Jackson's Christening Plus Baby Noah arrives

Jackson in his Christening outfit

Being Christened

We had a great family get together on the Gold Coast recently for Jackson's Christening. Tony's 3 older children Nicholas, Kate and Anna were the godparents. Sadly Nick was working in Darwin and was unable to attend, so Murray stood in for him. Anna made a delicious Christening cake which was the perfect accompaniment to the champagne, sandwiches, meat pies and belly pork prepared by Tony. 

Jen's Animals!

Great cake Anna!

Some of the guests...

The next day Jackson was due for his 6 week check-up with the paediatrician. He was perfectly behaved and the specialist gave him a clean bill of health. He told Yudian she must be doing everything right as he looked so healthy.

Paediatrician checks Jackson

A few days later my younger sister Ret rang me to say her son Peter and his wife Sam (who were expecting their second child in early February) had a surprise arrival - their second son Noah was born 3 weeks early. Sam had the baby at 7.30pm one evening, and her and Noah were discharged by 4pm the next day. Ret and I flew down at 8am the day she was discharged, so that Ret could meet her new grandson, and we could both help mind his older brother Jethro who will be 3 years old in March. Little Noah and his mum settled straight into home life - he simply fed, pooped and slept! Such a contented little man. I spent a delightful 3 days with the family, and given that every day was a celebration, the champagne flowed often! Ret and I were wined and dined by Pete and Sam, and one day we took Jethro on the bus into Circular Quay and showed him the big boats and reacquainted him with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera house.

Grandma Ret with baby Noah

Yay…champagne. Thanks Pete

Sam, Jethro and baby Noah

Me with the newest great nephew

Jethro, Ret and I at Circular Quay with the Sydney Harbour Bridge behind

Within an hour of getting off the plane in Ballina after my 3 day Sydney sojourn, Murray and I were driving out to catch up with friends who were camping at Alstonville - 15 minutes from our place. After we checked out their wonderful RV we all sat out under a big shady tree and had a sunset BBQ. The next morning my aunt and I pulled up a chair in some shade overlooking the beach, and had an iced coffee and chatted for almost 2 hours. It was such a delightful few hours.

Diana and Michael with Murray in front of their RV

Lighthouse Beach Ballina

Early days of 2014

Aunty Dympna and Kim enjoying oysters and champagne

Well Christmas passed as quick as greased lightning, and hot on its heels was New Year. We celebrated the end of 2013 over drinks and a delicious meal with friends Judy and Don, other friends Warren and Heather. We had a lot of lovely social encounters with family and friends over the festive season. Kim and my youngest son Mark caught up with each other, and sadly it wasn't until Mark returned to Darwin that Benn and Daina arrived home from Japan. But they did get to spend a few days with Kim before she flew home to Copenhagen. My kids are spread far and wide around the world these days!

Mark and Kim

Not wanting to miss one last chance to see Kim before she left the country (she had a busy itinerary and was hard to catch), I went up to the Gold Coast and saw her briefly, and spent some time with baby Jackson (and his mum and dad). Yudian and I had fun taking Jackson on his first shopping outings, and checked out 3 of the 5 main shopping centres nearby. We'll get to try the 4th one the day after the Christening! 

Yudian and Jackson hit the shops

Kim, Benn and Daina heading to their surfboards

Benn and Daina meet Jackson - here with Tony and Yudian

Benn and Daina sipping champagne with Ret and AD

On the riverfront -  the river is reflected in the windows.

The day that Kim was due to fly out, I had breakfast with her, Benn, Daina before saying our goodbyes. Benn, Daina and I then met Tony, Yudian and Jackson for morning tea before driving home to Ballina. Our feet hadn't touched the ground when Aunty Dympna (AD) and Ret invited us to join them for a celebratory champagne, and I guess we just couldn't refuse! That was the perfect entree to our next outing for champagne and oysters on the river front with Benn, Daina, Ret and Pete. Well, we are still celebrating New Year I guess…Next stop the Gold Coast on Sunday for the Christening.

Christmas 2013 Ballina

Murray, Aunty Dympna, Me, Kim, Carolyn, Matthew

We had a pre-Christmas treat by having a visit from my nephew Matthew and his wife Carolyn. They dropped in for lunch and fortunately Kim had already flown in from Copenhagen by then, so they were able to reconnect. I think the last time they were together was about 15 years ago.

Kim, Me, Mark

I have been blessed to have two of my three children home to celebrate Christmas with us this year, as well as my Aunt Dympna, my sister Ret, her husband Peter, and my nephew Peter and his wife Sam and sons Riley and Jethro. As Peter and Sam had to be further north to celebrate Christmas Day with other family, we decided to host our Ryall Christmas lunch on Christmas Eve. However, everyone had arrived in town the day before, so we got in an early celebration at our favourite Chinese restaurant, and also had some time to sit on the patio swing and enjoy catching up with one another.

Dinner at Chinese 

Chilling out on the patio swing: Kim with Ret and her grandson Jethro

Cooking up a storm

Then the troops got together and cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Kim peeled the prawns and sliced the ham, Murray basted and BBQ'd the turkey and chicken and put Mary's plum pudding on to boil, Ret and Kim made little santa snowmen (out of strawberries and cream cheese) to decorate her Christmas Cake and I created a few new tasty salads and some regular

vegetables.

  

Kim, Ret and Aunty Dympna

To kick start the festivities at 11am, we popped the cork on the champagne, and opened our Kris Kringle presents inside the lounge room, making the most of the air-conditioning - it was hot and humid outside earlier on in the day. A cool change rolled in just in time. Phew!

Opening presents

Time to serve ourselves

Then at 1pm we left the air-conditioning and went outside to help ourselves to the food. What a fortunate country we live in to be able to spend Christmas with loved ones and lots of delicious food choices.

Murray slicing Mary's delicious plum pudding

 I saw my sister Ret fixing something up in the kitchen later that evening (everyone stayed until just before 9pm), so I thought I would get a photo of her son Peter, and my daughter Kim. But no, they didn't want to oblige, hence this photo of them looking anywhere but at the camera...

Jackson, the youngest member of the family (until he loses that position when Peter and Sam have their new baby in early February) spent his first Christmas up at home on the Gold Coast. His Christening is being held on 12th January, so I am looking forward to seeing him again then! 

Baby Jackson Ryall

Welcome to Jackson Mateo Ryall! The newest member of the Ryall family. 

As my friend Jan in America texted to me this morning, 'babies are precious - the circle of life'. Last week I had the privilege of being present while my nephew Jackson was delivered by Caesarean Section at 7.20am on Friday 29th November 2013. His mum and dad, Yudian and my brother Tony, were thrilled to see him arrive safely into this world. Amazing as it is, I was also present in another hospital when Jackson's brother Nicholas was delivered 38 years ago - I was a midwife in the hospital at that time. 

5am: Tony & Yudian about to head to hospital for the birth

The three of us gowned and ready for action

Out you come Jackson

Here you go mum - take a look at your new son!

Time for dad to cut the cord

Mum having her first cuddle - dad and I look on

He loves to drop his bottom lip - so cute

Things sure have changed since I had my babies or worked in a maternity hospital. Mind you, we are talking almost 30 years ago now. Tony and Yudian were lucky to get one of the 6 Regal suites at the hospital, and so a support person was able to stay with the new mother and baby. I won the jackpot, and was able to stay with Yudian for the first 3 days in the suite, and then as part of the private hospital suite package, mother, baby and support person get to spend another two days (as a transition stage) in the luxurious Palazzo Versace Hotel. There is a midwife present 24 hours a day, but she doesn't come to the room unless she is asked to. The Hotel provides a car service to collect the mother and baby, and they made her feel like royalty! 

Yudian and Jackson collected by Versace staff

Our king size bed in the Versace room

Jackson settles quickly with his 'baby whisperer' dad

The 'baby whisperer' has worked his magic again

Love the serenity of this photo!

Tiny little feet...

Proud mum and dad with their new son

View from our bedroom balcony at Versace

First photo after arriving home on day 5

Aunty Ret having a cuddle

Aunty Gemma's turn

My turn

Uncle Murray

Life didn't totally revolve around Jackson though. Food and drink had to provide sustenance for the carers! While I was staying in the hospital and also in the hotel with Yudian, the food and wine was provided. I then spent Jackson's first two nights at home with the family, while Yudian got settled into her mothering techniques. She needn't have been concerned though, as she is doing a great job as a first-time mother. Once we got home, Tony got to work and spoilt us rotten - here he is mixing me up a Cuban drink - a lime Mojito. Delicious on a hot day. Then each night he asked what we felt like for dinner - one of my absolute favourite meals is Morton Bay Bugs (like lobster) mornay, but I never order it on a restaurant menu as it is so pricey. He whipped me up one and it was full of fabulous bugs! Heaven! 

Mojito

Tony preparing my bugs mornay

Bugs Mornay

Nice to be home

Jackson enjoys stretching his legs out

First bath at home

Dad and Jackson are watching the cricket

Jackson checking himself out in the mirror on his activity mat

My last photo with Jackson before I left to return to Ballina. He was saying he loves his Aunty Sha (me).