2011 Family holiday - part 3

 Cars for sale on the Champs Elysees

 I didn't realise Laduree was on the Champs Elysee; I was so glad to spot it! We crossed the road to check it out, what a divine selection of deliciousness!

 In the Laduree display window. This pic is now blown up and in our kitchen. :)

 Inside Laduree. There are no signs, but apparently you aren't meant to take photos.

A special room at the rear of Laduree.

 Macarons, ready to go into the display cabinet and be sold.

 McDonald's McCafe at Versailles - yes, those are macarons!

Because lining up at the counter and being served takes so long, why not order and pay at a machine, and then line up to collect your order. Certainly easier if there are language issues, but does this really improve efficiency?

2011 Family holiday - part 2

 M thought the trees outside Invalides looked like ice creams, so she had to eat some!

 We bought a two day bus tour ticket - such warm weather was perfect, although a bit toasty, for sitting on top of the bus.

 Looking suitably solemn at St Eustach church; we stumbled across it near Les Halles on our way to Rue Montorgueil

 Three years later, back at Shakespeare & Co. This time Mama was able to browse & even buy a book!

 Outside the main doors to our apartment, in the 4th Arr.

 Playing chasey after our visit to Invalides.

 On the Rue Montorgueil - foodie heaven! We had been expecting more of a market stall area, but it was fantastic.

 Coffee and a snack to keep us going, at Le Pain Quotidien on Rue Montorgueil.

 Mmmm ...

This (now empty) shop reminded us of a picture from Matilda's "This is Paris" book. Genuine horse meat no longer sold here.

 The cafe below our apartment. So many books! Kid's fish & chips was salmon + chips!

On the bus.

2011 Family holiday

 Tuckered out in Singapore. Our flight to LHR left at 11:59pm Singapore time, which is 1:59am Brisbane time. Tilda didn't sleep on the way to SIN, so she flaked out while we waited for the boarding call.

 Trying to get comfy on board, before takeoff. Very hard to have a tired wee person and keep them happy while *not* reclining their seat. Eventually got her comfy enough, and reclined the seat as soon as I could.

 Upgrades for the family! Spoiling everyone, including Grandma and Grandad on their first trip to Europe.

 Getting comfy before takeoff (still trying)

 You know what, Mum? This makes a pretty comfy little cubby.

 We are in Paris and it is spring!

Wandering around near our apartment (in the 4th), our first afternoon.

 Grandad takes almost as many photos as Mama. (This pic taken by M)

 Lovely carousel outside the Hotel de Ville.

 This is the purple jumper that was lost somewhere in the Paris metro, apparently. Could have done with this layer on the morning of the Dawn Service. Here, we are on our way to the Eiffel Tower.

 Waiting for the first lift.

 A view from the tower.

 Happy fmaily snap (M wanted to be climbing stairs)

Cheers!

Grandma and Grandad atop the tower

Glasses

At Matilda's last ophthalmologist appointment, we were told she needs to start wearing glasses. Doctor had been telling us that she'd need glasses for at least a year, so we weren't surprised.
We went to a local optometry store to get her prescription filled. There was a decent range of kiddy, durable glasses frames. Luckily, Matilda doesn't know who Hannah Montana is, but there were no Princess or Fairy frames. But, there *were* pink frames with hearts on the sides:

So Matilda now wears glasses all day, every day. She has tried to tell us a few times that her eyes are better now, but of course we'll only take her professional opinion when she has a medicine degree.

I love this other photo, blurriness and snotty nose and all:

The eyes a mother loves

So, my friend Jane posted on her blog about her gorgeous daughter, Lucy. Well, one of her gorgeous daughters! Lucy has an eye condition, different to Matilda's, but similar. I've tried to post my comment on her blog post about five times - different browsers, on my iToy and my laptop, to no avail. :(
So here's my comment:

Oh, I know this. How I know it.
From the moment Prof Fred at church said that something was odd with Matilda’s eyes, and to mention it to our paediatrician. From the first ophthalmologist appointment, at just 3 or so months old.

The comments – “Oh, she’s got a lazy eye” as though we hadn’t noticed in the hours of adoring our daughter (and the moment of watching those open eyes and wishing they’d close and sleep!)

No, actually, it’s not lazy eye, it’s different, but it can turn into lazy eye
All the appointments, the eye patches, remembering which eye to patch. In the meantime, the comments. Our darling first godson at 6 years old noticing his god sister’s eyes, so crossing his and laughing. All the times someone, anyone, crosses their eyes to indicate stupidity, oddity, different-ness, less-ness.

And my cheeky girl figuring out how to cross her own eyes. We hadn’t thought about it much now that it doesn’t happen all the time. What a reaction she got from us!
“Don’t you dare do that! We paid so much money so that you couldn’t do that!”
Adding to her cheekiness, sitting in the chair while her ophthalmologist checked her eye just last month. Crossing her eyes, right in front of him. The main who operated on her delicate, 13 month old eyes two-and-a-half years ago. He almost wept. Said “Darling, no, don’t do that”. Incredulous, he looked at me. I told him that I just tried not to react anymore, in the hope she would stop.

Should we just give up on this whole toilet training thing for a while????

We got back from our US holiday on 16th May. In those whole two weeks, including over 35 hours on planes, M had only two memorable toileting accidents - while at Little League, and then at the airport on the last night before catching our flight. Since we got home, however, it's been a WHOLE different story. It got much colder at home over those two weeks, and we're definitely into Winter weather, Brisbane style. Matilda went back to daycare on the Monday, and a gastro bug was going through the place - by later that week, we realised she probably had caught the gastro bug. Fun times. Some more indications of a gastro bug over the next two weeks, and her body seems to have forgotten ALL memories of wees or poos on the loo, silver or gold stars on the calendar, or even recognising the urge to go. We haven't had to bolt from the supermarket to the loos at all, whereas that would normally occur at least twice per shopping trip. I understood that during the gastro bug stage, she probably couldn't realise she needed to go to the loo, but I'm pretty sure the gastro bug is over now ... !!!!
I can usually get by with just washing clothes on the weekend - last week I did two mid-week loads because of the number of poo and wee accidents. I also went out and bought about 20 more pairs of undies and three or four more pairs of tracky dacks/leggings/trousers so we can cope with an average of 3 accidents/day.

Any thoughts on whether we should just give up, put her back into pullups and not even attempt toileting? I know travel can throw kids out of routine, and I think the combination of travel, colder weather when we got home, and the gastro bug has thrown my wee girl around. And I think having two parents (and possibly also the carers at daycare) getting so fed up with the accidents that we are making disparaging remarks really isn't going to support and encourage M to get to the loo.
Shall we take a step back about a year, go back to pullups and forget about the whole toilet training thing for a while?
More celebrations of successful toileting? Escalate beyond stars on the calendar to something more rewarding?

I am so tall enough for soarin over California

Ariel's Grotto

Lunch with a few good friends.

A very merry unbirthday

M gets to meet Alice and her friends feom wonderland. Including the Queen of Hearts. No photo though. M didn't want to get within an axe handles reach.

Twice on Splash Mountain

As you can see. Empty logs either side of ours. So no queuing for the second ride. M was keen. No idea why based on the look of her face.

Minnie Mouse

Hawaii Take Two

M finds the stage again. Surfs up themed breakfast had our girl re-enacting her Hawaiian performance from a year ago.

M meets M

After a sleep deprived shaky start our girl has got into the Disneyland swing of things. She has started reaching for her autograph book before we do. Her tally so far. Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto, and Stitch. We haven't even got into the park yet.