Raina is pushing up on to her hands and knees now - she's a little wobbly, but determined to get moving soon! We saw her do her first official crawl move yesterday. She is so smiley these days and starts blowing rasberries from the moment her eyes flicker open at 5:30am, as if to say 'hey, what are you two doing still sleeping?' Sleeping in seems like ancient history! And hooray, the excessive drooling has subsided thanks to the introduction of a sippy cup - she has figured out how to swallow, even if most of the water ends up on her clothes at this point. We're just happy not to be washing so many bibs.
Monday, January 08, 2007
She's on the Move!
Raina is pushing up on to her hands and knees now - she's a little wobbly, but determined to get moving soon! We saw her do her first official crawl move yesterday. She is so smiley these days and starts blowing rasberries from the moment her eyes flicker open at 5:30am, as if to say 'hey, what are you two doing still sleeping?' Sleeping in seems like ancient history! And hooray, the excessive drooling has subsided thanks to the introduction of a sippy cup - she has figured out how to swallow, even if most of the water ends up on her clothes at this point. We're just happy not to be washing so many bibs.
The Nashville-Sydney Connection
The Darling B&B has been busy in the last month with some very dear Nashvillean visitors: first Lishy Price, and then Marabeth Reichel.
Also popping in for a few days were Millie & Shahram, whose wedding we attended in Nashville, but who are now living in Holland. We had a fabulous time with them all, enjoying the company and catching up on all the news of our old hometown. Who wants to visit next? We're waiting for you!
Also popping in for a few days were Millie & Shahram, whose wedding we attended in Nashville, but who are now living in Holland. We had a fabulous time with them all, enjoying the company and catching up on all the news of our old hometown. Who wants to visit next? We're waiting for you!
The Jolly Season
It has been Christmas party time! Mei-Ling & Raina celebrated with the other mums and bubs at the early childhood centre...
...the Leongs had their traditional baked dinner with special musical entertainment from the Chandra counsins...
...the Leongs had their traditional baked dinner with special musical entertainment from the Chandra counsins...
...and Santa got some extra elfin help this year...
If you're thinking, 'but Mei-Ling & Darwin are Baha'is, why are they celebrating Christmas?' then check this out: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-4-0-4.html
High Chair Yoga
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Swee'Pea Raina (2006)
Dec 3 Bubbalou
You know you've got a baby when you can no longer leave the house without a bag full of nappies, toys, changes of clothes etc. and then just as you're about to walk out the door, you hear an explosive rumble from down under... so much for getting anywhere on time!
At 4.5 months, Raina is more and more smiley, giggly, roly and chubby. Darwin has given her a couple of new nicknames: Bubbalou and O-Be-One-Chubby-One. She is also noticing food now and finally growing some hair! Grandma Leong was tormenting the poor girl the other day by waving toast in front of her nose. The look on her face was hilarious. [View Photo Album]
Here are some more mini videos:
Storytime with Grandma Leong
Hanging out with Daddy
Cabbage Patch girl
Oct 16 3 Months
It's fun to see the hand-to-eye coordination kicking in - it was so sweet when Raina started to reach out and touch our faces. And she loves doing yoga - holding her feet with her hands in "happy baby" pose. We have a new nickname for her - Drooly Scrumptious (remember 'Truly' in ChittyChittyBangBang?) It's all about drool control these days. We're fervently praying for Raina to grow out of her wind issues so we can get some half-decent sleep. [Photos]
We've been having fun shooting some mini videos:
Learning how to say "I love you"
Singing with Grammie Nonna
Lady Laughalot
Sep 24 Roly Poly
Every day Raina is delighting us with new achievements. She is now rolling onto her tummy by herself and swiping at the animals under her play gym. Every time we change her nappy, we sing "A-B-C" and she tries to mouth the letters with us. And she is fascinated by her reflection in the mirror. We're not going to be able to bath her in the kitchen sink for too much longer, for she is now 62cm tall and also getting rather heavy - 5kg!
Sep 16 Partying at two months old
Mei-Ling's little sister, Fei-Lee, was married on the weekend, and for the special occasion we dressed Raina up in her new smocked dress from Nona Lorraine - so sweet. She enjoyed partying the night away and snoozing in the arms of Aunty Seff, who was visiting from Dubai.
Aug 16 Milk Monster
We have so many nicknames for our little girl - Milk Monster, Cuddlefish, Mad Conductor (when she throws her arms out to the side in a startle), McMuffin, Poohface (when she's doing a you-know-what), Miss Bobblehead, and Bubster - poor Raina probably doesn't recognize her name yet! She is so much fun to play with now, smiling from ear to ear as we sing to her. She is still getting used to her limbs - the other day she bopped herself on the nose, she looked surprised for a moment and then burst into tears :)
Aug 8 Mona Lisa Smile
Raina smiled today for the first time - 3 times in a row! It was right after a full belly feed of course.
Jul 22 Raina's first week
Our little queen is now one week old and we are 100% in love with her! She enjoys warm baths, leg and foot massage, and listening to Daddy's funny made-up songs. When she stares adoringly at us with wide grey-blue eyes, the sleep deprivation is all but forgotten! Mei-Ling is snatching naps whenever she can and Darwin has become quite adept at nappy-changing and burping :) Our wonderful family have been so supportive; cooking and cleaning and generally making a fuss over us. [Photos]
Jul 18 Demo baby on Day 3
Raina had her first little performance as the bath demonstration baby during a hospital class for new mums. She just loved the warm water and kicked happily while held on her tummy.
Home Sweet Home
We had such fun dressing Raina to come home on this cold, blustery day - she slept through the whole car ride and was welcomed at home by two very excited Grandmas.
Jul 16 Raina Roslyn makes an appearance!
After a 23-hour birth journey we finally got to meet our little Swee'Pea and the feeling was overwhelming. We are so thankful that she is happy and healthy. She has long, artistic fingers and lovely almond-shaped grey eyes. Her Daddy thinks she takes after him, especially the hair! Raina, which means "queen" in Spanish, is named in honour of her two grandmothers, Lorraine Price and Mariette Roslyn Price. We hope that she will follow in their loving and talented footsteps.
Here are Raina's stats:
Born: 16 July 2006 at 1:50 p.m.
Weight: 3.37 kgs (7 lbs 5 ozs)
Length: 53 cm (20.8 inches)
Jul 7 D-Day has passed!
Our official due date has passed and Swee'Pea seems to be taking his/her own sweet time in making an appearance. So we have entered the time for hot curries, walking up steep hills, drinking raspberry leaf tea, reflexology, and a host of other inducement activities. With her extra 10kg load, Mei-Ling is feeling like a bit of a whale!
Jun 28 The Countdown is on
The hospital bag is almost ready to go and we're getting real curious now... what does he/she look like? Mei-Ling hopes Swee'Pea will have Darwin's beautiful blue eyes and her hair! Take a look at a 10-sec video: "Swee'Pea 'waves' at Daddy" - very active little kid we've got here... [Video]
Jun 11 Showered with love
Sunday's party was a very warm welcome for Swee'Pea (due in just 3 weeks!). We were surrounded by very loving family and friends, old and new. According to the wedding ring over the belly tradition, Swee'Pea is a Girl, BUT according to the ancient Chinese birth calendar, Swee'Pea is a Boy! Well, only time will tell, and Darwin is taking bets :) [Photos]
May 9 8 Weeks To Go
With only 8 weeks to go, Mei-Ling can longer see her feet while standing, and waddling is the general mode of walking! We still don't know whether Swee'Pea is a miss or mister (ultrasound was inconclusive), so Darwin's mum Lorraine is alternately knitting girl's and boy's outfits :)
May 5 Hypnobirthing
We started a hypnobirthing class today. Sounds a bit way out at first, but has been quite interesting and helpful so far. Mei-Ling has to practice "going within" every day and hopefully the new disciplines will help us achieve a more comfortable birth.
Apr Hiccups!
Swee'Pea is now prone to continuous hiccupping, and doesn't like it when Mei-Ling sleeps on her side, squirming a lot until she shifts position. This kid, now 30 weeks old, is already pushing to get his/her own way!
Apr 20 Baby School
We went to our first prenatal class and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our teacher, Julie, is fabulous. Thankfully she didn't show us a gory birth video up front!
Mar Rounder Days
Swee'Pea is now 26 weeks old and loves staying up late when Mum eats chocolate cake for dessert. S/he also runs through a rigorous gymnastic routine at least twice a day and enjoys listening to Dad read to him/her. Mei-Ling is getting rounder by the day and taking on that pregnancy "glow". We will be starting prenatal classes soon and Darwin is greatly looking forward to discussing intimate feelings and body parts with a room full of strangers :)
Feb Dancing Belly
Swee'Pea is kicking and somersaulting a lot these days! S/he also likes eating NutriGrain at midnight with mum and daddy has started to teach him/her how to count to 3 :)
Feb 10 Boy or Girl??
We had our 19-week ultrasound and saw Swee'Pea exercising and even yawning! S/he kept his/her knees together the whole time so we couldn't find out the gender - guess we'll just have to wait...
Jan 19
Swee'Pea's little heart beat comes over loud and clear through the Doppler! S/he is 16 weeks old now.
Jan 3 New Trimester
It's our 2nd wedding anniversary and Swee'Pea is 14 weeks old!
Dec 2 Wiggle Jiggle
At 9 weeks old, we saw Swee'Pea doing a wiggle jiggle on the ultrasound - s/he's going to be a dancer! Her/his heart beat was flickering fast like the light of a firefly - what an awe-inspiring sight!
Nov 12
The all-day "morning sickness" kicks in to stick around for a couple of months...
Nov 2 "Up the Duff"
We're pregnant! Our Swee'Pea is due on July 4th. We're excited and nervous too!
Oct 15 Big Move
We've decided to move back to Australia - early February 2006.
You know you've got a baby when you can no longer leave the house without a bag full of nappies, toys, changes of clothes etc. and then just as you're about to walk out the door, you hear an explosive rumble from down under... so much for getting anywhere on time!
At 4.5 months, Raina is more and more smiley, giggly, roly and chubby. Darwin has given her a couple of new nicknames: Bubbalou and O-Be-One-Chubby-One. She is also noticing food now and finally growing some hair! Grandma Leong was tormenting the poor girl the other day by waving toast in front of her nose. The look on her face was hilarious. [View Photo Album]
Here are some more mini videos:
Storytime with Grandma Leong
Hanging out with Daddy
Cabbage Patch girl
Oct 16 3 Months
It's fun to see the hand-to-eye coordination kicking in - it was so sweet when Raina started to reach out and touch our faces. And she loves doing yoga - holding her feet with her hands in "happy baby" pose. We have a new nickname for her - Drooly Scrumptious (remember 'Truly' in ChittyChittyBangBang?) It's all about drool control these days. We're fervently praying for Raina to grow out of her wind issues so we can get some half-decent sleep. [Photos]
We've been having fun shooting some mini videos:
Learning how to say "I love you"
Singing with Grammie Nonna
Lady Laughalot
Sep 24 Roly Poly
Every day Raina is delighting us with new achievements. She is now rolling onto her tummy by herself and swiping at the animals under her play gym. Every time we change her nappy, we sing "A-B-C" and she tries to mouth the letters with us. And she is fascinated by her reflection in the mirror. We're not going to be able to bath her in the kitchen sink for too much longer, for she is now 62cm tall and also getting rather heavy - 5kg!
Sep 16 Partying at two months old
Mei-Ling's little sister, Fei-Lee, was married on the weekend, and for the special occasion we dressed Raina up in her new smocked dress from Nona Lorraine - so sweet. She enjoyed partying the night away and snoozing in the arms of Aunty Seff, who was visiting from Dubai.
Aug 16 Milk Monster
We have so many nicknames for our little girl - Milk Monster, Cuddlefish, Mad Conductor (when she throws her arms out to the side in a startle), McMuffin, Poohface (when she's doing a you-know-what), Miss Bobblehead, and Bubster - poor Raina probably doesn't recognize her name yet! She is so much fun to play with now, smiling from ear to ear as we sing to her. She is still getting used to her limbs - the other day she bopped herself on the nose, she looked surprised for a moment and then burst into tears :)
Aug 8 Mona Lisa Smile
Raina smiled today for the first time - 3 times in a row! It was right after a full belly feed of course.
Jul 22 Raina's first week
Our little queen is now one week old and we are 100% in love with her! She enjoys warm baths, leg and foot massage, and listening to Daddy's funny made-up songs. When she stares adoringly at us with wide grey-blue eyes, the sleep deprivation is all but forgotten! Mei-Ling is snatching naps whenever she can and Darwin has become quite adept at nappy-changing and burping :) Our wonderful family have been so supportive; cooking and cleaning and generally making a fuss over us. [Photos]
Jul 18 Demo baby on Day 3
Raina had her first little performance as the bath demonstration baby during a hospital class for new mums. She just loved the warm water and kicked happily while held on her tummy.
Home Sweet Home
We had such fun dressing Raina to come home on this cold, blustery day - she slept through the whole car ride and was welcomed at home by two very excited Grandmas.
Jul 16 Raina Roslyn makes an appearance!
After a 23-hour birth journey we finally got to meet our little Swee'Pea and the feeling was overwhelming. We are so thankful that she is happy and healthy. She has long, artistic fingers and lovely almond-shaped grey eyes. Her Daddy thinks she takes after him, especially the hair! Raina, which means "queen" in Spanish, is named in honour of her two grandmothers, Lorraine Price and Mariette Roslyn Price. We hope that she will follow in their loving and talented footsteps.
Here are Raina's stats:
Born: 16 July 2006 at 1:50 p.m.
Weight: 3.37 kgs (7 lbs 5 ozs)
Length: 53 cm (20.8 inches)
Jul 7 D-Day has passed!
Our official due date has passed and Swee'Pea seems to be taking his/her own sweet time in making an appearance. So we have entered the time for hot curries, walking up steep hills, drinking raspberry leaf tea, reflexology, and a host of other inducement activities. With her extra 10kg load, Mei-Ling is feeling like a bit of a whale!
Jun 28 The Countdown is on
The hospital bag is almost ready to go and we're getting real curious now... what does he/she look like? Mei-Ling hopes Swee'Pea will have Darwin's beautiful blue eyes and her hair! Take a look at a 10-sec video: "Swee'Pea 'waves' at Daddy" - very active little kid we've got here... [Video]
Jun 11 Showered with love
Sunday's party was a very warm welcome for Swee'Pea (due in just 3 weeks!). We were surrounded by very loving family and friends, old and new. According to the wedding ring over the belly tradition, Swee'Pea is a Girl, BUT according to the ancient Chinese birth calendar, Swee'Pea is a Boy! Well, only time will tell, and Darwin is taking bets :) [Photos]
May 9 8 Weeks To Go
With only 8 weeks to go, Mei-Ling can longer see her feet while standing, and waddling is the general mode of walking! We still don't know whether Swee'Pea is a miss or mister (ultrasound was inconclusive), so Darwin's mum Lorraine is alternately knitting girl's and boy's outfits :)
May 5 Hypnobirthing
We started a hypnobirthing class today. Sounds a bit way out at first, but has been quite interesting and helpful so far. Mei-Ling has to practice "going within" every day and hopefully the new disciplines will help us achieve a more comfortable birth.
Apr Hiccups!
Swee'Pea is now prone to continuous hiccupping, and doesn't like it when Mei-Ling sleeps on her side, squirming a lot until she shifts position. This kid, now 30 weeks old, is already pushing to get his/her own way!
Apr 20 Baby School
We went to our first prenatal class and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our teacher, Julie, is fabulous. Thankfully she didn't show us a gory birth video up front!
Mar Rounder Days
Swee'Pea is now 26 weeks old and loves staying up late when Mum eats chocolate cake for dessert. S/he also runs through a rigorous gymnastic routine at least twice a day and enjoys listening to Dad read to him/her. Mei-Ling is getting rounder by the day and taking on that pregnancy "glow". We will be starting prenatal classes soon and Darwin is greatly looking forward to discussing intimate feelings and body parts with a room full of strangers :)
Feb Dancing Belly
Swee'Pea is kicking and somersaulting a lot these days! S/he also likes eating NutriGrain at midnight with mum and daddy has started to teach him/her how to count to 3 :)
Feb 10 Boy or Girl??
We had our 19-week ultrasound and saw Swee'Pea exercising and even yawning! S/he kept his/her knees together the whole time so we couldn't find out the gender - guess we'll just have to wait...
Jan 19
Swee'Pea's little heart beat comes over loud and clear through the Doppler! S/he is 16 weeks old now.
Jan 3 New Trimester
It's our 2nd wedding anniversary and Swee'Pea is 14 weeks old!
Dec 2 Wiggle Jiggle
At 9 weeks old, we saw Swee'Pea doing a wiggle jiggle on the ultrasound - s/he's going to be a dancer! Her/his heart beat was flickering fast like the light of a firefly - what an awe-inspiring sight!
Nov 12
The all-day "morning sickness" kicks in to stick around for a couple of months...
Nov 2 "Up the Duff"
We're pregnant! Our Swee'Pea is due on July 4th. We're excited and nervous too!
Oct 15 Big Move
We've decided to move back to Australia - early February 2006.
Our Year of Change: 2006
Nov 25 Aussie Thanksgiving
Darwin and his Mum outdid themselves by baking the most delicious turkey for our very first Thanksgiving down under. We also made the traditional side dishes, and John & Dimity were our assistant chefs. Their cornbread stuffing was great. We ate ourselves silly of course and then had siesta time while watching the cricket (not football!). [View Photo Album]
Oct 21 Danse Libran Down Under
We had a lovely time catching up with Irvin Tyan and new wife Heidi who were honeymooning here from San Francisco. Although the weather wasn't too great, we had a late lunch of fish'n'chips at Bondi Beach and drove around the east bay. Irvin and Mei-Ling danced together in the vintage performance group Danse Libre.
Oct 15 Prenatal Class Reunion
We finally got to see all the bubs and share birth stories. Our Swee'Pea Raina is now 3 months old! [More]
Sep 16 Wedding
Mei-Ling's sister Fei-Lee tied the knot today with fiancé Ernesto. What a sweet couple! Ernesto is from El Salvador, so the ceremony included readings in English, Chinese and Spanish. Darwin was honored to be MC, and of course there was latin music and dancing in celebration.
Jul 16 Raina Roslyn makes an appearance!
After a 23-hour birth journey we finally got to meet our little Swee'Pea and the feeling was overwhelming! [More]
Jul 7 D-Day
Our official due date has passed and Swee'Pea seems to be taking his/her own sweet time in making an appearance... [More]
Jun Showered with love
Swee'Pea was treated to a fabulous baby shower from Aunties Su-Yin & Fei-Lee and Grandma Leong. [Photos & more]We're still up to our eyeballs with unpacking boxes and setting up house, and we're hoping Swee'Pea will let us get a bit more organized before moving in!
May New Home, New Job!
We moved into our own little villa apartment, just as all our stuff arrived from Nashville - what good timing. It's great to be able to set up home again, but there are still lots of boxes in Swee'Pea's room and we've got 3 weeks to get them sorted out! The *best* news is that Darwin got a job. He's a business analyst at Abuzz (http://www.abuzz.com.au/), a young technology company that's keeping him on his toes. We've also had the great pleasure this month of a visit from David Hall, on his way to PNG. We got to catch up on all the Nashville news, not to mention the chiropractic adjustments and cooked breakfasts...
Apr Up in the Blue Mountains
We spent a fabulous long weekend with Darwin's Mum Lorraine in Kurrajong Heights, only an hour out of Sydney. Mei-Ling's parents came along too and we put all the grandparents to work brainstorming on baby names! One day we brunched with Mei-Ling's cousin Justin and his wife Susan, visiting from Queensland. On the next day, we picnicked at Mt. Banks and walked to a most beautiful spot where we were completely surrounded by cliffs, valleys, metallic-looking rocks and vast blue sky. Wish you all could have experienced it too. There is something so liberating and wild about the Australian bush. [Photos] NB: Click on the link "View photos without signing in" if you don't have a Kodak account
Mar Happy Naw-Rúz!
March has been a busy month with the Bahá'í Fast, then New Year celebrations, plus Darwin's birthday, a welcome back party thrown by Darwin's sister Melanie, and lots of catching up with old friends. In between the social activities we've been focusing on job and house-hunting, hoping to get settled before baby arrives.Darwin's beloved Aussie Rules football season has now started, so Mei-Ling is gradually being schooled in the intracacies of 'marks', 'punts' and 'rucks'. For our Nashville friends: John Bush is also being indoctrinated! We're going to have to go to the ballet soon to balance out the machismo...The cool autumn mornings have set in now (it's not "fall" over here, as most trees don't lose their leaves) and we are looking forward to unpacking our warm clothes when our shipment arrives mid-April.As for Swee'Pea, s/he has taken up a daily gymnastics class! [More on Swee'Pea]
Feb 10 Boy or Girl??
We had our 19-week ultrasound and saw Swee'Pea exercising and even yawning! S/he kept his/her knees together the whole time so we couldn't find out the gender - guess we'll just have to wait until July 4th! [More on Swee'Pea]
Feb Back in Oz
We set foot in balmy Sydney and were immediately surrounded by a host of family. After two months of packing and moving chaos, the relief (and the wonderful warm weather) was great!After remembering how to drive on the left and getting set up with medical care for the baby, we spent a week in Brisbane, QLD, visiting Mei-Ling's Grammie, Aunty Kaye and many cousins. One afternoon we ate fish and chips at the beach on Bribie Island and swam in the wonderfully warm sea. It would have been perfect if Darwin had not been stung by a blue-bottle jellyfish - ouch!! [Photos]
Jan On our way...in LA
On the way down under we stopped in LA to visit Darwin's Uncle Julian & Aunt Margaretha, as well as his cousin Hope and her lovely family. We even got to visit Darwin's last family home in Malibu - being used as a set for the "Gilmore Girls"! [Photos]
Dec Rachael in Concert
Weekend trip with the Halls to Madisonville, KY, to see our famous niece Rachael in concert! We also got to stay in a fabulous old Victorian B+B, thanks to Aunty Ann's powers of persuasion :) [Photos]
Oct 14 Baby Jowett Revealed
Lachlan Collis Jowett is born to proud parents Su-Yin & Adam! We have a new nephew! [Baby Blog]
Oct Reminiscing in NY
Darwin had to go to New York for work, so we stayed the weekend to share another brownie in Times Square...we also caught up with old friends Nancy, Elizabeth & Tonya, and the Safais. Plus, Darwin finally took in a Broadway musical - "The Producers". [Photos]
July Reunion
Ho San & Mariette and the Saunders gang visit Music City. Together with the Halls it was quite a reunion, with a little trip to a country B+B, the mandatory 4th of July BBQ, and an evening at the Grand Ole Opry where "Little Marietta" took the stage for the first time! [Photos]
May Paris in the Springtime
We enjoyed a romantic "2nd honeymoon" in Paris and the Loire Valley. The crepes were delicious, the architecture and history fascinating, and the chateaux just breathtaking. We also had a lovely time catching up with old friends Alison, Suyash, Caroline & Helene. [Photos]
Darwin and his Mum outdid themselves by baking the most delicious turkey for our very first Thanksgiving down under. We also made the traditional side dishes, and John & Dimity were our assistant chefs. Their cornbread stuffing was great. We ate ourselves silly of course and then had siesta time while watching the cricket (not football!). [View Photo Album]
Oct 21 Danse Libran Down Under
We had a lovely time catching up with Irvin Tyan and new wife Heidi who were honeymooning here from San Francisco. Although the weather wasn't too great, we had a late lunch of fish'n'chips at Bondi Beach and drove around the east bay. Irvin and Mei-Ling danced together in the vintage performance group Danse Libre.
Oct 15 Prenatal Class Reunion
We finally got to see all the bubs and share birth stories. Our Swee'Pea Raina is now 3 months old! [More]
Sep 16 Wedding
Mei-Ling's sister Fei-Lee tied the knot today with fiancé Ernesto. What a sweet couple! Ernesto is from El Salvador, so the ceremony included readings in English, Chinese and Spanish. Darwin was honored to be MC, and of course there was latin music and dancing in celebration.
Jul 16 Raina Roslyn makes an appearance!
After a 23-hour birth journey we finally got to meet our little Swee'Pea and the feeling was overwhelming! [More]
Jul 7 D-Day
Our official due date has passed and Swee'Pea seems to be taking his/her own sweet time in making an appearance... [More]
Jun Showered with love
Swee'Pea was treated to a fabulous baby shower from Aunties Su-Yin & Fei-Lee and Grandma Leong. [Photos & more]We're still up to our eyeballs with unpacking boxes and setting up house, and we're hoping Swee'Pea will let us get a bit more organized before moving in!
May New Home, New Job!
We moved into our own little villa apartment, just as all our stuff arrived from Nashville - what good timing. It's great to be able to set up home again, but there are still lots of boxes in Swee'Pea's room and we've got 3 weeks to get them sorted out! The *best* news is that Darwin got a job. He's a business analyst at Abuzz (http://www.abuzz.com.au/), a young technology company that's keeping him on his toes. We've also had the great pleasure this month of a visit from David Hall, on his way to PNG. We got to catch up on all the Nashville news, not to mention the chiropractic adjustments and cooked breakfasts...
Apr Up in the Blue Mountains
We spent a fabulous long weekend with Darwin's Mum Lorraine in Kurrajong Heights, only an hour out of Sydney. Mei-Ling's parents came along too and we put all the grandparents to work brainstorming on baby names! One day we brunched with Mei-Ling's cousin Justin and his wife Susan, visiting from Queensland. On the next day, we picnicked at Mt. Banks and walked to a most beautiful spot where we were completely surrounded by cliffs, valleys, metallic-looking rocks and vast blue sky. Wish you all could have experienced it too. There is something so liberating and wild about the Australian bush. [Photos] NB: Click on the link "View photos without signing in" if you don't have a Kodak account
Mar Happy Naw-Rúz!
March has been a busy month with the Bahá'í Fast, then New Year celebrations, plus Darwin's birthday, a welcome back party thrown by Darwin's sister Melanie, and lots of catching up with old friends. In between the social activities we've been focusing on job and house-hunting, hoping to get settled before baby arrives.Darwin's beloved Aussie Rules football season has now started, so Mei-Ling is gradually being schooled in the intracacies of 'marks', 'punts' and 'rucks'. For our Nashville friends: John Bush is also being indoctrinated! We're going to have to go to the ballet soon to balance out the machismo...The cool autumn mornings have set in now (it's not "fall" over here, as most trees don't lose their leaves) and we are looking forward to unpacking our warm clothes when our shipment arrives mid-April.As for Swee'Pea, s/he has taken up a daily gymnastics class! [More on Swee'Pea]
Feb 10 Boy or Girl??
We had our 19-week ultrasound and saw Swee'Pea exercising and even yawning! S/he kept his/her knees together the whole time so we couldn't find out the gender - guess we'll just have to wait until July 4th! [More on Swee'Pea]
Feb Back in Oz
We set foot in balmy Sydney and were immediately surrounded by a host of family. After two months of packing and moving chaos, the relief (and the wonderful warm weather) was great!After remembering how to drive on the left and getting set up with medical care for the baby, we spent a week in Brisbane, QLD, visiting Mei-Ling's Grammie, Aunty Kaye and many cousins. One afternoon we ate fish and chips at the beach on Bribie Island and swam in the wonderfully warm sea. It would have been perfect if Darwin had not been stung by a blue-bottle jellyfish - ouch!! [Photos]
Jan On our way...in LA
On the way down under we stopped in LA to visit Darwin's Uncle Julian & Aunt Margaretha, as well as his cousin Hope and her lovely family. We even got to visit Darwin's last family home in Malibu - being used as a set for the "Gilmore Girls"! [Photos]
Dec Rachael in Concert
Weekend trip with the Halls to Madisonville, KY, to see our famous niece Rachael in concert! We also got to stay in a fabulous old Victorian B+B, thanks to Aunty Ann's powers of persuasion :) [Photos]
Oct 14 Baby Jowett Revealed
Lachlan Collis Jowett is born to proud parents Su-Yin & Adam! We have a new nephew! [Baby Blog]
Oct Reminiscing in NY
Darwin had to go to New York for work, so we stayed the weekend to share another brownie in Times Square...we also caught up with old friends Nancy, Elizabeth & Tonya, and the Safais. Plus, Darwin finally took in a Broadway musical - "The Producers". [Photos]
July Reunion
Ho San & Mariette and the Saunders gang visit Music City. Together with the Halls it was quite a reunion, with a little trip to a country B+B, the mandatory 4th of July BBQ, and an evening at the Grand Ole Opry where "Little Marietta" took the stage for the first time! [Photos]
May Paris in the Springtime
We enjoyed a romantic "2nd honeymoon" in Paris and the Loire Valley. The crepes were delicious, the architecture and history fascinating, and the chateaux just breathtaking. We also had a lovely time catching up with old friends Alison, Suyash, Caroline & Helene. [Photos]
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