...and O makes three

F is for Frio

2011-10-03T19:27:00.000+11:00

We would like to introduce you to Frio and let you know how our very special baby is going.

As most of you know Oliver was christened Latte for the duration of his pregnancy given the colour of his skin and his mother's addiction to the coffee of the same name. Frio is named for Daddy's addiction this time - the Spanish iced coffee Cafe Frio served at Estabar. Given that Oliver is quite happy to sip his latte given any opportunity - we can only hope Frio will soon be joining us at Estabar!

Now, given Frio is due on November 22nd, we thought maybe we should post a few photographs and let you know how things are going.

One of the lovely - the very few lovely things - about a high risk pregnancy is the frequency of scans that occur... we were lucky enough to scan every four week until Frio was 20 weeks.

We did not realise that we were holding our breath till the thirteen week mark and did not tell many people until Frio reached the 20 week mark. Seeing Frio every four weeks made the baby very real and of course it was also lovely to see Frio develop and reassuring when each little milestone was reached.

It was a wonderful feeling to reach 20 weeks! For us this pregnancy would be the last no matter what the outcome and really has not become very real until the last week when we have had to organise things like a car seat and the hospital admission.

At the twenty week mark the frequency of scans unfortunately alerted our fantastic medical team to a few issues that had arisen. Our scans have become more regular and we are seeing Frio every two weeks now as they carefully monitor the progress of Frio's development. Again we held our breath as suddenly twenty eight weeks became a magical number. Frio had stopped growing and there was concern that Frio might not make it to 28 weeks.

We are happy to say we have reached twenty eight weeks and in the last two weeks Frio has picked up a little and we are hoping and praying that our special little one will hang in there for a few more weeks and arrive safely and in the best health possible. We are going week to week just like every other set of parents and saying lots of prayers for our little Frio! Anything over 34 weeks is going to be fantastic!

In the meantime please enjoy these lovely scan photos of Frio. We hope to introduce our little one to you all going well - on the 22nd of November!

Oliver is excited about becoming a big brother - his little friend Amaia became a big sister to Arlo in April and Oliver is smitten with Arlo and the concept of being a big brother.... Or maybe he thinks when we refer to Frio we mean we are going to Estabar and that means a latte for him - hard to tell with a two year old!

Oliver's 2nd birthday party

2011-06-25T19:00:00.003+10:00

It was almost time for Oliver's birthday. We had a special guest arrive from Melbourne. Grandma Marlene!
She helped us make cars for each of the children to wear at the party.

Then, the big day arrived!

It was time for Oliver's YELLOW CAR 2nd birthday party.

In the morning, we got some car-themed treats ready..

There was car-shaped fairybread... and 'teddybear racers' for taking home...

(Milkyway bar + chocolate tiny teddy + four yellow Smartie wheels)

We set up a series of cars along the front of the house, and down the side fence. That way, all the guests had to do was follow the yellow cars, to get to the party.

When the children got to the backyard, they discovered Oliver's birthday present; a playgym! The sun came out, and there was lots of fun to be had, clambouring about.

Next, it was time for the kids to decorate their cars. Everyone got to work with gluesticks and bright pieces of cardboard. There were lots of bright coloured spots, and LOTS of yellow cars!

Mum had also created a carwash for the cars to drivethrough. It looked a little bit like streamers attached to the clothesline, but we're pretty sure it was good at cleaning the dirtiest yellow cardboard vehicle

Dad has also been busy, making a special soundtrack for the day.
Here's the playlist, if you feel like a car-themed party of your own...

I drove all night - Cyndi Lauper
The wheels on the bus - Playschool
Get outta my dreams, get into my car - Billy Ocean
Joyride - Roxette
Let's go driving - Playschool (Hello, ABC! Put things on Youtube!!)
Road to nowhere - Talking Heads
Drive my car - The Beatles
Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane
Take you riding (in my car, car) - Playschool
Car Wash - Rose Royce
We like to party (The Vengabus) - Vengaboys

And with the music pumpin', it was time to eat.

And play with cars.

Then sneak down the side of the house, where the newly-laid landscaping stones were a massive temptation.
(As was hunting the cat...)

Soon, it was time for singing Happy Birthday, with the world's first pre-cut jigsaw car cake!

So thanks for reading about my 2nd birthday party. I think it really tired mum and dad (& Grandma) out!

But there wasn't too much time to rest..
We had to get ready for someone else's birthday the next day!

Time to send out invitations...

2011-06-11T19:00:00.000+10:00

Wow, has it really been a year since Oliver's first birthday party?

Hmm, now what theme would 'O' like, this time around...

Rubbish bins?
The rubbish bin truck?
Yellow rubbish bins?

Well no, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to do the 'bin' theme, so we went with 'Cars'.

(The noun, not the film)

To be precise, 'yellow' cars!

So, we made invitations, sent them out...

And in 2 week's time, we'll be having a little gathering...

Not long to go now...

Marvellous meals in March

2011-03-06T13:47:00.000+11:00

Oliver is twenty (20) months and a complete delight to have around. He's proving to be an independent and resilient young fellow who happily goes with the flow in the madcap house he lives in! Oliver is definitely a little boy and has his own thoughts and his own adventures.

He has a few current obsessions...bins especially yellow lidded bins. Bin day here in Moira street is a big event! He loves the colour yellow - that is his "favourite colour" and 'daddy cut the lawn in a yellow hat open and close the garage' Oliver says this sentence at least 1000 times a day. It's often the first thing we hear through the wall - that indicates Oliver is awake in the morning.

Here are a few pictures to catch you up with Oliver's adventures. Movies to follow!

Oliver and Aggie playing tunnels in the garden.....

when no-one is looking Aggie has a go too!

Oliver building his tower block - lovely to see he has moved on from knocking it over....

well at least he waits till he has put all ten blocks on!

Oliver is not a big fan of eating pasta - but loves playing with pasta.

Mummy tried rice...complete disaster as the rice went between the cracks in the floorboards.

Pasta it is and it hurts to step on - so Oliver is not keen on putting too much on the floor..

Oliver loves drawing especially with yellow and red....as many of you recieved his original art work at Christmas and will no doubt recieve more creative works through the year. The sunglasses are completely ridiculous - but he insisted on wearing them....artists!

Trucks and trains are big at the moment -

hours of independent play happens on the floor in the kitchen.

The monthly visit to the toy library scored Oliver the Duplo Zoo! Not sure if Daddy might have been more excited than Oliver about this one. Oliver is just excited to have another 'Man' (Duplo firgure) to play with his four other 'mans'!

Oliver and Daddy completely absorbed with the digger.......

Oliver has developed a complete addiction to coffee!

Not sure how that has happened.

He can order a soy latte by himself...

Now all he needs is pocket money!

Here he is playing puzzles and waiting for his coffee

Ahh a perfect soy latte to share with Mama!

For any of you dear friends and family who received a frantic call from us in the first nine months of Oliver's life relating to his lack of eating and listening repeatedly to the fear of him being hospitalised again....you will appreciate the importance of the following series of photos.

We have documented a week of Oliver's eating....to us it is completely amazing that Oliver not only eats - but says he is hungry and seems to enjoy his food.....

Tofu noodles

Avocado and sesame rice balls

Lamb and pumpkin pilaf

Hommus sandwich and fruit

Salmon and broccoli risotto

Paella and homemade bread

Mushroom and zucchini pizza

So, which one of Oliver's meals would you like to share? Tell us in the comments below... :-)

Beautiful Ben's baptism

2010-11-06T19:24:00.002+11:00

Oliver says...

Well, it's been a few months since my baptism, and its time to go to someone else's! The lucky person is Ben, my cousin who is a baby brother to Ashley and Lachlan. Hmm, time for another Melbourne trip!

Having a snooze on the plane.

First stop - cousin Vicki and Joshua's house.

I hadn't met Josh before, so that was really nice.

Vicki is the best cousin.
Reason (1): Slide in home

Reason (2): Shares love of watermelon

After lunch with Vicki & Josh, we headed off to the church for Ben's baptism. (I told him not to be too nervous, even if mummy & daddy suddenly take off all your clothes, while you're in front of the crowd.)

Here's a photo of Ben with Ashley, plus uncle Andrew and Auntie Cath.

And here's Ben & I swapping war stories.

The other big reason to visit Melbourne was to visit yet another cousin! Yay! Here you can see my newest friend, Josh who is a little brother to Vicki. He's very little, so mummy and daddy said "gentle" a lot.

Josh and auntie Rose

Vicki and auntie Rose

All the little people tried to be 'good' during the mass, even if that involved sitting on lots of different people's laps, and trying different toys.

Here's me with grandma

At the end of the ceremony, we all got together for a big photo. Yes, I'm looking out the window. There must have been a yellow bin outside. Or a bin truck.

Here's mum and dad - I'm looking concerned as uncle Bren is taking the photo - they warned me about him.

Showing off my new walking ability

OK, that's my report from Melbourne. Ben had a lovely party, and I got to play with all my cousins.

Thanks to Ashely & Lachlan for letting me drive their car!

Note from Gabe: Thanks Bren, for many of the nice photos in this post!

Puzzles & Toys

2010-10-20T20:52:00.022+11:00

Now that Oliver's 16 months old, his brain's really stepped up a gear. Annemarie found this groovy wooden puzzle at a local educational toy shop - and it's just right for 'O'.

It's got the numbers 1-10, plus a few simple shapes. Here you can see an orange circle, which is the first piece Ollie managed to place by himself. He can also say "circle" which is pretty exciting!

Oliver still loves his books - in a big way - and here you can see one of his recent favourites.

It's "Tell the time with Miffy" which goes through the different things that happen each day, at the various times.

The smart thing about the book though, is the CLOCK on the back page (with plastic movable hands) and each page has a hole, so it's visible all the time.

Great book for little people at this age!

And then, there's the 'wheelybug'. This was a toy that Annemarie spotted years ago (pre-Oliver) and we always wanted to try one out.

Luckily, the local library has a very, very cool 'toy library' where you can borrow an incredible range of toys and puzzles for a month at time.

Strangely enough, when the wheelybug was available - it came home.

Here you can see Oliver trying it out - he's just old enough now to move around on it safely. The omnidirectional wheels (a bit like a shopping trolley) mean that when he was younger, it wasn't safe.

Now he's moving around pretty confidently. And we've got it for 4 weeks!

Cool, I get nurses to flirt with again....

2010-09-29T19:50:00.001+10:00

As we blogged earlier this week, Oliver needs to have an ear operation (grommets) and today's the day. We were very fortunate to have his operation 'rushed forward' by our specialist - and forever thankful.

Of course, for Oliver, this means a day of flirting with medical staff male and female, young and old.

Above, you can see Oliver in the pre-op room. The Anaesthetist was superb, giving him a replica of the gas mask to play with, then getting him to have turns at breathing through it.

Soon after this photo, brave little O went through the doors, with mum. Forty minutes later, he emerged with mum, very groggy. Waking up was very very sad - lots and lots of crying. (If you've 'been under' you'll know that a 15 month old isn't going to cope well)

But the amazing news is, later the same day, we could already see improvements in his hearing and balance. (!!!) Bottom line: If your little one is having recurring, serious ear infections, we totally recommend this procedure.

It's an absolute lifechanger!

Left one on left, and right one on right...

2010-09-28T20:10:00.001+10:00

Oliver has been walking for a little while now - and today's the day...
Oliver's first pair of shoes!

We went to a few stores, and finally found some that fitted just right. You can see them above, waiting along with mummy & daddy's shoes... for Ollie's next adventure!

Goodbye ear infections.......hello sleep!

2010-09-27T21:34:00.000+10:00

After three months of continuous ear infections - Oliver is going to have a little bit of surgery on Wednesday to have grommets popped in ...

As always Oliver despite the ear infections and the antibiotics and the continuing pain (anyone had an ear infection recently?) has been pretty delightful and has been up to all sorts of mischief with his little friends - enjoy the selection of photos - and feel free to say a prayer for Oliver for a smooth run on Wednesday!

Re-organising the Cupboard....again!

I am being gentle!

See Ruby you put stuff in here.....

Mummy left the tissue box.........wheeeeeee

Twas Aggie Mummy - I was just sitting here like this!

Megan and adoration and my first hair cut!

Ruby, William and Me.....in the park

Quinten and Me...in the car

Me....at home

Me....at the beach on my bike

Me & my cars at coffee

Me...and my best friend - Aggie

Me and my other best friend - Teddy

"Old Mr Oakvale had a farm..."

2010-09-12T19:32:00.038+10:00

Oliver has a nice group of friends now, and along with them, some lovely mums and dads that we've got to know. Most of the time (ie during the week) it's Annemarie who gets to see them, but early today it was a 'Dads day' event for Gabe.

He went with Oliver, O's friend Quintin, and his dad Boris to Oakvale Farm - a Hunter Valley attraction packed with cute animals.

The first area is a large open shed, where we all (30 or so family groups) gathered with our little ones. We were all handed milk bottles, then... without warning... they open gates and we're swarmed by lambs and kids (as in baby goats).

A few of the (human) kids understandably freak out - you'd think a tourist attraction that's been doing this thing for years would know better. But alas - common sense is not common. Anyway, we emptied our milk bottles and moved on to larger animals.

(It's very cute, ever since the photo below was taken, whenever Oliver sees a cow in a picture book, he insists on patting it.)

Some of the other highlights of the trip included feeding food pellets to kangaroos, seeing joeys up close, and riding on a scenic tractor/train. Oh, and patting the koalas of course!

If anything, at 15 months Ollie was a bit young for Oakvale farm. 18 months + is probably more appropriate. And as you'll see in later posts, he's found more koalas, closer to home....

Month Thirteen

2010-08-01T21:02:00.000+10:00

Poor Oliver - Much like his first month in the world his first month as a one year old was pretty ordinary. He had a fantastic birthday and the three weeks of being terribly sick - a double ear infection and tonsillitis. Almost landed back in hospital - but some strong flirting on Oliver's behalf with the doctor (and a second dose of antibiotics!) Oliver seems to be on the mend.

Oliver being Oliver he still managed to have a good time. He has started to be a busy busy busy boy.....and very independent!

Playing in his lovely tent from Grandma Marlene and with his wooden worm from Cousins Ashley, Lachlan and Ben

A spoon. I have it.
Master Independent....feeding himself yoghurt.....

Risotto and muffin......
(Oliver has been moved into the middle of the kitchen well away from walls.)

And now that I'm covered in yoghurt, I wait.
(Hmmm... hope they haven't moved without telling me!)

We have not been particularly adventurous in taking Oliver out at night -
now that he is one we would try a little night activity.
Staying warm at 'Winter Heat' - an outdoor event in a Newcastle Park.

Oliver models the present for Cousin Victoria.
(He doesn't get out of bed for less than 10 pikelets a day.)

Oliver on his trike; off to post some presents to Cousins Victoria, Joshua and Ben.

First Birthday Party

2010-06-26T19:14:00.000+10:00

Oliver is turning one tomorrow and four of his little friends came over today to help him celebrate.

Oliver's grandma flew in just for the party which was a just fantastic - thankyou Grandma! So after breakfast with Grandma and Mum and Dad at III Bean (one needs a latte to survive the party) - it was party time!

Oliver had a lovely time with presents...

He enjoyed pass the parcel with Megan (Oliver's Godmother) and balloons!

Oliver is lucky enough to have two cakes - one large 'O' for the party today and a number 1 for Yola's on Monday.

Poor deprived child did not actually eat any of the cake today - but everyone else did !

Of course there was loads of cuddles and general spoiling.

Maybe Oliver needed a double shot in his latte..?

Thank you for all the lovely presents and birthday cards - Oliver had a wonderful time. Although he slept through some of his party, he enjoyed spending time with his little friends and playing with his new toys after his big sleep.

Special Delivery

2010-06-14T20:46:00.000+10:00

Oliver was feeling very important with his special delivery to the mail box. It is the invitations to his first birthday party!

The baptism was really about Mummy and Daddy and all our family and friends coming together to celebrate the arrival and presence of Oliver in our lives.
Oliver's first birthday is all about him and his little group of friends.

Oliver absolutely adores Anna Walker's I Love to Sing and it seemed like a good excuse to print some lovely photos for family and friends and also make a little keepsake to celebrate Oliver's first birthday.

Oliver gets so excited when we read the book and it is almost always the first book he choices to read each day....could it be because the main character is named...Ollie??

We read to Oliver before he was born, the first thing we bought for Oliver was a book, the first activity we took him to was story time at the library and his first picture in the paper was because of reading...so of course having a story book invitation was so fitting.

My baptism

2010-05-22T18:00:00.001+10:00

As I suggested in a recent post, my baptism must have been coming up, and today's the day!

Mum and dad have been busy getting sweet things ready in the kitchen..

This has something to do with "fairies" but I don't get it. I'd much prefer a good old bottle of milk myself.

I'm not sure what these things are - mum calls them 'baby mudcakes'.

All I know is that they're going into a little cardboard box with a few other surprises - for each of my cousins.

OK, time to go to the church for my big event.

Here, we've just sat up the front... where everyone can see me. Mum took all my clothes off and wrapped me in a towel.

Dad explained that this is a good thing - but I wasn't so sure.

Next, they poured oil on me, which felt quite nice.

And then Monsignor kept telling jokes about Justin.

I'm not sure if Justin minded, but I did notice that most people laughed a lot.

Justin and Megan also got to light a candle with my name on it.

Finally, I got to sit on the altar, and everybody clapped.

I think that meant I could have my milk soon.

Yes, we finally got to go home for the party.

Here I am with my grannie Florinda from Perth, and Grandma Marlene from Melbourne.

They took turns to feed me, so my spoiling factor was at least 200%!

Here are some more photos from my baptism party, including my cousins Ashley and Lachlan from Melbourne.

They had fun in my coloured ball pit.

Well if baptisms are like my one, I'll have one each year please!

Thankyou everyone for travelling so far for my big day.

Visitors from Perth & beyond

2010-05-18T14:00:00.006+10:00

Yes - grannie Florinda and grandpa Albert are in town, and so is my uncle Lyndon, all the way from London!

Mum had driven me to see them most days this week, and today they came to visit us!

Here's grannie looking very stylish, as she travels on the train from Sydney to Newcastle.

And here she is with uncle Lyndon and myself, as mum judges the 1st annual silly hat competition.

I'm not sure what "opthamologists" do, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with silly hats.

I've got even MORE relatives arriving in the next few days - it's pretty exciting!

First Indian restaurant experience

2010-05-15T01:46:00.001+10:00

It's not long till my baptism now, and the relatives have started to arrive! Granny, Grandpapa, Margi, Tom, Meville, Lisa, Benedict, Xavier and Imogen are all staying at a house in Caves Beach with a special guest: Uncle Lyndon from London! He lives far away, but was able to be here because he has a work conference in New Zealand.

This morning, we took Granny & Grandpapa to Raj's Corner in Hamilton for Masala Dosas. This is mama's favourite Indian food, and very hard to get in Newcastle!

Here you can see grandpapa showing how to eat dosas. They are thin potato pancakes that come with a tray of sauces.

I'm not old enough (at 11 months) to eat dosas, but I had some plain naan bread which was very yummy!

After mama, daddy and the grandparents had their meal, they bought some Indian sweets which made mama very happy. Daddy says you should "click on the photo below - and start drooling", whatever that means.

Hmm, there's been a lot of cooking and organising in our house. My baptism must be soon!

Two Month Catch Up

2010-05-02T13:11:00.001+10:00

Sorry for the break in blogging about Oliver and his adventures - it has been a little frantic here for the past two months. We thought we would post a few pictures to catch you up and then try to keep up with Oliver's social calendar!

In the last two months aside from O becoming more and more fun, Annamarie has returned to work which is absolutely fantastic, Oliver has settles into Mondays and Tuesday with Yola - which is just brilliant and we bought our house!

On a sad note we had hoped to post good news today and let you know in late October Oliver would become a big brother. Unfortunately over the past five weeks the pregnancy has not progressed well and after many scans and tests the pregnancy ended.

We are ever so grateful to Megan who has been a completely wonderful friend no wonder she is Oliver's Godmother and also to Trish. Between the two of them they have made this completely horrible time a little more manageable. Our hearts go out to any of our friends and family who have experienced the same situation.

On a happier note we hope to see many of you in a few weeks time for Oliver's baptism and a celebration of the wonderful joy he brings to our lives on a daily basis....in the mean time enjoy the pictures!

Just when you thought it was safe to sit back on the floor...

2010-03-01T19:54:00.012+11:00

Oliver is still sliding (rather than crawling) along the floor.

So what ever you do, don't sit on the floor...
MWAH HA HA HA!!!

Eight Months Old

2010-02-28T18:35:00.006+11:00

Oliver is eight months old and now we know why everybody says little ones are fun!

The house is filled with giggling and laughing each day as Oliver is finding his way into mischief!

Oliver is mobile...not quite crawling on hands and knees but super fast on the whole tummy crawling!

This has necessitated a quick child proofing of the house. Hmmm mum and dad can't open the chocolate cupboard quite so easily!

Also a quick rearranging of Oliver's bedroom which has turned out quite well.

Oliver is completely obsessed with the telephone - obviously arranging his social life which is very busy!

The other delightful development is his ability to quickly work out cause and effect. This toy snail took all of 2 minutes to work out - so an extra long ribbon was attached to prevent collisions with noses at high speed!

Enjoy!

Oliver's New Adventure

2010-02-23T21:40:00.002+11:00

Just a quick blog to say thank you for all the good wishes for Oliver's settling in days with Yola....as expected Oliver is treating this as another opportunity to flirt!

Yola is besotted with him, she is completely wonderful and we fear he may never want to come home!

When Oliver arrived yesterday for his first morning it was as though a rockstar had arrived the three little girls (twins 4 years old and one 3 year old)chanted his name and then sat around him on the floor stroking and patting him....hmmmm tick adoration in abundance!

When we arrived four hours later to pick him up - well there was not a lot of excitement at Mum and Dad appearing shall we say. Today he shot-putted himself into Yola's arms and was very content when we returned a few hours later. He has settled in well and is very happy watching the other children. He seems quite comfortable with Yola and she absolutely adores him....there were no tears on either side.

Next week Mum goes back to work and Oliver will do his two regular days - although only six hours so not too bad. Will provide some photos of family day care next week when things are a little more relaxed.

Oliver is very lucky the same four children go on Monday and Tuesday and one of the little girls also goes to his playgroup on Thursday! They are a lovely group of children very gentle and loving! The little girls in particular are excited to have a baby and well Oliver is excited to be adored as usual! Yola also has too teenage daughters who think Oliver is wonderful....so really it is status quo without pesky mum and dad to dampen down the adoration!

Thanks so much for all the thoughts and prayers and socks as our little family starts this new adventure!

Lots of Love Oliver, Gabe and Anna Marie

A Day in the Life of Oliver....

2010-02-11T21:17:00.005+11:00

Mornings in Mum and Dad's bed!

Breakfast - I promise some went in Mum!

Eating my maracca in music!

Chilling between appearances!

Oliver loves putting things on his head!

Practicing his crawling pose. Not long now!

Getting ready for afternoon reading time!

A pose for Uncle Brendan!

Vegemite toast for afternoon tea!

Our Angelic Genius!

2010-02-10T21:14:00.004+11:00

When Oliver was Latte - we joked about ticking the boxes to acquire an angelic genius!

It appears our prayers were answered and we were gifted with an angelic genius*.
*conditions apply ( as Dad's advertisements would say!)

Oliver is indeed an angelic little boy...when we are outside the house! He smiles and giggles and flirts and is generally entertaining and delightful to be with. These skills are less enjoyable at 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am and 5am in the morning Oliver!

Oliver is indeed a genius and is very quick to learn certain new skills....he seems limited in his superior ability to learn when it is best to demonstrate those skills and when to lie quietly and go to sleep, lie quietly and not roll off the change table, sit quietly and eat, not lean over the side and pretend to be seasick off the boat!

Ah yes advanced for his age his imagination is already starting to emerge!

We should have been more specific in requesting an angelic genius - a little boy who does exactly what his parents wish for between midnight and well midnight!

When Oliver was in NICU we would say to each other when he gets home we will never complain about being awake all night and any other less desirable behaviour he might display we will be just so happy he is home. We thought about that the other day after a particularly special night! We lied!

Latte for Latte

2010-02-10T20:49:00.007+11:00

Oliver has had his first babyccino!

Oliver and his Godmother (who better to instruct Oliver in the art of latte drinking!) and Mum and Dad enjoyed the sunshine and the coffee before swimming lessons.

Oliver seemed to enjoy the experience although to be honest he was more excited by sharing his drink with the puppy at the next table.

The Babyccino powered Oliver through his swimming lesson where an excited Dad reports he kicked - or at least moved one leg once!

The babyccino did nothing to improve Oliver's behaviour - Rory his instructor was treated to the hairy eye ball and ignore treatment to signify Oliver's disapproval of the floating skill he was being taught.

Hmmm positive reinforcement (bribery?) of behaviour we would like (expect?) is about to start!

Perth or Melbourne.......

2010-01-26T17:00:00.003+11:00

It has been a long few weeks here in Newcastle....we had the final test for Pyloric Stenosis on Monday afternoon and got the all clear - which is fantastic - although we were pretty sure it was not the case about a week ago it is lovely to have all the boxes ticked.

Oliver treated his ultrasound as a further opportunity to hone his flirting skills - and there was the added bonus of a student sonographer. Oliver was in his element despite the poking and prodding.

Oliver has also started some medication for reflux and will now commence a series of tests and appointments to work out what is going on there. Nothing as scary though as the last few weeks.

Thanks Aunty Cath for all the information regardi

ng the charming reflux issue!

Over the weekend we had two days of drama and chaos which resulted in Oliver being threatened with the post pack to Granny....now is it cheaper to go to Melbourne or Perth! Luckily though Oliver decided to be less dramatic and chaotic and we packed the bag away in a safe spot for later!

Oliver is definitely heading towards being all grown up. A few nights ago we found him asleep on his tummy. This hopefully is the beginning of more settled sleep as recently amongst the teeth and the reflux pain has been the delightful rolling over and getting stuck milestone. Now he only gets distressed when he wakes to find he is face down in the cot.

Ha ha last little hurdle and then solid sleep here we come! If any rude person wants to share that solid sleep does not happen until Oliver moves out of home please feel free to go away!

Thank you for all the lovely thoughts, prayers and good wishes over the past few weeks....we send all those on to Oliver's cousin Lachlan who is getting his tonsils out tomorrow and cousin Ashley who starts school on Friday. Lots of love to both boys and their wonderful parents!

Tests, Teething and Sitting Up!

2010-01-21T18:31:00.005+11:00

Oliver is such a trouper - amongst the week of tests, clinic appointments and specialist assessments, he has got his first two teeth and learnt to sit up by himself.

Oliver has been dribbling for sometime - and now his first tooth has emerged - and is quite sharp! His second tooth is not far behind. He has done well - we have only had one really horrible day where he was unsettled and crying - but otherwise he is his usual gorgeous self.

Oliver has also learnt to sit by himself. This makes a change from the frustration he is expressing because he has not quite worked out the crawling thing.

Oliver can sit unaided for about 5 minutes and play with his toys before forgetting to balance and falling over. On the other hand he is becoming so frustrated by his slow progress in the crawling stakes. He is completely obsessed by rolling over and trying to move forward, and refuses to stay on his back for anything other than his milk - and even then once the edge of hunger has been taken off he is off!

Less fun is the rolling whilst sleeping!

Oliver has completed another week of tests, clinic appointments and seeing his favourite paediatrician - Kurt! He has started at the feeding clinic (haha) and is seeing a speech pathologist for his swallowing difficulties. He has another week of more investigations next week and then he sees another paediatrician and then hopefully it will all be sorted! The good news is that he has stabilised his weight so has not lost any weight this week - yay.

Oliver is a happy and healthy little fellow despite his difficulties with eating - and as usual feels that all these appointments are really just for the extra adoration and flirting opportunities.

The other big news is that Little Aggie has returned home - twice in one day - of course today she has not presented - but still she is alive and knows that we are still here.

Learning to Eat!

2010-01-13T15:03:00.013+11:00

Oliver has not inherited Mum's propensity to eat - and has lost too much weight which has prompted the GP to become worried and send us back to NICU for tests and more tests over the last week and this coming week.

An unpleasant sense of de je vu walking into NICUfor Oliver to be weighed!

The upside was that Granny and Grandpapa stayed in Newcastle for an extra few days to teach Oliver how to eat properly. It was absolutely fantastic to have granny around and she seems to have done the trick. Oliver has learnt to swallow properly and seems to have increased his milk and so far fingers crossed everything is working properly.

Oliver also has succeeded in twirling his grandparents around his little finger.....

This last photo is a glimpse of interactions to come...we can just see Oliver thinking "Can I get away with this - I think I might as I am quite adorable!"

Thanks so much Granny and Grandpapa we would never have managed the last week without you.

This week Oliver has some more blood tests, scans and a visit to the feeding clinic to make sure he is eating properly and nothing else scary is happening....we are sure everything is okay but a few prayers will not go astray!

Busy Week!

2010-01-11T09:22:00.008+11:00

Since New Year - Oliver has been so busy...once back in Newcastle we have caught up with friends and had a few playdates.

Oliver has met his new friend Ruby who was born just after Christmas and played with his big friend Quinten. Quinten came over for fun in the sun and then the boys and dads had their first swimming class on Saturday. The beginning of Saturday morning activities!

Oliver seemed to enjoy his swimming although he seemed more interested in being towed up and down the pool by dad rather than kicking or crawling as Rory the lovely instructor was trying to get him to do!

He did not even cry with his first dunking but got tired pretty quickly and slept nicely for two hours! Maybe swimming every day!

The other big event was that Mum and Dad went out for the first time since Oliver was born together! We have had a few coffee's in the early days when Oliver was in hospital and a few quick dash outings to the grocery shop or drop offs when grandparents have been about - but going out for a whole evening - we were not sure we would even be awake!

We went to Endota for a blissful massage, Estabar for a strong coffee, the movies and then dinner! It was absolutely divine - we still remember how to talk to each other and not about Oliver (sorry Oliver) and we even made it to 9pm before the first yawn! There were no phone calls and no I wonder whether he is okay.

It was an early anniversary dinner - this year is fifteen years together!

The before and after photographs!

Of course Oliver had an equally fantastic night with Granny and Grandpapa and we do not want to know how spoilt he was!

A big thank you to Granny and Grandpapa for the babysitting and Megan for the lovely Christmas present.

Road Trip

2010-01-04T08:19:00.009+11:00

Oliver's first road trip was to Canberra - with both grandmothers!

We set off from Newcastle with the first stop to pick up Granny in Sydney and then drive to Canberra to meet Grandma.

Of course in Sydney there was the chance to play with his newest bestest friend Imogen!

"I am just giving him a hug"

We took Oliver to The Portrait Gallery and the Masterpieces from Paris at the National Gallery. There was lots of time spent under the trees in the sculpture garden whilst the grown-ups wandered around.

There was always at least one grandmother available at all times to read and entertain

and of course Oliver was lapping up the undivided attention of four adults!

It was absolutely lovely for Oliver to spend time with his grandmothers - it is so special to see his little face light up with recognition when they appear!

It has been almost three months since his Grandma has seen him and five months since his granny has seen him. So he had many developmental milestones to show them....of course they correctly assessed him as being an angelic genius so they can visit again.

Thank you to both grandmothers for making the effort to spend time with Oliver and helping out to make the trip so wonderful.

Not my First Swim!

2009-12-29T21:09:00.001+11:00

On the list of things to do during Dad's holiday was take Oliver for a swim.

Justin rang earlier in the day and said he was off for a swim and the water was a lovely 20 degrees. With the enthusiasim of parents with too much coffee in their systems we set out for the beach....

Oliver decked out in his speedo suit - thankyou aunty Rose - we arrived at the Newcastle Baths. It was overcast and a little windy but Justin said the water was lovely...so Dad (hehehehe he lost at rock paper sissors) and Oliver prepared to enter the water.

Unfortunately we cannot report what Dad said as he actually entered the water but 20 degrees it was NOT! Oliver was excited until his little toes felt the icy water...so much for the first swim.

Cuddles for both the McGrath boys.

Justin did we mention that there is a probation period for Godfather status!

Oliver's First Christmas

2009-12-26T18:38:00.016+11:00

Oliver was blessed to share his first Christmas with his granny and grandpapa from Perth and of course his Mum and Dad.

On Christmas eve we all went to the Children's mass with carols at St Columba's. Oliver obliged by falling asleep during The Little Drummer Boy - the song Mum and Dad and Granny sang endlessly in the early weeks to settle Oliver before sleep.

We had a cup of tea with the Parish Priest who was from Goa - so Dad's Christmas was complete and then walked home via the Christmas lights on Wells Street - which had almost every house decorated.

Christmas Eve dinner was the first time since Oliver was six weeks old that the four of us sat down together - what a change twenty weeks has brought - Oliver went to sleep and stayed asleep and we enjoyed dinner and wine - lovely!

Christmas morning saw Oliver receive many lovely presents -

(thankyou Giulia, Victoria, Megan, Justin, Margaret, Trish and Paul, Fiona, Benedict, Xavier and Imogen!)

And of course Oliver gave a few presents too - (Aggie was very happy with her new box!).

Justin, Amanda, Andrew and Ruby came over for Christmas morning tea and then it was time to play with granny and grandpapa and all the lovely new presents! A few phone calls later and Christmas was over for 2009.

Boxing Day saw Granny and Grandpapa leave for Sydney, Uncle Brendan arrive in his new car and a lovely walk in the wild and wooly weather on the beach.

Cyclone Season - Especially in Moira Street!

2009-12-23T16:22:00.006+11:00

There is talk of wide-spread destruction from the cyclones passing through Australia at the moment.

Cyclone Oliver is casting widespread destruction through the kitchen...he is learning to eat and much to his father's dismay is making an almighty mess!

This is a before photo - there is no after photo as mum and dad were in tears!

Oliver thinks he just needs to smile adorably and well mum and dad melt in puddles at his feet - where did he get an idea like that! Whilst in Sydney on the weekend we bought an Ikea highchair - Oliver sits well in it and it is hoseable!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

2009-12-23T16:12:00.006+11:00

Oliver spent the weekend with his grandparents, Sydney Aunts and Uncles and most importantly his cousins.

Oliver has two older cousins Benedict and Xavier and

one younger cousin Imogen....

Oliver and Imogen enjoyed hours of playing on their mat together which was completely lovely

Did someone say milk?

"Imogen this is what you do.....just hold my hand and everyone will go completely gooey over how cute we are - and then there is cuddles all round!"

"I was just showing her how I get you guys to do what ever I want...." - " No mum honestly it was Oliver! I just did what Oliver said"

Hmmm lucky they are both so adorable!

Although there were great sighs of relief that neither family had had twins!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas

2009-12-15T07:36:00.004+11:00

If the house had been on fire in the last six months there would be two precious things we would risk our lives to rescue....Oliver and the Pump!

Oliver and the Pump have governed our world for the past six months - even before Oliver arrived pumping was part of our lives in preparation.....

Today the Pump - not Oliver - goes back!

We are so excited - it has been a huge effort on both Mum and Dad's part to make sure Oliver had enough breast milk each day....ironically now that he has started formula he appears to enjoy it much more than his breast milk bottles during the day!

Oliver appears to be a settled and content little fellow - so being bottle feed has not at this stage lead to therapy - at least for Oliver...

Coffee at III Bean to celebrate.....yay!

Twelve Days of Christmas

2009-12-13T06:07:00.006+11:00

Oliver's first Christmas tree which is real and smells divine (although a little prickly and itchy!)

Oliver placed the angel on top of the tree with help from Dad. Three angels what more could a girl want? Mum and Dad with the help of a glass of wine decorated the rest of the tree.

The decorations have been collected on travels so it was great fun to unpack and remember all the little stories that went with the baubles.

The tree looks fantastic and was just in time for the celebrations with Oliver's little friends at a bbq on Sunday.

Co-ordinating sleep with four little boys and their parents is quite a challenge - but there were only a few tears, lots of eating and the rocky road ice-cream was a great success.

The Gift of Giving

2009-12-07T11:03:00.004+11:00

Oliver is sitting amongst the softie robots making their way to Meet me at Mikes Mirabel Foundation collection.

If you are in Melbourne - there is a window of all the softies that have been donated to the Crafting for Charity see if you can spot the robots....

We like the idea of Oliver learning the act of giving early on.....We are very lucky that Oliver is going to be surrounded by so many friends and family that are inspiring in their actions of giving.

We had a lovely afternoon tea with some friends on Saturday who have established Hope Myanmar and it was just wonderful to hear them talking about their projects and see their excitement about the potential of the charity.

Oliver's godfather returns this weekend from his work in Darjeeling and the surrounding areas....We can't wait to hear the stories and how his projects are coming along.....

If you need inspiration for Christmas gifts look no further than Oxfam Unwrapped

So Much To Do So Little Time to Blog!

2009-12-01T10:59:00.010+11:00

It has been a busy few days - and Oliver has been a complete delight to be around....he absolutely loves having dad home. Oliver has a few home away from homes....such as

III Bean where we had breakfast with Megan who has returned from her South American adventure and Estabar for Gelato (and milk) after our beach walk to check out the brides - a favourite Saturday afternoon pasttime.

It was lovely to sit in the seabreeze and enjoy the sunshine...and have nowhere to rush to.

Oliver's sunhat is a great purchase and he seems to be ok so far wearing his hat....and definitely does not mind being photographed...maybe he takes after his Grandpapa in Perth - there is a hint of photoface.

Oliver has also started sleeping in his sleeping bag....with some wrapping - but he had been unwrapping himself in the night and getting cold and then waking up! We seem to have less wakings and more sleeping so hoorah for the sleeping bag!

Oliver likes to play quietly by himself in his cot when he wakes up - which is fantastic he will hoot out so that we know he is awake but on most days we can come and go and he happily plays....joining Miffy in the cot are some lovely coloured wooden balls threaded on ribbon. Oliver can move them along the ribbon and also swing them back and forth.

Yesterday was Oliver's first play date at home...it went well five children aged between 4 months and 2 years and one who is due in a few weeks time. It was fun but exhausting someone ate the crayons someone drank someone elses milk and someone was going to sit in the corner for a little bit...Oliver behaved impeccably of course (well he snoozed and drank his own milk and did not throw up!) but was not sure whether he liked having to share the attention!

Our Comedic Genius

2009-11-28T16:23:00.003+11:00

Today has just been fantastic!

Oliver has been practicing his raspberry blowing....and he is pretty good!

He is very pleased with himself and has spent some time mastering the art....just the right amount of dribble, positioning of the tongue and of course checking to make sure his appreciative audience is on hand.

His timing was impeccable, when Dad stated "this does not look like a two hour afternoon sleep..." Oliver responded with "plsplsplsplspls"!

Mum laughed for at least five minutes!

Just perfect!

Enjoy the video...

Sitting Up!

2009-11-23T19:02:00.006+11:00

Over the last few days Oliver has really got the hang of sitting up and he

loves it - he cries when he is laid down flat....so after reading a friends post about her little girl loving her Bumbo seat (thanks Katie and Isobel) we bought one for Oliver.

At first we thought it looked very very silly but then he sat in it and was so very very happy!

It is soft and squishy and seems to mould around his body....you have to be careful though as we tried him in the morning when he was not really ready to hold himself up and he kept leaning over.

The Bumbo seat is great for feeing his three spoonfuls of apple mush!

He seems to be more upright and ready to hold himself tall in the afternoon...it must be nice to get a different perspective on life!

He looks like he is ready to get out and walk - Very advanced for his age!

My Newest Bestest Friend?

2009-11-23T13:56:00.009+11:00

In the last few days - Oliver has started to notice Aggie....really watch her and start to reach out occasionally for her

Aggie of course has noticed Oliver since we brought him home and she has done incredibly well adjusting to having someone smaller and cuter than her in the house!

She is very protective and comes running to find Mum and Dad when Oliver is crying and sits next to him until he calms down. She becomes quite vocal if she thinks we are taking too long to respond to his crying!

This morning in the kitchen Aggie and Oliver spent some time together....

Oliver's little hand was slowly inching towards Aggie.....

Aggie carefully assessed the situation and decided that at the rate Oliver's hand was moving she could safely consider food and still be ready for the exciting first pat!

Oliver caught sight of some gorgeous fellow looking at him from the oven door - hey wait a minute he looks familiar....it's me!

Mr. Independent

2009-11-16T16:03:00.003+11:00

Oliver has always been an independent little fellow...a combination of necessity and personality.

Today he has decided that he can handle his bottle just fine thank you very much!

Uncle Melville does liquid through the nose still reach the stomach?

Food Glorious Food!

2009-11-15T20:33:00.004+11:00

Oliver has started eating solids....well slightly less liquidy matter is probably a better description!

On Wednesday Oliver woke up very early and hence Mum and Dad were up very early and well it seemed like a good idea so we tried some baby rice...

As you can see the first few spoonfuls were quite strange - but then Oliver started to relax and enjoy. A visit to the local organic store and a few apples, pears and carrots made their way home to be steamed and mooshed and frozen.

Pear and baby rice are the delights in store for Oliver this week.....

We are following the Annabel Karmel first taste baby menu...how apt that Oliver's first foray in solid food is set out as a degustation experience.....

New Hat!

2009-11-11T19:28:00.008+11:00

The weather is just perfect here in Newcastle high twenties with loads of sunshine and a gentle seabreeze!

We are very lucky the back garden gets the afternoon shade and the lovely seabreeze so we have been camping out each afternoon on the picnic blanket.

There is a slight hill which aids the rolling practice -

although Mum does provide a hand to start at the top and roll down!

Oliver is at the stage where his fingers are just so absorbing so what better way to spend the afternoon than sucking your fingers and reading a little!

Oh and Oliver has his first sunhat!

Ah life is completely perfect and so is Oliver!

Boys Own Adventure

2009-11-11T07:37:00.003+11:00

Oliver and Dad went to the books and babies session again this week.

Oliver just loves reading which is fantastic - and we have found several different sessions to try which he seems to enjoy.....sometimes he is completely engrossed in the stories and songs and sometimes the other babies who are there.

Oliver is still on the 'O' plan so on any given day at any given time anything is possible....he is very alert during his awake times which can range from 60 minutes to 2 hours - which is very rare.

He is reliably awake for at least part of any activity we do outside the house.....this is a great step forward from being asleep through every session we went to up to 16 weeks of age!

It is amazing how much changes in three short weeks!

Rolling Training...Rocky Style!

2009-11-06T16:57:00.004+11:00

We took Oliver to a physio session last Monday - it was through the Parents as Teachers programme Oliver has been going at the local very funky primary school - they have their own kitchen garden very trendy!

At the physio session Oliver learnt a heap of different exercises to encourage his physical development and they were all easy enough to incorporate into his little play sessions through the day...it was great fun especially since Oliver was actually awake for the entire session!

Today he rolled over!

The photographs are pretty fuzzy as it is the actual first roll - okay Mum might have got very excited and dropped the camera and then scared the child with the excited YAY...but that is a whole different story!

Oliver is pretty excited with himself and he is of course a genius child and very advanced for his age..as you all know already:)

Enjoy the dodgy photography and be amazed by the stunning physical feats Oliver performs for you next time you meet!

Of course when Dad came home from work and Oliver was placed on his tummy to demonstrate new skill - nothing happened....so mum had to demonstrate what Dad missed - not quite the same!

Reading Reading Reading!

2009-11-05T16:26:00.006+11:00

One of the first things we did when we knew Oliver was on the way - was to book him into the library for dads and bubs reading group.

Oliver has been to a couple of sessions at the library so far - but this week he went to the books and babies with Dad on Monday and another session on Tuesday with Mum!

It is so exciting these days as Oliver is actually awake through the activities that we go to.

He is also so responsive that it is great fun for Oliver, and Mum and Dad!

Of course whilst in Melbourne we visited a great bookshop and stocked up on a few new favourites!

I am so much fun.....

2009-11-04T14:23:00.006+11:00

Oliver is 18 weeks -

and so much fun to have around....

as the photo demonstrates he is mid way through telling us just how much fun he is!

Oliver has really got the hang of grabbing things this week....

his mobile, our fingers and his newly discovered toy -

the wooden balls....

of course everything he grabs is on a fast track into his mouth - except his milk which he still seems to think is not a good idea to drink!

My First Family Holiday

2009-10-25T15:12:00.022+11:00

We took Oliver on his first holiday to meet his Melbourne family, celebrate three birthdays and meet the newest little cousin! If you look closely you can see his boarding pass says Latte McGrath - his name before he became Oliver.

The was some grieving at the airport as we realised we would never again travel light - how much stuff can one little fellow need.....all of the bags except the small one were Oliver's!!!

The first birthday was cousin Victoria turning one....it was a lovely party and Oliver met his aunty Cath with bump (who became Benjamin) and his three great aunts Shirley, Val and Audrey.

This is a photo of the gorgeous birthday girl with her family.

On Monday we took Oliver to our favourite cafe in the State Library in the city and also a wander around ACMI...

Oliver enjoyed the coffee as much as his mum and dad and charmed the wait staff as usual!

The rest of the week had a few more cafe visits and impromptu feeding sessions in the sunshine between visits with family and friends.

We even squeezed in a visit to our favourite park - Fitzroy Gardens!

The best part of the holiday was catching up with family and friends and seeing Oliver getting to know his family and especially his Grandma.

Oliver got to celebrate his Grandma's birthday, meet cousin Benjamin (in the photo below) when he was born and spend time with Benjamin's big brothers Ashley and Lachlan.

The third celebration was Lachlan's second birthday. It was great timing to get so many wonderful occasions in one week.

We are now safely home and Oliver is tucked up in his own little cot and sleeping peacefully (we hope!)

The Prince and his Minions

2009-10-15T13:22:00.011+11:00

Oliver's head and neck control has come along so well in the last week or so, which means we can now sit him up....

with the aid of several pillows which keeps him entertained and is great for the morning rush hour!

Oliver thinks this is great as he is Lord and Master of everything he can see (okay just over Wormy!) and his minions are at his beck and call....

Perhaps he should have a chat to Aggie as she thinks she is the Queen of the house and is used to her minions granting her every wish....quite a couple!

Oliver loves sitting up to play with his gym and demonstrates fantastic concentration...

until those pesky toes show up in his line of vision....

then he has to investigate what those toes are doing...

which often results in a tumble - oopsie daisie lucky the pillows are soft!

Never too young to become an activist

2009-10-13T19:41:00.005+11:00

We hope that Oliver grows up with a strong social conscience and lives an active and ethical life.....and obviously his aunt thinks so too!

Margi has sent Oliver this fantastic little suit which is organic and educational....he wore it for our beach walk in the hope that any whales passing the Newcastle coast would surface for a chat...alas no luck this week!

New PJ's

2009-10-08T16:51:00.011+11:00

"There is nothing quite like getting new pyjamas to lift one's spirits.. soft and comfy and hey look I can't wiggle through!!"

We have invested in some lovely new pyjamas after Oliver's tricks last week. He seems to be very happy and has not escaped so far......

Oliver loves playing in his cot when he wakes up and on some days will happily chat to himself and Miffy for quite some time...allowing Mum and Dad to make the much needed coffee!!!

We are trying to encourage tummy time and first thing in the morning seems to be a great hit.....

Today was Oliver's immunisation - a little early so that he can go to Melbourne.... he was a brave little fellow cried a little and then went to sleep... Mum and Dad cried a little and wanted to go to sleep!

Sleeping through the night...or maybe not......

2009-10-04T14:41:00.005+11:00

Oliver has been sleeping through the night for the last two weeks - he is doing really well except for one little glitch....

Last Monday night he let out a blood curdling scream at about 5am....racing in thinking the worst Oliver was found in just his nappy at the opposite end of the cot to where he was lovingly tucked in....

Mummy not operating on full strength (remember it is 5am) yells out to Daddy who is still asleep - "What on earth are you thinking, not dressing Oliver and just leaving him in the cot without wrapping!!"

Hmmm.... on closer inspection it appeared that Oliver was giggling!

Further inspection of the child by both parents at this stage reveals that Oliver has wriggled out of his clothes, his tight wrap, his outside wrap and his blanket..... which are exactly where they should be... at the other end of the cot!

Some loving words were exchanged between the parents (okay there was an awful lot of laughing) and some cuddles for Oliver and thanks to God that at least his nappy was still on!

Everyone went back to bed....until Tuesday morning 5am.....yep cue giggling from Oliver......he thought this was a great trick!

Caught in the act!

No Sleep & first mobile blog post

2009-10-03T10:28:00.003+10:00

Normally, I'd have a sleep between 9-11am, but so far today, I haven't slept at all! SURPRISE!!!

That's me in the photo, under a blanket in my baby capsule. The cafe is pretty noisy, but I'm able to sleep through noise - as I got used to it in ICU in my first two weeks.

Today... Dad's writing my blog on location while mum talks to our friend Megan. Dad's using his EEEPC 700, which has just come back from the 77th repair. I don't know what "that blasted thing" means, but it has something to do with his baby computer. Anyway, since dad is doing my blog from the cafe, the wireless internet must be working... and I haven't heard him say that funny phrase this time.

Anyway, must doze now.
Don't forget to leave me a comment! O.

Sunshine, coffee and toes....

2009-10-01T11:33:00.009+10:00

The weather is fantastic in Newcastle and Oliver is enjoying his sleep at the beach....this is a corner of the Newcastle Baths - it is very iconic and features in many local wedding photos.....hopefully a long time before Oliver is standing here in wedding photos!

We had the obligatory coffee...good for the soul and increases the ability of mummy to function on limited sleep....

Oliver has discovered his toes this week...

he especially loves the car seat as the angle is just right to observe those things that wiggle....

amazing they seem to wiggle when I move my feet...hey wait a minute are they attached to me?

Please note the lovely fish trousers the only thing to wear for a walk on the beach...

Week Fourteen - Already

2009-09-28T08:27:00.004+10:00

Oliver is thirteen weeks old and is definitely a baby not a newborn now. Oliver loves to chat - especially when eating - very social.

He loves to be where the action is and he is very independant...often happy to play by himself and just watch the world go by!

Of course he also loves to be adored!

Oliver had a few social engagements last week - he went to the park with some new friends....Joshua who is 5 months old and Jordon who is three weeks old.

Oliver was happy to lie under the tree and watch the clouds.

Oliver also had his first day trip - we went to Sydney to meet his cousin Victoria - all the way from Melbourne.

Mum and Dad also survived the highly planned outing.... unfortunately we forgot to take pictures! Hence the photograph of Oliver with his cousin Victoria and Uncle and Aunt when they visited Newcastle. A big shock to Mum and Dad was the amount of stuff we had to take just for one day! Hmmmm may not be able to do the walk on luggage for the trip to Melbourne!!

Grown Up Trousers

2009-09-24T18:47:00.004+10:00

To celebrate turning thirteen weeks and officially making it out of the newborn stage -

Oliver has trousers with no feet - how grown up!

What a day - trousers with no feet and the accountant!

That's right Oliver experienced one of the annual events that will feature in his life God willing for a long long long time - TAX!

Of course made all the more bearable by Ami - our accountant - becoming completely besotted with Oliver and cooing to him throughout the whole consult....

Oliver in turn smiled and giggled - he is a flirt!

NSW experienced a huge dust storm yesterday -

it looked like God had turned on the sepia lighting - this is the magnificent glow in Oliver's room at 7am!

Sleepytime during Storytime

2009-09-22T14:28:00.004+10:00

Oliver went to his first storytime at the library today....

When we found out that Oliver was on his way - we booked Oliver into Storytime with Dad at the Newcastle Library. It is an early literacy programme to encourage parents to read to their children each day.

Each of the libraries around Newcastle have a Storytime for Babies session each month ...it is very cool - we read a couple of stories and sing a few songs.....really just an excuse for the latent playschool presenter in the librarians to emerge for an hour each month.....

Oliver of course slept through the session - as he slept through all five of the Parent as Teachers sessions we went to.....He is loving his reading time each day though...He especially loves Where is the Green Sheep (thankyou Gay and Rose) and also I Went Walking....after reading the same book each day we are starting to improvise the things we saw when Oliver went Walking

Oliver is asleep on the lovely floor mat that granny made before she went home....it has his name spelt out in big letters in - very helpful if he wakes disorientated from his snooze during storytime and thinks he is the "green sheep who is fast asleep!"

My First Picnic

2009-09-21T10:26:00.005+10:00

We went on our first picnic with Oliver on Sunday - this was a transplanted Father's Day picnic as well. We had always talked about having a little one when we went on picnics together so it was completely wonderful to experience our imaginings!

Oliver is completely relaxed eating lunch wherever he is! He experienced the grass between his toes - it must be spring!

Twelve Weeks Old

2009-09-19T18:58:00.009+10:00

Oliver is twelve weeks old today - it seems both so long ago that we found out that Oliver - or Latte as he was known then was coming into our lives and only yesterday that he actually arrived.

The last twelve weeks have been all the adjectives that every new parent uses to describe the life changing event. The things we thought we would struggle with turned out to be easier and the strangest things bring us to our knees.

Nothing quite compares to the gummy dribbly grin we get when we wake Oliver in the morning - or the smile that slowly emerges when he recognises one of us.....of course we could do with his instruction manual - which we have misplaced - so if you see it floating around please send it through!

Oliver is a great joy in our lives although there is some adjustment going on as we have been by ourselves living away from family for fourteen years and to have someone else in our lives on a daily basis is both exciting and exhausting.

We have started the blog as a memory for Oliver and a way for his family and friends to keep up to date with his adventures.

The photos from the top are:
1. Oliver 9 weeks old at his Welcome Party
2. Oliver 2 days old in NICU
3. Oliver 2 weeks old first day at home
4. Oliver 10 weeks old with Maisie and his floor mat
5. Oliver with Mum and Dad in NICU
6. Oliver being blessed by Jigme

Another Present

2009-09-17T12:32:00.004+10:00

This time from Trish and Paul - it completes the set of wooden rattles that Mum and Dad had already bought when Oliver was Latte.

Oliver is demonstrating his fantastic grip of the rattle (ok so Mum might have put it in his hand!)- a few seconds later he bopped himself in the nose after swinging the rattle around his head. Although we think Oliver is gifted and advanced for his age - his movements are still quite reflex based and his idea of comedy is developing!

Oliver's New Car

2009-09-16T08:26:00.003+10:00

Oliver received another fantastic present from his London cousin Giulia - a new car! It is lovely and squishy and has a rattle built in - when Oliver is old enough to watch Pixar films - we will be showing him this cool short - about someone else with a new car!

Giulia also sent Oliver his change time toy - which his Perth granny christened Maisie! Oliver has long chats to Maisie telling her all about his hopes and dreams! He smiles his gummy smile and chats away!

Tummy Time

2009-09-14T13:49:00.000+10:00

A few weeks ago at the parenting group that Oliver goes to - they suggested placing something underneath his chest so that he is raised and not completely flat - he now loves tummy time.

His neck control has come so far in the last few weeks - he is almost able to hold his head without lolling side to side......he is also starting to look around alot more when on his tummy......

He is still a very very happy fellow and has started to smile respond more and more. This morning both of us were greeted with a smile and loads of kicking and stretching at the early morning wake up call!

First Swing

2009-09-14T13:24:00.000+10:00

Oliver had his first swing - assisted by Dad.....he seemed to really love the movement and was happy in the lovely breeze and dappled sunlight.

It finished a very busy Sunday - which started with coffee by the beach - maybe that was more for Mum and Dad!

2009-07-07T09:45:00.001+10:00

It was time to give you your first bath at home. Dad set up your baby bath on top of the washing machine. (And made sure it was turned off - otherwise the spin cycle may have turned your bath into a spa - and given you a big surprise!)

Meanwhile, Grandma Marlene got you ready, and brought you to the laundry...

Now, it was time for dad to put you in the bath... and you LOVED it. You looked around and made gurgly sounds...

And dad kept you entertained while he made sure you were all clean and shiny. You looked so little in your baby bath...

...but you seemed quite happy in the warm water.

Dad even stopped being as nervous about bathtime....

And once we'd dried you off, it was time to wrap you up again, and have a cuddle in the window seat. Of course, you and mum weren't the only ones enjoying the window seat.

Hmm, what's that fluffy thing there......?

Lets hear it for the grannies!

2009-07-05T14:00:00.002+10:00

For the first few weeks we had you home Oliver, mum and dad were still very tired from the hospital, and we were learning how to look after you. Luckily, we had two lovely mums of our own that were staying with us, and they kept offering to look after you at night!

Yes - grandma Florinda and grandma Marlene would send your mum and dad to bed as soon as we'd given you your 10pm feed! How lovely! What super grannies you have!

Electric Dreams

2009-07-03T20:30:00.003+10:00

Mum & dad grew up in the 1980's, at opposite ends of Australia. Mum was in Perth (the far left of the map) and dad was in Melbourne (the far right of the map). Even though they didn't meet until years later, then both liked the same film when they were 13.

Electric Dreams.

Here's the trailer...

Now, we're going to show you the film one day Oliver, so we won't tell you what happens. OK, maybe we'll just tell you about one part. Something sad happens to a boy and girl. They decide they don't want to be sad anymore, so they get in a car and drive somewhere that's nicer. As they drive, this song plays on the radio...

As we'd been in the hospital for SUCH a long time (over a week!) we were a bit sad and tired. But then... on Friday night, they said we could take you home! So Dad got the car ready, and once mum put you in the car, dad pressed play on his mp3 player, so a special song could play...

My, what a lovely birthday present!

2009-07-02T08:30:00.000+10:00

Mum's birthday is 5 days before your, Oliver. And dad's - is 5 days after. Aren't we clever?

Anyway, Dad's special day is July 2nd, and this year, his present was the fact that you could come back to our room with us. Hooray!

This meant that instead of waking up and walking to ICU at 8.30 in the morning (& staying there till 10pm) we could have you in OUR room! You'd be there when we woke up - and there when we went to bed! This was very, very lovely. (Even if mum was noticing that sometimes she'd wake up early in the morning and hear TWO lots of snuffles coming from different parts of the room!)

The photo above shows you demonstrating your sleeping skills Oliver, and mum enjoying your enhanced portability, due to being very small.

Then, the next day, we got even better news...

So many visitors!

2009-07-01T10:30:00.003+10:00

Over the next few days, you had a few people visiting you. Unfortunately, we could only have 2 people with you at a time, so some had to rest in the waiting room. Up above, you can see your grannie Florinda plus mum & dad...

And there's Auntie Margi holding you for the first time. This week you had many people coming to give you a cuddle. There was Megan and Justin and Trish....

And here's your Grandma Marlene, who'd flown in from Queensland. Yes - she normally lives in Melbourne but she'd gone 'up north' where it was a bit warmer.

Both your grannies (& grandpa Albert) were very nice, staying at our house and making sure that everything was OK.

Meanwhile, dad stayed on a little mattress in mum's room and made sure she was OK.

Making a splash!

2009-06-30T20:00:00.000+10:00

In your first 3 days with you, we'd learnt how to feed you, dress you, burp you and a few other things...

But now it was time for dad to learn how to BATH you.

He was a bit nervous, as you were a bit of a wriggly jelly bean, but he carefully put the water in, checked it was warm, then put you in....

YOU LIKED IT!

You weren't totally sure about baths, but after a few days, you seemed to like it a bit more....

The "Incredibly Cute Unit"

2009-06-30T16:25:00.000+10:00

For the next few days, mum and dad learnt how to feed and change you, Ollie. And of course, cuddle you as much as possible. We were hoping to take you home, but the doctors and nurses said that you were SO cute, they wanted you to stay in the 'Incredibly Cute Unit' for a few more days...

Unfortunately, that meant something that wasn't very nice. The nurses had to put a tube in your nose. I bet you remember. When they put it in, you screamed your little heart out. Mum and dad were very very sorry, and kissed you and hugged you... again and again and again.

Playing in the Cubbyhouse

2009-06-27T22:32:00.001+10:00

Mum and dad went into the big room with all the doctors and nurses. The doctors put up a big tent (a bit like a cubby house) and hid behind it. Mum and dad waited. It was a bit like a magic show. After a while, the doctor walked around the tent, and gave us a present!

Yes - it's YOU Oliver! The doctor had wrapped you up in a little package, and we gave you your first kiss and cuddle. We're glad you didn't say anything too bad to us about our silly hats. Don't worry Oliver - mum and dad promise not to wear duck-egg blue hairnets ever again! Soon, it was time for mum to see the doctor, so I took you for a little ride in a trolley.

While mum was seeing the doctor, I got to spend about 10 minutes with you Ollie, and that was really lovely.

You opened your eyes, and looked around. I gave you a soft pat on the back, and told you how much I loved you. Soon, it was time to see mum - yay!

We went back to our room, and mum got to put you in bed with her for a BIG cuddle. Here's a photo of you holding mum's hand.
Usually, dad likes to sleep a lot, but this night he seemed to want to stay awake, so he could cuddle and kiss the two loveliest people he knows.
One was a medium-size person. And one was a cute little person. The cutest he'd EVER seen.

It's time to play dressups!

2009-06-27T22:00:00.001+10:00

The doctor said "it's time for Oliver to come out", so mum and dad had to put on some special clothes.

We took a photo, then mum got back into bed, and we went to a special waiting room.

Dad was a bit nervous, so the nurses told him to sit down and put his head between his knees. They also gave him a glass of water to drink and said "Don't worry. If you fall over, we'll just step over you".

Soon, dad felt better, and together with mum, they went into a big room... it was time for Oliver to arrive!

What a yummy mummy!

2009-06-21T15:20:00.004+10:00

Nine months is a long time for mum to carry something heavy in her tummy, even if it's a lovely baby like you, Oliver.

So, now that it was less than a week till you were due to arrive, we thought we should take some photos of mum to remember how she looked when she had her baby belly!

Don't tell anyone Oliver, but we sneakily looked up lots of nice 'belly' photos on the internet, then took our photos the same way! Sneaky!

There's mum hiding behind the kitchen door....

"Aw mum! Dad! Don't do that!"

I'm sorry Oliver (it's Dad typing) - but mum looked so lovely, and she'd worked so hard carrying you around, that I thought she deserved a kiss.

(And don't worry, I didn't forget you Ollie - I've got my hand on her belly, giving you a pat at the same time.)

Maybe next time you see mum, *you* could give her a kiss. She's a really lovely mum, and deserves many, many kisses and cuddles.

She really likes them too.

Two weeks left to go...

2009-06-11T08:22:00.001+10:00

This is our favourite scan of all, Oliver! Why? Because it was taken just 2 weeks before you arrived! Woohoo!

Mind you, somebody little (who starts with 'O') was playing again while the lady was scanning! This meant that most of our photos didn't work. But the one you see above DID... and we got to admire your chubby cheeks!

Mmm, we could just eat you all up!

2009-06-02T10:00:00.004+10:00

If sure someone has told you Oliver, that you look "good enough to eat!" Well, a few weeks before you arrived, it was true!

Mum was about to leave her work, so she had a morning tea with friends. A friend of mum 'n' dad (Giv) makes special cupcakes, and she made us some 'latte baby' cupcakes!

Mmmmmmmm, they were very very yum.

Dad was a bit sorry to eat them though, as they looked so good!

Luckily, he took lots of photos first, so that we would remember your amazing cupcakes.

2009-05-13T08:26:00.000+10:00

You're now 32 weeks old Oliver, and it's not too long till you arrive! The photo above is a "4D" scan which looks much better than your earlier ultrasounds. We can clearly see your eyes, nose and mouth.

We're not sure if you're asleep there - or just closing your eyes for a moment. These days, mum is pretty tired, and she feels like closing her eyes quite often!

Latte? Isn't that a drink, mum?

2009-04-22T14:54:00.006+10:00

By April Oliver, we were pretty sure you were a boy, but we wanted to keep it a surprise for everyone else.

This meant we definitely needed a codename for you.

Yes, we'd been calling you 'bump' but it was a name we'd heard other people use We thought you deserved something a bit different.

The only other thing we knew about you, is that your skin colour was likely to be halfway between mum and dad's... a kind of 'coffee' colour.

And since mum's favourite coffee was Latte...

Hello world!

2008-12-22T03:37:00.000+11:00

Dear Oliver,

Your mum and dad aren't very good at keeping a diary, but we want to keep a record of all the joy, fun and challenges you've brought into our lives.

So - we've made you a blog.

It's also a chance for your family (who live elsewhere) to see what you've been up to!

This is one of the first photos we have of you, O! You were only 12 weeks old at this time... and mum was just starting to have a bit of a 'bump' in her tummy.

And that's what we called you in December 2008 - 'bump'. We didn't know whether you'd be a boy or girl, and we thought 'bump' was cute. Hmm... 28 weeks till we meet you...