The Amazing Dr Whittle

On Friday Jane and I packed the boys up (no mean feat!) and pootled off to Sydney. Our mission: to spend some quality time with Helen Whittle before she becomes mother of Baby Whittle. The Whittles are expecting bub to arrive early next month, so Helen is pretty much doing what Kel, Beth and I were doing this time last year (avid blog readers may recognise the swim wear Helen is modelling above). We had a lovely day, the majority of which was spent at Neilson Park, on Sydney Harbour. Everyone had a swim. Nick (who's pictured in the background), had a board ride and we all enjoyed a picnic lunch. It was wonderful to see Helen so blooming and beautiful. I was even a bit envious of her fabulous tummy. Would love it if the Whittles were just round the corner, but with both of them holding down high powered Sydney type jobs, I don't think there's much chance of that happening. Although, with all the Great White Shark activity off our shores, Taronga Park Zoo might consider opening a large marine animals branch in Stockton. We just need a job for Jock. Surely someone as educated, charming and drop dead gorgeous as Jock (see picture to the right) could get a job in Newcastle??!!

Matt's Birthday

It was Matt's birthday on 8th March (yes I'm very far behind with my blogging). Matt requested a BBQ with the family for his celebration and we were happy to oblige.

Only one small glitch on the night. We ran late and the cake came out after the boys were in bed. When Nick heard us singing happy birthday he was pretty upset, so we needed to run a quick replay. Nick and Will jumped out of bed, gobbled up their cake and went back to bed. So the happy birthday had a happy ending after all.

Ben Loves Nanna

Ben's very happy with all his grandparents and would love to see them all as often as he gets to see Nanna Judy. Whenever Nanna Judy comes to visit he gos nuts. He either crawls at an alarming pace to the front door, or runs with arms outstretched. Generally he laughs and carries on for the entire time that Nanna is around. Maybe it's because Nanna gives Ben the best part of her banana smoothie, or maybe it's because she's happy to wander around with him for hours. Or maybe it's just because she looks so good with a frangipani behind her ear.

The Day Al Dropped In

One of my BFF dropped in to visit Ben and I at the beginning of the month. Al and I are such good friends that she had totally forgiven me for forgetting her birthday. What makes it worse is that I actually spoke to Al on her birthday to apologise for not making it to the pub for drinks, while completely missing the reason for the drinks. Anyway, lucky Al is very zen about these things and let me buy her a milkshake to make up for it. All the angst about the forgotten birthday was too much for Ben who promptly fell asleep. The good news is that Al seems to be unaffected and is living a very happy and comfortable life up in Darwin, where she recently landed something of a dream job with the Fred Hollows Foundation. Congrats Al!!

Nick's Kite

It was Nick's Birthday in Feb. When Jane asked him what he would like for his birthday he said that he'd like a kite. Since then, Nick's kite has been getting a work out. He's pictured here showing Ben, Will, Jane and I his impressive kite flying skills. These shots were taken on the ballast ground at Stockton on 29th Feb. It was a lovely afternoon, with just enough wind to make kite flying a breeze. On this day Nick worked out that he could stand still and the kite would still fly. That's all good, except that Nick really likes running. So he decided to run with the kite flying behind him anyway.

Jacob's Birthday

It finally happened! And when it did happen it actually came around very quickly. One of the little people from our antenatal class turned one. Jacob celebrated his birthday on 27th Feb, which makes him one month and one day older than Ben. I had volunteered to make a cake and I was pretty happy with my attempt at sculpting a wombat from chocolate cake and butter frosting. We met at Smarty Pantz and it was all going swimmingly until someone decided that the cake represented a clear and present danger to the other pint sized patrons. So we were relegated to the anti allergy room other wise known as the party room (even though the cake HAD NO NUTS IN IT - don't get me started). Not sure that Jacob was terribly keen on the cake, but Matt enjoyed gobbling up the left overs when we got home.

He's Walking!

The big news at Team àBeckett HQ is that Benjamin is walking. On Tuesday 25th Feb Kel looked after Ben for a few hours while I went into work. Ben took 5 steps while I was away!! I felt pretty bummed to have missed that. But since then Ben has been showing us that he’s certainly capable of a repeat performance. He's regularly taking 10 or more steps. Occasionally he strings together quite a grand old stroll. His primary method of getting around is still crawling. But with the way he's progressing on his feet, I can't see that hanging around for much longer. It gives me such a thrill to see him walking. But like all these amazing milestones I can't help feeling just a little sad. Now that he's up on his feet and his first birthday is just around the corner it really seems as though he isn't a baby any more. Lucky he’s such a cute toddler!

Love Stockton

There was one Sunday in Feb when the sun came out. I'd really been looking forward to spending lots of time at the beach with Ben this summer. It hasn't really worked out like I'd imagined, but on 24th Feb the skies were blue and we made the most of it.

Beth, Paul and Alfie joined us. All the grown ups managed to get a swim. The boys were both a little afraid of the water, so were happy just to pootle around on the sand. Beth and I collected lots of shells, Matt caught a few waves.

And Paul demonstrated his contemporary audition piece for next years production of So You Think You Can Dance? It's called, Sonnet to a Shell.

Love Newcastle

A couple of Fridays ago Ben and I shared a perfect afternoon with Jane, Nick and Will.

We caught the ferry to Newcastle and walked to Newcastle Beach. We met a friend, Al Fraser, at Estabar for ice cream and a chat. The chat was fun and the ice cream divine. I highly recommend the combination of vanilla bean with lemon and lime sorbet.

Then we all trundled over to the canoe pool for a dip. Newcastle hasn't churned out many sunny days this summer, which is perhaps why I appreciated this one so much. It was one of those days when you feel particularly lucky to be alive.

Gymbaroo

Just over a week ago Ben had his first "Gymbaroo" experience. We arrived late so we missed out on some of the sitting-around-in-a-circle-singing side of things. But Ben made the most of it when we started free play time. The place was set up with loads of great things to crawl over, on and through. Ben was a star at climbing the ladders, once again showing that he hasn't any sensible levels of fear. Of course, once he found a couple of balls he kinda forgot about everything else. Having said that, he seemed to be pretty interested in one of his other gym buddies. There was a little girl there who goes to his day care. At the beginning of the class he made a bee line straight for her. Not sure if he recognised her or just liked he look of her pretty clothes that day. Her Mum and I decided that they must be good mates and just wanted to say hello.

Ben's Art!

Apparently Picasso said that children should not be taught how to paint or draw. Instead they should be allowed to express themselves and that adults will learn from them. Well Ben's been teaching the staff over at Blinky Babies a thing or two this week.

He's progressed quickly through his impressionist phase and has more recently been working with mixed media. We're looking forward to his next project which is tipped to be a combination of edible body paint and interpretive dance.

Smarty Pantz

Ben’s been enjoying a few trips to Smarty Pantz in the last month. For those of you who don't know about Smarty Pantz I imagine that the pictures help to explain it.



My best description in words is that it’s an indoor amusement park for little-uns. Our most recent trip was on Tuesday. Ben absolutely loves the ball pool. I think it's simply his idea of heaven. He’s also pretty keen on the cars. Although he actually liked pushing them around just as much as having a ride inside one. With the recent unseasonable weather it's been a great place to meet up. The picture above was taken in Jan when our antenatal class got together. Pictured from L-R are Benji, Alfie, Paige, Darcy and Jayda. Warning to anyone intending to visit Smarty Pantz. Don't be fooled by the bright colours and squishy decor. The place can be brutal. Alfie came a cropper after some very enthusiastic, and in hindsight, rather dodgy dodgem car driving by his Mum. He's such a trooper though. Still smiling with a great big egg on his head.

To the Big Smoke

From L-R: Twins Lana and Ava (don't know which one is which), Lilly, Freya, Belle and Max

On the weekend I went to Sydney to visit the Fisher-Parkers. Bec Fisher is a friend of mine from my Westmead Kids days. It was great to catch up with Bec and her growing family. Bec had also arranged for some of the other girls from the dept to come round with their broods. The kids pictured above are just some of the many offspring that have come into the world since I was working there. Bec's two girls are Freya and Belle. I hadn't met Freya until the weekend so it was lovely to get to know her. It was also great to see Belle who is growing up quite nicely really. Bec and Mark have just finished doing some pretty extensive renos and I was the first non-family guest to stay. So I felt pretty special. Of course, Bec and I managed to have some grown up time and we were able to indulge in some yummy food and visit a fabric shop and an auction house. It was a busy weekend, but we even managed to fit in a visit to Ikea. Bec was amazing. She picked up a record haul in breathtaking time. All while carrying little Freya in the Baby Bjorn!

Ben's First Step!

Ben took his first unsupported step today!! For a couple of weeks now he’s been free standing. He’ll pull himself up on something and then let go. He can manage to stay upright for a few seconds and then generally plonks down on his bum. Today he took it "one step" further. We were in his bedroom and I had my back to him as I was putting some of his clothes away. I turned around and he was free standing near his cot. Then he put his hands up towards me and took a step! He promptly dropped on his bum and I spent the next hour trying to get a shot of him standing. I don't think we can call it walking yet. When can we call it walking? I think he's got to string at least two steps together before we officially label him a toddler. It gave me such a thrill to see that first step. What a lucky Mummy I am to have seen it! It was strange though because I also felt just a little bit sad at the same time. I feel like he’s growing up so quickly. In just five weeks he’ll be twelve months old. Before I know it he’ll be saying NO MUMMY!

Class Reunion

L-R: Dave with Darcy, ADam with Paige, Dave with Jacob, Paul with Alfie, Matt with Ben, Brett with Elliott

Last weekend we had a reunion with our antenatal classes. The Mums have been getting together regularly during the week but we haven't seen much of the Dads. We'd planned to meet at Speers Point Park, but due to the inclement weather we relocated to Beth and Paul's place. The weather actually turned out to be not too bad, so we hung out on the deck for a while.

But when Paul opened the corral gates and told the kids that there was mashed pumpkin inside you should have seen them stampede. Ben had a great time taking Paige for a double on Alfie's scooter. And later on, Matt snuggled up with Ben and Darcy. Darcy is about three weeks older than Ben, and of all the kids I've met in the recent past he looks most like our boy. Their little bodies and heads are similar shapes. They even make similar noises. Matt's pictured here having a snuggle with the two little twinnies... in fact the three of them look like triplets!!

Not really sure how they got to be so similar, Darcy's Dad is about twice as tall as Matt and his Mum isn't half as short as me. Maybe Ben'll be 7 foot!!!

Ben Loves Blankie

Ben has fallen in love and the object of his affections is soft, cuddly and warm. It took me a while to notice Blankie and Ben's relationship. I didn't understand why Ben would tootle off to his room and stand at his cot. It wasn't until the day when Blankie was located near the rails and Ben grabbed it that I realised.

We now bring Blankie out to play most days. Ben loves to hug Blankie and give Blankie lots of slobbery sucking type kisses. Lucky Blankie!!!

Ben Gets Things Moving

Ben's been pulling himself up on things for a while now. And more recently, if those things aren't bolted to a wall or significantly heavier than him he seems to want to move them somewhere else. It's all good fun until something gets between the thing he's moving and the general direction that he's going. I'm constantly clearing his path or re-directing him and his pushed object. Ben's pictured above pushing his stroller, which is one of his favourite things to move. He's also keen on pushing the vacuum cleaner, his Dino Explorer (which is still a little big for him to ride), cardboard boxes, plastic boxes with wheels ....

.....and chairs.

Hangin' With the Boyz

As usual Ben's been spending plenty of time with his mates Alfie and Elliott. Elliott dropped in for lunch today and the two of them spent quite some time discussing the nuances of modern literature. Ben told Elliott all about his favourite book. And Elliott helped Ben to understand how the phrase "the cow says moo” is actually a metaphor for post-modern multiculturalism.

Meanwhile Alfie showed Ben one of his Hermit Crabs, "Perri". The boys agreed that Perri is the coolest arthropod around. Of course this led to musings about how they could be more like Perri. This in turn led to lengthy discussions about the possiblilities of converting Alfie’s table into two exoskeletons and twelve segmented legs. They haven't totally figured it out yet. So for now they'll continue to wear their skeletons underneath their skins.