Alfie's Gang

On the weekend Alfie invited Ben and a few of the gang round to his place. Alfie actually got his Mum and Dad to invite us and some other Mums and Dads (very clever that boy). But as you can see from the shot to the left, Alfie was the Number 1 Top Dog on the day. The gang had all met at antenatal class but this was the first time they had brought their Mums and Dads along since being on the outside. The boys got busy re-acquainting themselves. It was a little bit competitive.....

......especially when Jacob started showing everyone how he can roll (both ways!!) and then wanted to steal Alfie's blanket. It was all too much for Ben who went and had a sleep in Alfie's cradle for 2 1/2 hours.

Despite the plethora of cameras that were around that day we managed to avoid getting a shot of Nicole (Darcy's Mum) Kel, Brett and Elliott. Happily we're planning to all meet up again in about a month when we'll try and capture the rest of the crew on memory card!

Maz & Jacob, Beth & Alfie, Kate & Ben

Paul & Alfie, Dave & Darcy, Matt & Ben, Dave & Jacob

Knitting up the Ravell'd Sleave

We've never had anything to complain about in regard to Ben's sleep. He's always been pretty good. So good in fact, that when he first came home I was worried that there was something wrong with him. Back then he really was asleep most of the time. Things have actually changed and he's a little more difficult to settle at times and then there's the witching hour which we have on a regular basis. Also he's never slept through the night. But he's very quick to settle during the wee hours so it's not too bad - Matt said one night (after taking some time to be convinced to get up) that it "was actually quite lovely" and I agree. Those night time feeds can be a really nice time with Ben.

Anyway, the point of this post is that Ben just slept for 8 1/2 hours and this is a record for him!! He went down without a fuss last night at 7pm and I didn't get up to him until 3:30am. It's a bit exciting and I hope this continues!!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know about one of Matt's favourite quotes. Many of you will not know that Matt is a bit of a literary buff and goes about the house quipping snippets from Shakespeare. (He's also pretty keen on Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson). Matt is constantly telling me how Sleeps Knits Up the Ravelled Sleave of Care. So in marking Ben's first sleep greater than 8 hours I'd like to finish with Matt's favourite quote from Macbeth:

Methought I heard a voice cry "Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep," the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast. (2.2.32-37)

Watch Me Grow

All these shots of Ben were taken in July. He's so yummy!! I've got a plan to try and take photos of Ben once or twice a week sitting in this chair. I got the idea from Kel and Brett's video of her growing tummy.

Birthday Bugs

On Sunday we went to a surprise 61st birthday party for our friend Greg. Greg's partner Lee had secretly organised the dress up party with the theme of 'something from the garden'. Lee had gone to a lot of trouble decorating Jane and Trent's house (Lee and Greg are Jane and Trent's neighbours) and the place looked like scene from a fairytale. The party was great but I think the most fun for me was dressing Ben up as a butterfly.

Walking with Workmates

Matt, Ben and I drove up to the vineyards on Sunday to take a very nice walk through the Hunter Valley Gardens. Matt's work had sponsored a marathon and a series of shorter runs and walks. We decided that the marathon would have to wait until Ben can actually walk (or run) and so we entered the very civilised 6.25km event. It was a great day for a walk; not too hot and not raining. Once we got started it only took us about 1.5 hours to complete. But as luck would have it, Ben decided to do the most explosive, uncontainable poo seconds before the race started. So an unscheduled salvage operation needed to take place. The photo below shows Matt trying to catch the pack, but the pace was a little too cracking for us and despite Matt's obvious athleticism no prizes were won by Team aBeckett.

Introducing Alex!!

Yesterday, Mum, Ben and I went for a road trip to Sydney to meet little Alex. Alex's Mum is my cousin Kylie who had come from WA with hubby George and my Aunt Gae for a brief visit. We don't get to see the cousins from the West very much so it was a special day. Not only is Gae a very treasured Aunt, she is also one of Mum's best friends and really looked after Mum when she lived in Perth. So there was quite a lot of emotion flying about. It was wonderful to meet little Alex. She's a real stunner like her beautiful Mum. Ben thought Alex was much fun to hang around with but he really liked meeting George - who taught him how to play air drums and ride a horsey. It was all good fun and went far too quickly. Why do we need that Nullarbor Plain in the middle of the country anyway???

Career Options

As parents we're naturally concerned that Ben will 'amount to something'. So we've been having discussions with the boy about his plans for the future. Unfortunately the discussions have been a little one sided (on account of the fact that Ben can't talk yet). But he's keen to get his message across and has therefore let his body do the talking.

My How You've Grown!

Ben had a clinic visit today. He hasn't been to clinic in four weeks, so I was pretty keen to see what all that milk was doing for him. For those who are interested his vital stats today were:

• Weight: 6.55kg (50th percentile)
• Length: 65cm (50th percentile)
• Head Circumference: 42cm (50th percentile)

This means that in 16 weeks Ben's weight has increased by 110%, his length by 30% and his head circumference by 18%.

Never one to be outdone Matt has been doing a few calculations of his own and will be attempting to match the boy's growth. To keep things fair, Matt's aiming for his growth to be proportional to his current body size (70kg and 164cm). All Matt needs to do is increase his weight to 147kg and add 50cm onto his already formidable stature. We're hoping that an increase in the amount of chins he has will lead to the required 18% increase in head circumference.

With this in mind I've worked out a diet for Matt - based on the fluid and energy intake that Ben has been consuming. When Ben is really having a good day he can consume up to 200mL fluid/kg and 133cals/kg. To match this Matt simply needs to eat and drink/day:

• 44 weet bix
• 10 tubs full cream yoghurt
• 15 chicken drumsticks (skin on)
• 12 bananas
• 3.6kg broccoli
• 14L of water

Matt's started on this regimen today and results are beginning to show. No movement yet on the increased height, but as you can see below Matt is already getting results in regard to weight gain.
Only one possible draw back to this whole program. Matt's probably going to start weeing as much as Ben at night. Ben has been producing up to 405mL wee overnight. Matt's equivalent amount is 4.4L!!! Takes a bloody big nappy to soak all that up.

Walking at Merewether

Kel and I went for a walk at Merewether yesterday. It was a little chilly, but clear and sunny. It was a last minute decision to go and we were really pleased we did. It was one of those beautiful crisp winter days. The walk gave us a chance to give the new Baby Bjorns a turn. As with many other things, Kel and I now have matching baby carrying devices. They were on sale at Toys R Us.... OK!

On our walk we ran into Renee Verdon. This was a very nice surprise and the five of us continued walking until we ended up at Bar Beach Kiosk for milkshakes and chips. A great time was had by all!

Me and My Hands

Ben has totally discovered his hands in the last 2-3 weeks. He either has them in his mouth or in very close proximity to his eyes. It gives me a real thrill to see him 'regarding' his hands, I can spend ages just watching him. A couple of nights ago he also noticed that he has feet. We were in the bath and he looked down - Matt and I could almost see the cogs turning in his brain - "So you're telling me these belong to me??!!"

The Weekend

Over the weekend we were very lucky to catch up with friends and family. On Saturday night we had a gourmet dinner at Mum's. Aunty Chris had driven up from Sydney and Mum's friends, John and Lyn Lane and Judy (from across the road) also joined the crowd. It was a great night, although 'The Witch' resurfaced and Ben cried solidly for about an hour. One good thing that came out of this was that I got to sit quietly in a dark room and cuddle him. Even though he was crying I actually quite enjoyed this time (bit weird isn't it??!). I just liked holding him and feeling him breathe. Eventually he calmed down and went off to sleep and dinner was enjoyed by all. Saturday night also marked the passing on of Ben's cradle. John and Lyn Lane are the other proud grandparents of Emma (my sister) and Justin's soon-to-be-born bubba. They're heading down to SA in August and will be taking the cradle with them. It feels good to be able to pass this on to Em and Jut. They did so much for us when Ben was born and we feel pretty inadequate cos we don't have much to offer in return. No photos from Sat night. I forgot to take my camera!!

But we do have photos from Sunday when our friends Bec, Mark and little Belle came to visit. Bec is a good friend of mine who I worked with at Westmead Children's Hospital. Bec and Mark are absolute legends. They drove all the way from Sydney just to have lunch with us. Bec even brought along a very yummy gluten free banana cake and fantastic GF scones. We had a great time catching up and sharing a bottle of wine.

Belle also enjoyed getting to know Mojo and Bella .............

.......................and introducing Ben to her dolly.

Bec is expecting her second bub at the end of Sept and Belle is getting into practice to help out. She gave Ben and her dolly lots of attention - am sure she'll be a great help when the second little Parker bub hits the ground.

Postnatal Reunion

On Thursday last week Ben and I met up with some girls we had met in Antenatal class (technically Ben hadn't met them before). Naturally Kel and Beth were there, as well as Nic and Maz and their boys (yes - MORE boys!).

We all met up at Lime, one of my fav restaurants. There was plenty of room for strollers and we had a great time. It was much fun to see the girls again and meet the boys - we all looked very different now that our bellies have turned into babies. The picture at the top shows us with our our boys (minus Kel and Elliott - he was trying to catch some ZZZs at the time)

Dining at Lime also gave Kel and I a chance to get a similar shot to one that was taken when we were pregnant. Two of the photos below were taken at Lime - and one was taken three years ago before a 'James Bond' themed Ball.

Lunch with Sam and Elliott

Last week Ben and I had lunch with Kel, Elliott, Amanda and Sam. Amanda is a friend from work and her little boy Sam is 7 months old. Of course Amanda had lots of tips for Kel and I. She's our oracle (being four months ahead). One of the best tips she gave us was how to convert the seemingly unassuming Huggies Box to an all purpose entertainment and containment machine. Amanda takes a Huggies Box wherever she goes. It can be used as a feeding chair, a play box and doubles as a carriage of a train. Ben was mesmerised by the bright colours and seemed pretty happy in his confines. It was a really lovely afternoon. Kel made the most delicious lunch - which included generous helpings of soft cheese - every time I eat soft cheese I'm reminded of how much I missed it when I was pregnant. It's almost worth depriving yourself of something for nine months just to increase the organoleptic delight when it returns.

Is the Witch Dead?

Matt and I have gotten used to the 'Witching Hour'. It usually lasts from around 7:00pm to 9:00pm when Ben is pretty much impossible to please. But something's happened in the last 5 nights. No witching!! Ben has just gone off to sleep without protest. Does this mean that we can expect the same from now on??? Who knows. We'll enjoy it while we can.

Saturday Night

Matt and I had our first night out together without the boy on Saturday. Mum kindly agreed to look after the big fella so that we could go to Matt's End of Financial Year Ball. It was really weird to leave Ben with Mum. I've left Ben with Matt before but not with anyone else for any length of time. Mum of course had a great time cuddling and smiling the night away with Ben. Meanwhile Matt and I had a great time at the Ball. It was a masquerade ball, which was a lot of fun. Matt and I got all the way to Newcastle and realised that we'd left Matt's mask at home. So a quick trip to Coles resulted in the sparkly numbers you see above. Matt was a bit reluctant at first but I convinced him that he looked like a super hero and he decided to don the sequins.

We finished up the night at the Sunny Side Tavern, where our good friend Liz was performing her last ever gig with her band Hollow Suite. We were only able to last a few songs - cant really party like we used to!! But it was great to see Liz doing her thing. She's a really amazing singer. Just hope she keeps up the singing in a new band!!

32: The New 21

It was my birthday last week and I've enjoyed the longest ever celebrations. On the actual day (the 5th) things got off to a great start when Ben gave me lots of smiles and came into our bed to give me a cuddle.

Then I had lunch at the best fish and chips joint in town (the Bar Beach Kiosk) with Jane, Nick, Will, Beth, Alfie, Kel and Elliott.

It was a super windy day so I'm very grateful to everyone for braving the elements. It was actually really beautiful at the beach. The water was clear and flat, and although it was chilly it was sunny and fresh.

Matt arrived on his trusty steed (the Apollo Cross Trainer) dressed in his suit, with flowers in hand. It was much fun. Beth even brought along the champers and strawberries.

On Friday night we had a celebration at our house. Mum made a cake and we ordered take-away from Top Thai. Top Thai is new to Stockton and it's very exciting to have them on board. I'm already addicted to their Mussaman Curry and NO HOME DELIVERY IS TOO SMALL! The boys tried to enlist a new recruit to their bald and the beautiful club (Travis Soulsby). Trav has all the essential ingredients - beautiful wife, nice teeth, good smile, baldy scone. Just needs a little bubba that looks just like him. Trav was very keen to join and tried to get into the club by hijacking India's dolly. However India retrieved her doll and Trav's hopes were dashed for now. Towards the end of the night Ben and Elliott had a competition to see who could cry the loudest. In the end Elliott won by a country mile - he's obviously got a brilliant career ahead of him in the Opera.
And the birthday celebrations were rounded out with morning tea at Team Watson HQ on Sunday. Jane and Nick had made the thickest yummiest chocolate cake. We were planning to play tennis after morning tea. But Team àBeckett was so worn out after all the partying we had to go home and sleep it off. Ben was a little gem and slept for three hours that afternoon so we all caught up on some much needed ZZZs.

Thanks everyone for the cards, choccies, cakes, pressies and fun times!!

Catching Up With Friends

Last Friday night I had much fun with my friends Catherine, Renee, Renay and Veronica. We met up at Lime after the girls had finished work and had tapas and wine. I'd caught the ferry from Stockton and dropped Ben off to Matt at Terminal One where he was enjoying end of financial year drinks with work mates. Apparently Ben was a real hit with the ladies!! Matt and Ben dropped into Lime for just enough time to give the girls a cuddle (of Ben) and then they went home - letting me loose on the town!! It was great fun. We went to Goldbergs for dinner and had some yummy wine and then Veronica drove me all the way back to Stockton (thanks V - you're a legend). I had so much fun that night I forgot to take my camera - so there's no photographic evidence of my first night out with the girls (since becoming a mum).

I also had another really fun catch up with Jos, Vanessa and Lynda on Tuesday at Centennial Park. This was a much less boozy affair (due to the fact that we were all driving, it was 10 in the morning and the kids all came along). The photo below is a shot of all the kids that were there. Luke belongs to Lynda and Brad is a friend of Luke's. Tom, Angus and Annabelle belong to Jos and Jaime and Sam belong to Vanessa.

Dad and SongXin

On the weekend Dad and his fiancé SongXin came to visit. SongXin has only been in Australia for a month and has understandably been feeling homesick lately. We're hoping that she will feel more at home soon and it was really nice to spend some time getting to know her. We're pretty confident that we will see lots more of Dad and SongXin now that we have the Ben draw card. It was clear that SongXin was totally in love with him and she took every opportunity to help out. Giving him lots of cuddles, changing his nappy, getting him dressed, giving him a bottle. She even taught him a little bit of Mandarin and Cantonese. The weekend was lovely. We had a yummy dinner at Silo (for Dad's birthday) and went for a walk to check out the Pasha Bulker (What will we show visitors now that it's gone!!??).

Kel and Kate's Kosmic Konnection

Most people reading this blog know that one of my best friends is Kel. But what no-one can completely explain is the consistent congruence in our lives. We've been asked if we are sisters on several occasions and our partners (Brett and Matt) were once asked if they are brothers or twins!!. We've often turned up at work wearing similar things, bought houses at the same time and our baby boys were born six days apart. The connection continued today. I took some photos of Ben rolling around in the nude (completely unaware of what was going on over at Kel's place). When I looked at Kel, Brett and Elliott's blog, there was Elliott doing exactly the same thing!

I had such a good time taking these photos today. It was a sunny afternoon and the room had been nicely warmed. It was really fun to get Ben nude. The thing I miss the most about breastfeeding is the closeness and I really treasure the memories of Ben's little hands touching my skin while he was feeding. So without that regular contact I've compensated by getting his kit off as much as is practical in winter. I love having a bath with Ben and today it was bliss to rub lotion into his skin (which gets quite dry). Also the light was so lovely and he seemed really happy rolling around!!

Murder at Midnight

Now I understand why people poison their neighbours dogs. Ben is sleeping really well but there's a little dog serenading us. Matt and I are both up and contemplating murder or suicide. To distract us from these Machiavellian pursuits I decided it was a good chance to blog and Matt is exercising his universal solution to all problems: eating cereal.