New faces

Hello everyone! We miss you all!!
I liked this photo of Jackson as he is giving Brad a cheeky look.
Singing with mum - in his new outfit from Vicki, ugg boots from me and boy tights (Mahind loves these as she can hike them up to his armpits - she has a thing with keeping his pants up high). The Ugg boots are so great as they STAY ON and are so warm!
The event of the week was my dear friend Carolyn's baby shower which I hosted at the Lenna of Hobart. We enjoyed a high tea with 28 of her friends, mother and mother in law who flew down to see Carolyn in this late stage of her pregnancy - she is 36 weeks. For all those who keep up with our family, Carolyn and her husband Tim are the couple who Brad and I share our lives with. They are always there for our family and help out in a moments notice. Although I have known Carolyn for a few years now, it has only been since I myself became pregnant that the 4 of us have become closer, now i can't imagine our lives without them. Brad and I are both eagerly awaiting the birth of their little bundle of joy!! i think she is having a girl as she is carrying very low - and i carried high and had a boy.
This is Jackson's new look - he pulls this face ALL the time now and makes noises through his lips.

No smiles

Angie asked if the boy ever stops smiling - ohmygosh yes - eating time is like feeding time at the zoo with Jackson yelling between bites at Brad to hurry up! He often just takes the spoon right off us and tries to feed himself. Life is just so hard for him having us as parents, but he has decided to stick with us and continue the trial and error fiasco that is our daily life.

He has spent the past two days with this pitiful look on his face - and his tongue hanging out drooling from the chin - Brad's slightly OCD nature requires a constant supply of tissues to dab Jackson's chin at the first sign of drool, while I prefer to let him get covered as you can see by the 2nd photo with an appropriately dirty t-shirt (yes I let him get so slobbery and dirty that some days I just decide to feed him in the same t-shirt and use it as a bib)

just hanging around

Days have been passing by us with lightening speed, Jackson has been keeping us entertained with his new antics. however i find myself already daydreaming back to when he was a little baby. How far we have come in such a short time! We are all really starting to see his personality shine through, he laughs with his whole body and his eyes are always alight with inquisitiveness and sheer delight at just being here! He loves spending time with Brad and me, today he and Brad played a lot and snuggled a lot as they are both a bit under the weather with a cold. Brad is teaching Jackson new things everyday and Jackson is a keen student - Brad taps three times on Jackson's high chair table and Jackson taps back three times - communication 101. Jackson has discovered every octave in his voice - while Brad and i persist with not giving Jackson something just because he yells - and we wait until he is quiet all the while saying "please" and particularly of late "do you see me fixing your food" followed by "have we ever starved you?!" while jackson grunts at us to hurry up. He had his first all night sleep over at Caz and Tim's, which went great for Brad and me! and not so great for poor Caz and Tim with Jackson just starting to get a cold and Tim under the weather with Caz heavily pregnant and dare I say it - emotional. however jackson seemed to have a great time - Caz and Tim were quick to also remind Jackson that he was not in the Sudan and he would get to eat in the next two weeks. Brad and I didn't know what to do with ourselves - which lasted a whole 5 minutes until we realised there was a whole lot we could do! After the best sleep in in 6 months both Brad and I feel ready to take on the next 6 months! - having said that ............

we are debating how important food really is for the two of us - there is nothing to eat in any cupboard or fridge and no bread, milk or butter. Brad reluctantly headed out to the local fruit market today to get some supplies to last out the long weekend that we've had, if it wasn't for Jackson's huge appetite for my home cooked red lentils with sweet potato's and stewed apples I'm sure we could live of cous cous!
Relaxing at home
Happy days
Getting "kisses"

Can he get any cuter!?

Thank you

Jackson in his special bouncer at Mahind's - looking ever so cute in his hand knitted bonnet and blanket made for him by his late great aunt Carmel.
Mahind and I sharing our little son "Jackie". As he spends so much time with her and her family we find Jackson is more likely to respond when we say "Jackie" than he is when we call him Jackson. We don't mind though as we know he is loved so much by Mahind and all her family.
enjoying some time together before dinner was served on Saturday evening.

Me and my bubba boo. Jackson has discovered so many new things of late - including the fact he can hold two things at once and bang them together - I'm sure its all fun and games for all of about a week until he discovers the pots and pans! He has been blowing raspberries heaps and saying lots of "ta" sounds, he continues to just smile when I say ma ma - the kids doesn't get it.

I have been discovering lots of new things too - namely how much effort is required to be organised for the week, how work can seem all consuming until you reach home and see two smiling boys waiting for you to play who can give the most kisses to bubba boo! and also how rewarding it can be to work with your community in the prevention of cancer - i love my job. I really feel like I am able to make a difference in the lives of every day Australians and I think perhaps that is my greater achievement in the work I do for Medicare Australia. The most significant thing I have learnt is to be kind to myself - to try not to have mother guilt over how much time I'm away - but focus on the lovely time we have together as a family. also to ask for help when i need it. It is hard to devote yourself to two lives - loving wife and working mum. I am so thankful for the friends I have who make me laugh and are a constant source of reassurance and support for both myself and brad. Most especially in these past months Caz, Alicia, Sharon and Kylie - thank you.

Just filling you all in on our life

hello everyone! I know I know its been TOO LONG. We have been slightly busy over the past few weeks. Brad is loving his work, enjoying being in the thick of it all as a Business Analyst and doing great. During the last year of University he along with 4 other friends developed a computer program (don't ask me the details but it has something to do with scanning things) anyway it was such a great program that their Lecturer not only gave them top grade but nominated them for a National award - which they won two days ago!! It is a very prestigious award, so the guys were all thrilled - they now go onto the international awards having won the Australian division.

This is what happens if you leave a baby for longer than 3 seconds! I thought he would just tap the chip packet to make some noise - but Jackson had other ideas. Cheeky cheeky!
Loving some play time with me on a day off I took. Jackson and I spent the day together and at this age he is happy to cling a bit to his ma ma.
Both my boys looking clean and pretty on our way to Mahind's for Saturday night dinner. Mahind invited us around to share in some traditional Persian food which was AMAZING. i am learning to cook the same way as both Brad and I loved the meals she made. We spend a lovely evening all together with the family, talking about their past in Iran, and the terrible persecution they suffered for their religious beliefs. They are not Muslim and as such were excluded from higher education such as university and even high school.