Mummy Milli

When we realised that there was a long weekend we decided it was a great opportunity to get away. A friend of ours has a place on the Fleurieu Peninsula which we love to visit with him but while he was away, he very generously, suggested we head down there without him. 

Organising two nights away with a toddler and a new-born is a lot if work if you want it too run smoothly but thankfully we have a lot of practice with weekends away with our toddler. 

Hubby planned this trip, so it was jam packed with things to do. We are still missing longer term travel, so trying to get those feelings in during a weekend away is worth trying. If you are like us and wanting to travel but aren’t able to right now, you could check out my post ‘How we are traveling while still at home‘.

The trip down started with exceptional coffee at a  delightful coffee shop called Goodness Coffee in Aldinga. I don’t know if it’s because I am getting used to my dairy milk protein and soy free diet but the coffee was so good I wouldn’t have guessed it was oat milk instead of cows milk. 

Then a visit to the Port Noarlunga Jubilee Playground was perfect for Monkey as he had been sitting in the car for an hour already and needed to stretch his legs. This playground is well worth a stop if you have kids and are in the area, there is a big wooden ‘castle’ with plenty of different levels, entrances and ways down to keep big and little kids interested for hours if you let them. There were other, more typical play equipment, that was close by, but we didn’t get too. There was even an ice-cream truck that I am so happy Monkey didn’t notice. 

We followed this up with a visit to Ingalalla Falls. Monkey fell asleep on the way and we tried to resettle him in the carrier but that didn’t work, so his nap time for the day was quite short. He did walk all the way to the Falls where there was a downed log that he was able to climb up and balance on. He wanted to walk out over the creek and Hubby got up to help him but Monkey decided fairly quickly that it wasn’t a safe choice.

 It was getting cold and as I was feeding Chickadee, I stayed in the sun while Monkey and Hubby headed into the shaded section of the Falls, climbed across the large rocks and found a cosy place to watch the Falls from. It was really amazing to watch Monkey be so confident jumping, balancing and climbing. We have worked hard (I come from a very risk adverse family) to allow Monkey to develop his own risk assessments. We have guided him by pointing out risks, asking him about what he is doing and how it feels and, me in particular, not letting my own heightened sense of risk impact him. It was very rewarding to see some of the fruits of Hubby and my hard work. 

It was dinner time by the time we rocked up at our friends shack. Where the transition of unpacking in a new space ensued, with Monkey needing full time watching to ensure he didn’t break anything in his excitement. 

The next day brought a trip to Victor Harbour and a 4 km hike from Kings Beach to Petrel Cove. Again Monkey fell asleep at an inopportune moment, not long before we arrived. This time we didn’t try to transfer him to the carrier, he woke up enough to request it anyway. I have very hit and miss days with Chickadees wrap carrier as it is so manoeuvrable it can be easy to get her in the wrong position, especially as she is only 9 weeks old. She is well over the minimum weight requirement for the carrier and her neck control is great so I am confident to have her in the carrier, it’s just getting her in which can be a challenge.

After we had sorted out the carriers and Monkey had had a snack we were ready to go and the day was exceptional for a short hike. While it was windy the sun was out and we soon had to take off the rain jackets we had on due to the weather report being wildly wrong – at least for this part of the day.

Only just staring to exercise more heavily, after a Caesarean, and while carrying Chickadee we only made it halfway up the bluff before having a snack and making our way back. I am trying not to see the non-completion of our hike as a failure but being able to complete most of it, so close to major surgery as a win.

The hike was lovely, hugging the coast, the bright yellow-orange sand below and the crisp blue-green sea stretching as far as you can see. It feels like winter has been long and now the first touches of the delightful spring weather is here. This hike was a celebration of that change of seasons.

I was always on the lookout for whales but although it is still whale season the sightings recently are few and far between. We didn’t see any but for me half the fun is trying to spot them.

We stopped through Qahwa Coffee, a coffee roasters just outside the main drag of Victor Harbour attached to an outside beach sports area. Monkey found some beach toys and was excessively happy using those. Hubby had another stop planned for the day but it was already 3pm, Monkey was so content playing in the sand and we actually had time to sit and reconnect as adults, without interruption for about half an hour- it was blissful and relaxing, something we really needed. It was a good reminder that slowing down when you have kids is important for everyone in the family.

Our trip wasn’t quite finished and on the drive home we stopped through Port Noarlunga again, this time for fish and chips. Thankfully Port Noarlunga Fish and Chips make their chips from scratch so I can safely eat those along with grilled fish and they were all delicious.

We took our lunch just a few minutes drive away to the Jubilee playground again, where this time Monkey found the water play area and the rope climbing area.

Both Hubby and I were very impressed with how far he has come with his confidence and climbing, as he climbed all the way to the top by himself, Hubby only getting close in the top meter of the 2.5 meter rope pyramid. Closer to the ground Monkey had to keep trying as the start of the rope was just high enough to force him to hook his leg as high as his chest before pulling and manoeuvring himself up to the same height. The want to step in and help make it easier was high but that would have done him no favours in the long run, instead he was building his resilience and strength every try he gave it, and he did keep trying till he got it. He was so proud every time he managed to get up on top of the bottom rope.

So if you need it, here is your sign to get away, weather that is for a day to an area you haven’t explored much, a long weekend or an extended trip. Get out there and go explore, in any way you can.