springtime

family photo from mommys birthday!

We have been enjoying the first bit of springtime here in Melbourne with our little man!  My mom was here from mid August until mid September and it was so great having her here to help with Nathan and just to visit!  My aunt Billie also came for the first week-ish of the trip so we did some touring of the area.  Brian had to be away for 2 1/2 weeks (off shore for work) so it was so amazing having someone here while he was away!  Before he left, we did take advantage of some babysitters and went out for the first time, sans baby, for my birthday!  Bleh, 29 -- not very exciting getting older, but a nice restaurant dinner with a glass of wine -- MUCH NEEDED! :)

On my actual birthday-- not the dinner date night-- my mom and I went to the Royal Botanical Gardens for a picnic.  It was such a nice day and so fun and relaxing.  We got birthday macaroons, my favorite.  And when I got home I had some beautiful flowers Brian sent waiting on me!  So sweet!  It was a great birthday!

It was such a great time having my mom in town.  Nathan is a lucky little guy to have such an amazing grandmother!!  (we still havent decided on her grandmotherly name, suggestions welcome)  I think he is already missing her cuddles!  I am already missing having her here too!  Here are a few more pictures of her time here in Melbourne with her favorite daughter and grandson ;)

Then..... Brian got in town and it was great seeing him!  Nathan loved seeing his daddy!  We enjoyed the rest of September and the beginnings of the great weather that is to come!

    

Ahhh I just love my sweet little boy!!  Oh and I forgot to mention, poor Brody had to get knee surgery :(  His little knee caps kept popping out and it got so bad that he needed surgery. So now I have 2 little boys who cant move on their own!  Its like twins!  But he is doing much better and will be back to his old self (only better!) in the next few weeks!  I will update again soon on some upcoming travel plans.... Life is about to get CRAZY!!  

Nathan Matthew King

Our baby is here!

Nathan Matthew King born July 23rd at 7:57 pm, weighing 5lbs 14 oz and 18 inches

I love my family!  Best day of my life!

 He has been here for nearly a month, it has just taken me awhile to write a quick note about the past 4 weeks!  We have been a little preoccupied getting to know our sweet baby boy!

My delivery went very well and Nathan had none of the possible problems a premature baby may of had.  We were even able to leave the hospital a day early!  After having been in the hospital so many days the previous few weeks we were very excited to go home as a family.

Nates first bath 

holding mommy's hand on the ride home

It has been really nice being home.  The city council had a maternal and child nurse come by the house (they have one come by everyone's home after baby-- nice, free service!) and that was helpful after a few nights home by ourselves.  They even had a few midwives from the hospital call to check on us in the first 2 weeks so we got to ask any questions we had about feeding, sleeping etc, straight away!  They have been so helpful.

Brody wasn't too sure about Nate at first and was very alarmed at every little noise he made-- luckily he got used to it and has calmed down.  Now he is back to his old ways sleeping all day, even through the crying!  I still think he looks at us sometimes like "Who's the new guy!?!"  They will be best friends before we know it.... maybe?

The past couple weeks Brian and I have settled into each of our full time jobs and have really enjoyed our weekends as a family!  Saturday morning was gorgeous so we all (including Brody) walked up the street to a cafe, sat outside and had a delicious breakfast.  Life is pretty darn good!  Here are more pictures of our little man!

cuddling with the puppy Grandma King got him

 Yesterday was my due date and I just feel so blessed we had these extra weeks to love on our sweet baby.  I cant even imagine life without him!  Being his mom is seriously the best :)

Baby's an early bird-- update

Like I said in my last post, the morning my parents left my water unexpectedly broke!  I was shocked and confused since I was only 34w 2d and by no means "prepared"!  It was all a bit overwhelming at the time but at this point we are all doing really well, baby still in my belly!  They have planned to induce labor on Tuesday July 23rd.  I just wanted to do this blog for anyone who was wondering what was going on with us over here in Australia.  I am mostly just copying an email Brian sent to family and friends (his email was much more articulate than my crazy explanation!)

"July 11:

Just an update from us in the hospital:

The doctors are happy w/ the condition of the baby, and have decided to hold off on the birth for the near term if things continue as is, so I guess we’re in a bit of a holding pattern.  The nurses are coming in about every 2-4 hrs to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and movement.  Additionally, Erin’s being monitored for any sign of distress (blood pressure, pulse, temp, sign of infection, etc).  She’s taking a regular dose of erythromycin to help w/ managing potential for bacteria infection (and also there’s apparently been a study that suggests this med can potentially help defer labor for awhile, which is a nice benefit in this case).  So far so good. 

It’s been explained to us that we’re in a bit of a “risk / benefit” monitoring situation.  On one hand, there is additional risk associated w/ infection to the baby and Erin once the embryonic membrane has ruptured… but at the same time there’s the benefit of allowing the baby a few more days or weeks to further develop in the womb and be a bit better prepared for the world outside.  The baby at 34 wks may have a bit of trouble feeding and regulating his body temp, and will become better able to do these things in another week or so.  The doctors have said at 36wks, these concerns are likely diminished, so have kind of established 36 wk term as the target for inducing labor.  After the 36 wk mark, it seems that the added benefit of leaving the baby in the womb is nil, while the risk for infection remains, so would then prefer to introduce the baby to the world outside.

For the time being, Erin and I are just hanging out in the hospital.  The staff here have been quite accommodating, and yesterday moved us into a private, newly renovated room w/ a double bed and TV / internet.  I’m set up w/ my work laptop at a small desk and manage to get a bit of work done from time to time, and Erin’s keeping busy growing our baby and reading and doing a few other various this and that’s.  I’m going back to the house from time to time to take care of the dog and a few other domestic chores.

All and all, everyone is doing quite well.  "

On Monday July 15th they allowed me to go home to relax.  It has been VERY nice being home.  I got to pack a bag, organize the nursery, spend time cuddling with Brody and cook some pre-made meals for the weeks after baby. Brian has been amazing and has done almost ALL the cleaning and errands plus working from home full time during the week.  

We are so excited for the arrival of our sweet baby boy! 

XOXO 

36 weeks -- 2 days before getting induced

my favorite lil visitors, Indi and Max

family visits before bub

Wow it seems like so much has been going on since Ive last posted but it really hasn't been that long.  First of all, my mom, dad and brother, Garrett, came to visit end of june-mid july!  And that's what this post is all about :) .....

The gang arrived in Sydney June 25th and that night flew to Port Douglas in Queensland.  The following morning they all went snorkeling the Great Barrier reef and that evening I came to see them!  I know I just got back from Port D but who can have too many tropical vacations?!

The weather was VERY nice while we were there-- sorry, Brian, but much better than the weather of Babymoon.  We went to the beach the next day....

 Not too shabby :)  I didnt take a whole lot of pictures this trip (because I had just taken most of these pics while here in May!) but did get some great shots with the sun a shining!  After we pried ourselves away from the gorgeous beach we went on a croc tour!  On the babymoon it was very overcast and the crocs wanted to stay in the warmer water but on this trip it was a Croc Frenzy!  We saw soooo many creepy big ones and a few babies!  All in all a successful trip on the Daintree River.

It is truly not fair that a river this beautiful cannot be enjoyed with a floating tube and an ice cold beer.  Crocodiles are pretty ruthless creatures.  Most of the baby crocs on the river get eaten by other older crocodiles, including their own parents, so surely they would not be too concerned about eating me or you!!  Yikes!  They are pretty used to the boats stopping and circling around them so barely raise an eyebrow-- we would be pretty excited if they did actually because as my mom said, they all almost looked like "props" strategically placed along the banks of the river!  All in all a wonderful tour!

The next day we did the long day drive up to Cape Tribulation and back.  Again, it was a gorgeous day and I enjoyed seeing the views again with the sun shining!  Here are some pictures.  We mostly did the same treks as before but added in the Daintree Ice Cream company- something I wanted to do before but ran out of time....

Cape Trib-- where the Great Barrier Reef meets the Daintree Rainforest.  2 world Heritage sites

Ice Cream break!  "This might be the most scenic Ice Cream company ever" 

In front of the orchards they use to make the unique flavors
(I cant remember them from the day we were there?  Mom dad garrett-- any ideas?)

It was a beautiful day but we had to get to Cairns so we could fly to Melbourne that night.  We got back very late that night and rested most of the next day.  That was much needed for our jet lagged guests and this 7 1/2 month pregnant mama to be!

We did make plans to watch the footy that night so it wasn't all lying around for us.  We went to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and watched the Melbourne Demons beat the Western Bulldogs!  Neither team are very good this year but it is still fun to watch!














The next day we went to the Mornington Peninsula and enjoyed some wineries, breweries, (well not me) and the gorgeous views!

 I seriously didnt take anymore pictures until the following weekend when we went to the Great Ocean Road.  I will steal a few from my mom, dad and brother to help fill in the gaps though!

The next week we :

• Toured the city.  We saw some of the great laneways with all the graffiti AKA street art, the beautiful churches, visited Chinatown and ate some delicious dumplings at one of their dumpling houses and strolled through many of the cities parks.  

• Wined and brewed in the Yarra Valley.  We stopped at about 3 breweries, 3 wineries and even a dairy throughout the day.  It was wonderful-- except the fact that Im getting a little over going to wineries without being able to have any of the good stuff :)

• Went to St Kilda Beach and Pier.  It was cold and windy but its still nice to know we can walk to the beach if someone feels the urge :)

• Boat toured along the Yarra to Williamstown.  This was also July 4th so went to the local American diner for some all american food :)  

• Gambled the night away after trying Korean BBQ.  Some got luckier than other but turns out Susan and Arthur are big fans of the casino.  I guess we know what to do with them if they get tired of listening to a crying baby next visit! :)

• Shopped till we dropped/ lost everyone in our group at the Queen Victoria Market.  It can be tricky when only one person in the group has a cell phone and everyone separates.  Oh well we got lots of good purchases.  

 The last weekend we did the always wonderful Great Ocean Road Drive.

It was a very great visit from my family and I hope they had as much fun as we did showing the around our beautiful corner of the world.  I am looking forward to my parents coming back very soon to spend some time with our baby boy.  And speaking of the little guy....  The morning my family left, July 9th, I had quite a shock as my water broke!  It was quite early at 34 weeks but at this time July 16th he is still in my belly growing and growing.

Ill update on that this week :)  Baby boy will be here VERY soon!!!!!

XOXO