Funny Faces ...

Here are some of Alfie's funny faces...

If the wind changes ...



... you'll stay like that! ;0)

Bye Bye Nan and Gramps...

Monday sadly marked the end of four fantastic months with Nan and Gramps. If we have any regrets about emigrating then being away from family and grandparents easily tops the list! So having them here to enjoy life with us was fantastic. But more than that they were also a fantastic help in every way at home. Jean was very hands on around what has become a building site since Christmas filled with two demanding children (... and adults!). John enjoyed the role of site supervisor and put in so many hours on the extension preparing for painting amongst many other things. Both have been devoted grandparents...

We're missing them already... our next house guest arrives in July when Grandma Ivey arrives for three or four weeks. We are currently seeking bookings from September onwards! ;0)

Month by Month...

Two of these to update now! ;0)

Progress update ...

Things are really taking shape at home with all the platering done and the door and trim fitted. All that stands in the way are the small matters of some plumbing and having the electrics connected.

The outside is painted in a mixture of Birchstone and Beavercreek with a little Merlot thrown in, thanks to a consistent effort from anyone who can hold a paint brush it would seem. The pictures here show the outside in primer!



There is a little more outside painting to do before I turn my attentions to painting the inside. I've been making use of the tresels left here by the builders to get all the hard to reach spots done.

We forgot how hard it is ...

Funny how you forget how hard things are until you have to do it again! After a couple of weeks with Charlie where he seemed to feed and fall asleep for four hours we are now looking at feeds every hour and a half and a whole lot less sleep. While he goes on the crash weight gain diet (... 500g a week!) we are subjected to a diet of disturbed sleep.

Beth's mum and dad continue to provide extra pairs of hands while Alfie seems to be the perfect big brother. We're hoping that things settle soon, but until then we'll continue to barely function as humans. For instance I got up this morning had a wash, brushed my teeth ... (All with eyes closed!) left the bathroom, went into the bedroom and then went back to the bathroom for a wash!!!

Other than that Beth continues to work wonders despite some Mastitis this week... I'm not quite sure how she does it.

Alfie Month by Month ...

Building Progress ...

There has been a lot of progress on the build in the last couple of weeks... we're amazed how quickly things have happened. We've been talking about building since we moved in really but once we signed on the dotted line its been non stop. We now have walls, windows and a roof! We had something of a shock when we discovered that our roof which is actually made from metal sheets was in a pretty bad state and that the roof on the new bit wouldn't match and therefore be water tight!!! So the whole roof came off in one day and was replaced. The builders have worn some of the additional cost as it was unexpected, they didn't check the existing roof before starting and the fact that they don't make the profile of the old sheets any more. So it ended up cheaper than it might have been but still an expense.



I return from school everyday amazed at the speed of the work. John (Beth's Dad) has been really busy working on preparing the outside ready for painting. We also spent a couple of weekends priming the weather boards inside and out. Its good to have the new building all sealed up and to be able to access the exstension from the inside... it really gives you an idea of what it'll be like when its completed.

Next week we are expecting the plasterer and the electrician. Then it'll be the plumber, tiler and it will be time for the finishing touches! How exciting....

We got walls and floors...

Another couple of busy and sleep deprived days in the Ivey household. The builders got the floor down and the wall frames up. The building work is getting quite exciting as we can see progress and the difference the extra space will make.

... Alfie checks out the workmanship!



... Alfie standing where his room will be!



... view from the other side of the fence!



... Beth and Alfie make themselves at home. Behind you can see the bathroom and walk in wardrobe taking shape!

Another update from the Little Brother House ...

Things continue to be busy and hot in the Ivey household. Charlie is fairly easy to settle and only "arks up" when he's hungry. We managed to get out for a meal as a family to celebrate Beth's Dad and Mums's Wedding Anniversary, and while it was an interesting dining experience we did at least get out of the house.

Alfie has been helpful helping out with bathing duties and gathering stuff for mum and dad. He actually looked into where he was sleeping today and in a voice not quite loud enough to wake him said "Ah he's cute!" which is ... well cute!



Charlie has his day time sleeps sorted between three to four hours. However at night he does the hourly feeds that you might expect during the day... in short he's got his days and nights mixed up. In fact if we moved back to the United Kingdom with the eleven hour time difference he'd be perfect... at the moment he's 99.9% perfect! ;0)

Beth is doing an amazing job with all the feeding etc while recovering from the birth herself. She's had a few tears which is always to be expected around day five but we're working together and enjoying being home together with the extended family.

... Right off to bed for an hour or so!

A world away...

Here are some pregnancy shots of Beth and Alfie (... I managed to get in and spoil a few!) taken by Kate aBeckett some weeks ago... it actually feels like a world away. Enjoy...

We got wood...

The builders laid the joists today... all constructed from anti termite wood. This is our new room with en suite and walk in...

... this is Alfie's new room!

... Council inspection next and then its down with the floor and up with the walls.

We got Termite Proofing...

Termites are a big concern Down Under so counter this most homes are built with a timber frame!... (If you're reading this in the UK think partition walls with plaster on the inside and weather boards on the outside!) On Friday the builders fitted some any caps on the piers so that the wood muchers don't climb up and start eating the investment!

... we also got the Southern Hemisphere's largest skip!

Update from the Little Brother House...

Day Five here in the Little Brother house and all is going well. I'm say here at 7:30pm typing this all the kids in bed ... won't always be that easy! We've had a couple of midwife visits and Charlie and Mum seem to be doing well.



The new addition seems quite content with life, and as the Gold Top milk comes through he gets his fill fairly soon and is back in bed asleep! He's done a couple of three hour sleeps today although at night he helpfully cuts this back to about an hour!!!



I actually remembered something the other day that happened in the hospital. We were given this huge document of data to check for errors. This will then go on file for Charlie and Mum. There was one error in that Charlie James was listed as female. I helpfully pointed out to the Midwives that while I was no expert I was fairly sure that our little man was just that!



Alfie continues to be the maturing big brother. We've manage to train him out of nappies just in time to save a few dollars on the weekly shop. He seems to be growing up in everyway everyday. Today he went out to the shops with Amy and Mitchell which gave Beth a chance to sleep and me a chance to cut the grass. We're both consious of giving Alfie time with Mum and Dad over the coming weeks so that he doesn't feel left out.... but for the moment he's enjoying being big brother. This afternoon I heard him on the baby monitor having a chat to a very milk drunk Charlie.

Alfie and Charlie...

Hope we don't spend the rest of our lives comparing the kids but its hard when you have more than one! We've had quite a good look back at the photographs of when Alfie was born. Here's another couple to compare ...

Bricks ...

Seems trivial but there is still a building project going on!!!

We got bricks ...

... on which the extension will sit!

Home Sweet Home ...

We all returned home today from hospital, much to Beth's relief.... she came in and headed for the bedroom and hasn't been seen or heard since. Charlie also seems to be catching up as he's sat here in his carrier making squeaky noises! With Charlie born during the night and two nights of trying to sleep with three other women recovering from child birth and their babies there hasn't been a lot of shut eye!

The journey home was a smooth and short one, after I managed to get the car seat/carrier in... hopefully it will get easier! Here he is all loaded up ready to go...

I managed to pack up Alfie with his lunch off to day care this morning as normal although he did arrive a good hour late!!! He seems quite taken with Charlie so far... any bets on how long that will last?

Here big brother takes him out for a walk...

... he aint heavy, ....

... ahh cute!

Not much on for a few days, from a hazy memory this is where all the real fun starts! Although that said (... whilst touching wood!) he does seem a little more settled than Alfie was but you'd expect that I suppose!

We'll keep you posted on how it all goes, exciting times... come back soon!

Peas in a Pod? You decide...

Alfie Jack...

... and Charlie James!

... or is it the other way round!

Welcome to the World Charlie James ...

Our experiences with Alfie taught us that anything can happen in twenty four hours, and in his case it took that long to coax him out! At 5:08am today (16th February) ... confusingly 6:08pm on the 15th for many of you guys back home ... we welcomed Charlie James into the world. The fact that he was a boy may not have been a suprise to us ... sorry guys! ... the timing certainly was.

Beth had been getting twinges for the last couple of sleepless nights and so the fact that she was up walking about at midnight wasn't too unusual although the fact that I found her standing in the bath with waters broken was! We made a quick call to the hospital and loaded the car for the ten minute drive. We arrived at the hospital and got up to the Birth Centre and saw a very familiar face in the form of a midwife ... a friend of Matt and Sharrons from Bristol. I managed to get some snaps of a comfortable looking Beth before she seriously got down to work. There was some talk of sending us home to come back later with more regular contractions although very quickly my redened, gnawed and hideously disfigured arm and hands suggested that things were well on their way. The Birthing Centre at the John Hunter has a natural birth ethos and so there are many choices of delivery on offer. Beth tried out the traditional bed option before sampling the bath and then the shower. After a little under five hours and absence of any pain relief Charlie James was ready to enter the world ... bang on time his due date!

By this point there were four people in the shower (only one was dressed appropriately!) and with water and everything else everywhere a pillow was called in as a safety net. It was a case of head first, then an arm followed very quickly by everything else. I think the third umpire may need to take a look at the catch again but there is some debate over whether the pillow played a part! It was an amazing moment for everyone, and one which gave us the opportunity to experience everything that we'd missed out on with Alfie nearly three years ago. I cut the cord ... Beth had skin to skin contact. Perfect!

I was amazed at Beth's strength and resiliance last time, I didn't think she could go better .. I was wrong. Our midwife likened child birth to running a marathon ... having done it and felt the pain I empathise but I don't think it comes close. Beth made a marathon look like a walk in the park... amazing, awesome!

After the delivery it was time to do all those things that need to be done after childbirth and time to bond. Charlie seemed quite content and set about getting some rest... an opportunity not lost on his parents. Up on the ward it was time to start seeing some guests. Nan and Gramps came along, followed by Kate, Kel and Brett who were all on site for one reason or another. Then it was time to see cousins Liam and Joel and Uncle Matt and Auntie Sharron. Most importantly he also got to meet his big brother Alfie.... the first meeting went well with hands held, kisses exchanged, a little tickle on the forehead and no mention of the name Russell!

It was one amazing, unfortgetable day. Take a look at some random snaps of the day...



Tommorrow it's back to the hospital to help out where I can before getting back to school for two days before the paternity leave starts proper!

Its a boy ....

Charlie James Ivey was born 5:08am 16th February. Weighing in at 9 pounds and 56.5cm in length. Mum and baby doing well.... Right back to the hospital details and pictures later! ;0)

So Russell it is ...

While the gender of Ivey number two might still be in doubt there is no doubting Alfie's choice of name ... RUSSELL! This stems from his love of Disney Pixars Film UP and the character Russell the Wilderness Explorer! We've asked Alfie which names he likes for Girls and Boys and the response is always "No Russell!" ... Let's hope its a boy!!!

Here's our favorite clip (... we've watched it a few times!!!!) where Russell meets a grumpy Mr. Fedrickson who Alfie thinks is like daddy!!

Yummy Mummy ...

Check out Beth as she appears on our great friend Kate aBeckett's new blogspot Kate aBeckett Photography despite being a nutritionist by trade Kate is certainly keen to turn hobby, aided by a fair measure of talent, into something of a business venture. We'd certainly wish Kate every success.

If you want pictures taken by her then get it touch, a personable and personal service guaranteed.

Extension Progress...

Nothing to make life more exciting than starting major home improvements a week out from a new babies arrival. I'm laughing about it now ... lets see if its still funny in 12 weeks time!

... Joe grinds out the stumps from the trees we removed.

... site supervisors inspect the site. Later some steel is delivered to strengthen the concrete!

... Thanks to understanding neighbours the digger moves in through the fence to save us knocking down a wall. The digger digs the trenches which will be filled with concrete, (Alfie spends several hours watching!) on which brick piers will be built onto which the extension will sit! Simple!

... Mind the pipe! ..... Yeah that one! ..... There's always going to be snags!

New Rooms ...

We're trying to get Alfie's head around lots of the changes that will be taking place over the next couple of months! He seems more receptive to the idea of a new room than a brother or sister ... but still!

Last week we created a new home from home in the living room! His new bedroom will be a little more spacious!

Family Fun ...

We've had a couple of very humid weeks. Quite a lot of rain and high temperatures which has made things far less pleasant than drier warmer days. With Beth becoming less and less mobile keeping a two and a half year old entertainined and active has been a challenge.

Alfie's favourite thing to do at the moment is going to the beach. He actually said the other day "I had fun at the beach," which is his longest sentence to date. It's been great to have some father and son time, particularly before number two comes along.

Beach favourites are running races, digging, building dams across little streams, surfing, running in and out of the waves and some deep water jumping of waves. He seems to be building a little more confidence with every visit and knows can often be heard mutteringing about "Bar Beach" and the the story that a local once told us about a shark bitting a man on the bum!

He's been careful to watch out for the Blue Bottles which have been washed up on the beaches over the last few weeks. He is always helpful in pointing out all the "Ouchies" to mum and dad.

I scream ... we all scream ... for Icecream.

After a day at the beach there's nothing that Alfie likes more than Icecream (... hot chips come a close second) He has expensive tastes ... ingnoring the 10p Cider Apples and FAB's that were my childhood staples ... in favour of top of the range Vanilla Bean Heaven!



... Still at least he enjoys them!

Sleeps...

Like nappies during the day the daytime sleep is also a thing of the past. We were finding that with a daytime sleep there wasn't much sleep going on at night and he was eventually getting off late in the evening and often after mummy!

It's been interesting adjusting to the longer days. The late afternoon strop isn't uncommon and sometimes as you can see from the picture its all just too much!

Alfie Month by Month ...

Here's an update of the "soon to be big brother" Alfie month by month slideshow.