picnic

Simon and Jesse came in to Newcastle yesterday for lunch. Simon had already had his, but the three of us sat near the water while Jesse and I ate our sandwiches. We tried to get Simon to play in the grass, but he was much more interested in ripping off pieces of my sandwich to munch on :) He eventually bear-crawled after us on the limited shady sidewalk we found, and we played such fun games as peek-a-boo and upside downs.

I write this, because although we didn't take any photos, or do anything particularly out of the ordinary, it was a great family outing. Amazing how one little hour in the day can bring so much joy and perspective :)

We're camping

This past weekend was our District Youth Retreat at the beach. We had a great time camping, and had the perfect weather for it (quite sunny and warm, perhaps a little chillier at night than we would like). Simon thoroughly enjoyed all the attention he received, and it was helpful to me to have many willing entertainers for him :)

I had my first experience with meal planning and execution for over 30 people!! Jesse and I planned the food together, I made a shopping list on Coles Online, and we took said shopping list to Aldi. This accomplished a couple of things; we knew what amounts we wanted of everything, and we also knew how much we were saving by shopping at Aldi (for the record, $330 worth of groceries at Coles cost us $200 at Aldi!). We underestimated the amount of milk necessary (well, I think I technically underestimated the ability of teenage boys to drown their cereal in milk) and overestimated the amount of greens/salad necessary (yeah, should have thought that through). Also overestimated was the ratio of chips/cookies to sandwiches people wanted to eat; we had to ration the seconds. In the end, we had to buy more sausages and milk, and a few more drinks on the Saturday, but I don't think anyone went hungry.

Growing up, we always went to our District Family Camp at Chambers Camp near Corning, NY. We had a campsite right next to our good friends, and whether it was trailer-camping or tent-camping, had a great time. We have photos of my birthday at family camp, all 6 of us kids "napping" on a blanket in the shade, and siblings receiving "baths" in plastic buckets of some variety. Whenever someone would complain, or realize something had been left at home, our moms would sing a little song that went something like this, "We're camping, we're camping, we're ca-amping."

In the midst of all the various food situations this last weekend, I only wished I'd remembered that little song. The teens probably would have thought I was crazy (they'd be right), but having a little song to sing when things aren't going just right can provide a fresh dose of perspective, or at least lighten the situation a bit.

tag-teaming and teeth

Today was Thursday, the day I go in to work. Jesse and Simon picked me up from the train a little after 6, and he had to be to church by 7 for a meeting. I got home and took care of putting Simon down for an overdue nap while Jesse made dinner. We traded quick stories, wolfed down the fried rice, and Jesse headed off to work. Talk about tag-teaming the parenting!

Simon woke up after a short nap, ate, played a little, smiled a lot, then got tired. He took awhile to get to sleep, mostly because of the two little bottom teeth that are trying to make their way up through his gums. As I sat and rocked him, his little hand reached up and rubbed my neck. Those little teeth might be making life tough for all of us, but that doesn't mean there aren't great moments along the way too.

The latest adventures

Whew! Where have the past few months gone? Into a growing little boy, I think.

I've started back at work! I'm really enjoying the opportunity to get back into things. I have taken over the kitchen table with my laptop, laptop stand, wireless mouse and keyboard (a birthday gift from Jesse) and love my new "home office." I'm doing slightly different things than I was before (as my old role was filled with another full-time employee, who I trained before I left), and I've found the new position to be challenging and rewarding. Jesse and Simon had a great time while I was gone last week, so here's hoping tomorrow and the other Thursdays will be the same :)

Simon is growing by leaps and bounds. He plays peek-a-boo, and has started to do it himself sometimes (pulling a towel/curtain/whatever over his face, then removing it and expecting a reaction). It's clear that he wants to be more mobile than he is, but he breaks into a triumphant grin after rolling/wiggling off my lap after he eats. At my mothers' group today, he and one of the little girls carried on a "conversation" with each other; it was so cute. He's started wanting to gnaw on things, although he's generally disinterested in teething toys (Mom and Dad's knuckles are far more satisfying). We're hoping to get him into swimming lessons soon for Thursdays while I'm at work.

It seems we have one thing or another going on from now until Christmas! In some ways, the lack of Thanksgiving here means that the holiday season sneaks up on me. In others, though, it's surprising because with no Halloween (or very little Halloween) or Thanksgiving, the Christmas stuff is already dominating some of the stores. I've been making use of Amazon.com's Universal Gift List, but I've found that many things on that list are baby-related (Ergo baby carrier, food processor/steamer for baby food, etc.). Guess I'm a real mom now ;)

With that, I'm going to go make a mug cake (go ahead, google it! They're quick and tasty) and have some ice cream. There is a fantastic rain storm, Simon's napping, and Jesse's out. Might as well make use of the ability to eat lots of food before Simon starts solids :)

July, here we are!

Well, June basically didn't happen. Did it?

For those who are unaware, little Simon Richard joined our little family on May 26th at a whopping not-quite-7-pounds after a surprise/emergency c-section. Despite things not going as planned (there's a 10-page birth story for the interested, but I decided not to unleash it to the public domain, partly because of the personal nature, and partly because I barely had time to write it, let alone edit it to the point where I'm happy enough with it), I felt well taken care of for the most part. My parents arrived the day after Simon's birth, and that was such a blessing. They really carried us through the first weeks at home as I recovered and we all got used to each other. Jesse's mom has been with us for a week and a half, and has a few more days here still. Family is wonderful!

I've also had my birthday, which was celebrated in stages; on the day of, Jesse and I went to the mall and made some present-purchases (including a stand for my laptop and wireless keyboard and mouse, so I can set up on a desk like a desktop and not destroy my back all the time, among other things) while Simon hung out with his Grammie at home. Saturday, friends came up from Sydney and we celebrated again with a pinata. Thankfully, their daughter is one year older and was not quite as traumatized by the pinata-hitting activities this year :)

I was realizing the other day that in this coming year of life, I will miss two reunions (college and high school), the birth of my cousin's son, my sister's 21st birthday, and who knows what other events. What's really tough is realizing that friends and family in the US are missing out on life with Simon. But we have much to be thankful for; deepening friendships here, a job I enjoy and look forward to continuing (albeit in a reduced role), a brand new fridge (ok, so that's kind of shallow, but I'm excited about it), and generally a good life where God wants us to be.

While it's difficult to miss those shared moments, when we dedicate our children to the Lord (as my parents did with me, and we did with Simon), we commit to teaching our children to serve God with their whole lives, and the best way to teach that is to live it. There is a certain amount of letting go that must happen, of acknowledging that their gifts and talents might not always lead them close to home. We still cherish the time we have with loved ones (as I write, I'm watching Simon sleep in the lap of his Grammie, who has fallen asleep sitting on the couch :) and do our best to support each other wherever we find ourselves.

In the next year, I know that Simon will continue to grow and change. My hope is that Jesse and I will be able to grow and change too, as we pursue God in our new little family.

is it really April?

Well, March wasn't exactly "in like a lion and out like a lamb" at our house. Weather notwithstanding, it was more like "a lion in a decathalon of some sort" with church events, baby classes, hospital checkups, and work. (Ok, that was lame, but I tried. Moving on.)

We had the opportunity to go to a Newcastle Knights (rugby league) game with tickets from work, which included dinner in the corporate suite and some pretty good seats. That was cool; I've missed going to Amerks and Red Wings games like I used to with Deloitte. Jesse had a decent understanding of the game, and we sorted the rest out together. It wasn't quite as amusing as the time Laura and I went to a Knighthawks (lacrosse) game in Rochester, and affectionately dubbed the sport "baskesocckey" as we attempted to decipher the rules, but it was still a good time. I did get a bit stiff with my ever-heavier body in the plastic chair, but was able to put my feet up for the second half of the game, which we watched from the box.

I'm not sure if it was in March or late February, but we've encountered a previously unanticipated benefit of pastoring a country-ish church: a family in our church "came into some beef" and we have been enjoying some of the most tender steaks I've ever had since then. (Well, steak, and a roast, and some ground beef too :) Our little freezer, at one point, was full of meat. We've been alternating with chicken and experimenting some with marinades to keep things exciting, and Jesse is becoming an expert at grilling the steaks. He also made chicken parmigiana this week when I missed the train coming home from work and we had guests coming over for dinner. That turned out very good; recent experiments of mine (including satay chicken and a peach-chicken dish I didn't fully think through ahead of time) have been less successful. Edible, but less successful.

The last week of February, we attended the National Pastors' Conference in Tweed Heads (on the border of NSW and QLD). It was my first time into Queensland (unless you count the Brisbane airport), as our hotel was technically in NSW but across the street from Queensland. We had a great room with a beautiful view of the water, and I got to catch up with a high school friend who is pastoring a church in Perth with her husband. Who would have thought that Fillmore grads would find each other on the other side of the world? Anyway, that was a good trip. We took our time coming home and spent a couple of days in Port Macquarie, where we had the pleasure of wallabies playing in the backyard of our rented cabin/house.

The conference fun didn't end there, though. The first weekend in March was our District Women's Retreat, in a retreat center on Lake Macquarie. It was fun to get to know some other women from around the state, and hang out with a friend and her two-week-old baby.

I only have 3 weeks left of work (actually, it's only 12 work days, with one holiday and two Fridays off) before it's time to come home and wait for baby! We got a lot done yesterday in preparation for his/her arrival, and there's still more to do. I've been reading up on childhood vaccinations and have been trying to formulate a plan for those. I don't mean to make anyone nervous; we are planning on our child receiving all the recommended vaccines, perhaps slightly delayed from the planned schedule. What I'm struggling with at the moment is why my newborn baby needs a Hepatitis B shot. I haven't found anything that compels me to believe this is critical for a newborn, other than that it was the easiest way to make sure everyone is immunized against it. If anyone has an idea on this, I'm all ears.

And so all of this brings us to nearly the middle of April, with just over 5 weeks to go (give or take) until the baby's room is occupied. Crazy!

just for a moment

I have a few, rare, quiet moments to myself. I'm sitting on the couch, the dishes are done, Jesse's not back yet, and I'm enjoying hanging out with our little baby. S/he's moving around a bit (as usual), and I just sit here and wonder who this person is, who is already so much a part of our lives. Life has been very busy for both Jesse and me lately, and it's nice to slow down and think about what the not-so-distant future holds, and play with (read: poke) the baby a little.