Monday, September 8, 2008
Three Months On
We are all adjusting well as a family and have been loving life. Our apartment has worked out well and it is great being so close to the beach. Mike goes surfing most Saturdays and Sundays and I can't wait till summer comes and we can take the bubs down on the sand.
I have fallen on my feet and have a wonderful group of friends. Many of the new Mum's from the antinatal classes we did at Manly hospital have got together and meet each Friday. The are a fun, proactive bunch and it is great to have a network of people who are experiencing the same things at the same times! Funnily enough there are 4 English girls, 1 Welsh, 1 New Zealander and 1 Australian! I also have another group of girls from our local Early Childhood clinic who meet on a Monday and then two friends who are recent mum's who live up the road. All in all lots of friends to meet for coffee most days of the week! I read a recent article that said that Manly is actually the "Yummy Mummy' capital of Australia so I have a lot to live up to!
Jasmine now seems much more like a little person than a baby! She has smiles a plenty! that she dishes out to everyone! not just Mum and Dad. She is really quite a wriggler and no longer is content lying down and needs to be sitting or standing (with help ofcourse) at every opportunity! She has rolled from front to back twice a few weeks ago but has not done it again since and has twice been found at the other end of the bed in the morning! She is not getting very adept with her hands grabbing anything in reach and with both hands putting it straight in her mouth! I think we will most definately have a crawler by Christmas! Oh joy on a 24 hour flight!
Jasmine started swimming lessons 3 weeks ago and has prooved to be quite the little fish! She was quite happy in the water and didn't cry once when dunked under the water or zoomed here or there! She also had her first flight last week with a little trip to Byron Bay for Jennine and Andrew's wedding. She was the perfect angel and is already racking up the frequent flyer points for our up and coming trip to the UK.
Jennine and Andrew's wedding was just gorgeous! At a beach house at Suffolk Park, the day was one of eligance and sophistication. Jeninne looked amazing, the food was scrumptuous, the venue glamorous, the ceremony symbolic and the weather was stunning! They could not have hoped for a better day.
Also a recent event was Mike's first Father's Day! It was a relaxing day with nice weather, a cooked breakfast, a walk along the beach and lots of Daddy and daughter time. As you will notice from the photos below Jasmine likes to read with Daddy and Daddy doesn't let Jasmine get in the way of the sports section!
So that is news from us for the moment! Life is fun and we can't wait for the summer with lots of beach action!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Our New Arrival
While I went to recovery Mike went upstairs with Jasmine and held our little daughter close. After almost an hour we were reunited and spent our first few moments together as a family. Coumtless people had described to me the miracle that is having a child but until you are there and in the moment you can never really know. There are no words to describe the splendor and wonderment of this moment and the boundless love that completely engulfs you.
Jasmine and I spent the next week in hospital due to the fact that my blood pressure remained high. During those first few days I spent almost every moment with my eyes glued to every breath and movement. Jasmine prooved to know exactly what she was doing. She was a great feeder right from the start. She would sleep in the room with me each night and for the first few nights I just watched her not sleeping and wink! Feeling guilty if I drifted off! Soon though we were quite comfortable with one another and eating and sleeping well.
Mike was a superstar! Throughout the time that I was in hospital Mike would come and visit us early in the morning, then head off to work before returning with dinner each evening to see his little girl (and his big girl!) He compitently informed everyone, sending out picures, printing off emails for me to read and managing my Facebook. He was host to my mother who stayed on the couch the entire week.
When I was finally allowed home with our little bundle it was with great joy and ofcourse a little apprehension, however it all went very smoothly. Mike had 2 weeks off work and in the second week we moved house. A hectic 2 days of packing boxes and removalists but in the end it all went relatively smoothly and we are now a happy new little family in our happy new home.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Nursery Mania!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Moving House
In December last year we signed a contract on a two bedroom ground floor apartment in Dee Why with the promise of moving in at the end of February 2008. As we were coming down to one income with the baby on the way and also looking at a short to mid term investment opportunity we thought this a good stepping stone to our next potential purchase. The timing looked great, in that we could be moved in, set up and in routine before the baby came allowing me to relax by the beach before the babies arrival. Oh how we could not have been more wrong!
As it is a new development having only just been built first it was delayed in the building process due to the onslaught of wet weather we had in January and February. Next came the numerous registrations with council and government departments as well as what can only be described as the complete and utter incompetence of the developers to get their affairs in order. With the financial sector in trouble in some areas due to the US credit crunch we found out that the financier for the development had gone under and another needed to be sought and the the list of frustrating and tedious excuses and delays goes on.
Finally, with one and a half weeks to go until the baby is to be born we finally hear that the property is moving to settlement! Those of you who know me will have gauged my impatience here after 3 months of chasing, pushing and prodding numerous parties to the finishing line... And what do you think the date that the developers come back to us as the settlement date is? That's it you guessed it the 27th May. My due date! Could they have picked any other date in the entire year!? The irony is just hysterical! Anyway, after much discussion (or persistent calling, waiting on hold, demanding an answer!) we have FINALLY managed to negotiate and extended settlement date of the 27th June. That way at least we can stay where we are with less stress and have time to move ourselves in to the new place - even with a new born.
I can't tell you how happy I am to finally have some resolve and to be back in control of what will happen when. Please anyone out there capable of having a glass of wine tonight - have one for me!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Here it comes!
Apart from waking and feeling like I have a football for a face and watching my ankles double in size throughout the day, all else seems to be travelling well. I finished work 2 weeks ago and up until that point was still managing to put in 12 hour days as usual. My boss, very generously, offered to pay out my maternity leave even though I was technically not eligible (having only been there 8 months) as a thanks for my hard work. As you can guess this was hugely appreciated now faced with the reality of coming down to one salary.
I am now a lady of leisure, well if you can imagine that.... I am managing to relax a little and get my head around the life that is to come. Walks along the beach, prenatal yoga and midday naps are a regular part of the weekly agenda. There is of course a long list of things to do as well ... I wouldn't have it any other way, that I am getting on with.
In other news, we are still waiting on a settlement date on our new dwellings. This looks set to coincide, of course, with my due date. We are hanging in there for another two weeks or so before deciding to possibly set up the nursery in the place we are now and delay the settlement date until a month or so after the birth. Such is life! We have also started Antenatal Classes at the hospital. Six weeks of classes on a Wednesday evening for 2 hours. There are 12 couples all around our age and all local so a nice social group potentially. Meanwhile, we are are all trying to digest as much information as possible that might prepare us for what is to come! Although the main piece of advice we seem to receive is that we need to be prepared for anything and everything! Helpful!
Lastly, we had our final scan last week and despite all of the temptation we decided not to find out the sex.... with only 5 weeks to go until our little baby enters the world we thought we could wait that long for what will be a beautiful surprise. Looking forward to it in a scared and apprehensive sort of a way!
Photos courtesy of my wonderful sister. Thanks Tori.
Friday, March 21, 2008
It's bothering me.
Quite often, I find, I watch the world news with interest and wonder from the relative isolation of my comfy couch in my harbour view apartment. Some of the things I see bother me and I find I am actually vehmenently passionate about. In thoughts and conversations, I am disturbed by events and actions that I see taking place and often find myself motivated to take action, get involved, take a stance or join a movement about what I think is right or wrong. Unfortunately quite often I find that this passion and momentum moves no further than the couch and I find my self disappointed in my lack of action for whatever reason.
There are two issues recently that just will not sit on the couch anymore and I feel need a broader voice. The first issue that I am glad has received a much higher profile in recent months here in Australia is that of illegal Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean.
These waters include a 200-mile wide stretch adjacent to Australia’s Antarctic territory, in which more than 1300 whales were killed by Japanese company Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha between 2000 and 2006. Kyodo Senpaku Kaishahas a permit to kill 935 minke and 50 fin whales in Antarctica this season, and HSI estimates that 90% of these would be killed within the Australian Whale Sanctuary.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHm_busA-o
Having travelled to Tibet this time last year I was shocked at how repressed both the people and their culture were in their own land. The Chinese had marched into this land and taken it's people to within a breath of life with it's stranglehold by an iron fist.
Now that the suppression and disgracefully poor quality of life have become too much and those with any energy and anger left with a voice have tried to rise, China once again flexes it's hard faced muscle. They will squash them. And we will not see. We will not see because the controls are so tight on foreigners, let alone journalists, coming into the country that we can never see. China will 'save face' before it's moment of glory, the Beijing Olympics, by eradicating what is left of the beautiful spirit of Tibet and it's people.
China does care about its international reputation. Its economy is totally dependent on “Made in China” exports that we all buy, and it is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new China that is a respected world power.
President Hu needs to hear that ‘Brand China’ and the Olympics can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention. Click below to join me and sign a petition to President Hu calling for restraint in Tibet and dialogue with the Dalai Lama — and tell absolutely everyone you can right away. The petition is organized by Avaaz, and they are urgently aiming to reach 1 million signatures to deliver directly to Chinese officials.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thought it about time for another update. Now officially on the six month mark and things are getting a little lumpier and bumpier as you can probably see from the photos!
Baby bump is behaving itself although it has now become quite an active little tike. The little butterfly bumps are becoming bigger and more forceful now to the point that Mike can feel the movements and I can quite often see the twitches if sitting quietly (not that I do that too often mind!) This is particularly funny when at work in the middle of quite an intense competency based interview to try and identify my replacement!!! A slight distraction to say the least!
I am quite happy that I seem to be growing predominantly in the one area!
The other exciting thing happening this month is the hopeful completiton of our new apartment. We recently purchased a 2 bedroom garden apartment in Dee Why (2 suburbs from where we are now). It is newly built in a block of 27 apartments on three levels. We have a ground floor corner block. Only 1km walk from the beach and an express bus to the city we are hoping it is a good investment purchase now and for the future.
Meanwhile, next blog, I should snap some pictures of Mike who seems to be doing the complete opposite to myself and getting slimmer and fitter! Between the gym almost everyday and surfing weekends he is looking incredibly healthy and well. Hope all is well with everyone everywhere!
Till next time.