Spot the simularity?-The Doyle boys ,just taking it easy..

All the big and little things..

Gosh,Jasper is such a little sponge at the moment!He is sucking everything up,we can only just keep up!.Today he sussed out how to climb backwards down the steps...yesterday he learnt how to throw a ball to his dad or whoever is willing to catch it...he is trying to copy our words...and on and on it goes.It really is such a facinating age.I'm glad i am recording all his milestones-big or small-because it is going so quickly and it is so easy to forget dates,ages etc...
Thankyou to Jaspers' auntie H and uncle C,for the lovely gifts you sent us.Much love to you and we can't wait for you to meet our boy,one day?

Mum forgot to show you the after-shot of my 'weeding'.As you can see,I was none too pleased about stopping.Cute photo tho,aye?

I love dirt

Today i did a spot of weeding for my mum,I had the best fun.I took all the dead flowers out,(I guess mum forgot to water them?),then i put them all back in again!.I did this for ages,Mummy only stopped me when i began to eat the dirt...I guess i have more of a green thumb than my mum.

me and my buddies..

Today I hung out with my buddies,Brooke and Olly,who my mummy looks after 2 days a week.I had alot of fun...

Mar-mity Good.

Yummy-I love marmite toast for my breakfast-as you can see.It's good for the complexion I've heard.

Here i am with the dolly that my granny sent,I liked pulling her hair the best.

...Just taking in the scenery.

A new friend...

We met a friendly goat on our walk too...It was a LONG walk...

Cuddly shot.

Mummy and ME!..She gives good cuddles.This photo was taken on our big walk too..

Daddy and I...

This morning me,Daddy and Mummy went for a big walk-It was abit nippy,so I wore my warmest hat...and was snug as a bug!....

Balancing act

I am a big boy now,I am getting very clever at standing by myself..I still fall down lots tho!

Rasta man!

Fairly quiet weekend down our way.Dave has an ear infection,so he is full of antibiotics and pain killers,and is doing better.Meanwhile,I have been freshening up a set of drawers,with a lick of paint.I am at that nesting stage of pregnancy,so thoroughly enjoyed neatly putting all Roo's tiny clothes away,this morning.And i just can't wait to meet her!.
Was listening to some UB40 this morning and,"Rat in me kitchen"came on,as i was singing at the top of my voice,(Noone was home by the way) Jasper was doing his bopping to the beat moves.It is true that babies love Rasta music.I really must take him back to his music class.
Jasper has figured out how to put shapes in the holes of his shape sorter,and is still practising his standing and walking moves,and getting that little bit more confident everyday.

First steps

Jasper took his first steps!,at exactly 11-months and,on my birthday.What better gift is there?.Jas was playing with Brooke,the next door neighbour kid,when he just got up and took 5 quick steps.I was so excited!.He is becoming alot more adventurous,with lots of standing by himself and moving around furniture.
"These are a few of my favorite things...(to the theme song)- Jasper, 11 months old

..."Balloons and boxes and dustpans and brushes,
Toy cars and tug boats and Dad's shoes and bath stuff,
Cloth books and toy ducks you pull on a string...
these are a few of my favourite things!

Mobiles and soft toys and couches for standing,
Corners to crawl in and bright books to learn from,
Paper to tear up and loud toys to ring...
These are a few of my favourite things!

When I fall down,
When I get changed,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favourite things,
and then I don't feel so bad...

Race day..

Went along to Race day,that is once we had organised baby and all the 'stuff' that goes with him-stroller,nappies,hats( sun hat and warm hat,'cause you never know in cromwell),Toys etc etc...we also pulled out the blankets and filled up the picnic hamper,full of goodies.Then we joined the throngs of people at the Cromwell Race course.It was a great turnout.The horse racing was good too!Tho i know nothing about horses',but it was still fun yelling "Go Otago!"and,for some reason we kept giggling whenever the ambulance would go screaming past,close behind the horses?-such juveniles.
Jasper is on the mend-hopefully.He's had a couple of big sleeps today.

Turns out...

Turns out our wee boy has an ear infection and minor chest infection.Explains the bad night we had with him.It's so difficult to tell with ear infections sometimes.Anyway,he now is on antibiotics and is currently fast asleep..Poor monkey.
We may have to re-think going to the Cromwell Race day tommorow,as the weather is quite cold at the mo.We will have to see..

Playgroup.

Well,Jasper is over the worst of his cold and so,it was time to go back to his friday morning playgroup.It was only a small turn out-can only guess that all the other littlies are away with cold or bug etc..?.But it was quite nice and peaceful actually,and Jas had a ball.Auntie Fi came along for the ride too and,she enjoyed herself.Even tho she had to keep politely explaining to the woman in charge that "No,I don't have a baby here,I'm here with my nephew!"after this lady kept trying to get her to fill in the sign-in sheet.Oh dear..
The toys are in such good nik,alot of them brand new,which is cool.Jasper loves the wooden wagon and the ride-on toy car the best,but he was also quite fond of the big
blocks.Hmmm...gives me some birthday ideas atleast.
Then it was home to bed-him not me.

"Mum,I've no space to practice my karate moves anymore!"

Well,baby is asleep-finally!So time to write a quick post.Jas is all over the place with his sleep at the mo and i think it maybe because he might be only needing 1 sleep a-day.Mind you,he went to sleep at 6 last night because he had missed his afternoon sleep and guess who was awake again at 5 this morning!?.Well,I suppose you can't expect a baby to sleep 12-hours straight!.,that would just be too,too fabulous!.
The midwife visited today,and I really have to get Jas a bag like her's,It is one of those old black leather-satchel-types(that you see the doctors carrying around on TV!?-or maybe i just watch really Old TV..) ANYWAY,Jasper loves it,he also had to have a play with the blood pressure-Thingee (sorry,It's called being 8-months pregnant and,not remembering the name of a single thing!!) And when MW felt my tummy,so too did master Jasper.It was very sweet.Meanwhile,his little sister is doing well by all accounts.But she's in for a very rude shock in 55-days!As we all are!She's not moving as much as before,but room is now a-bit limited i can imagine.
It is blimmin' cold here today,I know summer ended officially yesterday,but this is ridiculous!.

Lekker Braai !!

We had a braai last evening,(Birthday gift 4 Dave),We had thee nicest steak,no Boerewors tho-maybe next time.We sat out on the porch and made the most of the last of the summer heat,before the autumn sets in.It was very nice.Jasper sat in his highchair with us and happily played with his orange toy truck that his dad brought him.
Unfortunately,woke up this morning and both of us had caught Jaspers' cold.Yuk...that time of year,I always get a coldsore to accompany the sniffles at this time of year,like clockwork.Atleast Jas was vastly improved since yesterday.Back to his old-self,almost.
Jasper stood for 3-seconds by himself,today!

Change's

It's a period of change and adjustment in our house at the moment.We have just purchased another cot for the upcoming arrival of Miss Ruby,very funny,to have 2 matching white cots for our 2 babies! (-hope the nursery won't resemble a hospital ward with all the white?). 2 cots! how crazy!.My Jasper is not ready for a bed just yet,after much deliberating..he is still only a baby himself.Poor darling has a misrable cold at the moment,snotty nose,cough,the works!.So he's not sleeping well and the only thing he eats is yoghurt.It's his first cold in his short 11-months,so thats a blessing.Can only hope Roo will be as healthy.
I feel awful at the moment myself and am kind of wishing for her due date to come quicker.
I had a quick chat to granny this morning,hard with Jasper trying to chew the phone cord and wiping snotty nose on me!.Gran is very excited to be coming home for a vist in 4-weeks time.She has been running around London buying up large on bits for her grandchildren,she hunted around 4 shops to try and find an identical toy bus that she had sent to Liam,(Jaspers' cousin),when he was Jassie's age.She eventually was told their was only one bus left and it had to be delivered to her friend,John,before being safely delivered to Ma!.Boy,that is one special toy!.Mum's enthusiasm is very infectious,and you don't mess with a determined Gran who is hunting down a toy bus for her Fourth grandson!!.
Master Jasper is now moving happily around the furniture..next stop:WALKING!Cripes!.Also,he has always been a big talker,but especially now-he has big babbly 'conversations' to us all.As I say,BIG changes.

Countdown..

Well,only 8 and abit weeks to go untill our baby daughter is born,thats if she comes around her due date.And i feel so unorganised this time round!We just havent got the room to put her anywhere.And we arent sure whether to put Jas in a bed or,just buy another cot?I dont want to disrupt his routine too much.Ah,decisions,decisions...
Jasper just keeps growing and growing,he was 75cm at his last plunket vist(at 10-months),he is now nearlly 11-months-old and,I am sure he has gotten even taller!?.By the sounds of it ,he and his cousin Ethan,share the same not-so-gentle approach.Jasper is so rough with other children,he will pull their hair and push them over.We know,as their mums that they don't mean it,in Jaspers case it is a matter of just being so excited and energetic,that he can't contain himself!He doesnt understand that he is abit bigger than some other kids and can hurt them.But,he will learn eventually.I had to take him for his fourth meningitis shot today and,as the doctors waiting room is the local hangout it seems for most of us parents and babies,three of Jasper's little playgroup mates were there,and 10-month -old paige was the one jumping on Jasper and pulling his ears and hair and so on..but,Jasper didn't mind one little bit,just smiled patiently.Tho,I did notice he was trying to crawl away from her rather fast!

A whirlwind tour

Well,it was always going to be a busy weekend away and,it certainly didnt disapoint.There were drama's;(Jasper's first night at poppa's,he screamed and screamed,from pure exhaustion),Celebration;(My niece,Isabella's,1st birthday and,my good friend,Shanley's,wedding to her man,Jon),Lots of laughter;(watching Jasper with his cousin,Izzie,as they ate birthday cake,pikelets and their favorite,iceblocks.By the end they were both covered in food from head to toe!); a few tears,(the wedding again-happy tears ofcourse!),which was followed by much partying.Her wedding marked our first time out properly without baby,since he was born-ridiculous but true!.And we had a blast!.And have vowed to have atleast 1-night out a week to ourselves from now on..
It was first introductions for Jasper to his Great-gran,tho Jasper was more interested in Gran's pretty green beads around her neck than posing for photos,but my nana-always the lady-managed to hold my stocky little boy down long enough to get a winning snapshot.While we could have stayed on all day,lazily gazing on the fantastic views of Auckland harbour from my grandmothers front windows,we said our goodbyes and took our son down to the beach at Maratai.We took shade under the wharf from the heat and Jasper sat in the water in all his clothes.He loved it.Once we had wiped his sand-covered little bottom down,we headed round the beautiful Pohutakawa coast and inland to clevedon,to vist auntie Shanley.A quick stop.As then we had to had the birthday party to get to,Jasper's first proper kiddies party.By the time we got back to poppa's and Gran's house,we were exhausted.Jasper slept the whole night thru!.We didnt even get a chance to put him in the bath,to wash off all the sticky iceblock,cake,sand and dirt.
Jasper was in heaven at the party because all the toys(just about) had wheels on and our boy is mad on anything with wheels at the moment,he and Isabella,with her pink tutu on and stripy tights,were both going for the green toy tractor at one stage.They also both were fixated with a sour little lemon they found on the ground and both littlies insisted on chewing on it!?.They were a cute pair.
The wedding was the grand finale to an incredibly hectic weekend..
The flight home was beautiful.We had views of the entire west coast as we flew down country.It was such good weather that,when we flew over the southern alps,the pilot dropped us down to 6,ooo feet above Tasman glacier,with Mt Cook to our right,it was such a highlight and end to a great weekend.Jasper's first time flying and he was good as gold..
Nice to get home to our sleepy little town of Cromwell and collapse.Is it me or does Auckland just seem to get bigger and dirtier?.Or have i just been away too long??.Give me the golden spaces of central otago anyday!.

Now,we wait for baby number 2 to arrive.While in Auckland we brought a lovely sunshine yellow outfit for our baby girl.And we have 2 bags full of bright yellow,pink and green girls clothes and i keep looking at the tiny outfits and smiling to myself,soon she will be in my arms.Yey..
Jasper's new 'word'is "Nun-nun"("No")and he uses it when you try to dress him (He's always HATED getting dressed),or even so much as go near him with a clean nappy,or when it's time for bed,or food..well,you get the idea.

Cheeky monkey.

Jasper is at that stage of pushing the boundrys to the limit,for the first time in his young life I am having to bring in the art of distraction!I'd like to say this works but most of the time it does not and,I end up resorting to that "No"word.Not that that works either!.I know he is just doing what all 10-month-olds do,and it is hard not to smile,when he does something he knows he shouldn't and he's giving you that cheeky smile at the same time!.
A beautiful moment this evening~Jasper was in his room playing when suddenly,the sun streamed in thru the window.Jasper,unaware I was watching,was trying to reach out and grasp those golden rays.It was gorgeous!.In the average day,full of the usual baby routine,it is moments like that that make it all worthwhile..
Well,we are preparing for our whirlwind trip to Auckland tommorow.Jaspers first time flying,hope he's ok with it.Kind of scary traveling with a young child,we dont fly until 10-to-5 out of Queenstown.We are so looking forward to introducing Jasper to more of his family,including his cousins,I intend to take many photos,so beware!.Until tommorow then..

Trial and Error

It is such a challenge to get Jas to eat at the mo,but tonight i tryed him on abit of chicken,stir-fry veges and and alittle bit of tomato sauce and Jas loved it-Hoorah!.But this is what parenthood is;Trial and error and accepting that what you WANT to work doesnt always,but then your rewarded in other,unexpected ways.It sure provides challenges but it also makes you think in creative ways. And I like that...
After a rotten and VERY long day with Jasper, I was rewarded this evening with a bubba who ate his grub, followed up by a long bath with lots of songs and splashing! We are forever having sing-alongs. Jasper has his musical bear,that plays little tunes when he presses it's paws,it has 5 tunes and ofcourse,mummy has to sing along to each one!.
I am trying to remember to read to him atleast one book everyday,as he is getting a nice little library collection going,but so far he is not that interested in books.
Jasper is loving having his auntie Fi here,he gives her lovely cuddles and it is nice to see that bond between them.

Mummy's tummy

Jasper was fascinated with my ever-expanding tummy today,it's the first sign of any such interest from him,in this pregnancy(but he is only a baby).He usually just uses my tummy as his trampoline!(Poor little sister!.) Anyway,today he thought my very flat,hollow tummy-button was very curious indeed and,kept trying to stick his finger in there! It caused me to have a good giggle.
Jasper has said his first word;bobble (bottle).It's so adorable.He can understand so much more than he can speak,especially the words "No" and "Bathtime".
He managed not to fall off anything today and it makes me wonder how kids manage to survive childhood unscathed!.Thankyou to Jaspers Aunties' Rose and Shanley,for your reassurance's.It is so hot here today-currently it is 32 degrees in the house,I am dying!!.

Scary times

Man,this parenting malachy is exhausting but being nearlly 7-months pregnant just makes it so much harder!.Now he is so mobile,I am having to bend to scoop him up all day long.By the end of the day i am beyond tired.I have been very lucky as i have had Fi here,to be extra ears and eyes,but,all good things come to an end and today auntie Fi started her new job.Boo-hoo!.It was kind of a shock to the system,all by my lonesome with a very small,demanding,wriggly and did i mention,hyper child.This climbing thing he's got going on is very scary for his old mum,today he was obsessed with the vacume cleaner(here i was actually trying to vacume-huh,what a joke!),anyway he promptly fell off the thing and bawled his head off!.SCARY times in the Doyle household..

Boys and their Toys!

Jasper's cousin,Finn,came over today.The boys had a great time together,even tho finn was more interested in all of Jassie's toys.I couldnt believe the growth of finn since the last time we saw him(at his 1st birthday).It was great to see finn's mum and dad too,they were all over for the classic car expo-thing,in cromwell today.No surprise that finlay is mad about cars!What little boy isn't?
Oh yeah,Jas climbed up against the sofa today,unaided.What's next,I wonder?.

Swing-boy

Well, have begun back at work after my lovely long holiday, was initially worried that Jas would drive Lee crazy as he was really clingy and on a total "daddy-buzz" while I was home, but fortunately he slotted right back into his routine no worries. His developmeant over the last few weeks has been amazing. His crawling has come along in leaps and bounds, he is really able to scurry accross the floor now, we have to watch him all the time. It is so great that he is able to explore and get around, he was getting really frustrated those few weeks before he became mobile. He is learning so much at the moment, you can almost see his little mind ticking over sometimes!
Today Jas went on the swings for the first time! We took him down to the park and causciously strapped him in, gently pushing back and forth, he just sat to begin with but slowly warmed to the idea and did his "excited-wiggle-thing" , waving his arms around at the same time, he really seemed to enjoy it!
His sleep routine has sort of returned, he is getting up earlier than he used to though, kind of a pain as the wonderful kiddies distraction programmes don't start until 6:30, his current favourite is Hi-5, a lot of singing which he really loves. Funny the things parents watch!

All about the Boy..

Jasper has thee most discusting habit of spitting at the moment.Poor auntie Fi had her feet spat on yesterday,as Jas just happened to be crawling past.(To my friends,who don't yet have kids-I am not putting you off am I?.)I am trying to ignore this behavior but it is hard!.To be honest,this sort of thing i am fast getting used to-I have been drooled on,spewed on(Why is baby vomit so hard to get out?),pooed on,you name it,I've had it.Ok,I better stop now as I don't think I'm casting an endearing image on having children,to those friends of mine!(It's fun,really It is!!).But,as a wise person recently told me;This too shall pass!(tho when it comes to spitting,I wish it would pass quicker!.)
Jasper is now a little speed-demon.His favorite spot is the bathroom,where he can sit and dump all his bath toys out and play,which is great as it is safe.But i would hate to think of the chaos if you left them alone for even a second(Gerard,that talcom powder incident is one that springs to mind!!,that stuff is 'lethal' if you breath it in,as I discovered one day.)
Anyway,Jasper's new trick is to balance himself in mid-air as he attempts to climb!.Very scary,and I see many scrapes and bruises ahead of us.Oh,the fun.Jas is fast losing his baby-quality's and is emerging as this bright,very independant boy,who is more toddler-now-than-baby.I try not to wish the days away too much(even tho some days are endless with a young child),because it is precious time.TTSP!.

Tired!!

Imagine if you will; getting out of bed all bleary-eyed and exhausted,because of a son who keeps waking up in the wee small hours-and going into the living room to discover your son,lying with his equally bleary-eyed father on the floor,dressed in the brightest clash-of-clothes you have ever seen!.Heres my boy-dressed in the funniest ensemble of green with bright-yellow stripe shorts (too baggy for him,so that they hang down to his ankles,like some colour-blind old surfie!.) Not only this,but on his feet are red and blue socks with big stars of yellow on them and,to top it all off? blue rocket ship PJ top and bright green bib!.My very tired hubby looks at me and my stunned expression and says "I dressed him in the dark!".NO KIDDING,REALLY??.WE both giggled like a couple of crazy people.Sleep deprivation does mad things.
We cant understand WHY Jasper has started waking up in the night again?. I am too much of a softie to let him cry for hours plus, I like my sleep too much.But i think Dave is at the point of getting ear-plugs and crying "baby!, what baby??".
Dave can't do anything domesticated with Jas at the moment,because daddy equals "playtime"to Jasper.So,It's mummy who does all that stuff-puts him to bed,changes nappies,dresses him etc...Brilliant,I hear some of you say but,in reality, it is hard on me because it means i dont get a break from it.And it is difficult for Dave aswell,as he can't help me.
EXAMPLE: 1:30 A.M this morning,Jasper starts crying,Dave gets up,Jas see's dad and thinks 'playtime',Dave tells him "sleeptime",Jas has other ideas and refuses bottle or bed!.Liane hears the stress levels of her darling husband,rising, and gets up to help.I go in,Dave goes to bed and straight away Jasper settles down,has his bottle and is back to sleep in his cot within minutes.And even then,the little monster still is awake again at 5:00 A.M!!
I am tired all the time at the moment-that stage of pregnancy-and when Jas wakes up at crazy hours,so too does Ruby!.Luckily,at the moment I can catch up on sleep when Jasper has a sleep during the day.Poor Dave can't.And,what's worse is that his Golf has suffered since becoming a parent!.

Sweet-pea

The recognition we get from our son these days is quite wonderful.Not only does he call me "Mum-ma"and dad,"Dad-da"but he also gives us BIG hugs.Ah,lovely.The huge amount of love and trust you get from your child is AWESOME.
Neat trick I learnt tonight:To get Jas into the habit of brushing his teeth-stand with him at the mirror,give a big cheezy smile and he will smile too,thats when you get the toothbrush in!.Ofcourse,Jasper wouldn't be jasper if he didn't crack me up-he pulled a face at the taste of the toothpaste and promptly spat it out!
These kids of ours are so precious and show you what true innocence is,in a million different ways .And you fall more in love with them everyday.
Speaking of our little dude,he is on the floor at the mo,playing inside a huge box that his dad dragged in from the carport-and he is having the best time.Better than pulling all our books out from the bookshelf and chewing on them.Yes,he did!!.Sadly,I have had to put my wooden giraffe away.Ironically,giraffe survived the long bumpy trip all the way from zambia,Africa but It wont survive the curious clutches of my 9-month-old son!.
Oh yeh,today we planted some sweet-peas in the herb garden, sweet-peas being April's flower, Jas (and possibly Ruby's) birthday(s). Made a little trellis and everything, they have mint, basil, chives and parsely around them, hopefully they will flower towards late summer\autumn.

Back to Normality

Well,Dave returned to work today after 3 weeks off.I was abit concerned about how Jas would be without his dad but,all was fine.He slipped easily back into his routine,even sleeping back in his own room again.
Jasper now has another tooth coming thru!.That is 6 in total.Blimy!My little boy suddenly has a mouthful of teeth!.I'm sure glad i don't breastfeed-OUCH!.
Very exciting to see Jas crawling now.The last 2 days has seen him crawl on his knees forwards,which is a breakthrough for Jas.Needless to say,away go all our breakable,chewable,and pretty things!.Basically we have to baby-proof the house!!.And,no-longer are Jasper's toys contained in one area,now they are spread across the living room floor!!.Yep,our home is now kiddie-central!.It's great!.
I can't believe our little boy is just about 9-months old-where has that time gone?.

Goodbye family

Sad to see the family drive away this morning,makes you realize whats important.Atleast Jasper was at an age where he could really interact with his grandparents.He had a lovely bond especially,with his granny-they would lye on the sofa and gran would sing songs to him and he would listen intently and just smile-It was adorable.Ofcourse grandpa,too,had a special place in jaspers heart-he was simply known as "Ga-ga" to Jasper,atleast that's what he affectionately became called,to all of us!Oh well,he still has his auntie Fi here (for awhile anyway.)
His grandparents can atleast keep track of his progress on this blogsite.So,hello Gran and grandpa!!
Needless to say,we now have a very quiet house.It is kind of nice just to wind down after the madness of christmas,and welcome in a brand new year.So happy New year to all of you!!.

Thought I'd add my 2 cents worth... A whole new year, a lot is going to be happening, a lot of changes coming up, am really looking forward to it.
Jas has relly come along in the last few weeks. Since his granny and grandpa arrived, they have seen him get up onto his knees for the first time (he is not too far off from crawling now!), they have seen him get 3 new teeth, grow a lot of hair, his hand/eye co-ordination has come along in leaps and bounds, he even learned to wave the day before they left. It was really cute, all of us waving as they drove off!
Hopefully the transition back to normality will be smooth and painless for all parties concerned. It will take all of us a while to get used to the quietness of the house, mom and dad have only just left and the place already seems so much more empty. Am sure that Jasper will be right back into his routine within a day or two.
Went for a picnic yesterday , just in the greenway near the house, under some shady trees, it was the perfect day for it, Jas has a really great time, he absolutely loved it. We were all down on the ground on blankets, on his level I suppose, wow, how much fun can one small boy have!
Will have to repeat it again soon.

Christmas snaps

We are still recovering from the excesses of Christmas day, yesterday we were recovered enough to go up the gondola in Queenstown, some of us (except for the pregnant lady) even luged down again. A great day was had by all.
Have set up the printer that the folks gave us for Christmas, so far so good.
Jasper has 3 new top teeth, he is coping well with the teething process, the odd sleepless night here and there. He is certainly chopping through the chicken bones at the moment (see photo). Great stuff, chicken bones, they really work! If his dad has his way it will be bitong next!

Christmas Day

We have had a fabulous christmas day.LOADS of pressies for jasper,he was exhausted by the end of his gift opening session!He got given about 6 new books by Gran W,Gran and Grandpa, uncle J and uncle G, Poppa and Gran R, we gave him one, his library is growing..., aunty Shanley sent a beautiful fairy photo album for Ruby, not born yet and getting presents already! Jas got a load of toys, many bath toys, a ball popping machine from aunty S, a cookie shape sorter from gran and grandpa (it sings and I fear it will soon be running out of battery life!), he also got a cool toy helicopter that, surprisingly enough, also sings, from aunty Jean and uncle Ian and kids, gran in England sent heaps and heaps,an african shirt from governors camp in Kenya (where I used to work), a melamine set, toy/travel books for stroller and car, to mention a few.Auntie Fi gave jas a wooden toy(that has a spring attached and which i cant help playing with!) and auntie Heather and uncle C ,in south africa,gave jas a beachset.Poppa sent clothes and a pull-along-duck set.Great-grannies gave him clothes and a book and toy duck. These are a few of the presents, not all have been mentioned, no offence to anybody. BIG thank-you's to everybody who sent something and made our little boys day.

Summer time

Jasper and Daniella

Jasper and his "Ga-ga"

Jasper is getting the hang of this crawling thing.He is now managing to get up on his knees but he is still moving backwards?We were amazed the other day,Jas nearly pulled himself up on the couch himself(Which is typical jasper~Trying to do a million things at once.)I am amazed at the sheer determination that jas has,once he starts something he will see it through~It's a good trait to have i think.
He has started babbling "Ma-ma" and "Da-da"when dave or I pick him up.He also calls us "Ga-ga","Bub-ba"etc...so I don't know how much is recognition and how much is repetitive babble,but it still makes dave and i go all mushy inside when we hear it.We call him our little "Na-na",mainly because he always seems to have banana hanging off his face.

Holiday snaps

This morning we went cherry picking out at Ripponvale Orchard and stuffed ourselves, ending up with 5 kg of cherries! We still had room for ice cream afterwards...ahhh, holidays! Have included some photo's of this, and the glaciers.

West coast dreamin'

We had a great time in fox.Ofcourse it wouldnt be the west coast without THE RAIN!or THE SANDFLYS!.On thursday we hibernated in the cabin and jasper loved the portable cot provided,which i admit we kind of used as a playpen~have to get one for the next bub.He sat in there with his toys and giggled at everyone and was happy as larry.
On friday,we had a break in the weather and the family got to see fox glacier.Even second time round for dave and I,it was still very impressive.Dave even managed to get the stroller halfway up the track and jas looked so gorgeous all snuggled up in his red blanket.I admit i didnt even make it halfway!(It is bloody hard when your 5-months pregnant).But a curious kea kept me company.
We also had a look at lake matheson .The highlight for me was heading off the well beaten tourist track and driving 10 kilometres thru bush to gillespies beach~awesome stuff.So wild,with the kind of surf that could break a back(I've never seen surf that actually breaks on the beach itself) and huge stones that that same huge surf threw out and which covered the whole beach.Very cool and being on the west coast made me miss the west coast back home~Piha and all those special places,which thankfully dont have the sandflys.
A great little holiday away.Today we will nurse our sandfly "wounds".

music group

Today we took Jasper to his music group Christmas Party. There were lots of fairies and reindeer and one wise man! jasper had his jingly reindeer antlers that his gran Walker sent him, on. We went over to the church hall where all the kids entertained the old people with singing and dancing. Dave and Gran were there as well so we got some pics.

Family fun

Today we went to a picnic out at Lowburn, a chance for the family to meet everyone from our church. Jas had a great time, he was really well behaved, just sat and ate grass...and played with a puppy. He was fascinated to watch his daddy playing volleyball. It's a lovely hot day, lots of hats and sunscreen, perfect picnic weather. Jas is loving having the family here, lots of cuddles and attention.

The family arrive

Very busy day yesterday. Dave's family arrived around 11am but I was at a course in Alexandra for kidstart. I didn't get home until 5:30pm, it was the first time I've been away from Jasper for so long, was surprised by the depth of emotion I felt when I drove away.
Anyway, it is fantastic to have the Doyles here. Jas took to them straight away and had a ball, everyone was paying attention, which he loves! Anne was so looking forward to meeting her first grandchild, she could hardly wait for him to wake up. They had great cuddles, Aunty Fi and Grandpa also got into the act, Grandpa gave him his afternoon bottle.
Jaspers in our room and we are all finding the change very hard. His sleep pattern is all over the place, hopefully he will settle down VERY soon.

Pink booties!

Gorgeous pink booties arrived in the post today!So sweet and really hitting home that we really are bringing another little life into our home next april.
Jas is fantastic,he is desperately trying to crawl~It is so frustrating for him,he wants to move forward but finds himself going backwards.Today 4 the first time he was trying to move off his butt and forward onto his hands and knees~that confirms he is trying to crawl.Lately he has taken to just flopping onto his tummy and then he just stays like that~he kind of skipped the stage where they learn to roll?So he just flops around like a little fish and hopes for a miracle,or for mum or dad to pick him up,whatever comes first.

Babble and brush

Our boy has discovered the art of babbling and man,It is such a crackup!His latest is "Da-da"which is followed up with a succession of blowing bubbles.He is such a boy- he is so loud.Before I found out i was having a girl,I was imagining myself chasing 2 boys around ,an endless round of cowboys and indians and discovering our VCR or telephone taken to bits and then left like that!I know, i have 2 brothers!
Boys are cool tho,Ok,they may go through a smelly patch as teenagers but at the moment jasper is just adorable(and a long way off from becoming a teenager,thank goodness) Jas is
very affectionate-I get lots of cuddles and unconditional love(babies don't judge) He loves my singing!!
He loves bathtime,and he has taken to brushing his teeth in the bathtub lately-we have included a photo of this .I love getting up in the morning and seeing 2 big toothbrush's and 1 little one-It's
never too early to introduce good dental hygiene.

The learning curve

Jasper is getting cuter every day. He is learning so much all the time, really developing into his own little person. We always have a great time playing in the bath, his favourite toys are yellow duckie and two round rattle bath toys that Granny Doyle sent to him, and he splashes, whacks and wallops until he is almost breathless. Always before, he has tried to grab all the toys at once, to his undoing because he can't hold onto all of them and invariably loses the lot. Just recently he has learned to grab only one toy, and play with that for awhile before trying for the others, a toy in the hand is worth three that annoyingly bob out of reach the whole time! Small things, but amazing to watch him work them out.
Lee was telling me today about him learing to share. He has always grabbed a toy and played for a bit, amusing himself but not letting other people into the game. Today for the first time he held his toy out fot Lee, sharing with her, encouraging her to join him in his game. Wow, a small step perhaps, also a giant leap, I was so proud.

Funny thing today, I put Jas down for a sleep but he likes to sit up in his cot a the moment before lying down for a sleep, Well, I left him thinking I'd removed all hazards from his cot; five minutes later I hear this almightly static on the baby monitor - I rush back to his room and here's Jasper, happily chewing on the monitors wires with a big grin on his face. Oops!
I took him out to playgroup this morning. It was his first time at this particular playgroup as it has always cut in on his morning sleep time before now. I always feel a bit awkward when i first rock up at these things, and although I did find the competitiveness between the mums about "whose babies doing what" a bit annoying, I found Jasper really enjoyed it. I find his at the age now where he needs that social stimulation with other people and I do too. Cromwell is so small and it's very easy to make and maintain friends because you are always bumping into one another. thats the nice thing about living in a small town, I know just about all my neighbours on our street, it's nice and safe for children.