New Team Member

Nanna Judy couldn't help herself and has very generously sponsored a new team member; the Simpson Ezi Loader is now fully operational at Team aBeckett HQ. Having a dryer came in very handy yesterday. I locked myself out of the house and was stuck in the middle of a torrential downpour. So when I finally made it inside the dryer was put to good use. Luckily Ben and I didn't get too soaked, thanks to the stroller rain cover and Jane's Goretex jacket. Check out the tide mark on my jeans where the Goretex finished and unprotected denim began.

Thanks for the Pedicure

It's the 28th June today which means that Ben is exactly three months old. Ben and I celebrated by going to Endota where he patiently watched me getting the world's best pedicure. The girls from work had very generously given me a voucher for this special treat, which was almost certainly inspired by my constant moaning about the state of my feet. The pedicure came not a moment too soon!

The Heartland

Over the weekend Team aBeckett joined Team Watson to take Ben on his first trip to 'Columbine'. Columbine is the property where Matt and his sisters grew up and is situated halfway between Dubbo and Orange.

Jane and I set off with the boys on Thursday. It was an interesting trip. I learnt about the play-school smash hit 'Oomba Baroomba' and Nick learnt how to play 'I spy'. Ben showed his cousins how well he sleeps in cars and Will demolished about 15 bananas.

Columbine is looking absolutely stunning. There's finally been some rain and because of the recent prolonged drought there aren't many thistles or burrs about, so the property looks like a carefully manicured park. The weather was also stunning with frosty nights, followed by clear sunny days.

On Friday Nick had fun planting spinach with Unnie and helping Bop tidy up some leaves. Meanwhile I relaxed and introduced Ben to Ottey. Ottey is the black labrador pictured above and is Mojo and Bella’s mum.

We also took the opportunity to get some shots of the cousins enjoying the sunshine together and snuggling up to their Unnie and Bop.

In the afternoon we went for a cruisey walk along the river. As you can see from these shots it was picture postcard stuff.

Trent and Matt arrived late Friday night and the next day Aunt Nell came from town for lunch. We had a gourmet sausage sizzle by the river, complete with homemade tomato sauce and pinot. We ended the day back at the house sitting around the open fire and playing word games.

On Sunday Matt showed Ben where he used to throw his boomerang after school. He also introduced Ben to some of the farm machinery and showed Ben the hollow tree where he built a cubby house with Jane and Sal.

This was all good fun (you can see how awake Ben looks). But without a doubt , the highlight for Ben was meeting the horses

(Fonzie, Arby and Gi-Gi).

We were very sorry to head home on Sunday. It’s hard to match the beauty and hospitality of Columbine. Hopefully we’ll head back again at the end of August.

Off it's Tits!!

I'm still expressing four times a day and have developed a special relationship with the breast pump. Today the pump was very thirsty and consumed an all time world record amount in one go: 295mL!!! This was enough to completely fill the long neck sized bottle with a little left over for the throw down.

Other records set this week:

• Ben's nappy weighed 336g
• Matt got another HD in his exam!
• Ben rolled twice to the right then twice to the left (last night)

The In Crowd

The weather in Newcastle continues to hamper our efforts to get outdoors. We had planned to have a picnic on the weekend but due to the soggy conditions we decided to take it indoors. Judy, Jane, Trent, Nick, Will, Kel, Brett, Elliott, Paul, Beth and Alfie all came along and gourmet picnic food was consumed (as well as a splash of bubbly). One of the big achievements of the day was finally getting a shot of the three families together. Another outcome of the day was that Matt, Brett and Paul decided to officially form a club. If you want to join you need to;
a) be bald (or at least balding),
b) have nice teeth and be willing to display them within a very broad grin,
c) have a baby that looks just like you,
and ... the most important criteria...
d) have an absolutely stunning wife.
Unfortunately Trent was unable to join the club because he has far too much hair. As the aging process takes hold consideration will be given in the future, particularly in light of the fact that his wife is devastatingly beautiful.

No name yet for the club… any suggestions??

Getting Our Money's Worth

Ben is still a weeing machine. We went to clinic today and he weed all over the clinic nurse.... AGAIN!! But most people know Matt's reputation for thriftiness and in keeping with the budgetary constraints placed upon us by the head of the family we're really getting our money's worth out of those disposable nappies. Ben doesn't tend to poo at night so we just leave him in his nappy till the morning. The before and after photos above show that a completely dry nappy weighs just 33g, but after the wee machine has been in one for a solid 6 hours - it weighs a whopping 259g!! Now that's good value.

Let it Roll Baby Roll

Ben hates Tummy Time. And today he decided to do something about it. After I put him on his tummy - he rolled onto his back!! I thought it might have been a fluke so I put him back on his tummy and he did it again!! This was very exciting and when Matt came home from work we tried for a repeat performance. But the big fella will only roll on his own terms. He just stayed on his tummy and had a right old grizzle. So for now Ben's rolling is a private show just for Mum.

Weekends

Life at home with Ben during the week is really busy. But the weekends come and everyone wants to play. Nanna Judy drops in most weekends. Daddy hangs out with Ben.....reads to him, gives him massages, teaches him about wart removal. And lots of other visitors come too. Here are some shots of Ben with Nanna Judy, Daddy, Emily and Arkie Stratford, and Ian Justice.

Do Babies Sing?

Ben has been making the most beautiful magical sounds lately. It seems that he really likes it when Mummy sings to him and maybe he's trying to sing back?? Some of Ben's fav tunes are 'Don't Blame it on the Boogie', 'You Are My Sunshine', and 'Voodoo Child'.

Stocko Mums

Life on maternity leave is REALLY busy. I'm not sure how I managed to work full time before having Ben. A typical week includes exercise classes, walks around Stockton, afternoon teas with friends and the odd clinic or GP appointment thrown in. One of the regular events is a Wednesday afternoon walk with a group of Stockton Mums I met through the early childhood clinic. Beth and Kel have also been coming along and Jane has joined too. Today the group caught the ferry over to Newcastle to check out the Pasha Bulker. We know that just about everyone in Oz will have seen the pictures on TV but to see this enormous ship stranded on the beach is absolutely awesome. Today there was all sorts of activity going on. From helicopters loading generators and other salvage equipment onto the ship, to the surf life savers scooting about on jet skis. There were also hundreds of people looking on. It was a real carnival atmosphere. Shudder to think how much the shipping and insurance company is paying for this spectacle. Anyway.. a fantastic day was had by the mothers group. Have also included a shot (up the top) of some of the Mums from a walk two weeks ago. Pictured (from left to right): Melissa and baby Jackson, Bec and baby Taya, Kel and baby Elliott, Nikki and baby Jet. Notice how they've all got the same type of pram? Probably thanks to the Choice Magazine review which ranked the Swallow Beema Q at the top of its list. If I didn't love the Mountain Buggy so much (another piece of bounty from J & T) I'd be feeling like the odd one out.

Tigers Vs Knights

Together with Brett and Paul and a swag of Brett's family (which seems to be a breeding ground for fanatical tigers supporters) Matt braved the foul weather on Sunday to witness the tigers demolishing the knights. Meanwhile I hung out with Beth and Kel and the big fellas at Kel's house. Much cheese and lemon tart was consumed. Ben and Elliot decided to hold hands again and then they all cuddled up together and looked as cute as they possibly could.

After the Storm

No need to tell anyone that there was a big storm in Newcastle this weekend!! Our news is that we were planning to head out to Columbine on Friday night. But in retrospect we're happy to say that we stayed at home and hunkered down. Friday night was actually pretty scary. But our little beach shack weathered the storm and we were very lucky not to lose power or water. Jane and Trent didn't fare so well. Their car was parked at garden city shopping centre and was flooded. Today we ventured out around Stockton. There are a lot of broken trees and a lot of debris in the water and on the river bank. At least one of the beach access paths is pretty much washed away and we can clearly see the Pasha Bulker from our side of the harbour. Creating a lovely backdrop for a family snap!

Shower Time!

Matt finally let me take a photo of him in the shower with Ben. Ben loves shower time with Daddy. Matt thinks its all right too.

The Boys Get Physical

I went to a mothers and babies exercise class today with Beth and Kel. The boys secretly conspired to wear matching exercise suits. We think they're planning to form the first all male cheer leading troop. The class obviously took it out of Ben and Alfie. The shot above is them after the class. We think Elliott was doing some laps around the room or maybe some extra push ups... he's hoping to take Alfie's 'Mr Strong' title before the boys reach six months.

Immunisations

How could we forget!! After looking at Brett and Kel's blog we realised that we hadn't documented the 8 week immunisations!! Every new mum's most dreaded milestone approached and I was super anxious about it. Jane once again saved the day and came along to the GP for moral support. Nick and Will were also there to lighten the mood. All in all it went very smoothly. Ben cried for about 30 seconds and then went back to being his usual laid back self. Not really sure how we got such a settled little fella. Decided not to take a photo of the boy being injected!! But have a shot of Nick and Wil clowing around in the waiting room.

A Chip Off the Old Block

One these babies is Matt and one is Ben.

Mr Men

Kel and Brett have been at it again..............................making stuff. They presented Ben with this fantastic 'Mr Snow' top. The only problem with it is that he will one day grow out of it... and then we'll have to make a bigger sized one. The crafty duo also made a 'Mr Strong' top for Alfie and a selection of outfits for their little man.

Mini Moore

Last week (when Ben was 9 weeks old) I went to Cessnock to visit Rachel and Jack Moore. I hadn't seen Jack in a few months and it was amazing how much he'd grown. It's also frightening how much Jack looks like his Dad, Scott. Rachel cooked the most amazing curried carrot and almond soup for lunch and also loaned us this rocker - which Ben LOVES!!