November Update

Shelley is playing my time, your time, so where to start..?

House - We've managed to settle into our new home and everything is nearly into it's own place. Zachary has even now got his own gate accross his activity room door as now he's off and racing (crawling only) you turn your back and he's gone. He is loving the fact he can crawl up to everything and climb up and bite it. I'm still to add a bit more lawn out the back for Zachary to play on, but that's going to be a Christmas job.

Ngala - Shelley and Zachary spent a week up in Perth at Ngala where they were to observe Zachary's sleep (tired signs) /eating patterns and try to determine why our little man isn't sleeping well at night. But after the week they told Shelley Zachary was the first baby in 20 years that they have never been able to figure out (I think it was because he had them all wrapped around his little finger)... It wasn't a total waste of time tho, as they both got to met some lovely people and make some friends. We also figured out Zachary loves the interaction between other kids and was the life of the party.

OUR LITTLE MAN... As you can see by the above photo's our little man is growing up rather fast, he now has 8 teeth and by the rosy checks and sniffy nose may have a few more on the way... The crawling has progressed rapidly and the standing is getting so much better. He is starting to grab hold of things and then let go and see how long he can stand before he falls or grabs back on. It only seems like yesterday that he was all bundled up and stayed where yo put him... Oh the good old days..

We have also started Zachary at Day Care on Wednesdays as Shelley s hoping to return to Uni next year and continue her English Degree. To keep a spot for next year we had to start him now. Poor Shelley, on the very first day of dropping him at Tiny Tots (day care centre) I received a phone call from one very upset mum who thought she was the worst mum in the world for not looking after her baby... Zachary got over it... He loves playing with other kids and is having a wonderful time (so his carers tell us). Mum I'm still not so sure of. I'm sure there will be more mummy tears as our little man grows up...

We have also discovered our boy is a bit of a water baby. We have swimming lessons every Thursday and he has taken to it like bees to honey, he swallows half the pool, but he loves it . He also had his first visit to the beach the other day and once placed on the sand he headed straight into the water, if we didn't stop him he would have just kept going, he had no fear, which means we will have to be on our guard at all times with our water baby...

Mummy and Daddy - Both me and Shelley are doing well. I've actually managed to take some time off work (even if it is only Tuesday's) and love coming home to spend time with Shelley and Zachary. I will give Shelley one thing, she is a fantastic mother the way she copes with one hyperactive child. He is go, go, go all the time and Shelley does a wonderful job keeping up.

Shelley is also enjoying the gym. At her last evaluation she has lost 8kg and 16cm from her waist which is a hell of an effort.

Well I hope this keeps everyone a little up to date with what we have been up to. With hristmas only weeks away we will endevour to keep you all informed as to how our Zachary's first Christmas went... Cioa for now, David...

Octobers here already!

Hi All,

I just wanted to apologise for not updating this blog in August or September - I have recieved some complaints and as such will update you on whats happening (not that you don't already know).

In August we moved houses - to our first family home in Shoalwater, only 1.2km to the beach. Our home has 230 square metres of living, and we are hoping to stay here for quite a few years to come - David keeps joking that we're having twins next which will mean that my study will no longer be my study but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!! I dont really fancy twins if you hadnt already gathered :)

August also saw Zachary get more teeth - he now has four in total and is currently rather rosy cheeked and chomping once again so we may be in for a few more soon..the poor tacker has my big gap in his front teeth, Im hoping that when the other teeth come in they will be pushed together but im not holding my breath!

September rolled arund rather quickly and saw Zachary learning to sit up by himself, and roll around his cot...he has also become accustomed to sleeping either with his bum in the air or with his feet up on the side of the cot..very cute indeed.

But now for the exciting news!! On Tuesday morning (7th October) Zachary crawled for the first time!! We've since put child proof door locks on the kitchen cupboard (he has a walker as well).and then last night he figured out how to go from sitting to crawling back to sitting and then to lying on his tummy.....very clever indeed! He is still a little hesitant at going from sitting to crawling positions but Im sure it wont take him long and he'll be doing it without any fuss. He has also beomc a fan of riding to the park (he doesnt ride I do..he just sits in his little seat) and then going on the slippery dip....and in the sand...which im afraid he throws at everyone. Not much of a sand eater tho..so i guess we are lucky :) He does however enjoy filling my shoes with sand..anyways hes' not real fussed with the swing or the rocking thing but absolutely loves the slippery dip, he even leans forward when at the top!!! My little dare devil!

Otherwise we are still not sleeping through and am still in negotiations about going for a week long stay at Ngala. I was schedualed to go in the first week Lukey was here in December but have managed to sqeeze myself in a few weeks earlier - just have to chat with David about it..anyways I shall leave you with some recent photos of the little man. Hope all is well with every one. All our Love S,D, Z

PS Zachary has his first swimming lesson next Thursday he is in Shelly the Shrimp class......note the incorrect spelling of Shelley!!!! :)

July Update

Hi everyone,
As I'm finding it difficult to update every week so have decided to start doing monthly updates. This month has been a very busy one for the Smith family. We arrived back safely from our HUGE trip from Adelaide to Sydney and to the North island of New Zealand. We adored catching up with Freya, Stephane, William and meeting Theodore (TJ). Visited the wineries and the German village with a name I simply can't recall...and played a new game called Phase 10 - heaps of fun. Freya and I had a nice night of chatting and a few bevies..which was lovely and I must say one of my highlights to our trip.
We then headed to Sydney where we stayed with Aunty Elizabeth and Uncle David. Headed out to dinner at a lovely chinese restraunt for tea on Grandads' birthday (combined for Grandmas), then headed up to see Nanna for a night which was lovely. From there we headed to the Blue Mountains for a night - did all the touristy things...three sisters, Katoomba etc. And boy was it freezing there - luckily the place I'd booked had heating and electric blankes - that weren't plugged in (we discovered at 3am when we were still freezing)....we had payed for a cot here and luckily had visited Yvonne Windon the day before who lent us a porta cot...as there wasn't one in the room, and no refund for it not being there which we thought a bit rude but decided not to let it ruin our time together as a family... From there we headed back to Sydney to catch up with my school friend Jo and a quick look around Sydney. As Zachary didnt take to well to the different cots and time zone differences we didnt really get much sleep in either Adelaide or Sydney but were hopeful for NZ. I must say however that he was wonderful on the plane rides to Adelaide, Sydney and NZ. On arrival in NZ we stayed in Auckland for the night - when we arrived at our hotel at 2300 local time, we were greeted by the new owners who had no record of our booking (we had already paid for the room!) and according to the sign were fully booked. Apparently this wasnt the case as they found a room for us, which was great. Very modern and so lovely to have a nice hot shower after such a long day of travelling. Did some sightseeing in Auckland before picking up our camper van and heading off to see Aunty Kirtsin in Hamilton. Ended up staying in Hamilton for a few days, and doing some day trips from there whilst Kirstin and Alex worked during the day. Weather wasn't too bad for the first couple of days but very cold at night. Zachary adored his Aunty/Godmother and possible future Uncle and I'd say rather confidently that the feelings were reciprocated. Was very spoilt on my birthday by being taken to a very fancy restaurant for dinner with my Dave, K and A... K organised for Zachary to be babysat, which was a little nerve racking at first but okay once we recieved a message saying he was asleep!! K and D continued to spoil me by taking me to a Polynesian spa and K bbsat Zachary on the 20th so Dave and I could go to a Hungi together. Lovely. We dont get to much time with just us anymore so was fabulous to have some quality. After leaving K in Rotorua Dave, Zachary and I headed from there on our way to Wellington in our huge campervan. It was a truck more like. Five speed manual with a bus steering wheel - fun fun fun!!! Heaps of memorable moments that I might just keep to myself for now - maybe you'll hear my stories next time we have a few drinks..maybe...hehehe Lets just say I love my husband and son very much and absolutely adored having them both to myself for 4 days.... Very much looking forward to spending more time as a family in years to come...which brings me to our most exciting news. Dave and I have bought a house. We signed the papers on Friday and will hopefully be moving in in 6 weeks...so about the 1st September ish....the address I'll send each of you by email just remind me, as tis is a public site dont fancy odd people knowing where we live...sorry. Anyways, Zachary is now 65cm and about 8kg as he had a growth spurt whilst we were on holidays... he also gives us kisses now which is gorgeous... very sloppy and open mouthed but gorgeous. Okay I think that's it for now, hope all is well with everyone, until next month
All our love, Shell, David and Zachary xo

Quick note

Hi folks,

Just a quck note to let you all know we have returned safely from our trip. Zachary is slowly getting over his cold - and conjunctvitis seems to have cleared with thehelp of some anti-biotics..but alas his teeth are still not though so hes' gnawing on EVERYTHING!!!

Will write a longer posts whe sqwirmy wom isnt sitting on my lap....he said his first word this week...and woulnt you know it itwas "Dad-dad" :)

Really nice for David I'll continue to wait in eager anticipation for Mum :)Heres some updaes photos for you, will upload some video when I can....love to all xo

Im getting really big!!!

Look at me I'm sitting in a Bumbo!

Yo Whassup!

Cheeky smile anyone?

All grown up and ready to visit my friends :)

Nightie Night everyone....

Hi everyone,

Heres some new photos' of our little man for you to adore....Zacharys' teeth have been giving him a little bit of trouble lately, which has been the biggest concern at the moment. The night before last he decided to sleep form 7pm till 7am which was a wonderful surprise for both of us...he didnt repeat it last night but heres hoping for tonight!

We are heading off on a family holiday next week. Heading to Adelaide first to see Freya, Stephane, William and Theodore..then onto Sydney to catch up with my grandparents, friends and to show David where I grew up..then our final destination is New Zealand to see Aunty Kirstin and Alex and travel around in a campervan. Should be quite the trip, we are very much looking forward to spending some quality time with family, friends and ourselves (as a family). Will be wonderful. David and I celebrated our first anniversary on Monday, we headed to the Burswood for a night of relaxation and gambling. For those who don't know this is where we went for our first night as husband and wife - so was lovely to have some time there again. Mum and Dad (N) looked after Zachary for the night, which was scary at first but a great break for both of us.

Anyways, not much else to report. Looking forward to catching up with some of you in the next couple of weeks. All our love, Shell, Dave and Zachary xo

12 weeks

Ok so it seems like only yesterday we were bringing our new baby home and now here we are at 12 weeks and nearly 3 days....and hes sleeping soundly in the room next door to mine. Lately Zachary has become rather clingy. I leave the room and he screams..or out comes the bottom lip and I get given what I call the "guilty cry". That is the cry that makes me crumble and he knows it. In all seriousness Zachary is more that we could have ever hoped for. Although I still struggle with the 4am feed, and groan when he wakes at 6.30...in truth he really is the best thing (other than each other of course) that has ever happened to us...both individually and collectively. One cute thing that Zachary has started doing (although may need to teach him about timing) is that at the 4am feed when Im absolutely trying to wedge my eyelids open and not drop his bottle he has taken to trying to talk to me while drinking....following my reminders that its not time for talking its time for eating and sleeping...he lies in my arms and grins...cheshire cat grins...melt your heart grins....Zachary grins. Okay so Im in a mooshy mood. Daves at work tonight and Im home with Zachary and Roxy. Who by the way has a serious case of jelousy..Ive been swiped at and attacked 4 times this evening alone and poor Daves coffee table is taking a bit of a beating - she has also taken to meowing at our door from about 5am onwards - nice...may be one reason I groan when getting up at 6.30 haha

Anyways, Zachary is now 6.5kg and still growing. Im starting to find that his clothes fit him in bredth but not length....poor fellow has ankle freezies already! Hes gonna be tall people!!! I dont know whether I have any new photos on this computer or whether there on Daves but will upload if I have them (the above photo is from the end of March..hes' much bigger now!)

Hope all is well with everyone, all our love, Shell, Dave and Zachary xox

7 weeks already!

Wow its' quite hard to believe but yes Zachary is already 7 weeks old. This week he will be having his 2 month old injections which should be fun and also has an appointment with a Chiropractor to pop his neck back in.
In the past couple of weeks he has been having some tummy problems. We have been to see a paediatrician to figure out whether the projectile vomiting and constipation are a result of reflux and an immature tummy or whether he is allergic to lactose.
So far we have have blood tests, ultra sounds (to see if was something more serious) and lots of poking and prodding. As a result of all these tests and in consultation with the Paediatrician, some medication was prescribed. As anyone who knows us will know, Dave and I aren't really big fans of medication - let alone giving meds to such a wee tacker as Zachary. So I went and chatted to our pharmacist Geraldine - who is keen on alternate medicines. She suggested we go see a chiropractor friend of hers', apparently sometimes during the birthing process the spine can be 'put out'. I wasn't real keen on the idea of a chiro to start with - mainly because when I think chiro I think cracking of bones and I didn't really want to put Zachary through that. In fact, there was no cracking of bones - in infants the chiro just very slowly moves a head or body part and usually the part that's 'out' puts itself back in.
So since having this done Zachary has slept much better than previously. We are getting 4 - 5 hours between night time feeds which is wonderful! Still doing 3 hourly feed during the day, which I don't mind at all.
So tomorrow we have another follow up appointment with the chiro (incidentally Zachary's neck and two places in his back were out) just to check whether everything is as it should be. We have still had a few big chucks but nothing nearly as bad.
Otherwise, Zachary is packing on the pounds! He is now 60cm and 5.11kg (11 pound 3 oz) or there abouts which is wonderful to see. I think he may end up being a good 6 ' 6!! Which will make for an excellent ruck man or perhaps a fullback / winger hahaha
Hmm lets see what else has the little man been up to...ahh a few weeks ago he was Baptised with his cousin Kai, photos below. Was a very proud day for Dave :) We had the service in the Munja chapel followed by afternoon tea at Jo and Noels' house, which was lovely. Zachary has Uncle Anton and Aunty Kirstin as his Godparents.
Zachary is also now talking alot more - really loves 'chatting' to Elmo on his activity gym, and gets quite annoyed when Elmo doesn't talk back to him - this usually results in a punch to the head (Elmo's) and some rather loud squeals. Lots of smiles as well...catching them on camera is difficult but beautiful Chester the cat smiles :)
I think that's about it for now, we cant believe how quickly our little man is growing...or that its' been 2 months already..Dave was walking unassisted by the time he was 8 months old..I'm hoping we have a little longer than that as our house is anything but childproof! Anyways folks hope all is well with everyone.
All our love Shell, Dave and Zachary

Zachary - 4 weeks old today!!!!

Zachary at 3 weeks old...

Aunty Kirstin giving me a cuddle...


Nanna, Aunty Kirstin, Mum and Me...

Hello Poppa...

Here are some more pictures as promised.. We went down south to Peppermint Grove Beach this week with Aunty Kirstin who has come over for a visit from New Zealand.. It was nice to get away and try to relax.. Zachary is doing well and at 2 weeks had put on nearly .8kg which our community nurse says is very good to see as he should have been back to birth weight..

Will keep adding more photo's whenever we can...

Two weeks and counting

Good lord parenting is hard work. Zachary is trying so very hard to be a good boy, but unfortunately the little man is having tummy troubles...we have the health nurse coming out tommorow morning to chat with us, weigh him and check out our abode, which should be interesting as I have quite a few questions to ask. Mum has been a bevy of information and generally recieves a daily call asking for advice. I tells ya being a new parent makes you realise just how much your own parents did. I dont think I'll be doing this 5 times I can give you the tip. Twice maybe but definately not five times...Mum is just plain crazy...thankyou for doing what you did I love my siblings...but you're crazy woman!
So other news of my little man...well he has already figured out how to roll over..yes thats right folks we have a very advanced gent here. Babies arent meant to figure this out until they are about three months old but Zachary has figured it out in just two weeks...very clever me thinks! He has also figured out how to lift his head up for about 10 seconds...strong tacker is he! Generally he is a good sleeper...in the day...he wakes at about 1145pm and doesnt settle until 530am....eats alot as well. I think he must get this either from his Dad or his Uncle Lukey....endless pit...So I think once we get his sleeping sorted we should be okay. I just keep saying that hes a little party animal, but in truth Ill be rather pleased when he figures out that night time is for sleeping as Im a bit of a zombie at the moment.
Zachary is to be baptised on Sunday 30th March with his cousin Kai, who is 7 weeks older that he. We are having the service in the Munja chapel (Davids work) with the local Father...I believe his name is Father Gavin, Im yet to meet him, but am sure everthing wil go fine.
I could continue to write about how I could gaze at him forever, and how absolutely perfect he is, and how I still can't quite understand how this little person grew inside me...and why Ive been blessed with his presence...but I wont bore you with that...he just gets cuter every time I look at him. We are taking more photos tommorow so will post them then. Until then, Im off to get a little shut eye while hes quiet. All our love, Shell and Dave

Photo's of Zachary

Welcome to the world Zachary David Smith

Well what a 48 hours we've had.. David and Shelley are proud to announce the birth of Zachary David Smith, born at 4.15am on Friday 22nd February 2008, weighing 6lb 1oz (2746grams in the new measurement). Born 7 days early with 10 fingers and 10 toes, both mummy and bub are both doing fine...

It all started 12.30pm Thursday with Shelley's weekly checkup to our obstetrician where she was told she was 3cm dilated and the Braxton Hicks contractions she was having where actual contractions and she was officially in labour (and wasn't expected to make Saturday). By 11.00pm Thursday night we had Shelley in the bath trying to get comfortable, by 1.00am Friday morning we were headed to Peel Health Campus. On admission we were told Shelley was only 4cm and would probably give birth by mid morning. About 1.30am we were shown to the labour suite and introduced to our midwife Simone, Shelley then discussed the option of pain relief and the posibility of having an epidural. Simone was happy to oblige until after her own examination announced Shelley was 9-10cm and was in full labour and would she like to start pushing now... Well, we did manage to get a shot of Pethidene, call the Grandparents and let them know it was happening now and not in 8-10 hours like we were expecting and the rest is hisory. Zachary was born naturally at 4.15am.

It's late, we've had no sleep, so I'll leave you now with a few more photo's and will let Shelley fill the next with all the gory details...

34 Weeks..and the countdown begins!

Well, as you can see by the above pictures mummy is still growing and giving me room to move (barely but just enough). I'm not ready to come out yet but will surprise everyone in the next 2 - 6 weeks. The nurserys' ready, the nappies are stacked and the countdown to B Day has begun. Yesterday Mummy and I enjoyed a wonderful day at my baby shower. We recieved many beautiful and thoughtful gifts from friends and family and played a few games to round the day off nicely. Aunty Emma organised the games and Aunty Jess prepared a lovely feast for all...with a little help from Nanna. Im still having fun shifting about in Mummys' tummy....and mum is still feeling rather tired. We look very much forward to hearing how everyone is going so please let us know when you have the time...

My First (unofficial) Christmas.... By Scrat!

Happy New Year to every one and may it be a great year for all (you'll get to meet me so it's bound to be great)...

Well what have I been up too? I'm now 31 weeks and 6 days old (only 57 days to go) and I've been causing mummy all sorts of aches and pains. Mummy and Daddy keep saying they will get their revenge at my 18th or 21st Birthday if I don't behave but I just love moving about and letting mummy know I'm here, tho it's hard not to tell I'm here, and I just love the sound of Daddy's voice and play up everytime he talks to me or Mummy...

We spent Christmas at home with Aunty Em and Aunty Jess and kept ourselves cool by swimming in our new pool and eating lots of different foods and then had Boxing Day with Daddy's family down at the beach. It was about 40 degrees and Mummy cooled us down by staying in the water for most of the day... After Boxing day we all headed down to Busselton for a holiday with Ma and Pa Smith, Uncle Anton and Aunty Bec, Uncle Paul and Aunty Zoe and my cousins Isabella, Cooper, Harry and Riley. Aunty Meg and Uncle Dean didn't come down as Aunty Megan was due to have another little cousin on the 30th December and felt it best to stay in Perth (my newest little cousin still hasn't arrived)... Daddy had a really relaxing time and enjoyed not being at work for 8 days and me and Mummy just enjoyed having Daddy around all the time. We went fishing, swimming at the beach, went to an animal farm and lots of sleeping. I had a great time!

Next week Nanna and Pa Nichols are coming home in a big plane from overseas and I can't wait to see them (well for them to see me anyway). Mummy can't wait as well and is getting all excited about their return... For Aunty Kirstin and Uncle Luke that are over seas I will post some more photo's shortly so that you can see what Mummy looks like now (yes she does actually finally look pregnant)....today we had our check up with Doctor Kell who says that I am growing very nicely and am now "head down" which Mummy and Daddy have figured out is why Mums' ribs are getting a beating. Mummy was excited because regardless of all the eating she did over Christmas she didn't put on any weight. Mummy and Daddy also got to listen to my heart beating, which they always like. From now I have fortnightly checks till I'm 36 weeks old and then every week after that....Well I have to go for nap now so will update you all later... Bye bye...