the end of summer.

It's the last month of summer in Australia! While I'm a big fan of hot weather and sunshine, I'm very glad the season is coming to an end this year. Because babies are terrible at regulating their temperature, and Arden hates the heat. So, here's to cooler weather in the hopes that it'll make our baby happier!

Anyway, here are some updates from the past few weeks:

According to our parent-friends, the 3-month mark is when things start to get "easier". It feels like things are actually getting harder, but I guess some things are becoming more manageable. For example, Arden recently decided that she doesn't loathe the stroller - so I've been taking her on a nice walk every morning, just around the neighbourhood. She loves looking around at the waterfront, and people enjoy smiling at the "beautiful little boy!" - I guess Batman onesies aren't as gender-neutral as I thought?

stroller time!

dressed like mommy!

Arden still doesn't nap well unless she's carried, but I've been trying to put her down for at least one nap a day (a very short one, and fed-to-sleep which is a huge crutch... oops) to start training her to snooze independently. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but we'll get there eventually..!

napping in the mobywrap. I know I'll miss these moments, someday...

I've been attending a few meetings for local moms of babies around the same age, organised by and located at the Maternal and Child Health Services. I'm terrible at making friends and socialising (and bouncing a baby while trying to do anything social is a real challenge!) but it's been nice having something to look forward to outside of our daily schedule, and to see Arden in that environment. It's fun seeing a pile of babies in similar ages, each of them different and "advanced" in their own ways. Ben has also been joining us for a "Baby Makes 3" meetup, which discusses how relationships change from "couple" to "family" and how to adjust in a healthy manner. I have to say, Victoria definitely provides some pretty great - and free - services to new parents and families.

Arden loves socialising just as much as her mama does!

Arden's 3-mo. daddy/daughter photoshoot

We finally received Arden's birth certificate, which means we can get the ball rolling on all the official "you made a person!" paperwork. We took her to the U.S. Consulate to register her as an American citizen and apply for her Social Security Number and passport. As of now, she is only a U.S. citizen - Australia does not partake in birthright or jus soli citizenship the way many American countries do - but at least she's a citizen of somewhere! Security is super tight at the consulate, and normally we're only allowed to take our forms and wallet past the main lobby. But this time they let us include a diaper with our paperwork, which was kind of funny. I would have taken a picture, but phones aren't allowed either! :)

Arden loves reading.

This past weekend was Chinese New Year, and also Arden's first 100 days - a milestone celebration in many Asian cultures. There are New Year festivities all month long around Melbourne, and our neighbourhood is hosting the Lunar night markets, a new thing this year. Sadly, the giant light-up dragon that used to reside in our neighbourhood for the past two years is no longer there, but they replaced it with a phoenix and some jailed baby pandas. Cute.

okay, they're not actually in jail. just fenced-off for security purposes.

it's the year of the monkey!

phoenix.

yummy yakisoba. 

This was the first Super Bowl since moving to Australia that Ben and I didn't really care about (because the Seahawks weren't in it - sad!). But Arden and I had fun watching the halftime show before her afternoon nap.

slay, Beyonce, slay.

As February draws to an end, I'm getting ready to go back to school to (hopefully) finish up my Master's degree this semester. I'll be taking one regular class (two hours once a week) starting in March, and have registered for an intensive week-long class in May, but we'll see how things go. I'm a little nervous about trying to balance school and mommyhood, but I think it'll be manageable.

I really don't understand how mothers in the States can return to full-time work after only a few weeks of maternity leave. I'd be lying if I said I never wished I could escape the stay-at-home life sometimes (and I can definitely see the appeal of returning to work) - but Arden clearly needs her mother around all the time, and I'm pretty sure she's not the only baby who does. I know there's a lot of heated conversation about SAHMoms vs. working mothers, and I don't want to stir up any of that. But I wish that all mothers could be able to do what's best for themselves and for their babies - without pressure from society, lack of decent maternity leave or other external reasons - whether it's going back to work, staying home full time, or anywhere else on the spectrum. I'm privileged to be able to stay home with Arden for as long as she needs me. And I hope I never take these days for granted.

CK