Whoops !

Oopsy daisy... !

Sorry we haven't posted in a while, Jax is still in one piece - we promise ! Roland is too, hee hee.

Relaxed weekend last weekend, but a busy one coming up - work drinks for Roland on Friday night, Canada Day Pub Quiz event put on by the Canadian Club of Auckland on Saturday night, and then our Tupperware party on Sunday !

We promise to do a better update soon, time for our tired bodies to go to bed now though... zzzz...

Take care folks !

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird
(only ten days to go!)

Newsflash !

It was a bit of a surprise, mostly because the sale went through so quickly, but we sold our old dishwasher today ! We had it listed on a New Zealand based auction website, and someone bought it, then came and picked it up and paid for it this afternoon ! I think it was only put up on the website on Friday, and most auctions run for 7 days, so an amazing result really. It wasn't even really our dishwasher, but it came with the house when we bought it, it's just that we had one we liked better from the previous place and installed that instead.

Roland did quite a bit of hard work though, spent ALL day yesterday installing the ventilation system that was mentioned in the last entry - and it seems to be doing well so far ! Here is a picture of the control panel (fascinating, I know!).

Other than that, not much happened - Jax went to another Tupperware party today and will soon be hosting her own - strange but true ! ;) She also finished the door to the nursery, with a little help from Roland for some of the tricky bits (being short doesn't help when you're painting a tall door). Here are a few photos of that as well.

The top


The bottom


The whole thing !

That is pretty much it, straight into another working week tomorrow - well, at least for Roland anyway.

Take care folks !

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

Rain rain go away...

We have had some phenomenally yucky weather in the last few days, and it hasn't really slowed down yet either. Early in the week there were even power cuts that caused some pretty major chaos in the city and a lot of companies wound up sending their workers home since there was literally nothing else they could do. We were lucky that the power didn't go out at our house, although you could have been forgiven for thinking it was going to, the thunderstorms and lightning we had yesterday felt like they were right on top of our roof.

As a result of all of this miserable wetness, we even have a fire going today - which we usually only do at night time !

The house is becoming more and more organised and tidy, we were given a liquor cabinet by Roland's dad, which basically has a nice big compartment for glasses and cups (with a glass door and is split into two shelves), and then a small cupboard with a sliding bottle holder (although that part is still empty at the moment).

(Sorry about the fuzzyness, just took a quick snap with the cellphone.)

Roland is also busy installing a ventilation system for our house which should further help with drying out / warming things up, since NZ houses get pretty damp on account of the aforementioned miserable winter weather. Photos of that will come later as right now he is busy making a mess and cutting holes in the ceiling where the vents need to go.

We were also lucky to have been given a baby gate by Jax's mum, since it wouldn't fit at her house, and fits perfectly at ours ! We only really have one doorway at the moment that will need a gate, so that was awesome (and practical!).

No other grand plans for the weekend really since going out isn't really worth it, I think most people will be staying inside where it's warm and relaxing ! There might be another update tomorrow if the ventilation system is complete, AND there might be some progress made on the office (the only room that still looks like a bomb site since we moved in, heh...).

Take care folks !

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird
(Only three more weeks to go!)

Lady of leisure !

So the time has finally come and Jax has started her maternity leave, what a relief ! You should see the size of her "to do" list though, and it just keeps growing ! The house should be spotless by the time our girl decides to show up if everything on the list gets done.

This weekend is going to be pretty quiet and laid back though, in comparison to last weekend when we had to go out for something just about every day. We have been invited out to dinner tonight at a friends house, along with another couple who have a little baby, which should be quite interesting ! They're all colleagues of Roland's although we've all met before at other get-togethers.

That's actually pretty much it for now, it's only Saturday morning so haven't really had the chance to get into the swing of things yet - but you never know, there might just be another update before the weekend is out ;)

Take care folks !


Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

Queen's Birthday Weekend

So it's Monday today, but we don't have to go to work - hurrah ! Sometimes Jax gets rostered on for public holidays, but thankfully not this one (although if she was, she gets time and a half plus a day in lieu, which isn't TOO bad...).

Saturday wasn't too exciting, although the weather was beautiful. We went out for breakfast at a local cafe we hadn't yet been to, and then Roland started putting up the new polystyrene underfloor insulation when we got home, and is about 90% finished. Quite a big job though, as it has to be measured and cut to size first !

We also went out to get a few other useful things, and now have a small fire extinguisher living in the cupboard under the kitchen sink, as well as a battery operated doorbell ! Our house isn't giant, but if we were in the living room watching a movie or something it could be hard to hear if someone came to the door I suppose.

There is also a new security light to go up, as the one that is currently on the corner of the house (outside) near the driveway is broken - and right now it can be pretty dark in the mornings.

We got to know one set of neighbors a lot better as well, the ones to our right (if you are facing our house). Very nice somewhat older couple, very friendly but laid back - and VERY generous too ! The lady works for the toy company / distributor Hasbro, and had a couple of gifts for us for the baby.

We also got to meet their goat, Abby. Yes ! A real live goat, who seems to quite enjoy the odd carrot, scraps of broccoli, and especially love stale bread - went over there again today to feed her and say hello.

After that we finished off the afternoon with a tour of Birthcare, the maternity hospital where we will hopefully be going when Baby Bird decides to arrive - very nice facilities, wonderful location, nice and peaceful and relaxed.

Sunday was a little more laid-back, sorted out the rest of our living room as there were still a couple of boxes floating around from the move - looks far more organised now. We also went to The Warehouse and bought a coffee table, which actually turned out to be a 3-piece coffee table set ! Not bad for $60.

We also bought a bookcase for the office, so the next 'project' will be sorting out the boxes in there and deciding what goes on the shelves and what gets put back into storage for a while.

Fish and chips for dinner, and that was about it really !

So far today we have been out again to The Warehouse (you can almost literally buy ANYTHING there...) and bought some photo frames - a more detailed explanation of why will come later, as they are part of one of Jax's 'special projects' for the nursery.

We bought the new Ben Harper CD (since we missed out on his concert), some net curtains for the master bedroom and the nursery, as well as a gift for Baby Ethan and some biscuits to take over for afternoon tea when we go visit today after lunch.

Other than that, just a few other basic house cleaning odds and sods left to go... as well as a few ongoing things like painting the nursery door, and the aforementioned organising of the office.

Sorry that it's all writing and no photos (there will be plenty next time, promise!), although I will sign off with a lovely 'portrait' shot sent to us by my brother in law Jason, back from Rols mum's birthday party at the beginning of the year... (and for curiosity's sake, it's my other brother in law Alex being a monkey in the background)

Take care folks, bye for now !

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird
(Only five more weeks to go !!)

Cough, sniffle, sneeze...

Definitely not much happening this week as poor Jax managed to catch herself a head cold, and the only good things for fixing that are rest, fluids, and Panadol (the equivalent of aspirin). It has been hanging around a bit *too* long though so we are also trying some antibiotics the Dr prescribed (yes, they are "safe"). Hopefully that will do the trick ! Only two more weeks until the start of her maternity leave as well.

Today was quite busy though, this morning we went out to The Warehouse to get some curtains for the nursery (photo to come once they are up, still have to buy hooks for the curtain to hang on the rail with), then off to the hardware store to get some underfloor insulation.

The house feels like it has been getting quite damp, but we've already got Pink Batts (looks like candy floss) in the ceiling and maybe the walls, so hopefully the underfloor stuff will help cut down a bit further on some of the moisture. We also picked up some pre-cut melamine board to make a shelf in the kitchen with, hasn't Roland done a great job?

Tomorrow we will probably look at what to put on it, but it will great as our pantry is a little overcrowded.

We're also going to try a new strategy with the grocery shopping tomorrow, and try and buy enough for two weeks worth of meals, not including fresh fruit and veges of course - this also meant writing out a two week meal planner. We might have to start up the fridge / freezer downstairs as well (in the basement), AND we might even get around to planning some of the meals we want to make and freeze for the first couple of weeks after Baby Bird arrives.

And just before we sign off, a quick note to our little cousin Julia - great singing !! It was a good reminder for me to give Papere a phone call for his birthday when that comes.

That's all for now though, take care folks !

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

Busy Bees

Time has been flying as always, three weeks in our new house now, and time for another update as well !

Not sure if it can be said Roland is "enjoying" biking to work more now, but seems to be finding it a bit easier in the second week - and isn't coming home as exhausted as last week. Here is a photo of his spiffy new bike:

The car has been guzzling up a fair bit of gas though, although driving in to work has been working out very well for Jax, who is still tired but not AS tired. We are also pleased to report that Friday night was the only night we didn't eat dinner at the table, but it was "takeaways" night anyway so a little laziness was allowed ;)

The friend we mentioned in our last entry hasn't had the baby yet, the kidney infection took a little while to clear up, but is 100% definitely being induced *this* Monday, so we're hoping the next time we catch up with them it will be a visit with baby Ethan as well.

And to continue the baby stuff topic, we had our last antenatal class on Thursday, which was both nice and a little sad - we did come away from it with a lot of good information, and a contact list that all the other couples had filled out so that anyone who wants to keep in touch with each other is able to.

Jax has also been busy putting some more finishing touches on the nursery, click HERE to take a look at an online album with some of the photos - almost everything is ready, all we need now is our baby ! :P

No other major news, but we have had the fireplace and chimney cleaned out as well as some firewood delivered, which will add a nice warm touch during winter and hopefully help us cut down on our electricity bill. The office is still in chaos and may have to wait a bit longer, but Roland has been tackling some of the outside work that needed doing, as we have to start taking advantage of days when it isn't raining - another one of the joys of winter in NZ.

To cheer things up however, here is a photo taken at the height of summer, on our trip to Opotiki for Rols' mums birthday:

Take care folks !

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

The Weekend

Friday:

Poor Roland stayed home as he was not feeling well at all - my theory on this is that he was exhausted from all the things we've been running around doing both out and at home, so it was his body's way of forcing him to rest and recover a bit. I am pleased to report however, that he is feeling much better now !

Saturday:

We have FINALLY closed down all of our bank accounts with other banks, and managed to bring everything together with one provider, including savings, credit cards, insurance, mortgage etc. Made a trip in especially in the morning as neither of us had free time during the week, and some banks now open for half a day on Saturdays. Came home for a while after that, did some meal planning for the week which will hopefully make things easier for us when we come home feeling tired. Jax's mum dropped by with some handy bits and pieces, like a doormat for the front door that isn't too thick (ie: we can still open and shut the door without it getting in the way), plus a new plug for the kitchen sink - the one that was already here was pretty useless. The second outing of the day was to the supermarket, and to a branch of a particular chain that happens to be a LOT cheaper - we'd been a bit lazy when we first moved in and just gone to the one closest to us, which also cost us a fair bit more. Fast forward things a bit and there was spaghetti bolognaise for dinner, and we even managed to sit at the dinner table instead of in front of the TV - a new habit we are trying hard to establish. Last but not least, we made another outing that night to visit a friend in hospital who is about to have her baby - but will definitely be by c-section as she has had quite a few complications so far including a recurring kidney infection, plus the little guy has managed to turn himself the 'wrong' way around as well ! She is in good spirits though, and all things going well they are hoping to deliver him sometime tomorrow, exciting stuff ! :D

Sunday (today):

After a reasonably good sleep, Roland was wonderful enough to cook our breakfast - we have decided to introduce porridge to the menu for winter because not only is it yummy but it fills you up really well and keeps you warm (kinda!).

Then we dropped in on Jax's mum to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !! - to give her a card, and a little gift as well (remember mum, don't eat them all at once !!). Stayed for a quick catch up and cup of tea, then home to relax for a while and geek around on the computer. After lunch, most of the afternoon was spent trying to do some more unpacking / sorting / tidying up - and Jax even managed to conquer the entire bedroom, with a few winter things being taken out of storage, a few more summer things going IN to storage, and even a few things being "thrown out" (we will actually donate them to charity). The next big mission will be to do the office probably, finish off the lounge (living room), and then just rearrange / organise what's left just as we like it. Still incredibly happy in our new place, we've even discovered some amazing birds that must nest in our neighborhood - I think it was Saturday we spotted a pair of Tui's next door (a protected native bird, they sound amazing), and Roland saw a pair of Rosella's (native Australian parrot, very colorful). Dinner was fish, rice and salad, simple but satisfying !

So, that's all she wrote folks - it'll be bedtime for us shortly in any case...

Take care ! :)

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

Home Sweet Home

We made it !

Not that there was ever any doubt, but what a day it was ! We got up super early to start the last of the packing and cleaning (7am, 03 May 2006) and then the truck arrived, so they started loading up all of the boxes and our furniture.

Around 11am we arrived at the new house, and encountered a bit of a hiccup.

We'd arranged to have the carpets cleaned the day before which would give them plenty of time to dry, but in all the chaos we forgot that the power wouldn't be connected for the carpet cleaner guy to be able to plug his machine in. D'oh ! We rescheduled him to come the morning of our moving day, and he'd only just finished when we got there. This meant that the carpet was still damp, and did it ever STINK - plus we had to move all our stuff in regardless. There wasn't too much extra dirt left behind though, and a good vacuuming should fix that up.

It took until about 2pm to get all of our things unloaded, then between lunchtime and 5pm our new bedroom furniture was delivered which included a slat bed frame and new mattress, dresser drawers, framed mirror, and two bedside tables - all in a beautiful matching dark wood.

Everything considered, it went pretty well and we were ALL exhausted by dinner time - including the cats who were even too tired to fight despite being shut together in the same room. We let them out the next morning to explore, and then got a cat door installed on Saturday, which didn't take them long to remember how to use.

It's hard to believe it's been just over a week too, but things are fairly settled - we haven't managed to unpack everything yet but will get there eventually.

Here are a few photos from the day after we moved in (4th May 2006).

Master bedroom





Bathroom (toilet just to the right, shower to the left behind the door)


Office


Kitchen




Lounge (living room)



Deck



That's all we've got for now folks, but there will be more photos to come once we've done a bit more cleaning and arranged the living room furniture properly - the nursery should be completely finished by then too ;) (Which may get an entry all to itself...)

Not much other news really, we're both back at work and getting used to slightly new routines, plenty going on to keep us busy !

Our next update will hopefully be this weekend, if not, sometime next week.



Oh ! Almost forgot... guess what Jax found at the local supermarket ? *drum roll*




I kid you not !! This makes for one VERY happy Jax !!

Anyway, take care and goodnight everyone :)

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

Moving house !

Beep Beep !

Yes folks, the time has finally come - we are moving house tomorrow ! It's a little bit sad, but mostly exciting - the truck is scheduled to arrive at 9am tomorrow along with two guys to help us pack up. Not that Jax will be doing much lifting though, so don't worry ;)

Still a few odds and ends to pack though, which is what the rest of this afternoon is for, and then tomorrow morning we will clean whatever's left that needs cleaning, and Jax's mum and Rols' dad are coming over to help with that. It also means that our computers will have to be packed up, but it probably won't be long before they are up and running at the new place. Of course we both have time off work to get all of this done, and enable us to relax and settle in a bit before getting into a new routine.

We will also get to set up the nursery for Baby Bird, who is doing very well and measuring up perfectly according to the midwife at our appointment this morning.

Nothing much else is going on because of course, this is a pretty big thing !! So we will sign off for now, and our next update will come from the new house and hopefully have a few photos as well.

Take care everyone...

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

Tick tick tick...

Ok so, what has been happening since last time we wrote?

Saturday - went to see the new house, check things out, and make sure we still liked it - hahaha. All is well though, and we're still really excited about moving. Also put a deposit on our new bedroom furniture set and arranged for it to be delivered on the afternoon we move, and will pay the balance between now and then. The only other major event was getting the groceries done, hooray !

Sunday - a bit more packing was accomplished, but it's hard now because it's mostly down to stuff we still need to use.

Monday - zzzz... no, seriously ! Roland went to work, and Jax caught up on even more sleep, been doing lots of that lately too :-P

Also, thought this was cute, you can make these 'ticker' things for almost any event or day that you want to count up / down to:





Tuesday - I guess today gets a special mention as a sort of public holiday, for us residents of Kiwi-land (and Australia) it's ANZAC Day (Australia / New Zealand Army Corps), where there are dawn parades and commemorations etc for war veterans, especially from World Wars 1 & 2. Virtually the same as Remberance Day for Canada and the US.

Anyway, for half the day the shops are closed, but most re-open in the afternoon and a lot of them have big sales - we decided to go to Briscoes since we had vouchers (big homewares type of place) and needed some new towels and bed linen.

BIG MISTAKE. It was almost impossible to find a parking space, although luckily we got quite a good one, and the store was packed - we waited in line for a LONG time, but it was hot, and Jax got really tired of standing up really quickly. However, the discounts that we got were good, so that balances things out a little.

Also, after a wonderful week off recuperating from 'ligamentitis', Jax is back to the grind tomorrow - not too thrilled but ya know, you do what you have to do.

Goodnight everyone, and take care !

J, R & Baby Girl Bird

For the Fallen
by Laurence Binyon

They shall grow not old,
As we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them.

*~*Lest We Forget*~*

Too funny...

I know not everyone is as big a cat fan as we are, but this is just too funny not to pass on:

Talking Cats !!

Antenatal class #2 was again a bit tedious, but we got to watch a video - I won't go into any detail except to say that five people left (it wasn't compulsory to watch the whole thing), which is about a third of the class.

Both of us are happy that it's the weekend, we're going to go over to the new house tomorrow for another look and to check a few things.

Went on a mini baking spree today, nothing else to do - made half a dozen blueberry muffins, a dozen apple cinnamon muffins, and some chocolate chip cookies - YUM ;) Picked up Roland from work so he wouldn't have to take the almost 2 hour (because of traffic) bus trip home.

Otherwise, that's it ! Take care folks.

Love,
J, R & Baby Girl Bird

Beep beep !

Quick note:

First antenatal class last week, basic stuff - EXCEPT for the really bad map we were given to try and find the room at the hospital where it was being held. Best part was meeting other parents to be, class #2 tomorrow night.

Jax has managed to inflame a muscle / ligament, the one that holds up the uterus in fact, which has led to a few not so nice words being said out loud - suspected it was actually a problem with the 'plumbing' at first but all tests came back negative. The only fix for this kind of issue is rest apparently, and so I have a week off work ! Yes I know, life is SO tough - not ! Today wasn't too bad, managed to at least keep the kitchen clean, but as you can imagine no more packing or lifting for me for a while.

Speaking of things related to moving house, we managed to just about fill the big rubbish bin that was here over Easter weekend, as well as sort, throw out, tidy and pack a LOT of stuff - Roland is on top of all the planning and logistics to do with things like getting us a new phone number, having the gas and electricity connected etc.

That's all for now folks...

Love J & R

3 weeks to go !

... until we move to our new house ! We've done a little bit of packing, but there's a whole lot more still to go. Roland was away in Dunedin last weekend, so I worked out on sorting all of our papers / bills and things, as well as all the miscellaneous stuff sitting on & around our computer desks. This Thursday there is a skip (giant rubbish bin) arriving, and it will be around for the whole of Easter weekend - I think it is going to be VERY full by the time we finish with it.

There has been a *little* bit more shopping for baby things, in PINK of course ! Otherwise, this kid has virtually everything she needs so far - we're only missing a mobile for the cot, and a 'bouncer'. Not like a jolly jumper, but one of those seat things on a wire frame that you just rock with your foot. Probably won't have to worry about buying them until after we move either.

We also start antenatal classes this week, on Thursday night - once a week for six weeks, should be very VERY interesting ! Will keep everyone up to date on how that goes.

Otherwise all is quiet on the home and work fronts, business as usual etc ;)

Take care folks...

Love J, R & Baby Girl Bird

(Cutest bunny sox ever !!)

If you haven't already heard...

Baby Bird is going to be a....

GIRL !!!

She wasn't so shy at our ultrasound today, and we are so thrilled !! :D


And sorry to make this so short, but there's a thunderstorm coming and I am going to shut down the computer after this just in case - we could both probably use an early night tonight anyway.

Just quickly though - two HUGE thank yous need to be said for their wonderful, kind and generous gifts in the last few days:

Sandra (Rols mum)
and my dad (Maurice)

We appreciate *everything* so much, everything helps right now !! *hugs* for everybody ;)

Anyway, good night folks, and take care.

J, R & Baby Girl Bird !!

Oops, my bad !

Yes yes, have been a bit slack :P Tell me all about it... (Although at the moment I'm choosing to blame having worked 6 days in a row the last week ! J.)

But we have something for you all... really hope the link works !

A True Work In Progress

Since my memory is a bit fuzzy at the best of times, I'll fast-forward us to this weekend. Let's see, Saturday we slept in - bliss !! Poor Roland wasn't feeling too well however, so had a pretty quiet day, while around lunchtime I (Jax) went to do aqua aerobics with a friend. However, when we arrived we found out the schedule on the aquatic centre's website is incorrect, and there is no class on those days - because it is especially for pregnant ladies they need a qualified teacher, and their usual one just retired. D'oh ! So we paid for a casual swim anyway and just aqua-jogged up and down the slow lane and nattered away. Well worth it though, it was a HOT and sticky day so felt like the best thing ever.

Sunday (today), was a little busier. We changed our usual routine and did the groceries in the relatively early morning (10am), which was quite a help as the supermarket didn't seem as crowded - something I've really started to hate ! Came home and took a bit of a break, had lunch, and then did some ... *gasp* packing ! :P We mostly took care of things in the bedroom like clothes we don't wear and things that had already been packed away over summer. Although soon we'll be swapping things over again, the weather has really started to turn - and today was no exception, a perfect example of a soggy and wet NZ winter day. Mind you, not *quite* winter though, as it still managed to be a little muggy - yesterday's leftovers I think.

So THEN we did a bit of baby related shopping, but I'll update you all on that later... I'm going to save a bit of news for the entry that I'm sure I'll be making tomorrow. The reason I say that is, we *finally* have our next scan appointment - and this time we hope baby won't be so shy. I'm not going to hold my breath though, I think we'll be OK if we have to find out the "old fasioned way" whether it's a boy or girl.

That is really it for now folks, hasta mañana !

J, R & Baby "It"

Spring forward, Fall back...

So we had to wind our clocks back last night, which in theory should have given us an "extra" hour to sleep in today.

Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky - our neighbours decided to have a party right outside our window, or at least that's what it seemed like !! So around 2:30am (I think!) I got up and called the noise control department of the city council because it's hard enough to get sleep as it is, and despite the fact that it can sometimes be pointless to call them on a busy Saturday night. However, by 3am or so they had already shown up and shut the party down - HOORAY !! We know they definitely made it because they came all the way down our driveway by mistake, and then had to turn around :P

Prior to all that fuss though, we had a nice night out at a birthday party for our friend Alfred, who turned the big 3-0 - he's the dark haired fella on the right in this photo from just after our wedding ceremony:

Interestingly enough, Blogger didn't want to add the photo for me, but luckily I already had that photo stored elsewhere ;)

Today was quiet though, had a nap to try and make up for last night, cleaned out the pantry and rest of the kitchen - then did our usual groceries. Yesterday while I was at work Rollie also went and got us some boxes, and so we made those up today as well for whenever we decide to start on our packing. Here is a photo of Maddy, helping out !!

Cat in a box, hehehe !

Spaghetti for dinner later tonight I think, looking forward to that - we have it every week !! :D Roland makes a *fantastic* bolognaise meat sauce... mmm... *drools*.

Anyway, that's it for now - and I promise to at least try and not let my updates slip so much again !

Just before we go however, here is the latest shot of The Bump to keep you all amused ;)

J, R & Baby "It"

PS - Only two more weeks until our next scan !!

Our weekend !

Saturday was nothing exciting, so I'll move right along to today (Sunday).

We went to the zoo ! The weather wasn't the greatest, but I was actually quite happy that it wasn't scorching hot or muggy - there was even a bit of a shower towards the end of our visit, but nothing major.

Anyway, best show you some of our pictures then ;)

Momma giraffe and her baby


Springbok having their lunch (and kindly sharing with some pea-hens)


Rhinoceros on the move !


Now I'm not sure which elephant this is, Kashin or Burma, but I *think* it's Kashin.


Now these guys were the coolest ! Smelly, but *very* cute, and we just happened to catch them all right at feeding time.


This one was my favorite, such a poser for the camera !


Awww, aren't they sweethearts? (Cotton topped tamarinds)


If you look very closely, next to the keepers boot on the right, you'll see a genuine Kiwi bird - and yes, they are endangered (but of course they run an extensive breeding programme at the zoo).


The elusive red panda


Mr Meerkat on his perch


And last but not least - a hungry hippo ! :D

Anyway, loading those photos took forever - so we're both going to hit the sack, work tomorrow and all the usual stuff.

Love,

J, R & Baby "It"

Peekaboo !

I see you !!

We finally figure out how to take still shots from the DVD of our last scan, which was almost three weeks ago.

This is actually my favorite picture, even though you can't see the baby's face, I reckon it's going "Awwwwww MUM, not now, I'm SLEEPING !!" Hehehehee.

J, R & Baby "It"

Short and sweet.

It has been yet another busy week at work, but life is really rolling along at the moment - we signed on the house we're in now (finally!) and are now in the process of looking for a new one. We've tentatively pinpointed an area we'd like to live in, which is a good start.

Besides house hunting, we also did a bit of shopping on the weekend, for groceries and a few other items, plus this:

The 'Bump' has also officially become The Blimp, I'll show you what I mean when I sign off - I'll post the latest picture that we took with Rols' nice camera (instead of my dinky webcam).

I do have to say thank you SO much to Uncle Ray and Aunt Rosie for the card and the $$ - we appreciate it very very much and it will be *VERY* useful, we are likely to put it towards a new bed at this stage, which will go nicely with a new house when we finally find one.

We are still thrilled to bits with being married, life is just as awesome as ever !

As was pointed out in our last post though, baby was a bit shy - but the latest development is that my midwife agreed I could go for another scan at 26 weeks, which is around the end of the first week of April. If that doesn't work out, we will give up and just have to find out the old fashioned way ;-)

Now, I'm sure there's probably more news to share - I just can't remember it right now ! I know my posts have been a bit sporadic, but I will eventually switch everything over to this journal from the other one and then hopefully have a bit more to say a bit more often !

Bye for now...

J, R & Baby "It" !!

PS - I will warn you now, the picture I'm about to post (the one I mentioned before of the 'Blimp') is not for the faint hearted :-P

(Told ya ... !)