Gosh, has it really been 4 months already?
Baby J - known affectionately as Little Piglet and The Noisy One - is doing well. By which I mean her night feeds have gone beyond 2x a night to 3 or 4, partly because she now likes to snack instead of having a long feed.
She loves being upright so she can look around, and will squirm and wriggle if carried in a lying-down position (unlike Beth when she was little). She's also wiseing up to how to manipulate Mum and Dad and will fuss ("eh! eh! eh!" + pitifully scrunched up face) if left on her own for what she considers an unacceptably long period (15 mins).
For the past 2 weeks, she has been going to sleep face down. Now, we know what the advice on SIDS is. Here especially, the nurses are very careful to dispense the usual pointers on putting babies to bed on their backs to reduce the incidence of SIDS. But what do you do if your baby keeps flipping on to her tummy because she's more comfy lying face down? I reckon she knows what she likes best, so I manage the risk by checking in on her frequently to see her nose is not squashed and that she's still breathing.
Baby J simply adores her big sis. The minute Beth steps into the room, J's face lights up and you can feel her unspoken delight at being near this wonderful little person who can do so many exciting things that she's probably impatient to mimic - ride a bike, eat on her own, dress herself, walk to kinder, choose her own library books...
Speaking of bikes, we recently got Beth a pink kiddy bike from Big W and CA finished fixing it up last night. We'll have to take it to the petrol station to get the tyres pumped and then it will be all good to go. Beth has been practising inside the house (with training wheels) and the pride and joy on her face is just wonderful to see. Soon, she'll be able to join her pals Danae and Charli cycling up and down the street. She's the youngest in the group and until now, the only one without a bike, so she's been feeling a bit left out of things.
The momentum in Chinese class has been heating up. There was a change of teachers, the principal took over Beth's class and now they have....homework! And here I thought we'd moved to Oz for a slower academic pace. :-p
Monday, April 30, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
25 April is ANZAC Day
Tuesday April 24, 05:30 PM
Aussies prepare for dawn service at Gallipoli
By 7News
More than 10,000 people are expected at tomorrow's Anzac Day service at Gallipoli.
Security will be tight with authorities warning of a high threat of a terrorist attack.
However it is not likely to deter the many Australians who travelled there to learn more about those who fought and died for their country.
With rehearsals complete officials walked the road and declared it ready. The senior Australian official, Olympic legend and South Australian Governor Marjorie Jackson, has also toured the gravesites.
There has been a large stage area set up where representatives of the Australian government will be seated surrounded by a 14,000 strong crowd.
The majority of the crowd will be seated on blankets so will arrive at the location 12 hours before to secure a spot.
Following the initial ceremony, the majority of Australians will head up into the hills to Lone Pine cemetery.
There they will remember a very important battle that occurred in May 1915, when a significant number of Australians were killed. Many were very young, aged between 17 and in their early 20s.
It will be a fitting tribute then, that the vast majority assembled there tomorrow will be young backpackers..
Meanwhile, today on the eve of the service a group of students, veterans' descendants and history buffs got a unique view of Anzac Cove.
They retraced the boat journey taken by our troops 92 years ago.
One of the lucky students, Imogen Forbes said it was amazing just to see how daunting the landscape is.
"It's quite amazing ... imagining what they had to tackle, especially in the situation they did."
Aussies prepare for dawn service at Gallipoli
By 7News
More than 10,000 people are expected at tomorrow's Anzac Day service at Gallipoli.
Security will be tight with authorities warning of a high threat of a terrorist attack.
However it is not likely to deter the many Australians who travelled there to learn more about those who fought and died for their country.
With rehearsals complete officials walked the road and declared it ready. The senior Australian official, Olympic legend and South Australian Governor Marjorie Jackson, has also toured the gravesites.
There has been a large stage area set up where representatives of the Australian government will be seated surrounded by a 14,000 strong crowd.
The majority of the crowd will be seated on blankets so will arrive at the location 12 hours before to secure a spot.
Following the initial ceremony, the majority of Australians will head up into the hills to Lone Pine cemetery.
There they will remember a very important battle that occurred in May 1915, when a significant number of Australians were killed. Many were very young, aged between 17 and in their early 20s.
It will be a fitting tribute then, that the vast majority assembled there tomorrow will be young backpackers..
Meanwhile, today on the eve of the service a group of students, veterans' descendants and history buffs got a unique view of Anzac Cove.
They retraced the boat journey taken by our troops 92 years ago.
One of the lucky students, Imogen Forbes said it was amazing just to see how daunting the landscape is.
"It's quite amazing ... imagining what they had to tackle, especially in the situation they did."
Monday, April 23, 2007
What's A Slice?
Whenever we heard "Bring a slice", we used to think it meant any old slice of cake.
Apparently SLICE has a very specific meaning here.
It refers to a thin, flat, rectangular type of sweet (dessert) which is cut in small pieces for serving. 
Example: lemon slice, cherry slice, fruit mince slice, caramel slice, hedgehog slice.
Beth's kinder is having a fundraiser (again) and this time it's Supa Slice Drive.
Other fascinating foodie phrases:
Bring a Plate. That does not mean your host has run out of crockery. It's just the Ozzie way of saying "Potluck".
Tea. I thought tea meant scones and tea/coffee. But I've now learnt that families routinely serve (or "cook") elaborate teas that sound confusingly like dinner, especially as they're held at 5.30 or 6 pm. Chicken schnitzel for tea, anyone?
Opening Our "Christmas Presents"
That's what CA said when I started to unpack the 67 boxes that arrived - finally! - on Friday, 5 months after they were due to be delivered (a story too long to be recounted here).
I had a funny feeling watching those familiar cardboard cartons come into the dining area, which had until then been comfortingly empty and low-maintenance. Now the entire area is swamped. My cousin came by with a friend this afternoon and saw the boxes, and started making sympathetic that's-a-lot-of-boxes-to-unpack noises.
The person most enjoying this temporary aberration is Beth, who is treating the whole place as a jungle gym as she gleefully climbs up and down the boxes.
As I sliced each box open with a cutter, I occasionally found myself asking: Why on earth did we pack XXX? But some things were definitely worth bringing. Like the children's toys. And books. And Beth's clothes, all of which are handy now that Baby J has graduated from size 000 to 00.
What was particularly uplifting was seeing Beth getting excited as she rediscovered all her books and started reading them. It's really tough getting her away from the room to eat or do anything else. One thing that struck CA and me: Beth couldn't read on her own when she was in Sg, and now, 6 months later, she can! What a lot of difference half a year makes.
And yes, it's a GREAT feeling to finally have clothes to wear after living out of our suitcases for half a year and trying not to buy too many things. Although I must say it will probably take till Christmas to do justice to some of the clothes.
Beth had on her disapproving look the other day as she watched me try on some of my more figure-hugging ex-outfits - have I really expanded so much after the baby?? :p
I had a funny feeling watching those familiar cardboard cartons come into the dining area, which had until then been comfortingly empty and low-maintenance. Now the entire area is swamped. My cousin came by with a friend this afternoon and saw the boxes, and started making sympathetic that's-a-lot-of-boxes-to-unpack noises.
The person most enjoying this temporary aberration is Beth, who is treating the whole place as a jungle gym as she gleefully climbs up and down the boxes.
As I sliced each box open with a cutter, I occasionally found myself asking: Why on earth did we pack XXX? But some things were definitely worth bringing. Like the children's toys. And books. And Beth's clothes, all of which are handy now that Baby J has graduated from size 000 to 00.
What was particularly uplifting was seeing Beth getting excited as she rediscovered all her books and started reading them. It's really tough getting her away from the room to eat or do anything else. One thing that struck CA and me: Beth couldn't read on her own when she was in Sg, and now, 6 months later, she can! What a lot of difference half a year makes.
And yes, it's a GREAT feeling to finally have clothes to wear after living out of our suitcases for half a year and trying not to buy too many things. Although I must say it will probably take till Christmas to do justice to some of the clothes.
Beth had on her disapproving look the other day as she watched me try on some of my more figure-hugging ex-outfits - have I really expanded so much after the baby?? :p
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Autumn in Melbourne
It's getting noticeably colder, especially in the early morning and at night.
Tomorrow's temp is predicted to be between 9 and 18 deg - brr!
Yest, it was so cold we had to turn back so Beth could get her beanie and woolly scarf for the walk to kinder. And this from the hardiest member of the family.
The days are getting shorter too. During summer, it didn't get dark till at least 8.30 pm. Right now, it's 6.30 pm and it's pitch dark!
Can't imagine what it'll be like in winter...
Tomorrow's temp is predicted to be between 9 and 18 deg - brr!
Yest, it was so cold we had to turn back so Beth could get her beanie and woolly scarf for the walk to kinder. And this from the hardiest member of the family.
The days are getting shorter too. During summer, it didn't get dark till at least 8.30 pm. Right now, it's 6.30 pm and it's pitch dark!
Can't imagine what it'll be like in winter...
Monday, April 16, 2007
How is the 14 week-old doing?
Grabbing things within fingers' reach and inspecting them with great interest.
Pinching.
Leaving scratch marks on her cheeks. Her fingernails need trimming almost daily!
Making conversation in a variety of high and low tones, sometimes using a singsong voice and other times what seems like "shouting", all the while fixing her eyes on me unwaveringly.
Biting down while feeding, then stopping to see my reaction...and grinning cheekily!
Sucking noisily on her fists and her mittens.
Drooling.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
A New Addition to God's Family
Today, 8 April 2007, was a very special Easter Sunday: Jordanne was presented for baptism!
We were honoured to receive not only the blessings of the congregation, but also to participate in Holy Communion in a most meaningful manner. We were invited to lift the bread and wine in the presence of our church family and to recite the following prayer:
(Bread) Lord God, you have been seen as the bread of life in Jesus Christ. We bring this bread to remind us that the one who lived, died and who is now risen to life, feeds us with the goodness of your life so that we will never hunger again.
(Wine) You are the vine and we are the branches O Christ. You produce the new wine of God's love in us. As you bled and died, suffering for the sins of the world, you quenched the thirst for mercy and peace in the hearts of humankind. In this wine we see your grace freely poured out for the whole world.
After Pastor Paul pronounced Jordanne baptized, Beth lit the baptismal candle
and Tricia (the elder for today's service) carried J around the sanctuary to be introduced to the members (rather like doing a victory lap!), a beautiful ritual of the HXUCA baptism service.
Praise be to God that Jordanne has publicly joined the faith and family of Jesus Christ.
We were honoured to receive not only the blessings of the congregation, but also to participate in Holy Communion in a most meaningful manner. We were invited to lift the bread and wine in the presence of our church family and to recite the following prayer:
(Bread) Lord God, you have been seen as the bread of life in Jesus Christ. We bring this bread to remind us that the one who lived, died and who is now risen to life, feeds us with the goodness of your life so that we will never hunger again.
(Wine) You are the vine and we are the branches O Christ. You produce the new wine of God's love in us. As you bled and died, suffering for the sins of the world, you quenched the thirst for mercy and peace in the hearts of humankind. In this wine we see your grace freely poured out for the whole world.
After Pastor Paul pronounced Jordanne baptized, Beth lit the baptismal candle
and Tricia (the elder for today's service) carried J around the sanctuary to be introduced to the members (rather like doing a victory lap!), a beautiful ritual of the HXUCA baptism service.
Praise be to God that Jordanne has publicly joined the faith and family of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Events Leading Up To Easter
A quick update on how we've been engaged this week.
Maundy Thu
Pastor Paul visited in the morning to talk to us about Baby J's baptism this Sun, and to confirm how our names are actually spelt. (So far we've been listed as Celvin and Sereena and Baby J's name keeps getting pronounced as "Jor-den" instead of "Jordan". CA says we should have spelt it "Jordann" or even "Jordane", but I reckoned it would have led to the same problem anyway.)
We attended service in the evening. It was so short it was over before we'd really got into it! The reflective reading was adapted from Stages on the Way, Worship Resources for Holy Week - Wild Goose Worship Group.
Good Friday
We met at Saint Thomas Anglican Church for the start of the Good Friday Ecumenical Stations of the Cross Walk, and finished with a short candlelight service at Saint Andrews Catholic Church, followed by a cuppa and hot cross buns at Saint Andrews Pri Sch across the road. The whole walk took about 2 hours and it was wonderful to have people of different denominations come together to remember what Jesus did for us at the Cross. The walk is an annual event jointly organized by the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and Uniting Churches of Werribee.
Saturday
HXUCA joined forces with Bunnings for the Easter charity sausage sizzle. CA partnered with Mark Emerson for the 3-5 pm slot, and Daddy's Girl tagged along. Mark says there were thousands of people and queues of 5-6 rows! What fantastic community support.
Easter Sunday
Baby J will be baptized!
A blessed Easter and Happy Hols to everyone!
Maundy Thu
Pastor Paul visited in the morning to talk to us about Baby J's baptism this Sun, and to confirm how our names are actually spelt. (So far we've been listed as Celvin and Sereena and Baby J's name keeps getting pronounced as "Jor-den" instead of "Jordan". CA says we should have spelt it "Jordann" or even "Jordane", but I reckoned it would have led to the same problem anyway.)
We attended service in the evening. It was so short it was over before we'd really got into it! The reflective reading was adapted from Stages on the Way, Worship Resources for Holy Week - Wild Goose Worship Group.
Good Friday
We met at Saint Thomas Anglican Church for the start of the Good Friday Ecumenical Stations of the Cross Walk, and finished with a short candlelight service at Saint Andrews Catholic Church, followed by a cuppa and hot cross buns at Saint Andrews Pri Sch across the road. The whole walk took about 2 hours and it was wonderful to have people of different denominations come together to remember what Jesus did for us at the Cross. The walk is an annual event jointly organized by the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and Uniting Churches of Werribee.
Saturday
HXUCA joined forces with Bunnings for the Easter charity sausage sizzle. CA partnered with Mark Emerson for the 3-5 pm slot, and Daddy's Girl tagged along. Mark says there were thousands of people and queues of 5-6 rows! What fantastic community support.
Easter Sunday
Baby J will be baptized!
A blessed Easter and Happy Hols to everyone!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Saving Lives The High EQ Way
From a letter sent by the Australian Red Cross:
Dear Mr X,
Your appointment to give blood is confirmed. Thank you!
Thank you very much for making another appointment to give blood. I'm pleased to confirm your appointment details...
Unable to keep this appointment?
We'll happily reschedule a day and time that's more convenient for you. Just call us on 13 14 95.
Don't forget, before you give blood, a few important things you need to do:
Dear Mr X,
Your appointment to give blood is confirmed. Thank you!
Thank you very much for making another appointment to give blood. I'm pleased to confirm your appointment details...
Unable to keep this appointment?
We'll happily reschedule a day and time that's more convenient for you. Just call us on 13 14 95.
Don't forget, before you give blood, a few important things you need to do:
- Eat a healthy snack.
- Drink 3 glasses of water or juice.
- Bring your donor card or photo ID with you.
You truly are one of Australia's greatest for giving your time and blood which helps save up to 3 lives. On behalf of those people you have helped - thank you!
Yours sincerely,
XXX
CEO
Australian Red Cross Blood Service
[Note: These guys must be practitioners of Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends & Influence People school of thought. Everything is geared towards affirming the donor. Who wouldn't be glad to receive a letter like that?]
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