Time flies!!!

Hi all - it's been a few months since I posted anything! Lazy sod you say!!?? Yeah , fair enough.

Guilty as charged!

It's been a nice summer though - flown past! My ready made family is blossoming into a pretty good one! Lucky me! Alex is 6 months now and thriving - his appetite is immense. Hehe - no funny comments please!

Annika is also great - slowly getting used to having a Spamhead for a husband ...I think!

In fact it was our 1st anniversary on the 5th March. We went down to Nannup for the weekend and had a day out in Margaret River - just the 2 of us- which was great! It's the kind of thing we used to take for granted so when we get the opportunity these days we are very grateful!

Nannup music festival was on as well. It's a bit of a hippie-fest but a nice and relaxing atmosphere. Once you get used to hordes of crusty traveller types its a nice place to be. Alex loved the whole experience and got lots of admirers , especially this one particular hippie. He must have been about 60 years old, long white hair and matching beard, slightly musty aroma and time machine clothes - you know the type! Anyway, during one of the gigs he was sat next to me and I had Alex on my lap. The hippie and Alex seemed to hit it off in some kind of spiritual way! Alex stared at the hippie, and the hippie gazed at Alex - for about 10 minutes! Which was enough to trip the old guy out a bit I think! As he left he tapped me on the shoulder and said " man, we just connected there. It was a beautiful thing." and walked off. haha

I am still working away up in the Pilbara on a 9/5 roster. Been here over 2 years already! Enjoying the job but its tough being away from home 9 days every 2 weeks. There may be an 8/6 roster available next year which will give me 7 nights a fortnight at home which would be nice.

Everything else is going well - Alex of course takes up all of our time - but that's not a bad thing! He's a great kid - we definitely got lucky! Number 2 may be the devil child ( like one , or both of the parents were rumoured to be!)

Alex has been going to swimming classes for the last month or so. He goes every Friday with Annika to the pool down the road and hooks up with his crew to shoot the shit ( not literally....yet!!) He went under for the first time last Friday, just a quick duck dive, and judging by the face he pulled I am not sure he was convinced with that move! Still, he seems to enjoy the experience. I think he will be a good swimmer as long as his legs evolve from resembling cauliflowers into something more human or baby like.

He got weighed and measured recently and is now in the 75th percentile for length and about 65th for weight. They did measure his head circumference but the results mysteriously disappeared. Weird. I'm sure its pretty normal - nothing to be concerned about. haha

We have some visitors arriving soon! Woo hoo!!!

First up the Ginger Wizard aka Big Dale! He arrives on the 5th April for 2 weeks.

Depending on how many packets of Twistees he will bring me I will decide on the level of accommodation we will offer him. Will it be the family wagon ( 0-5 packets) , the garage ( 6-48 packets) or a bed in the house ( 49-50 packets) - we shall see!!!

And then in April Mum and The G Man arrive for 3 weeks. I have warned Geoff about the 'experiments' mum will be carrying out on him but its hard to explain what will be in store!! I just hope Geoff is keen to try some magnets and beans strapped to his body parts and then some electricity passed through him whilst having lit candles stuck in his ears . Good luck Geoff! haha

Of course I don't think Gordon will be able to sit back and watch mum harm Geoff as they formed a special bond when holidaying together in Paris last summer. Ahhh, the romance!

The G men will have some fun together I think. haha

Looking forward to you all arriving!

Well that's about it folks - just a quickie!

I will try and keep you updated ( I think I said that last time!)

Speak soon amigos!

A New Life - A New Outlook.....

Hi all - so here we are! Alexander has been with us for a month now! Time is really flying - each day he gets fatter and seems to add a new facial expression to his already impressive repertoire. An amusing creature to say the least! :)

The hours leading up to the birth were 'interesting' to put in mildly! Annika went into labour at about 10pm on Sunday night - which was right in the middle of the football - great timing darling!

So ( once the match had finished - hehe - only joking) we got the bags packed into the car and headed in! Very excited/anxious! It was actually happening!

Once we got to the hospital and up into our room Annika tried to get comfortable, changed into a fetching gown and we waited!

I think it was a few hours into the labour when it started to get a bit intense. And everyone knows what the solution is right?? Yes , that's it , a giant inflatable ball like the old space-hoppers to sit on under the shower!

Rather enjoyable but I thought Annika would like a go instead as she was making some funny noises over there in her bed! haha

Actually this worked quite well for a while but after a few more hours the pain switch was cranked up and the call was made for some drugs.

Time was beginning to blur! We were in , what seemed to be, some kind of fatigue induced dream.

The epidural went in - Annika was much better now. For a while anyway!

The next episode was one of high stress and emotion - not something I would like to experience again let alone Annika! The problem was with the drugs. Every epidural 'top up' caused Alexanders heart rate to fluctuate wildly sometimes dropping from 160bpm to 40bpm! It would recover after a while with some adjustment of the drug dosage and a bit of poking, prodding and rolling!

It was all getting very messy! After the third time this cycle of drugs/heart rate drop the Dr decided to operate and perform a Cesarean. Music to our ears! Actually my only criticism of the whole experience was that they didn't make that call earlier as to Annika and I the pattern was very definite - epidural top up = heart rate drop - every time!

Anyhow - once that call was made things moved incredibly quickly! I was more awake now - the adrenalin coursing through my veins! Annika was high as a kite but in no pain and content - good!!

I was in 2 minds whether to take a peek over the 'curtain' they put up to see how they go about their business during a C Section! At first I was happy enough just sitting there holding Annikas hand but she was away with the fairies so I decided to have a look. My timing was pretty good - Alexanders head was sticking out of Annikas belly - they were twisting and pulling with quite some force to get him out! I was quite surprised how rough they seems to be! But a few seconds later there he was in our arms! A surreal and overwhelming experience! Amazing!

I got to 'trim' the umbilical cord and had a few minutes with Alexander as they put him under the heater to finish off the baking! haha

So , our new life had begun!

Luckily we had 5 nights at the hospital - which was a great place - the staff do an amazing job there. I suppose midwives all over the world are the same - a special breed of people!

They were all a fountain of knowledge - information that was really good to know!

Wrapping, feeding, nappies, comforting, various techniques and theories - very handy!

Actually the hospital won't let you leave until the feeding technique is effective - very thorough!

As good as it was being there for that time - the hospital food became a bit of an issue! haha

After a while it all looked and tasted the same - a generic grey mass on a plate!

It probably wasn't that bad but as we were both exhausted maybe our minds were playing tricks on us! Anyhow - we craved normal food! So i was deployed as a delivery boy.

Wagamamas, pizza, fresh crusty bread, cheese ( triple cream Brie - as requested by Annika!) and ham etc etc - much better! I would get some funny looks from the other partners, mums and staff as I carried a variety of take away boxes past reception to our room!

Geoff and Gail even treated us to a picnic in our hospital room one night - very nice! And I had a cheeky beer ( Coopers Pale Ale )and some wine ( Montacute Estate Cabernet Merlot - Geoff and Gails wine - mmmm) ! hehe

We had loads of visitors, got lots of flowers and gifts! The room was more like a shrine to some kind of floral God than a hospital room! Suppose it masked the aromas that were produced from our new arrival! haha

Annikas boobs are amazing!!

Sorry let me rephrase that! haha

Alexander has a massive appetite ( don't know where he gets that from) and loves the boob! ( I may know where he gets that from ). The magic milk is doing the business - amazing stuff! He is putting on weight very well - are tyres on the ankles and wrists normal?? haha

I think it must be empathy but my weight has also increased! I don't like to see Alexander eating alone! haha

We would like to thank everyone for all their support, best wishes, messages, gifts, flowers, help, advice etc etc. We couldn't have done it without you! :)

Ok - will stop now. haha

Speak soon!

Peanuts Room

Hi again - thought I would add some before and after shots of Peanuts room so you can admire our DIY skills ( hmmm)

Didn't turn out too bad actually - happy with that - just need to keep the pesky cats out now!!





Annika had a nappy change practice session using the 'Dinosaur' that her grandma made for Peanut. She almost nailed it - forgot to tuck something in though?? Oops - haha.





Belly shot!







We drove up North the other day to try and find out plot of land but just got lost so went for lunch at Mindarie Marina instead - nice spot - cracking day - not bad for winter! 20 degrees! Love it.









Speak soon amigos!

7 weeks to go!!

G'day possums!! - It's been a few weeks since I updated the blog but here we are - 7 weeks until the arrival of peanut!! So exciting! :) Time is flying!

Some quick stats for you - Annika has put on about 11kg so far and the peanut capsule measures over 100cm in circumference! We are expecting another growth spurt for the last few weeks so I will keep you posted!

The latest checkup we had was on Tuesday and all is in good order. Peanut may have turned around to the head up position though so will keep an eye on him. We have another 4D scan at 34 weeks so we will get another look at peanut - see if he gives us another thumbs up this time! haha

He is very active in there - always kicking and punching! I have a feeling that he is going to be a bit of a handful!

We have also been to a birthing class. The midwives run this day course at the hospital. They were really nice and full of useful information - although I have to confess that it was a bit of an overload for me and I have forgotten most of it! I think I must have been hungry or something!

They showed us the hospital and the rooms that we will soon be making use of. It was very calm! Not for long. haha

The renovations ( 'renos' in Aussie) are coming on nicely - typically DIY + Dale = Disaster + $$$$ but thankfully Geoff and Gail have been up the last breaks and we all got into it and sorted the floors out - well some of the floors anyway! The equipment I rented didn't really live up to expectations and so after doing peanuts room and the hallway we decided to call in the pros to finish it off! Too much dust!!

Slowly slowly this place is looking better - we have some new lights to put in and some ceiling fans. Also looking for some timber blinds to replace the 70's curtains! The floors look really good - the pros made it look so much easier! Ah well - we know for next time!

Peanuts room is filling up quickly! - the cot, change table, wardrobe ( which looks weird with miniature clothes hanging inside it! ) lots of toys and other stuff! We are almost ready to roll I think!

We even took the buggy ( Quinny Buzz - hehe ) for a spin to the shops recently! It handled the terrain very well with its over sized air filled back tyres - smooth! haha

We loaded some shopping into it and some old dear caught a glimpse. She seemed a bit shocked when she saw a bag of carrots sticking out of the top and Annika shoving more stuff in there!

Mum, thanks for the container loads of clothes! As Annika said the other day - we will have to make sure we change peanut at least 5 times a day to make sure he gets to wear everything at least once!

Everyone has been very generous with gifts for peanut - we have accumulated quite a collection including a mass of toys - I will test these out when I get home - just to make sure they are safe of course! haha

A few weeks ago Annika and I ( + family hound called Evan) went down to Gail and Geoff's farm down south in Nannup ( 280km South of Perth, population approx. 600).

Just a 3 hour drive in the family wagon ( good car so far!) from Perth, its a nice change from the city. One stop in a place called Harvey to pick up a hunk of Beef for the Sunday roast and then onto Nannup to drop bags off and hit the local pub!

Just the one pub in the village , The Nannup Hotel, and luckily it was pretty good! The food was tasty and portions big! Good start! To my amazement they also had Guinness on tap! Jackpot I thought but after taking a large gulp of the creamy Black Magic I sensed that this particular brew had not travelled so well! So, onto the wine then! Spoilt for choice in this part of the world - very good wines! Happy days!

So I handed the car keys to Annika and a couple hours later we headed back to the farm, sparked up the fire and relaxed for the rest of the night. Nice.

It was great to get away and relax down there - very tranquil environment - especially after 'some' wine - thanks Gail and Geoff by the way - very nice drop!! Cabernet Merlot 2009?? Good year - haha

The rest of the weekend was spent pottering about and driving around the local towns along some really nice scenic roads. With a Cheese factory and a French pattiserie along the way we managed to maintain energy levels! haha






Anyway - that's it for now - I will keep you posted over the next few weeks!

By the way here is THE FAMILY WAGON!!! Oh yeah - what a beast eh! haha