards a better balance)...but one thing that has helped incredibly, has been the wonderful nannies that we've managed to find. our first nanny, Jae {see day 389} was brilliant at helping me make the transition from being with Limi 24 hours a day to starting work again.....unfortunately her visa ran out in December and we had to find someone new......

Kelly, Limi's new nanny, is also fantastic. our biggest measure being how happy Limi is......and seriously, A. and i are always the ones grateful for squeezes and kisses when we walk out the door....as she happily skips past singing at the top of her lungs. Limi has adored both Jae and Kelly and we have loved how much they have both contributed to her development, self-confidence and general happiness. 

Kelly also comes from Australia (i may just need a South African next to balance things in this house.....I'm drowning in Aussialia). not only does she make Limi happy but she brings general cheer into our house. something that A. and i both appreciate. we always wanted a happy, relaxed, music & laughter filled home and that's exactly, with the help from Kelly, what we seem to have managed to create for Limi.

and an added bonus with having nannies from a different country is that they are just as excited to visit the sights of London as Limi is. i'm playing catch-up to my two-year old who has already been to see Damien Hirst at the Tate and the Inside Out exhibition. (although i wouldn't have it any other way as that is exactly what living in London is all about).

we have been extremely lucky to find both Jae and Kelly and I love the idea that Limi is gathering these amazing people who will always want to be part of her life.

p.s. these are the pics that i get sent whilst i'm working.....it's hard to stay serious when this pops up on your screen :)