Pater: Florida Post Script

Posted by Pater , Saturday, January 30, 2010 8:01 PM

A tad awkward, Avocado Jnr, but after writing her last post Mater then went and taped you turning over. Truth be told, since Florida, Mater has been a bit of a demon on the old point and click. Getting the camera off Mater nowadays is as easy as wrestling aligators in the Everglades!
Warning: Those viewers who have been advised by their doctor to avoid any form of excitement should not watch the following movie. The tense build up - will she, won't she - carries on to the very last moment. The Avocado Hasses take no responsibility for any viewers who faint at the grand finale.
And finally...it would seem, Avocado Jnr, that we aren't the only ones to be proud of you turning over. And no, I don't mean Grandmas London or Toronto - they already assume you'll be attending Harvard or Cambridge. Or both. No, the person most proud can be seen in the next video.

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Mater: Avocado Jnr learns to fly and swim

Posted by Pater , Friday, January 15, 2010 3:12 PM

With good packing, an avocado can be shipped from Australia to France in six weeks and arrive in good condition. To ensure the same for you, Avocado Jnr, we (read: I) had to pack a car seat, a stroller and snap 'n go, a playmat, a bather, a bouncer, clothes for warm weather, clothes for cold weather, swimming clothes, cute clothes, beach clothes and several pacifiers. And then I had to do the same again to ensure Pater arrived in equally good condition. Pacifiers and all...

Despite terrorists and snow trying to hold us back, we finally boarded Air Canada AC 900 to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday January 4th 2010. You flew like a seasoned business woman - not a peep from takeoff to arrival - we were so proud. You could have taught a thing or two to the kid behind us who kicked and screamed, not that we said anything; having you has made us join the ranks of people-who-can't-get-annoyed-at-other-kids-for-misbehaving-because-it-could-happen-to-us-one-day.

Grandma Toronto, who was already in Florida, picked us up and soon we were at your uncle's place in Boca Raton. For two days you played with your aunts and uncles and all your cousins until they decided it was time for them to return to the Arctic weather of Toronto. Silly people! But we weren't left alone with Grandma Toronto for long. Oh no. Because on Wednesday January 6th, Grandma London arrived. Bad weather in London (the worst in living memory) may have shut down airports in England but that wouldn't stop Grandma London from getting the plane to see you for the first time. The effort was worth it; you instantly bonded.



The weather in Florida wasn't its usual sun and heat. In fact your first weekend on vacation, was spent inside because it rained. But none of that stopped us. The Canadians and British aren't put off by a bit of cold. We're made of tougher stuff than that. At least that's what Pater said when he sunbathed in barely visible sun and temperature hovering around the 50s! We took you to the beaches of Boca Raton and Hollywood and lots of outdoor places. But still I was prevented from putting you in the oh so cute swimming suits I'd shlepped with me. So fustrating!

And then a miracle. A hot day. With sun! Time for swimming. But even this perfect day was marred by a quandry: since you can't wear sunscreen yet, do we put you in a full (not so cute) wet suit and prevent your ivory skin from getting burnt, or do we risk sunburn for the more fashionable, more revealing bathing suits? Don't worry, we did the right thing. We took photos of you in your cute bathing suits in the bath...
And off we went to the pool. Some of us were there to warm our bones, some to crochet, others to brown our skin, but you were there for your first ever swim. And that's what you did (with a little help from Mater and Pater). Front stroke, back stroke, bobbing up and down, drinking the water (much to the consternation of the grandmothers who feared you'd bleach your insides with the chlorine) and generally loving this huge bath you could now kick to your hearts content in.

So, my darling Avocado Jnr, in the past two weeks you've flown in a plane, met your British grandmother, had your first Canadian Winter Vacation (i.e. gone to Florida) and swam in the water. Oh and if all that wasn't enough, you managed to turn over from your front onto your back. Twice. Each time without Pater being there to film or photograph it. Truly an accomplishment.

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