The Zoo and Inklings of Christmas

Uncle Tim accompanied us to the zoo last week. It was, of course, Lily's first time to Taronga. She did very well. Lily is generally pretty easy to transport, so long as you don't expect her to sleep.

We took the ferry, this time, which Noah rather enjoyed.


And it provided ample opportunity for touristy shots.


We visited the Australian animals and the new(ish) Southern Ocean exhibit, including the seal show. But you can't really go to the zoo without visiting the tigers - at least that's what Noah and I reckon. Tigers are our power-animal.


Lily has very good neck-control, really, though you wouldn't know it from these photos.


Noah has made great progress on his toilet-training chart. In fact, he has a second chart now! Today he even asked for the toilet when we were away from home (twice!). Well done, Noah.


In other Noah news: The question 'Why?' has entered his conversational arsenal. He used it twice on me today. I laughed the first time; it sounded like someone else's child! I guess this signals new times ahead in our parenting :)


The other day we enjoyed Christmas with the Sydney-Hansards at Unca Bruce's. It was great to see those guys again. It's been a while, I think. Bruce cooked up a storm as usual. And it was the first wave of the Christmas tide of present-unwrapping for Noah. He found it hard to stop at one ;)

Events, Great and Small

Noah loves a package in the mail. From the post-man's (*very* loud) knocking, to the excitement of the parcel's contents, the arrival of a parcel from Tassie is always a special event.

This one was broad beans from Granny and Grandpa's.


It's been a good time for fresh produce. Our own beans are yielding enough for dinner every few nights. Noah loves picking beans... or just munching on them straight from the stalk!


The end of college meant the end-of-year lunch. And that means ice-creams! Compare this picture (from August last year)...


...with this one!


So now for several new things in Noah's life.

First, sunnies. Thankfully Noah tolerates, even enjoys, being sun-safe most of the time. Hats, sunnies, sun screen, he even asks for them sometimes!


Second, this little chart. The photo is a few days old; it's now thick with stars. I won't go into detail, but he's really taken to the whole project... good-going Noah!


Third, performing on stage at the Christmas concert. Noah's dressed as a king (one of the three wise men); here he's next to his pal, Ollie. Unfortunately Noah was pretty spaced-out for the whole thing - he'd just woken up from his nap. Oh well, he stood in the right place :)


But, of course, it's not all about new things with Noah. Lily creates some of her own little events.

We're still working at getting good photos of this little princess's smiles, but here's an early attempt.


Lily has a lovely little smile. She smiles for Mum and Dad... she smiles at almost anything actually!


More smile pictures coming soon!

Sleeping, sometimes.

Lily is beginning to assert her wakefulness across our (well, Kate's) day. Thankfully, she's largely leaving the nights be (she really is good at night, which is great!). Lily often stays awake between morning feeds, but the other days she really only had one good sleep all day (a few cat naps here and there, but a whole lot of crying).


Oh yeah, this is Noah's new dog, Wilhelm. He likes sniffing around and drinking Noah's milk.


I can't remember if this was a tickle, or not. Notice the hand-holding, though. Noah loves to hold Lily's hand. He's quite gentle and loves to show his affection for his little sis. I think he's shaping up to be a great big-brother :)



In other news, Noah's counting is now into the teens! 'Sixteen' sometimes comes into play a little prematurely, but he's getting there. He's also got a few songs in his singing repertoire, too.

New Family Dynamics

We're slowly working out the 'shape' of life for our little family. Noah's ever-generous spirit extends to story-telling. In this case We're Going on a Bear Hunt is the book for story time, which he's recently decided/discovered is a little 'scary'.


But it's not all smooth sailing for big brother. He copped his first shiner the other day after a slip in the bath. I keep telling people that Noah and I were in a bar fight together, old western movie style... I'd like to think we'd make a good team ;)


Noah's constantly learning new stunts. Recently he's been practicing walking backwards (very cute). He's good at jumping. He's even got a version of standing on one leg. And we were singing a song together just earlier this evening (Hey, Diddle Diddle).


Lily is sleeping pretty well at night, praise God. Especially as exams approach please pray that she keeps it up.


Kaylene has been here to help these last few days. She's been doing a great job of taking the load off Katie, especially.

Obviously Lily spends her time between feeding, wake-time, and sleeping at the present. So in that respect there's not much action. But there's lots of good stuff going on. She's gaining weight, neck control, cry-volume, facial expression...


Please thank God for Kaylene's visit and for all the help she's given us. Also pray for Lily's continuing good health and general development. For Noah, well, he's doing a great job of adjusting; may that continue, please :)

Ten Days on the Planet :)

All in all we've had a great week this last week. Praise God, we've had some pretty good sleep. Although Lily (obviously) has to feed through the night, she mostly sleeps otherwise. There's only been once or twice when she's preferred crying to sleep :)


These two kids are getting on like you wouldn't believe. If Lily's crying, it's "There, there, Lily". If she's got a dirty nappy, Noah's all-hands-on-deck to help. He seems to be coping well with the changes. Sometimes he pushes boundaries a bit further than normal, though. Maybe it's just us, but if anything he is more full-of-beans now than before Lily's arrival!


Noah and I grabbed a quiet coffee together earlier this week. It gave Kate and bit of a break, and it was fun for us boys.


But every good babycino comes to an end sometime!


Noah's pronunciation and vocabulary continue to rocket along. His newest party-trick is counting to ten, unaided! Well done, Noah :) Also, he's great at imaginative stuff, like pretending a bottle is a rocket, or make-believe eating. Mmmm.

Sleeping and feeding have been the names of the game for Lily, mostly. Oh yeah, and looking gorgeous. Oh, and being handed around for cuddles every time our friends come to visit (which has been often, but not overwhelming at all).


So my self-imposed week-off has come to an end now. I think looking after two is going to be tough for Katie, but I think she's up to it. At least student-life is flexible, so I can be called-in if need be!

Stuff to pray for? Continuing good sleep and rest for all. Perseverance for Katie as I head back to college this week. That Noah can keep learning to be a great big brother (and that we help him to do so!).

Early Days with Big Bro

Noah's always been quite a huggy kinda boy. Just now, cuddling Lily has become one of his favourite new pass-times.



Lily's usually pretty compliant, or just asleep.

Noah's also a very enthusiastic sharer, which is a wonderful trait. Unfortunately, Lily isn't quite up to playing the xylophone, or playing with farm animals, or playing with Noah's trains, though he's tried to encourage her. One day, Noah, one day.


Thankfully Lily has been sleeping a bit better the last couple of nights, so thank God for that. Please pray that the trend continues, especially for Katie (since I can't really take her place as Lily's food supply!)



She's a little angel.

Lily's Arrival

So Lily was born at the RPA Birth Centre. And here we all are, getting to know one another.


By and by, Noah came along to complete our little family gathering. He was thoroughly taken by his little sister. We had practiced saying her name, in advance, which Noah mastered quickly.


Then Noah was into the hugs. He's a great cuddler. Very gentle. Patient, when she cries.


Lily did some good sleeping, too. She's not the most sleepy kid you've ever seen. But she's got the hang of it.


Since we were all feeling good (and the threat of sharing a room was looming), we all bundled into the car and made our way home. Less than twelve hours in the hospital! Well done girls :)


Home is going well. The first night was pretty good, really. Praise God for Lily and her safe arrival. Keep praying for us all as we adjust to being a family of four, please.

Welcome Lily Grace

This morning God blessed our little family with the safe arrival of Lily Grace.

At 8:59am she arrived, weighing in at 3.69kg (8lb, 2oz) and measuring 52cm in length. A gorgeous little cherub, more magnificent than Solomon in all his splendour ;)

Mum and bubs are both doing well. In fact, we're all back home. Praise the Lord.

(And yes, we'll post more photos soon!)