Bring your Baby to work day

Now Katy is getting a little older, she is heaps more resilient when it comes to sleep and travel.

For the first time in ages, we took her to Midlevels last week for a playdate, installing the infant car seat in the taxi. Most people in Hong Kong tend not to use car seats in taxis as it is a little difficult to lug one around. We are now researching what to do now she is getting too big for her infant seat and we no longer have a car. The forward facing seats are HUGE and not quick to instal. However, if we don't have a car seat for her, we will basically be restricted to DB and a walking distance radius around the Ferry Terminal in Central. So it is a bit of a dilemma. Mummy was thinking of doing without until Auntie Lynne, one of Mummy's oldest friends, who happens to be a University Medal winning biomechanical engineer specialising in children car crash injuries threatened to send photos of infants after a 25 km/hr car crash. Gulp!

Anyway, we took Katy in to see Daddy yesterday. She LOVED it! She was so cute and shy initially, Daddy kept asking what was wrong with her as he is not used to having a calm and retiring baby! Then she warmed up and helped Daddy with emails, helped Uncle Jimmy with phone calls, and played Hide And Seek with Daddy and his associates.

Here's that Monkey See game again...

The original monkey...

The world's youngest recruiter shows Uncle Jimmy how it's done.


Mummy isn't the only one who loves buying Katy outfits. This is the first outfit Daddy has gotten Katy. It is a gorgeous Strawberry Shortcake outfit, which reminds us all of Auntie Holly and Cousin Ella! Even better, it is in French! (Charlotte aux Fraises!)

Katy is really enjoying her outings now - she just loves exploring new places and people.

And she has been an absolute star with the car seat. Hopefully, she is really understanding that this is something she has to do when she is in a car. It helps to have food and games and songs ready too though...

Mutt Yee

On Thursday night, Rick took his office out for cuttlefishing...which is a very popular thing to do in Hong Kong. This was Outing Number 2 and, convinced that there are no mosquitoes or sandflies out on the ocean, I was persuaded to join, although I did have an uneasy moment when Vladan announced that the cuttlefish they caught were swimming up to the top of the bucket to look at them with their eyes...Love food, not so good with it when it is still alive...

Anyway, it was a gorgeous summer night with beautiful cool breezes. Spouses were invited and one associate brought her parents, who were visiting from Hunan. So it was a lovely, relaxed, family orientated evening and a great opportunity to get to know everyone better outside of work. Jackie won the $100 reward for catching the first cuttlefish. Mummy read scrapbooking magazines during the hunt and subsequent carnage.


Daddy couldn't resist taking the helm of course...

Daddy's Birthday Dinner

Daddy never really gets too excited about his birthday, but this year, thanks to our new friends Sabrina and Tim, we got to go to an AWESOME sake dinner at a little joint (really little) on Caine Road, featuring the world's best sake, and our very own rep from the world's best sake brewery! We had a ball and it was all very spontaneous, hence the birthday "rice cake" they made up for Rick when they found out it was his birthday. He had a whole very inebriated restaurant of sake enthusiasts singing Happy Birthday to him!

Sabrina and I are getting into the spirit of things below with Sake-San.


Ricky and his birthday ricecake.

Peppermint Katy

Hong Kong summer sales are on, and Mummy couldn't resist getting Katy some new play outfits!

Katy and Jonah on the Whale

...and the motorbike...

Monkey See

Katy loves going around the house pointing at pictures of Dada, Mama...etc Her favourite picture of Dada is one of him making a funny face...and Katy has now started doing her version of Daddy's funny face...

Japanese Schoolgirl Look

On Seabird Lane

Hanging with Uncle Bert

Still our little baby

Katy likes us to push her around in baby doll's little pink stroller.

Kiss for Mummy

Littlest Twins Fan

She got a bit cranky with the papparazzi and threatened to take her bat and her hose and go home.

My First Pony!

Tail, that is. What a cutie!


although of course it didn't stay up for long!
This morning we took Katy to Mass. We only take her some of the time - it depends what time she wakes up. She made it through the whole of Mass this morning! This is a big first for her! She entertained the whole congregation, parading up and down the aisle, making friends with everyone, and laughing loudly at Fr Henry's jokes during the Homily. THAT was hilarious! Katy has taken to laughing loudly when everyone around her laughs. She really loves being in on the joke. It is adorable. Actually, Katy does seem to be developing a great sense of humour. She often will do something she knows we will find funny or that she knows is silly, and then she starts laughing at herself and grinning up at us.

Sorry if it sounds like we are boasting parents. We know every kid is doing this or more. But Katy is OUR little girl and we think she is very special and we want to share all her special little traits with you all.

5th of July

Auntie Debbie and Olivia got back to Hong Kong at the beginning of July after a month in Canada and the US. They brought back this gorgeous 4th of July outfit for Katy. We didn't get to wear it until the 5th of July but our little girl looked gorgeous in her red white and blue dress with a red and white polka dot bow in her hair. What a shame she couldn't take part in Nana and Grandpa's boat parade at the Lake! Next year hopefully!

The bow was however soon going...
gone!
Sassy girl sneaking up the stairs...

Happy Birthday Daddy

Sorry folks we have had a bit of a break on the blog. Been a busy couple of weeks...2 July was Daddy's birthday. We started off the day right with a beautiful cooked breakfast from Tia Mila and a kiss from Katy.

Daddy took his princess out in the afternoon, complete with backpack, new sunproof swimming hat and crocs.
Katy was very busy and important preparing for the outing by applying insect repellent as she sees Mummy and Daddy do.

Horsing around with Mummy

Katy usually has more doing errands together time with Mummy than full-on play, which is usually what she does with Daddy and Tia Mila. But the other morning, Katy played horsey sitting on Mummy's shoulders. We LOVED it!

Peekaboo

Katy and Daddy love to sneak up on Mummy and Tia Mila and go peekaboo! Their latest favourite is a very lofty perch above the kitchen!

Daddy Birthday Eve

Today we had some work friends of Daddy's come over to visit. They came from all over Hong Kong so we really appreciated it.

They were all great with Katy and she warmed up to them really quickly...here she is clapping with Auntie Veronica...


playing with Auntie Susan and Sophie, age 5, and Jaden, age 18 months...


horsing around with Uncle James and Jaden and Uncle Jimmy and Sophie...

opening a belated birthday present from Auntie Jackie and Uncle Jimmy (it was an awesome electronic cow game!)...


thanking Auntie Jackie for yet another gift! (her great new cow dinnerware set...apparently Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Jackie are into cows!)


learning how to clink cups from Auntie Winky...

showing off her High 5 with Auntie Winky and Uncle Jimmy...


showing Sophie and Jaden what she can do with the garden hose...



splashing in the pool with Jaden and Sophie (by the way, it's official that June was the wettest month ever on record since record-keeping started in Hong Kong 125 years ago!)


and getting to know Uncle James better.


Katy particularly enjoyed the visit from Sophie and Jaden and they enjoyed eating strawberries with Uncle Dom (plain for Katy and Jaden, chocolate for Sophie).


Jaden really liked Katy's toys, especially the bouncy castle and the bike...



...and enjoyed the toys so much that he got really tired and had a lovely long nap in the spare room! Here is Jaden looking tired but happy after his swim.


Auntie Jackie shares the same birthday as Daddy so we had a lovely chocoloate-orange cake made by Mila. Sophie and Katy helped Auntie Jackie and Daddy blow out the candles.