Christmas 2011

Christmas this year was very special – there was Freya of course – and there was family! Oliver was old enough to get excited about some of the things that happen. 

Like the tree...

And presents... 

Like gingerbread men...  and Christmas lunch...

And of course, Freya got some quality flirting time in, with Auntie Marghi...

A special announcement...

We wanted to announce Freya's arrival in a creative way, so we asked Oliver to read Anna Walker's latest book......

And of course there were announcement cards to send out...

Once Freya got home, there was lots to do as Oliver's baby sister..... There was being adored by granny and grandma...

Having a lovely warm bath with daddy...

And of course, drinking coffee...

Okay that was just mama, daddy and Oliver!

It's all pretty tiring...  I need a rest!

A lovely new arrival

Oliver did very well when Mama and Daddy decamped to hospital to prepare for Freya.

There may have been some dodgy dealings with granny and grandpapa –

 "yes granny mama lets me do this all the time!"

Meanwhile at the hospital there were two days of steroids and then our favourite Dr Bailey did another fantastic job and after almost two years of holding our breath Freya arrived healthy and perfect and with a strong set of lungs!

Daddy holding our gorgeous girl

Freya having her first little drink in NICU

 Mama meeting and holding Freya for the first time in NICU

First cuddle the next day - Mama escaped from the nurses on the ward!

Daddy cuddles are the best!

NICU become our home on and off for two weeks

Unfortunately Freya was tubed straight after she was born  and strong a sense of deja vu occured for the first two weeks.

Freya came home briefly and then went back to NICU for a few more days

Of course Freya had the traditional first bath in NICU -

 our home away from home.

Here Freya is meeting her big brother O and her granny for the first time.

Freya gave Oliver a very special present for being a wonderful big brother  - Oliver loves Oliver Jeffers' books especially the ones about the boy and his friend the penguin...Granny and Mama made a boy and a penguin to go with the book!

The final countdown...

In the last few days before Freya arrived, we took time to spend with Oliver doing some of his favourite activities and introducing him to some of the finer aspects of being a big brother -

There was some serious coffee drinking to be done....

Oliver's first gelato – please note Oliver choose the watermelon gelato
and consumed none of that instead opted for Daddy's esspresso gelato!

Sand and water play are big at the moment ….

As are painting, Lego... 

 

 And helping Daddy construct Freya's cot.

F is for Frio

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 and the Newcastle model show

No, not those kind of models!
Model trains, boats, trains, cars, trains, diggers, and would you believe it, trains?

This is an annual event in Newcastle - very similar to something Gabe used to go to as a boy in Camberwell, Victoria. And for a whole day, part of the Newcastle Jockey club turns into little (medium/big) boy heaven.

Here's Ollie having a look at at one of the smaller exhibits, and...  planning a future purchase?

And here's a movie clip of Ollie admiring one of the train sets in action...

Oliver's 2nd birthday party

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...

1. I drove all night - Cyndi Lauper
2. The wheels on the bus - Playschool
3. Get outta my dreams, get into my car - Billy Ocean
4. Joyride - Roxette
5. Let's go driving - Playschool  (Hello, ABC!   Put things on Youtube!!)
6. Road to nowhere - Talking Heads
7. Drive my car - The Beatles
8. Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane
9. Take you riding (in my car, car) - Playschool
10. Car Wash - Rose Royce
11. 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!