The Polar Bear

If polar bears hibernated, this is what they would look like. It's a scientific fact.

For more photographs of this polar bear, go here. He's been cuter than cute the past few days. I didn't want to go bed last night because he wasn't asleep yet. I had to force myself to walk away. Boo hoo.

We are planning a short trip up to Darwin to see some friends, Nandor and Annie and Tim and Naomi, who recently moved up there from Adelaide. We are also planning on a couple visits from friends! Calum Chamberlain and Alec Glass will, Lord willing, be coming to see us this winter or spring. And then, once again Lord willing, we will be headed back to the States with the polar bear.

Alexander, Boy of Justice and Destiny

Alexander, the young baby of justice and destiny, is beginning to focus on physical objects with his eyes of wonder. He tracks these objects of reality and their movements of great import. He wiggles his legs of strength and swings his arms of youth. His father of peace takes many photographs of liberty, and his mother of great beauty cares for him with the tenderness and love of a mother with her baby.

If you wish to see other pictures of this legendary child, you should visit our page of freedom on the internet site Flickr.




We have been doing well of late. The transforming fire which burns away selfishness (otherwise known as Alex) is doing his job well, much to the reluctant gratitude of his mother and father to their creator. We think he looks very cute in his hood. He has been cooing and looking around and smiling more frequently. Very exciting.

Sarah has her six week checkup today. She feels pretty good, except for the exhaustion and the feeling that she has no idea what she is doing. : )

I am doing well as well. I am back at work full time again. It was absolutely wonderful to have so much time to be with Sarah and Alex for the beginning of his life. I am grateful to have had the chance to get to know my son well early on. I am extremely excited about the next few years, and of course the years after those too, but you know what I mean.

We miss all of you back in the States something terrible, and are looking forward to the time when we'll see you again!

Laura

So I would try to write something deep but then it just sounds ridiculous and ends up being about my grief - as if it was about me! I'll admit that it has been hard being away. It seems as if it didn't happen until I talk with someone from home (or visit home)...so the grieving process has been staggered.

What I do know is that she is with the Lord. That is the best place she could be and what she desired, although in our pain we cannot see it. We love you Laura. We love you VanRyns. We continue to pray for you all. She was created in God's image and she glorified Him to His delight. She was amazing.

ANZAC Day

Yesterday (Wednesday) was ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day here in Australia. Sarah, Alex and I drove downtown to watch the parade. It was very long one, mostly consisting of veterans and kids associated with military type organizations. It was pretty moving at points, there were some weathered old men shedding some tears as they walked or rode along.



For more photos, including some of Sarah and Alex : ), check out our photostream.

Back to Reality

Not that Mom and Dad Johnston aren't real, but the amount of help they were to us while they were here was too good to be true! It was sad to see them go, but I had to drop them off at the airport at 6:15 AM on Saturday morning. They spent yesterday in Sydney, and left this (Sunday) morning to head back home.

Among the many gifts they brought with them was this gem:

Not the baby, the t-shirt. Fantastic. Expect to see more of it in the future, since it's still a little too big. Mom and Dad also brought a duffle bag full of gifts from other people, including my parents. They sent along some of my old outfits from when I was a baby. Expect to see some of those in action soon too.

Here's Mom and Dad on a walk near Bridgewater Mill. Good times.

There are many more photos up on Flickr, so check 'em out if you want.

Well, it doesn't feel strange anymore to call Alex my son or to wake up at 3 AM and take him for a walk. Life has changed, and it's good. God is amazing, and takes better care of us than we could ever take of ourselves.

Goings On

Sunday was pretty laid back, we just needed to recover from the all out Friday/Saturday combination. I showed the office to mom and dad, and we went to church in the evening. I (with the help of mom and Sarah) made butter chicken (although I put the yogurt and cream in too soon and the sauce turned out wrong, not creamy at all). Monday we went to the restaurant at Bridgewater Mill for lunch. It was fantastic. Then we checked out the view from the top of Mt. Lofty, and took some of the fire roads back to the ruins of some the first settler's cabins in the hills.

Thanks to mom and dad and Sarah's kindness I was able to get about 9 hours of sleep last night before heading into work today! Sarah is an amazingly selfless, patient and kind mother. Mom and dad Johnston have been a huge help both around the house and with Alex. Alex seems to like them a lot, in that he allows himself to be comforted by them in times of fussiness.

Here's little Lex in his stroller on Granite Island. He is starting to look at specific things and track them. It's great. He's definitely still growing at an alarming rate.

Here is a kangaroo near Tapanappa lookout in Deep Creek Conservation Park. This was the first time I've been able to catch one in the middle of a hop. They usually just lay around whenever I'm in a position to photograph one.

Mom and Dad are Here, and are Having Fun

Mom and Dad Johnston arrived on Tuesday, safe and sound, from Cairns. They had a great time seeing the sights and experiencing the far North.

We spent Friday and Saturday down in Deep Creek Conservation Park and Victor Harbor. It was a lot of fun. Alex was wonderful, he slept a lot and loved all the time in the car, even on the four wheel drive tracks.

Life Will Never Be the Same Again

Obviously. We "knew" that before, but now it's very, very real. However, when the cause of such upheaval is this cute;

we really don't mind a whole lot. I think he just keeps getting cuter and more endearing, too. It doesn't help at 3AM when he is keeping you up and you want to hold a grudge against him. Grudges and any kind of long term exasperation are out of the question. God made babies with a double edged sword: a cry that you cannot ignore and a face that you cannot be angry with.

The photo above is from a roll of film I took of Alex last week. The best shots are now all up on Flickr if you would like to take a look!

Sarah, Alex and I are doing well. We're going into the hospital today so Sarah can have a D&C done. The OBGYN said yesterday that a piece of the placenta is still attached to the uteran lining, and needs to be removed. Please pray that all will go well, and that Alex won't get too hungry while Sarah is under anesthesia (I've got one feeding worth of breastmilk in a bottle).

Update: The operation was a success. Sarah will be taking it as easy as she can for the next few days. Thank you for your prayers!!!

Mom and Dad Johnston leave the States today to come to Australia! They will arrive here in Adelaide on Tuesday after a short stay up in Cairns.