Hello!!

G'Day everyone, welcome to my blog! 

Yeah, I know -- you've been waiting forever for me to get this together, but I've been very busy since I was born five and a half months ago. And mum isn't particularly savvy with computers (I think she was a bit scared this blogging business would be very complicated). But she has worked it out now, so there's no looking back!

First of all, let me give you the overview of my life so far.....

Being Born

I arrived in this world on 26 March, 2008. Mum had to undergo a caesarean to get me out -- yeah, I was trouble right from the start! I was also two weeks early, but I suspect that's the only time I'll ever be early in my life -- particularly if I take after my dad!! I was born at Calvary John James Hospital in Canberra, at 12.11pm. I was 3.34kg (that's 7 pounds, 6 ounces in the old scale) and 48 cm long. Boy, was it good to finally meet my mum and dad!

Settling In

I got out of hospital about five days later and was taken to my new home in the leafy suburb of Griffith. It's a really nice place, and Mum and Dad had obviously gone to a lot of trouble setting up my bedroom. I immediately felt comfortable, and lapped up all the attention. Quite a few of Mum and Dad's friends and family came to meet me, and brought (or sent) lots of gifts. It made me feel very special.

The next six weeks were all about feeding, sleeping, pooing and crying. Mum was a real trooper, getting up at 2 or 3 am to feed me each night. Dad did a great job with the nappies, and with my baths. Aah, I love a good bath! 

I thought I'd give Mum a bit of a treat for her first Mother's Day by sleeping through the night. Boy was she happy! Dad too, actually. We had a lovely day together, going out for breakfast and then to the Kingston Markets for a look around. Dad had to change my nappy outside under a big tree while we were there; I was lucky I wasn't caught for indecent exposure!

Our First Holiday

When I was eight weeks old, Mum and Dad decided to take me for our first family holiday -- yeah, I thought they were crazy too, but I went along with it anyway! We set off for Nan and Pa's (that's Mum's parents) first of all. They live on a farm near Jerilderie in NSW; it's about a five hour drive from Canberra.

I'd met Nan and Pa in Canberra; Nan had stayed awhile to help out Mum and Dad when I first got home, but had to duck off to Albury-Wodonga when I was just six days old to welcome my new cousin James to the world. My mum's brother, Matt, and his wife, Jane, were meant to get their bundle of joy before I landed on mum and dad, but he was a little late (and I was early, as you know). But I'm delighted to have a cousin so close in age. I also have a girlfriend just five days younger than me -- Charlotte Armytage. She's the daughter of my mum's best friend, Carla. It's so cool that we were all born in the same week!

So anyway, we had a lovely few days at Nan and Pa's, and I met Charlotte then, too. We travelled on to Melbourne, one of my Mum's favourite cities in the whole world (I think she likes the shopping!). We met more relatives and friends there, and yeah, Mum did drag me around the shops a bit. But I made it hard for her to do too much damage to the credit card by demanding regular feeds, nappy changes and cuddles, heh heh!

We drove back to Canberra via Albury-Wodonga, where I met my Uncle Matt, Aunty Jane and cousin James. He's really cool; I can tell we are going to be great mates. He's got way more hair than me, and is a bit bigger, so I'll be sure not to pick any fights with him :-)

James' Christening

A few weeks later we went back to Wodonga for James' Christening. Usually I travel well, but that night, when I got there, I screamed Matt and Jane's house down! Jane's mum was really nice to me and rocked me and patted me for ages. I did calm down a bit, but I had a tough night.

Anyway, the next day -- the day of the Christening -- I was much better and had a lovely time at the party. Lots more cuddles from lots of people. I love cuddles!

Mums and Bubs Group

When I was 12 weeks old, we started going to a special group for new mums and bubs. The first five weeks were kind of "official", being organised and run by one of the maternity and child health nurses. We had guest speakers, including a dentist, speech pathologist (like my Aunty Kerrie!) and a lady who spoke about how to keep babies safe in the car and at home. It was really informative for my mum, and a good chance for her (and I) to make some new friends. The group meets unofficially now each Wednesday morning; we usually go to this really nice cafe in Kingston and Mum has Hot Chocolate and everyone talks about their week, and if their babies have been good or naughty (I'm always good, of course!). Now that the weather is starting to warm up, we might go for walks around the lake with them, too. There are seven mums and bubs; some of the girls are pretty cute!!

Family Dinners

Every Sunday night, we visit Granny and Grandpa (that's Dad's parents) and have dinner at their house. They live on a small farm just five minutes out of Canberra, which is very convenient. My Uncle Dan and his partner Laurence are usually there for dinner, too. It's always lovely to see them all, and Mum tells me that dinner is delicious! Occasionally there are other family over, too -- on this night my Great Aunt Blue and second cousin Jo and her two daughters were visiting as well. This is me sitting on Granny's knee.