The Sprog Blog

One Month

2009-11-15T23:08:00.001+11:00

Mum
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Today we celebrated Jack's one-month birthday in traditional Vietnamese fashion, with ancestor offerings and a ludicrously fantastic feast. The tradition of celebrating an infant's arrival after four weeks probably stems from times of high infant mortality, as you could be pretty sure they were going to make it by then.

The feast was spectacular. Jack was passed from person to person, and eventually put in his chair so he could look around and be lulled to sleep by loud conversation. The roast pork we has was unspeakably good - I don't normally indulge too much, but I couldn't stop eating it. This was home made rather than store bought, and the fat had been properly rendered away. The mean was soft and flavourful and the skin crackly and crunchy. Amazing stuff.

Eliza and Lillian had rehearsals for their end-of-year concert (they do dancing lessons together). We can't wait to watch it next week!

Almost Home

2009-10-21T22:57:00.001+11:00

Forbidden Fruit II
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

We were supposed to be going home today, but decided to stay for one more night to get the sleeping / feeding pattern better established. Turns out Jack had a pretty sore tummy, which is why he was up every hour during the night, and also why a feed (temporarily) settled him.

Last night, after our candlelit dinner (which the hospital does free of charge on your last night), we decided to comfort Jack when he awoke, and feed him every three hours, instead of on demand. This really worked well; while I was comforting him and Dana was sleeping, I could really feel his pain as his digestive system got a workout. Sucking on a dummy helps to settle things, or distract him at least, and we were overjoyed when it dissipated and he managed to sleep through from 3am to 8am.

Eliza was proud as punch today to take the photo of her cuddling Jack into Farnham House for show-and-tell. Apparently Mortimer says he's "sweet".

The Milkman Arrives!

2009-10-19T23:01:00.001+11:00

Cuddle Time
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Last night was pretty tough - Jack awoke for a feed every 45 minutes or so, right up until 4am. Dana and I were exhausted, and there was little the staff could do. The little boy was hungry, and there was nothing to sate his appetite. All that changed in the early morning, when mum's milk came through, and Jack had his first full feed. Drunk and happy afterwards, he slept soundly for three hours, giving his parents a chance to catch up on theirs.

I dropped Eliza at Farnham House, and bought Dana some crusty bread, hot salami, soft cheese and pate on the way back to the hospital. Apart from oysters, that pretty much completes catching up on forbidden foodstuff.

I took Eliza straight to see mum and Jack after school finished, and we were also visited by Lainey, both sets of grandparents, Nazy and Tee. Eliza was very excited. Once everyone left, she helped me give Jack a bath, which he loved this time around, and she was very gentle and concerned throughout. Once Jack was dry and dressed, he lay in his sisters lap for a good fifteen minutes while I took photos.

A Fairy Visits

2009-10-18T23:06:00.001+11:00

A Fairy Visits
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Jack slept for seven hours straight last night, which meant that his parents felt pretty well rested this morning. I took Eliza to a fairy birthday party at midday, but couldn't resist visiting mummy and her brother in the afternoon. She made quite the impression on the crowd of visitors, patients and staff at the hostip... hos-pi-tal!

We've found ourselves referring to Jack as "she" on more than one occasion, probably because all this is reminding us of our first child. I've taken to calling him "the big man" as a result, although his mum still occasionally calls him "Jacky Boy", which is just unacceptable :)

This afternoon we had a steady stream of visitors. It was great to see Daz and Ilsa, Jack and Kate, Hoff and Elaine and Liza and Wil. Just to confuse everyone, we've moved rooms yet again. We now are in room 1307, which has a double bed. We also found out that we're being discharged Wednesday, instead of Tuesday as originally thought. So if you want to visit, please show up between 3:30 and 5:30 or between 6:30 nd 8:30 on Monday or Tuesday, room 1307, St. Mary's Ward, St. John of God Hospital, Murdoch.

Big Sister

2009-10-17T23:33:00.001+11:00

I See Him!
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Last night, after our hospital food dinner, I phoned up Hayashi restaurant in Applecross and ordered beef tataki (which is essentially raw beef) and an assortment of sushi. Dana was happy to devour these forbidden fruit, which you'll see if you click through to the photos.

Today Jack had his first bath, which he didn't enjoy. Yesterday he had a tummy full of mucus, and now that he's gotten rid of it, he seems to be very hungry, and is constantly trying to feed. So even the distraction of a bath, which took him away from his potential source of nutrition, was annoying to him. Fingers crossed that the milkman will make a delivery on the morrow!

Eliza got to meet her brother for the first time today. She was very excited as she laid eyes on him, and I managed to capture the moment. She wants to be involved in every way, even offering to change nappies. She had plenty of cuddles, and was always gentle. Let's hope that continues!

And Then There Were Four

2009-10-16T16:30:00.003+11:00

And Then There Were Four
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Dana, Jason and Eliza are happy to announce the safe arrival of Jack Lloyd Hutchens at 8:12am on Friday the 16th of October, 2009. Jack weighed in at 3.034kg, and was 47cm long at birth. According to the paediatrician, he is "sweet as".

We are on St. Mary's ward at St. John of God in Murdoch, and would love visitors between 3pm and 8pm on Sunday and Monday. We'll be moving rooms at some point, so see the staff when you arrive for direction!

I'll post updates here over the coming days and weeks, and we'll be uploading lots of photos.

Boy Imminent

2009-10-13T20:57:00.001+11:00

Happiness
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Wow... been over a year since we've posted! You'll notice that I've changed the blog template from girly-pink to gender neutral green, in anticipation of our new family member, who is all set to arrive Friday morning. Check for updates early and often!

Eliza's Story

2008-09-06T22:19:00.002+10:00

After J drop Eliza at daycare he will call me up and tell me how she went. It started from Eliza very first day of daycare and has became a tradition. Recently, this updates became litltle "Eliza's stories" here they are below.

-----------------
31st of July 2008

This morning as we pulled into the Ngala carpark, Eliza yelled out “walk daddy!”

She was so excited about going to daycare that she wanted to walk in by herself. I carried her to the path, and she proudly walked by herself, swinging her arms and saying “look daddy, mine walking!”

We entered through the older kids room, and she was excited to see what they were doing. We then entered our room. Everyone said “hi” to her, but she was in her own little world. She held my hand as we went to put her bag away, and she spotted one of her own jackets hanging up, which we must have left behind on Monday by mistake.

After that, I wrote her details on the whiteboard, and Jamie came over and picked her up, asking if she’d like something to eat. Eliza yelled “bye bye daddy”, and gave me a wave, so I went over to get my kiss and walked out as she was deciding whether to have milk or water with her cheese, crackers, sultanas and dried apricots.

-----------------

8th of August 2008

Eliza wore her sunnies on the way in. The sun was behind a cloud, and, with her sunnies on too, she thought it was the moon. “Moon, daddy, moon”, she said. I told her it was the sun, and then she repeated “Hello sun!” for the rest of the drive in. When we got there she was happy to walk in herself. The kids, including Elizabeth, were sitting down to morning tea (vegemite on toast), and Eliza joined them as I put her bag away and wrote on the board. She got herself a piece of toast using the tongs, and then poured herself a cup of milk from the jug and started drinking it without making a mess – very good! Jamie asked whether she was still unwell, as she hadn’t spoken, but I said she was back to normal. Just then, Eliza started giggling and pointing at Elizabeth, and Jamie said “there it is”! I told Eliza I was going to work, and bent down for my kiss.

-----------------

11th of August 2008

Eliza was really excited when we drove into the Ngala carpark, but when I took her out of the car she clung to me tightly. “Do you want to walk?” She shook her head. “Are you shy?” “Yeah,” she said. We entered the building and went to her room to find the kids seated down to morning tea. I put her bag away, and then popped her down into one of the chairs. She immediately poured herself a cup of milk. One of the ladies from her old room was there, as another girl is making the transition. The girl wasn’t happy at all, she was crying. This didn’t phase Eliza. The lady from her old room commented on her haircut. Eliza started eating her vegemite crackers when I told her I was going to work, and I bent down for my kiss and nose rub.

-----------------
18th of August

Just as we arrived Eliza had a big snotty sneeze, so I had to rush around to wipe her nose. I carried her in as usual – she tends to be a bit shy first thing. All the kids were outside in the sun when we got in, and Jamie was blowing up balloons. After writing her name on the board and putting her bag away we joined them. Some music was playing, and Jamie paid attention to Eliza. I told Jamie she had a great weekend but that she had a bit of a snotty nose, and Jamie said “yeah, we all have that at the moment”. I said to Eliza “do you want to go down?” and she wriggled with eager anticipation, so I put her down. The kids were called inside for their morning tea, but Eliza set about picking up pieces of a balloon that had popped and putting them in the bin – good girl. I said I was going to work, and she happily gave me a kiss and hug and said goodbye. As I left she was wandering inside to have her toast and milk.

-----------------

Singing

2008-03-11T01:02:00.001+11:00

Escapee

2007-11-11T23:32:00.001+11:00

Innocence
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

So, we've entered the tantrum phase, and it's hard work. Eliza recently decided she doesn't want to drink milk anymore, and there's no way anyone is going to trick her into doing so. What's more, she's learned to say "no" when she doesn't want something, "up" when she wants to be held, and "more" when she wants you to sing another verse of the song you've been singing for the last three hours. Failing to immediately comply results in ear-piercing shrieks, red face, streaming tears and a finale of Throwing Oneself On The Floor And Flailing About. And this happened overnight, as if a switch had been thrown. D. and I feel like new parents again, not knowing what to do, and not getting enough rest. Of course, all toddlers go through this stage, and it's probably something to do with beginning to be expressive through language, and feeling frustrated. But it was still a shock to us. A bigger shock yet came last night while D. and I were having dinner. Eliza had been put to bed, but she was being cranky, and we decided to leave her for a few minutes before trying to settle her again. Well, she started the whole screaming routine, but we were resolute. Oddly, her screams seemed to move, and suddenly she was at the door to her room. She'd somehow managed to climb out of her cot! Little scallywag... gave her parents the fright of their lives!

We're Back!

2007-11-02T03:28:00.001+11:00

Vegemite
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

As reported on Doi Bong, we've returned to find Eliza has been as good as gold during our absence, and was only slightly cranky when going to bed tonight, which is probably more due to new teeth being cut than any lingering fear that her parents plan to leave her overnight again (we tell ourselves). We had a great time, and we're glad to be back with our little girl (although we do miss calling nanny and grandad for the daily "Poo Report").

Apple

2007-10-25T02:13:00.001+10:00

Apple
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Eliza's been really good of late, thanks for asking. She's saying lots of words, really gotten the gist of the good ol' imitation game. The record would have to be "spaghetti". And is she into her food! We reckon it must be a growth spurt, because she's devouring the stuff. She's a busy little thing, what with daycare twice a week, playgroup, staying over at the grandparents on Friday night, a yearly pass to the zoo and so on. And she's graduated from Play School to The Wiggles, so we've been memed by a whole new set of kiddy tunes. What's sad, though, is Dana and I are leaving for Thailand tomorrow without her (it's our third wedding anniversary), and we're worried how she'll take it. Updates in a week!

The Pea Incident

2007-09-01T16:37:00.001+10:00

Play School Junkie
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

It looks like I blog on a monthly basis these days. Sorry to Sydney friends, Linh in London and Steven in Hong Kong! We've finally uploaded a handful of new Eliza piccies, so click on the coach potato for more.

And so to the Pea Incident. The other night I gave Eliza a bowl of home-made dahl (which D. has been making), but it was a bit too strongly flavoured for her liking. So I decided to switcheroo and give her some finger food. First it was bits of cheese, then some vegemite on toast, and then a bowl of steamed peas (which D. said Neera had recommended).

D. and I sat on the sofa and watched some TV while Eliza fed herself. I glanced over and suddenly realised she had a pea up her nose. Oh noes! I rushed over and squeezed it out. It was up there pretty good, but it eventually popped free. I had a looksee but couldn't see anything else up her nostrils, so it was back to strawberries for dessert, and then a bath. Eliza did seem to be a bit sniffly, but she splashed around happily, and then we dried her off. Out of nowhere, another green orb appeared out of a nostril! She really must've jammed it up there!

Apart from that, all's well, thanks for askin ;)

Swinging

2007-07-24T23:44:00.001+10:00

Swinging
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Two things I learned today:

1. It's really cute to let your baby wander around naked after they've had a bath, and been dried and powdered.

2. Paper towels are useful for soaking up urine from your carpet.

One!

2007-06-27T01:23:00.001+10:00

Candle
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens

Hard to believe the last time Dzung enhaled nitrous oxide was twelve months ago! Well, that should be thirteen, I suppose, because we've been so slack updating this thing now that we're back in The Shire. Things are good; work is fun, we have an apartment, Eliza is running around like mad. She can't talk, but she sings Baa-Baa-Black-Sheep, getting the tune and the rhythm right, but replacing all the words with "baa". You know... "baa baa baa baa, baa baa baa-baa baa". Cute. And she says "upside down" when I flip her hither-and-thither. "Dadda" means any picture or photograph, because I pointed to a picture of me and she over-generalised. And "Mamma" means "I'm upset", which I guess is because there's no use turning to me for sympathy, I mean, you're all growed up now and you're still complaining about stuff? Sheesh!

CNY + Easter

2007-04-11T00:31:00.001+10:00

Baguette
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Okay, it's been a looong while. Like two months. Too long. There's good reason behind the delay: we're still not settled down. Our six weeks in temporary accomodation has come to an end, and we've still not found a place to rent. Perth is crazy-town. And we had our lil' digi stolen from our car, meaning there's been less piccies to upload. Eliza has been surprising us each day with new tricks. She stands, waves, blows kisses, kisses us on the cheek, babbles incessantly, dances to music, feeds herself, loves swimming and so on and so forth. She's brought so much joy to us, and easily counterbalances the stressfulness of not having a home of our own, and missing all of our possessions that are still in storage. We'll have a new camera soon, and, once we've settled and have broadband, the rate of postings on this 'ere blog should pick up again.

Shireling-To-Be

2007-02-07T15:43:00.001+11:00

Picnicking
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Yes, it's true. We're moving back to Perth, Real Soon Now (like, in one week). Crazy, I know. What happened is this: I'd been finding the fun and enjoyment factor of my work steadily decreasing since mid-2006, and, since we moved to Mordor primarily for work, we started to consider moving back. An unsolicited job offer from a Perth-based startup back in November made this option even the more tempting. But we were sitting on the fence, unable to make up our minds. We have made a lot of good friends in Mordor, and our apartment, in Glebe, is ideal. We love the lifestyle, and we didn't want to move back so soon. That all changed on Australia Day, when our landlord called to inform us that the owners wanted the apartment back for themselves. So, rather than planning to visit The Shire for CNY as planned, we rapidly came to the conclusion that we should respect the fact that Fate had made the decision for us. I quit my job, accepted the offer in Perth, and we've been organising everything to enable us to make the move back next week. Incredible!

Hungry

2007-01-26T09:42:00.000+11:00

Hungry
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Wow, I've really let the ol' blog lapse, innit? Today's Australia Day, which is a good two months since the last post. Eliza is eating solids, crawling around, babbling and standing up against tables, human legs and what-not like Nobody's business. She even Stood Without Holding On for three full seconds last Saturday morning. And she's taken to swimming like a duck to water. She doesn't even cry when I dunk her under.

These days the routine goes something like this. Wake at seven-thirty, and babble to oneself in cot for a while before waking parent. Drink 240mls of formula, self-administered from bottle, while parent prepares brekky. Play on floor for half an hour (with favourite Cookie Monster toy) while parent eats brekky and reads news. Sit in high chair and eat some toast and slices of fruit, and a bowl of cereal or yoghurt and fruit. More playtime, including a few self-composed, avante-garde pieces on the Pianola. Sleep, exhausted. Awake around half ten, get dressed, and perhaps Go To The Shops with parent. Return home to a lunch of meat and vegetables (beef and carrots or chicken and cauliflower, for instance, all home prepared in our kitchen assembly line), washed down with a dram of diluted juice. More playtime or perhaps going out for the afternoon, with a long kip between half one and three. Awake for 240mls of formula, self-administered via bottle, in pram or chair or car seat, depending on the day's activities. Play again, and perhaps go for a walk around Glebe with parents. Return home for dinner (meat and vege again), bath and a bedtime bottle of 240mls of formula (self-administered). Play until tired. Get cuddly with parent. Read book. Heavy eyelids. Listen to a mediocre performance of Rock-a-Bye-Baby. Zipped up in sleeping bag, dummy in mouth, teddy in arms. Aware or parents cooking dinner, eating dinner, watching television. Doze off.

Half Birthday

2006-11-29T08:17:00.000+11:00

New High Chair / Head Gear
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

So, Eliza turned six months old last Sunday. She can now crawl forwards (slowly and carefully), and can eat solid food (carrots, peas, sweet potato, squash and rice), which she loves. She *hates* avocado with a passion. She likes going out and socialising, and always has a smile when she sees a new face. Her presence guarantees that little old ladies will insist her dad goes first when standing in queue at the shops. She's eternally curious about everything, she likes to babble and blow raspberries, and she gets a full nights sleep with little complaint. Got ourselves a good 'un!

Yummy

2006-11-24T08:54:00.000+11:00

Not yet 6 months old, Eliza has discovered the joy of eating, and now we can't shovel in her mashed peas and carrots quickly enough!

Number Two

2006-10-29T10:40:00.000+11:00

Did I Do That?
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

It's been an eventful week. It's our second anniversary today, Eliza recently reached her five-month milestone, and we bought a house! So now we're in debt again, which means we're celebrating with a frugal meal.

Eliza has started moving around. She can roll from her back to her tummy, and occasionally vice-versa. She's trying to crawl forwards, but ends up going slowly backwards. It's funny to leave her playing on the floor and returning a few minutes later to see how far she's moved.

Anyway, we're off on a picnic today. See you all soon!

So Vain

2006-10-12T00:04:00.000+10:00

Here's Eli playing with a mirror and babbling away. Sorry about the poor resolution... we somehow set the lil' digi to a crappy mode.

Better Again

2006-10-11T20:23:00.000+10:00

Experimentation
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

We've been without interweb access for three weeks; the tubes got clogged and we had to churn over to a new service provider. In the interim, Eli got better, and seemed to grow a huge amount. She's now wide awake and alert during the day, apart from two brief naps. She also sleeps from 7pm to 7am, apart from a feed at 11:30pm or so, which she tends to sleep through (even though she drinks a full bottle). Dzung and I are trying not to count our chickens, but it has been going pretty well. Eli is also reaching out for things, holding things in two hands, playing with toys, chewing things (we think a couple of teeth are starting to cause her discomfort), babbling a lot, rolling over, rotating 180 degrees when on her tummy, and holding herself up with her arms. She can almost sit upright, but tends to slowly fall over and face-plant the carpet after a short time. We expect her to be sitting and crawling very soon now. Exciting times!

Sick Baby

2006-09-18T22:41:00.000+10:00

Four Expressions #2: Cheeky
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Poor little Eliza has come down with a case of Bronchiolitis. I came down with a cold a week or so ago, and we tried our best to quarantine the germs, but unfortunately it hit Dzung late in the week, and Eliza started coughing soon after. It's nothing serious, she's not running a fever or anything like that, and she is being her usual active, smiling self, but it's still kinda sad to see her unwell. The worst bit was me waking her up this morning, she smiling back when she opened her eyes, and they giving her Giggle of Joy, which quickly turned into a wide-eyed coughing-fit, followed by a bit of a cry, driven by surprise and frustration, no doubt. Poor little chicken!

Electric Chair

2006-08-26T12:03:00.000+10:00

A wide-awake Eliza gets a buzz out of laying in her electric chair and talking to her old man :)

Nanny & Grandad

2006-08-26T10:28:00.000+10:00

Nanny & Grandad I
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Well, it's been a week or so since Mum and Dad left, and little Eli-Anh misses her grandparents already! Dzung and I do too... we were starting to get used to having Eliza taken off our hands for a few hours in the morning for extra sleep-in time. See you at Crozzle, folks!

Waking Up

2006-08-19T17:02:00.000+10:00

Okay, we're experimenting with recording some video on our lil' digi, then uploading via YouTube. Hope this works...

Mummy's B'day

2006-08-16T09:13:00.000+10:00

Mummy's B'day
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

We didn't know that little Eliza could write on birthday cards, let alone go shopping for presents, but here's the evidence. She got mum a nice box of chocolates, which apparently make the milk taste better. Dzung and I got to try "The Boathouse", the restaurant at the end of our street, while Mum and Dad babysat little Eli-Anh. Dinner was very nice. Since then, we've done a day trip to the Blue Mountains, witnessed a crazy hail storm and spent the night without power. Piccies are on Flickr, so click through on the birthday pic for more.

Standing!

2006-08-11T08:18:00.000+10:00

Standing!
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Eliza really likes standing up straight. I noticed that she stretched her legs out quite often when lying down, so I naturally wondered whether she'd be able to support her own weight. And here's the proof. She's not too well balanced, hence the helping hand, but she does stand straight and tall, and it affords her such a better view of everyone seated around the table.

Speaking of which, Mum and Dad are over from Perth, and helping us out heaps with the baby. Dzung and I got to go and see "The Boy from Oz" the other night, with Mum and Dad baby-sitting, and they look after Eliza in the morning, giving Dzung a chance to sleep in after doing the night shift. We'll miss them when they're gone!

Eliza has also started enjoying games of peek-a-boo, which is kinda cute. She's doing more and more every day. Click on the pic for some more pictures on Flickr... there's a lot I haven't blogged about!

Massage Lounge

2006-07-23T16:38:00.000+10:00

Massage Lounge
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Bruce and Mel are in Sydney, visiting friends and planning trips to the snow, and to Melbourne. We caught up with them, and Simon and Yunyu, on Friday night. Dzungy made a mound of spag bol. for us all, which we washed down with copious amounts of wine. If you click on the pic, you'll see evidence of the drunken "Guitar Hero" sesh that followed. Saturday was rainy and homely, so not much to report. I did the first "big shop" in a while (up until now, Dzung and I have just grabbed ingredients on a daily basis from nearby shops, treating them as our own personal larder), but having a baby to look after has changed that. I also spent some of our "baby bonus" on...err... a DS Lite each for Mum and Dad. Thanks, Mr. Howard. Sunday the weather turned good, so we met up with the visiting Shirelings for brunch and mooching around Glebe. Ended up buying a metric pramload of books.

In other news, Eliza really likes her new reclining massage lounger!

Learning...

2006-07-19T21:15:00.000+10:00

Learning...
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Eliza is gowing up fast. She's so alert these days, at all hours of the day and night. In the piccie you can see the wide-eyed face she makes when acquiring knowledge like the learning sponge that she is. She makes this expression whenever she sees or hears something new or interesting. After a while, if you're paying attention, you might even see her trying to mimic what you're doing. Mum and Dad have been making lots of strange noises and silly faces to... err.... help Eliza learn all about silly noises and strange faces. Hmmm...

Tiny Hand

2006-07-17T08:49:00.000+10:00

Thumbs
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Another weekend passed. Dzung had a day out on Satdee with Mary and her daughter Layal, who was the flower girl at our wedding. They're over in Sydney for a bit of skiing, which is an annual family holiday for them. So I stayed at home on bottle and nappy duty while the girls enjoyed a long day out. Mostly haircuts and shopping, from what I can gather, which rates pretty highly with the ladies apparently.

Eliza and Friends

2006-07-13T23:00:00.000+10:00

Eliza and Friends
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

There hasn't been any bloggage for a while, but I guess that's because things are just chugging along day to day without anything major to report. Well, that's not entirely true. E-A has started reaching for things, seemingly having discovered that those waggly things at the corner of her vision are under her control, and can do her bidding. One of the latest piccies shows her in action, in her little mobile laboratory. She's also started making little happy gurgly squeely sounds, which is kinda cute. Dzung has been attending the Mum's group, which is some sort of weird cult which involves everyone putting their baby in a circle and then taking pictures. Here you can see a happy, cute, well-behaved, full-head-of-haired Eliza, along with eight rather ugly and cranky babies.

Party Time

2006-07-08T18:20:00.000+10:00

Dad & Eliza
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Friday night saw us heading out of the house around 8pm to have a delicious Tapas dinner at "The Different Drummer", with plenty of beer and cocktails. The eagle-eyed among you might be able to spot Eliza's pink-hatted noggin' poking out the top of the sling strapped to Dad's chest. We met up with a bunch of friends who were out celebrating a birthday. Got home after midnight. Quite an adventure for a six-week old! The following day it was an hours drive out into the Blue Mountains to celebrate another birthday, this time of Dzung's one-year old third-cousin Nathan. And it doesn't stop there... we plan on brunching in Surry Hills late Sunday morning. Quite an active weekend by any measure!

Couch Potato

2006-07-01T13:41:00.000+10:00

Couch Potato
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Eli-Anh has started to smile a lot more recently, especially after a big feed. So nice to see she's well-mannered, and knows to show her appreciation! She's also been lounging about watching TV, and enjoying being strapped to her dad while he plays Guitar Hero.

Post-Bath Bug-Eye

2006-06-28T21:10:00.000+10:00

Post-Bath Bug-Eye
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Eliza has been feeding like the clappers. We've recently started giving her a bottle about once a day, to give mum a break (still with mum's milk, though - Dzung's really been expressing herself). There's some equation that the midwives use to figure out how much milk to put in the bottle, and, in Eliza's case, it came out to a meagre 40ml or so. Last night I gave her 90ml, and she still wasn't sated after draining it all. So no need to worry that she's not getting enough to eat.

This point was proven doubly today when Dzung took Eli-Anh for a weigh-in at the Clinic. Expectations were that she'd bulk up by around 100gm a week, which means that after losing 200gm the week after birth, we'd expect her to be up at the 2.8kg mark. Well, young Eli-Anh tipped the scales at over 3.2kg! Our little monkey has really been putting on a growth spurt, which hopefully explains the constant crying and feeding, and which is hopefully just a (short) phase she's going through. Yes, fellow parents, I can hear your laughter from here.

Unca Gus

2006-06-25T10:48:00.000+10:00

Unca Gus
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Cousin Justin is over in Mordor on business, and dropped in to visit Eliza. We had a great night... Friend Nestor and Brother Brendan also came over, and we got some beers, some home-delivered Thai food and played "Guitar Hero" for hours on end. Click the piccie to see Dzung noodling some impressive licks (usually the other way around for her).

We also had our first experience of going out for dinner. Packed the pram and Eliza in the car, and drove in to Chinatown to have a celebratory meal of lobster sashimi, crab, more lobster, fish and other assorted seafood, with Dzung's parents and some of their Sydney friends. Again, click the link for piccies.

The in-laws have been packed off safely back to The Shire, so we have the place to ourselves this weekend. The weather is cool and fine, and we plan on going for a walk along the cafe strip. Expect more pictures soon.

Big Foot

2006-06-18T11:35:00.000+10:00

Big Foot
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Got a few more piccies up on Flickr today. In other news, young Eliza is starting to smile a bit more frequently - she seems to have figured out how to copy what we do with our faces. It's cute, and we'll try to get a photo of it on Flickr soon. Nestor and Gabby visited last night, and we had a great time. Nestor and I went and got some takeaway Thai, and we ate that for dinner, washed down with a bottle of red. After that it was a game of Buzz. Eliza slept through it all.

Three Weeks

2006-06-16T22:38:00.000+10:00

First Moments
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Today Lucy (our doula) sent us a CD containing the pictures she took during the birth, so I've uploaded a few of them to Flickr. Don't worry, they're tastfully cropped to omit all the gross bits.

In other news, Dzung's folks are now staying with us, and helping (as grandparents do) by cooking food for us, sleeping soundly while we stay up all night caring for Eliza, and telling us what we should be doing differently the next morning.

Apart from that, Eliza has started to settle down more during the night, and less during the day (instead of the other way around). Last night she slept soundly from 3:30am to 7:30am, which may sound painful to all those non-parents out there, but which was a minor victory for us. I felt more rested the next day than I have for weeks.

Part of this victory has been the establishment of a routine. We haven't been so strict in terms of feed times, bath times and bed time, but we have delineated night and day by playing loud "pink noise" on the iMac during the night, and turning off the lights. Eliza has adapted to this by allowing herself to be put down in the bassinet with nary a protest squeel, and going from bug-eyed wide awakeness to sound asleep in moments. Nice. Pink noise, in case you don't know, is an easier-to-listen-to varient of white noise. It sounds just like mother's womb, I'd bet.

I'd also like to make the observation that, should human evolution continue, I believe that milk will come out of your little finger. Perfect for popping into baby's mouth while you're holding her to calm her during a screaming session. We've been loathe to do this too often, as a proferred digit is tantamount to a dummy in my books, and we've succesfully avoided using the latter to date.

Oh, and really, truly final news: the early childhood clinin lady visited on Thursday, and pronounced Eliza perfectly healthy. She's bulked up to 2.66kg, meaning that after losing 200gm over the first few days after birth, she's put on a massing 340gm, which is above what you'd expect. That's my girl!

The Proverbial Bug

2006-06-04T18:51:00.000+10:00

The Proverbial Bug
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Weekend has flown by... this sleep / feed / wriggle / scream / sleep cycle really occupies your time! As you can see from our piccies on Flickr, Dzung and myself get sleep when and where we can. Eliza has proven to be difficult to settle at night, no matter how much milk we put into her. We've occasionally taken her into bed with us, which tends to comfort her a lot more quickly. Everyone (midwives, lactation consultant, doula, obstetrician) says that doing this is a Good Thing (tm), but we're both a bit nervous of falling asleep with the little one in our bed, so we're trying to limit this as much as possible. It is nice, though!

You're probably wondering what doula is (the quick among you have probably already googled it). Essentially, a doula is an untrained but experienced mum who you hire to be present at your birth, and who helps both mum and dad throughout, championing their cause with the midwives and doctors, which helps to make sure you get the birth you want. We had Lucy with us during the birth on the strong recommendation of friends, and it was great to have her support and reassurance, especially given that we're over here in Mordor alone.

Today, Lucy paid us a visit, and brought along a DVD of photographs that she took during delivery. Dzung and I had been oblivious to her paparrazo-like stylings, and were amazed to see the moments that she had captured (such as us laying eyes on our daughter for the first time, and me double-handed texting our news to friends and family on two mobile phones). We hope to upload some of Lucy's fantastic photographs soon.

Today we also had a visit from Simon and Yunyu, two Perth friends who have also journeyed out of the Shire. They arrived bearing gifts; a pink elephant toy, and a great wrap (choosing blue, to help balance the vast quantities of Pink Stuff that we've now got). You can see me and Unca Bubbs posing with a slightly shocked looking little chicken in the piccie (shocked, probably, because the wrap is so soft and warm, and also because she's straight out of thge bath).

I'll be returning to work early in the week, so pictures and bloggage may drop off a bit until the weekend arrives. Keep checking for updates, though: we'll keep uploading as long as there's an audience!

One Week

2006-06-02T19:12:00.000+10:00

Stretch Time
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

More of the same today, so it's probably unrealistic to update this blog daily: I'll do so when Something Significant happens. Today was spent feeding, sleeping, bathing, sleeping, changing nappies, feeding and sleeping. At one point, they tested the fire alarms in our building, but, apart from that, it was the usual cycle (newborn babies function on a 3-hour day, so Eliza actually turns 8 weeks old today, in baby weeks). I will continue to upload photographs to Flickr. I'll put a permanent link to the page in the sidebar somewhere...

Changing Nappies

2006-06-01T19:31:00.000+10:00

Looks Like Pate
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

My brother Darren writes, "How is Eliza enjoying all Dzung's rich food? Any twos yet? Resemble pate?", to which our emphatic answer is "yes". In the piccie you can see Dzung getting her first experience, tastefully cropped to obscure the action.

We've been getting a bit more sleep now that Eliza is feeding better. Today the lactation consultant called in to give us a few more tips. We also had a visit from Dzung's auntie, who brought us lots of food (literally 15 take away boxes full), which I had to re-arrange the fridge to accomodate. And we're awaiting a visit from Aladar and Deb.

Apart from that, we can feel ourselves settling into more of a routine. Feeds are going well, nappy changes are quick, bathtime is fun for all and there's a lot of sleeping all round. Oh, and we had another landmark... I vacuumed up some hard, gnarled brown object off the carpet, and later found out that Eliza's umbilical stump was missing! So now she has a cute little "outie". Hehe.

Forbidden Food

2006-05-31T18:45:00.000+10:00

Sushi and Beef Tataki ... Yum!
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Days four and five have been extremely tiring, and we're both exhausted. Little Eliza has gotten around to being hungry pretty much all the time, which is a contrast to the first couple of days when she was just content to sleep (due to having a full tummy at birth). It's been a long couple of days for Mother and Daughter to learn how to feed properly, but, with the help of a wonderful "lactation consultant", we're slowly getting there.

Dzung's Auntie visited us in hospital, taking two trains and a bus from Cabramatta to stay with us, and chide me for not keeping Dzung rugged up. We shudder to think what she'd say if she witnessed the lengthy "skin to skin" sessions that are a prelude to feeding. Auntie also bought some wonderful food: porridge, soup, meat and vegetables, which we both devoured. Hospital food deserves its bad reputation!

In the photo you can see a very happy Dzung digging into a meal of sashimi and beef takaki (thinly sliced blue beef in a vinegar sauce), two foods that she's been dying to have these last nine months. With the brie, pate and salami that I brought to her in hospital, that leaves oysters. We'll try them in the next couple of days, I'm sure.

The other thing to notice in the photo is that we're now home. What a great relief to be in our own place, after going a bit stir-crazy after five days in the hospital. However, it's also a bit scary, because we need to tend to Eliza around the clock without midwives on hand to show us the ropes, and to take over when we're exhausted. It should be an interesting few weeks before we settle down into a rhythm, and before Dzung's parents come over to help us with some of hte chores.

Changing Rooms

2006-05-28T21:26:00.000+10:00

Thoughtful
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

As I mentioned previously, the hospital is overflowing with newborn babies. Quite literally. Apparently they were flying expectant mums and premature bubs to Canberra, because Sydney will full. So we were lucky we came in when we did. However, we needed to spend the first day in the delivery room, and the second in a shared room, which wasn't much fun. So we were overjoyed when we were moved to a larger room of our own, including a double bed so we can all stay overnight in comfort. We're in 667, the neighbour of the beast. Funny to think that there'll be a mum and baby in room 666 on 6/6/6. They'll probably name him Damien.

We had our first visitors today. Nestor dropped by in the afternoon with his friend David, who was in Sydney in business and was on his way back to the airport. They bought us a delicious Thai dinner, which the four of us ate while Eliza Anh slept in her cot. They also bought heaps of chocolates, but Dzung reckons she's gone off the stuff, after having constant cravings during the last trimester. Seems our little girl is destined to become a chocaholic. And Brendan, my brother, arrived back from Perth, and came straight to the hospital to see his niece.

We ended the day by giving Eliza her first bath. She really enjoyed floating in the water. Click on the "thoughtful" picture for some more piccies, including those of bathtime. We've been giving her feeds often. She's not getting much of a meal yet, but there has been plenty of practice time for mum and bub to get used to the process. We'll probably stay in the hospital until we get confident with it, so it's home Tuesday at the earliest.

A Rose...

2006-05-28T00:11:00.000+10:00

Daddy's Little Girl
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

We're both still on cloud nine, and fully expecting the day-three downer. I've been happily changing nappies, wrapping up bubbs nice and tight, and just holding her and staring at her face while she and mummy sleep. You've got to experience it to know how powerful it is.

The three of us would like to thank you all for your kind messages and phone calls. We've really been blown away with the response, doubly so now that we're pretty isolated over here in Mordor. It was great to hear from you all.

Some of you have been asking about names. Well, Dzung and I had a smallish list, and wanted to wait and see who our little girl wanted to be. Sophie was a contender, as was Stella (suggested by beer-drinking friends, with much potential for "A Streetcar Named Desire" moments), but we finally decided on Eliza, with second name Anh, after Dzung's mum. I've already become used to calling her Eli-Anh. We'll see how that goes!

I'm extremely tired; I hardly slept at all last night, and when I did I dreamed of those black eyes staring up at me. Tonight I've come home, as we were moved from the birthing suite to a shared room, with a promise that we'll have our own private room, with double bed, tomorrow. Unforunately dads can't stay overnight in shared rooms, so I got Dzung some takeaway dinner (much better that the hospital food), and waited to put bubbs to bed. More news and piccies tomozza!

A New Arrival

2006-05-27T09:57:00.000+10:00

A New Arrival
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Wow... that was slightly unexpected! My brother, Brendan was staying with us in Sydney, and we were still three weeks early of our due date. We had a full weekend planned: board games and drinks on Friday night, Dim Sum Saturday morning, going out Saturday night... we didn't expect an early arrival. Dzung's waters broke at 2am on Thursday night, after which neither of us could sleep. Brendan was asleep in the other room, unaware of what was going on. By the time we'd got up in the morning, he was already off to work, and back in Perth by the time the baby arrived.

We hung around the house Friday morning, trying to take it easy and make sure everything was packed. Eventually we decided to go in to hospital so the baby could be monitored, as Dzung hadn't felt it moving for a while, which panicked us a bit. Of course, nothing was wrong, and when we arrived they told us that Dzung was 4cm dilated and we weren't to go home again. Painful contractions started soon after we arrived, so our timing was pretty good.

Dzungy did such a great job, and it was only when she was almost fully dilated that she asked for an epidural, which means she was experiencing the absolute worst of the pain, and decided she didn't want to contnue that experience. Luckily it was 4pm on a Friday, so it literally took five minutes and three contractions for the pain relief to do its work.

After that, the labour slowed down, as they do. But, after a lot more work, our little baby girl arrived at 9:33pm. For those mum and dad statisticians out there, she weighed in at 2.533kg, and was 46cm long. For the midwives out there, "crickey, she's a small one".

We're all going great, we're over the moon and loving every minute of it. We're at the Prince of Wales Private Hospital for Women, which is on Barker Street in Randwick. Right now, we're staying in the birthing suite, because, believe it or not, all the rooms are full, and five of the six birthing suites are being used for new mums and bubs. Wouldn't like to be arriving to give birth today!

Brrrrrrm!

2006-05-14T14:19:00.000+10:00

Brrrrrrm!
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

Got ourselves a hot red Mountain Buggy. Strangely, choosing a pram turned out to be more difficult than buying a new car. We did a lot of research, and ended up getting lucky at a Baby Expo, with the exhibitors willing to part for the demo model at cost. In the background you can see the new cot, and the change table / bath is to the left of that. The cot is just slightly wider than the interior doors in our apartment, meaning that to move it from the bedroom to the lounge room we need to take it outside, through the sliding doors, and then back inside, through the kitchen. Dag nabbit!

Not long now!

2006-05-13T13:42:00.000+10:00

And aren't we happy about that?
Originally uploaded by Jason Hutchens.

We have a new car (a sports wagon, I tells ya, with room for skiis and mountain bikes and... prams). Bubbs is just over four weeks away, meaning she could pop into out lives at any moment. We're both very excited!