Brian's Take on the Last Five Weeks or So

My goal here is explain what's been happening since June 20. June 20 was the day that the Commonwealth of Australia decided to go with the Spanish ship design rather than ours. The next day my coworkers and I had to pack all our own boxes and computers up and move them to a segregated working area. The day after that, Friday, June 22, our managing director announced that 24 out of 44 employees would be fired. There was some question over the weekend as to whether I was one of those 24 or not, but on Monday, June 25 I was asked to pack my things and go home. I have been without employment since then. The good news is that the Commonwealth is still relocating us back to the States, and the company's severance package is much better than anything we would have gotten in the US.

That first week after I lost my job was a very stressful whirlwind. Our pastor at Trinity here in Adelaide offered me a traineeship for two years, but we soon found out that we would not be able to get work visas for it because I have no formal training or experience to qualify me for the position. We also explored a few other options that would enable us to stay in Adelaide for a while longer but everything fell though. Sarah and I have really enjoyed living here and have made good friends that we'd love to spend more time with. We've been through a lot with them, and it's going to be very hard to leave.

I also poured a lot of energy into sizing up the job market for Naval Architects back in the States, and looking at seminaries. I sought the advice of my friends, fathers and mentors as to whether I should continue in engineering or transition into some sort of full time paid position in the church. I think our path at this point is to seek full time engineering work in the States and find a good seminary that will do correspondence courses. That way I can start a Masters of Divinity or some such degree and work on it slowly while we save up and decide whether or not we should jump into seminary or church work or missionary work full time. Our thinking on these things is enlightened and informed further by new opportunities fairly often, so don't be surprised if our "path" has taken a couple twists and turns by the time we talk to you next.

The second week (which was the first week of July) was much more enjoyable. It was less stressful in a decision making sense, but more stressful in a taking care of Alexander sense. We had to go to the US Consulate in Melbourne in order to get a Consular Report of Birth Abroad and a Passport and a Social Security card for Alex. We decide we would drive and make a little holiday out of it all. We left Monday afternoon and arrived in Melbourne by the most direct route late that night. We stayed right in downtown in the Victoria Hotel. The next morning we went to consulate with all our paperwork and citizenship proving documents and met with success face to face. We raised our right hands and swore that all we had entered into the blanks was correct and true, and little Alejandro became a United States citizen from birth. We spent the next couple days touring around Melbourne. Here is some photographic evidence.

These are from a walk we took around Melbourne's park lands:















These are from the Melbourne Aquarium:





And these are from a trip we took up to the top of one of the tallest buildings in Melbourne:







On the way back to Adelaide we took the Great Ocean Road. It is a much longer, much funner route. I know it's not a word; deal with it. The road follows the coast and has many beautiful sights and many beautiful curves. Much fun to drive upon. Here are some shots of that two day journey:









When we got back home to Adelaide I started applying for some jobs back in the States.

The Sunday after we got back to Adelaide (July 15) our friend Calum arrived from Japan to spend the week with us! We had a grand old time reliving the days of bagging groceries and cashiering at Family Fare together. We also made some great new memories four wheel driving, wine tasting, touring, sitting in the sauna and jumping into the freezing cold pool, taking pictures and checking out the crazy Australian fauna. Here are some photos from that week.

These are from the Clare wine valley:









These are from Cleland Wildlife Park:











This is Calum pretending to be mad at me for crossing the road against the light.



And these are from a little four wheel drive and Mt. Lofty tour Calum and I did:









Sadly, Calum had to take off the morning of Sunday, July 22. Sarah and I kept ourselves very busy making moving arrangements and courting potential employers before the arrival of our next guest on Wednesday morning. Alec Glass had been in the Philippines for the previous four weeks doing some missions work at a university there with the Navigators. We had a glorious week of camping in Innes National Park, almost drowning in the monstrous surf, speaking of the deeper things in life, watching kangaroos and repeating the four wheel driving. Alec took off early in the morning on Thursday, August 2. Here are the images captured during his time in Oz.

Here are some from Warrawong Sanctuary:





These are from our camping trip to Innes National Park:















While Alec was here I received one job offer from a company in DC and learned that my previous employer in DC would know at the end of August whether or not they could take me back. There is also an opportunity to work for them in a government office near Norfolk, VA which I should hear back on sometime soon.

On Saturday, August 4 we hosted a farewell party for ourselves. It was lot of fun, and we've almost eaten all the left over food now. Sarah whipped up quite a delicious mix of goodies including veggies and dip, crackers and cheese, cream cheese brownies, sausage rolls and fruit pizza. So good.

The movers are coming on August 13 and 14, and we plan to fly out on the 16th. We plan to spend a night in Los Angeles to break up the travel for the sake of the sanity of Sarah and the time zone acclamation of Alejandro. We should be in MI for about 4 or 5 weeks before gallivanting off to whatever city and job we end up choosing.

We are extremely sad to be leaving this place and these people but we are also very excited to see our families and friends back in the States again, and to introduce them to Alex!

More News

So we figured we better let you all know what is going on. For the last two weeks we've had Brian's friends from the states staying with us, so we've been all over the place. Calum was here from Japan for a week and now Alec Glass (little Al's namesake) is here. He heads out on Thursday and then on Saturday we have our goodbye party. We are still waiting on Alex's passport, but the consulate said they would be mailing it out today.

The movers are schedule to come pack up the house August 13 & 14, so if everything comes through we'll head out the 15th or 16th! We hope to stop a couple places on the way back, so it may a few days before we are back in the States. We haven't booked our flights yet, but we will soon. We got the good word to stay in Grand Rapids for a while, so we are super excited to be spending several weeks at home with the 'rents. It'll be a hilarious time, I imagine, since the Coopers have never met Alex. Plus while we're at the Johnston's my sister (with her 2 children) will also be staying there. Both places will be packed out!

Gibbs & Cox, USA has informed us that they won't have any work for Brian at this time, so he's been busy job searching. He has applied to several places and has already received interview requests & job offers in the DC area. We won't know anything for a while though - we definitely won't make a decision until we are back in the States.

He's Done it!

So we've joking for a while now that Alex may not roll over until he's 6 months old cause he's so laid back. He had been actively trying to roll over and then seemed not so interested recently.

Well today he did finally did it!! He rolled over for the first time, at 4 months & 2 weeks. Of course he did it the very first time when I wasn't looking :( Our friend Ali Back was over and we stepped out of the room for a second and came back and little Al was on his tummy! He did it again for Ali as I was in the kitchen getting us some water.

Go little Al!

Baby Talk

This is our little buddy while he still cooed:



And this is him now - all we get is gurgles and hisses:

What We Know So Far

1) We will be moving back to the States in August.

That's about it.

When we get back we would like to spend some time in Grand Rapids with our families and friends. After that we may go back to Washington, DC. Or we may go somewhere else. It's anyone's guess at this point. We're just not sure how things will work out yet.

All possibilities of staying in Australia for a while longer have been cut off in a most unseemly and seemingly final manner.

Here are the specs.....trip to Melbourne

At 3months and 4weeks (at least I think, I can't keep track).

Weight: 6.4 kilos or 14.08lbs
Length: 64cm or 25inches

Alex can now roll onto his side from his back. He also has become very coordinated with his hands and is discovering his feet. He's overall a happy baby and laughs a lot when dad blows raspberries on his tummy after his bath.

He's getting pretty long I think, although the doctor told me he's on the 50%, but when I looked at it I think she was wrong. Mother's bias of course. He's at that stage where he's too long for his 3mth clothing but a little small around for his 3-6/6mth clothing. I guess baggy will have to be in!


So we drove to Melbourne last week to apply for Alex's passport. A little important since we have to leave the country in 4 weeks! So I guess most kids like the car and sleep for a long time in it. NOT Alex! Oh no, I know that 8hrs is a long time, but when it turns into 10hrs because you have to stop 6 times than he's beginning to cause his own misery. So we now know that we cannot do road trips that will go past 5pm if we have any hope of keeping him happy. His trend was to eat, play, sleep for 45minutes and then wake to eat, repeat. No long naps for him and once it hit 5 or 6pm he would start screaming in the car. We had to pull over and Brian so nice walked with him outside the car until he fell asleep. We would slip into his car seat and make a mad dash for our destination.

It was a fun trip overall - despite little Alex being out of sorts and the fact that is was freezing and we didn't bother to bring our jackets. I think he's teething and he's got a runny nose. Add that to an upset schedule and unfamiliar territory & you have an upset baby.

We got in at 11pm on Monday. The next day we headed to the US Embassy and that was a breeze! In and out in 1 hour! We then headed back to put Alex down for a nap...when we heard loud drilling. Brian stuck his head out the window to see where it was coming from. Behold, next door (on the outside) a man was hanging drilling something with the window. Luckily he soon moved down a level and then was done. Alex slept all of 45min so we went for lunch and then over to the Botanical Gardens. It was nice and sunny and wonderful to just be outside. We finished at the Shrine of Remembrance which surprisingly had a lot of interesting displays inside. We thought it would just be a rather large monument. That evening we asked for a nearby Italian restaurant but when we walked there we realized it was packed and we were WAY under dressed. We spotted a Mexican restaurant just down the street! Yes it was good and the first Mexican we've had in over a year. We had to rush through our meal though cause Alex was not having it!

Wednesday we relaxed in the hotel for a little bit and then headed over to the Aquarium. Which was great and amusing. We had forgotten that it was school holidays and were quickly reminded by the groups of children going on special tours. On our way back we popped up to the 54th floor of the tallest building where there is an observation deck. Brian got some great photos. We decided not to risk eating out so we ordered take away from the Italian restaurant around the corner. It was great!

Thursday morning we set off to drive the Great Ocean Road. It was beautiful and a lot of fun. We stopped about half way, Portland, to stay over night and then drove straight home on Friday. There wasn't much to see the second day.

Overall a great trip and a time for us to relax and stop worrying. When we got home God had given us some answers and peace. We just know now that we can't road trip with Alex in the evening :)

Narrower

Well, the options are narrowing down somewhat, which is good. The next few days should bring in some decisions by other parties that will make or break one of the options. Please keep praying for wisdom and guidance.

The Future

We're trying to keep the future pretty wide open at the moment while we seek the counsel of the wise. There are an overwhelming amount of options when one does this. Hopefully the counsel of the wise helps to narrow things down a little bit. One possibility is Washington, DC and the same job I had before leaving for Australia, another is Chicago, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and an as yet unknown job, yet another is staying here and working for our church while going to Bible College of South Australia. We'd like to figure everything out as soon as we can, but it may take a few weeks to get things hammered down.

What we do know is that we're going to stay in Australia until the beginning of August (Lord willing). Our friend Calum is coming in two weeks to stay for a week, and after he leaves our friend Alec is coming to stay for a week. After that I think we'd like to head back to Grand Rapids, MI by way of New Zealand and Hawaii (we'll see) and spend some time with our families and friends before heading off to wherever our new home will be.





There are a lot more really cute shots of Alex up on Flickr if you want to check them out.

I Have Gotten The Axe

So Sarah, Alex and I will likely be moving back to the States.

This is certainly bittersweet news for us. God has blessed us more than we ever could have imagined while we've been here. He's taught us a lot too, about priorities and parenthood and patience and giving and servanthood. We've conceived and born our first child here, we've become part of an incredible church family at Trinity and we've been able to work and socialize with a very tight and very good group of people at GCA. We have been able to live within 5 minutes of work and 10 minutes of church. The work itself has been interesting, challenging and satisfying, and hasn't required much overtime. The health system is good, the food is great, and the mountain biking is top notch. We've been able to afford to rent a cottage style house with a yard and a shed and little stained glass windows. It's become our home. We'll be leaving a lot of ourselves behind, and it's going to be one of the most painful things we've ever had to do.

But in going back we know that God will continue to provide for us. We will be closer to our families again. We'll once again be with the friends we left behind when we came to Australia. My parents will meet their grandson Alexander for the first time.

The hope that comforts me is the promise of another life when this one is gone, where those who know Christ will be with him forever, together. No more national boundaries or expensive flights, just pure, unadulterated joy everlasting.

I Have Been Asked to Decide for Myself

Sarah and I have been given the weekend to decide whether we want to stay or go. They've offered for me to stay but they haven't decided whether or not they will pay for us to relocate back to the States when we want to go back (probably about a year from now). If we leave now the government will pay for the relocation, but if we stay for another year or so either the company or us personally will have to foot the bill, which is at least 6 months worth of salary by my estimation. So I think our decision is made when the company tells us if they can afford to relocate us about a year from now. If they can commit to paying for the relocation we will probably stay, but if they cannot we'll have to head back to the States now. We should know enough by Monday or Tuesday to make the decision. Please pray that God would give us wisdom.

There's also some uncertainty as to how long the company will actually be able to stay in business. We have work to do for next couple months, but there are no sure things beyond that right now, even though things apparently look good. So if we do end up staying on, it could possibly only be for another couple of months.

Here's most of the team I've spent the past year and a half working with:









I'd like to wish everyone the best for the future! You've been a great lot of people to work with, and I'll definitely miss those of you who've had to leave.

Happenings At Last

The announcement was just made that GCA is downsizing from 44 to 20 people and will be in existence at least a couple more months. They are currently letting people know individually whether they will be let go or kept on. Will I stay or will I go now?

Fun E. and the Good Times

Here's Alex last night. I was trying out some new lighting. I like his cheeks. They are rounder than round.



He tired of the photographing before I did.



One of our friends told me a story, complete with a visual aid, a couple weeks ago. Here is a paraphrase of that story, told in the first person.

As I was rushing out the door this afternoon for church I quickly grabbed some lip balm (Chapstick) out of the medicine cabinet. I've been sick with a cold for the past week and my lips have been very sore and dry. Soon after I got to church and sat down I pulled out the lip balm and applied it with great liberality. The lip balm went back in my pocket. After a few seconds I noticed a slight tingling feeling in my lips, which quickly started turning into a fiery burning sensation. As the burning intensified I realized that something was not right. I pulled out the stick of lip balm (the stick in this image looks similar to the one my friend had):



and to my horror the label on the stick read "Wart Remover." By this point my lips were becoming numb, so I motioned to the woman next to me, leapt from my seat and ran to the nearest bathroom where I washed my lips until they no longer felt like they were going to melt off of my face.

Just to add...

So to continue on this ridiculous topic! I have story. When I was 3 our family moved to Germany for a year due to my dad's work. At one point my parents went to Paris to visit some friends without us kids. I was left in the care of my friend Tomas's parents. I distinctly remember going to the bathroom at their house and afterwards being asked whether I had 'gone #1 or #2'. I was appalled that they had asked me or even wanted to know.

That's it.

Sarah

The Bitterness of Defeat

I'm not really bitter at all. I think our offering should have won, but then of course it was our offering. Our opinion is that the benefits of the competition's offering which won it the contract may disappear once the project starts to run its course. So there is some disappointment, but I ain't got no guile for nobody.

The plan is for our company to get more work. If they are able to we will stick around until we want to leave of our own accord. If not, well then "she'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes."

Alex is getting pretty talkative these days. Here's a little excerpt of my very own "Dookey Song" and Lex's response.



I grew up in the Cooper household telling of my need to pass a bowel movement by announcing that "I need to go dookey." Sarah grew up calling bowel movements "BMs" and never announced them to anyone. While Sarah is about as far from pretentious as you can get, she does not like the word dookey. I think it's hilarious. I'm afraid banal humor goes a long way with me. I've never laughed harder in my life than at the scene in "Moonlight in Escanaba." If you have ever seen it, you know the one of which I speak. But I digress. Actually, my original story was not really going anywhere anyway. I can wrap it up pretty well by saying that I can really get Sarah's goat by talking with Alex at great lengths about his going dookey in his diaper. Hence the dookey song in that video.

The Spaniards Have Won

You can read about it here. It was leaked last night and officially announced this morning. The lower cost and quicker schedule of the Spanish ships won out over the superior capability and higher benefit to Australian industry of the Gibbs & Cox, Inc. design.

I'm not sure yet what all this will mean for our family, but we've been assured we've got plenty of work to do for the next few weeks at least.

It's Been a While

Sorry we haven't posted on here in a while. Sarah was supposed to, but for some reason she's been kind of busy. : )

Both my parents and Sarah's parents now have video cameras and Skype, so we got to do some live video chatting over the weekend. It was a lot of fun, Alex was definitely the center of attention.

We're supposed to get a decision out of the government this week sometime on which Air Warfare Destroyer design they're going with. As of now it appears it's anyone's guess on who will win. It does seem the competitors are scrambling to make it appear they can give the Australian Navy what it wants, which could be an indication that lower cost, less risk and faster delivery won't win out over capability and Australian industry involvement. We shall see (hopefully sooner than later). I've got a few bucks riding on the decision being announced on Thursday or Friday, and the pot is up over a hundred now.

Here's where I spend about 45 hours a week:



Here's what one of my coworkers spends over an hour a day on:

The Cutest Yet

I think this one is the cutest yet. I gave him a bath last night, and he was just going nuts afterwards. Being a father is pretty much the best thing ever, equal with being a husband, and just below being a son of God. I suppose having such an incredible father in God and such an amazing wife in Sarah make being a father the superlative thing that it is.

We took some family portraits out back yesterday. I put about 20 of them up on Flickr, but here's a couple just in case you're too lazy or not interested enough to head over there. Notice the sweater vest, which has been brought back into the world of style by none other than my friend Joe Stratton. Also notice the gorgeous young lady and handsome young lad.

The Afterbath

He just keeps on getting cuter, but he's losing his hair fast!

We are loving being parents. We have a three day weekend coming up here due to the Queen's b-day. We'll let you know what befalls us all.

Happy Birthday Coop!

Today is Brian's birthday. So of course he stayed up late last night doing the dishes - what a man. Leave him a message if you like :)

I would like to just say how awesome he has been as a husband and as a father. Many of you know that Coop was excited about having kids and he continues to be excited. He plays with Alex and changes all his diapers when he gets home from work. He helps me with housework and even lets me get some extra sleep on the weekends. He has been a godly leader in my life and I am excited to see how he will teach our children about the Lord.

You've had a great 25years Coopis, may God bless you with a whole lot more. :) I love you.

The Week

We have had quite a week around here. Or maybe not. We've been trying to figure out how to minimize Alex's reflux. He's been sleeping fairly well (very well compared to many babies we know). He's talking to us more and more, making new sounds and laughing at us, or maybe with us. We're always amused by his impatient little squawks. He's starting to suck on his right hand.

Sarah has been doing a lot of baking tonight. Our friend Chris Back, who has been struggling with cancer for the last four years, died on Thursday night last week. The baked goods are for his funeral tomorrow morning. We had the privalege of getting to know Chris and his wife Ali a little bit in the past few months, and we are looking forward to seeing Chris in heaven and getting to know Ali better now.

I have been very busy at work. The government will soon make a decision between the Spanish (Existing) and American (Evolved) designs, hopefully by the end of July. If you're interested do a google news search for "air warfare destroyer", "gibbs & cox", "peter croser" or "kevin moak".

I hope you're enjoying the videos. As usual I have been putting plenty of photos up on Flickr, but I haven't been putting many up on here due to the videos. So if you want photos go to Flickr.

Some More Cute Noises

And a little bit of dad making an audible fool out of himself.

Dreams

She is in my dreams
trying to save her
and waking to realize
yet again
she is already gone

Great Things

First off, congrats to us for suggesting it and congrats to all the grand kids for creating the reason to accomplish this task. What is it? The Johnston's have become technologically advanced - they have a Flickr account! Since our family is now spread internationally and there are two new grand kids, we must share pictures and what is the easiest way but through the internet.

OK, anyways, Mother's Day was great and I completely forgot that I was going to be a mother on Mother's Day until Brian asked me a few days before what I wanted for Mother's Day. I got what I wanted: time with my hubby :) We did some things around the house and then after church we ordered some Chinese and just relaxed. I got a nice massage out of the whole deal too :)

Sorry, but even more exciting than Mother's Day was last Saturday when we celebrated our two year wedding anniversary. Our wonderful friend Helen watched Alex for 5 hours! Yes, that's right, five hours. If you don't already know, Brian and I love back rubs, we used to trade tham almost every other day when we lived in DC. So I booked us in for 1 1/2 hour face and body massages and then headed to dinner later in the evening. We went to Brian's favorite place, Good Life Modern Organic Pizza and then we picked up the little man. He did very well and was sleeping when we got there. Then he slept the whole night - while I on the other hand was up for about an hour because my stomach was kicking me for eating so much pizza! How ironic. I am awake and the kid is asleep.

People always say they feel horrible the first time they leave their kid with a sitter but Brian and I did not. I don't know if that means anything, but it was nice that we actually relaxed instead of fretting over what he was doing. Perhaps that was due to our trust in Helen and her amazing babysitting skills.

Rain Rain Rain

It rains almost every day now. Very good for the earth in these parts, not so good for Sarah and little Alex getting out of the house. Here's Alex last night, trying vainly to get some milk out of my finger. It's a futile attempt, little man.

And here he is ignoring me. : (

Scary Spiders

We had a redback spider outside our back door a couple days ago. Redbacks are the Aussie equivalent of black widows.

Alex Coos

Last Saturday

Our friend Hoi from church is moving to Alice Springs to work as a counselor with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. He's been a great friend and we'll definitely miss him.

We had a nice afternoon at his farewell picnic in the Botanic Park.




As usual, more photos can be seen here.

A Couple More Videos for Y'all

Warning: These videos may put you to sleep if you are not related to the child contained therein, or if you have seen him in person at any date prior to this release.

Mother's Day Too

Here is Sarah on Mother's Day:

Here are the bunks that the Junior Sailors aboard the DDG 51 Class Flight IIA ships sleep in. Pretty tight, but the guy giving me the tour said they were heaps better than the racks on submarines!

This photo was removed due to my employer's request.

If you're not a mom you probably don't want to read this.

For those of you curious mothers (Lora Lynn) I will put a little more diaper/nappy information up. I'll include links. I have a mixture of nappies that I researched, talked to some experienced moms and then bought. Now as my wise friend Bridget said "they all work" it's just what works best for your baby and what you like. FuzziBunz have been around a long time and are rated the best pocket nappies but are pretty expensive in Australia so I didn't get them.

Websites: I only ordered from Australian websites due to shipping costs.
Diaper Pin - http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp great general resource for reviews & info from other moms
Square Diaper Folds: http://www.nappychoice.com.au/Cloth_nappy_retailers.asp
Resource for making your own prefolds & other things:
The Frugal Baby Pattern
Mama x two

USA websites:
Pocket Change - http://mtdiaperstore.com also my friend Bridget said she ordered from here when she was in the States and likes working with them
Swaddlebee - http://www.wildflowerdiapers.com
BumGenius - http://www.cottonbabies.com the only place the fleece lined version is sold

Australian websites:
Pocket Change - http://www.darlingsdownunder.com.au
Swaddlebee & BumGenius - http://www.theweewuns.com.au/
Nature's Cradle - http://www.naturescradle.com.au the only store with cloth nappies in store & are very friendly & have lots of carriers to try out.

General opinions/experiences: pocket nappies are quick and easy for everyone but expensive. I would rather have gotten prefolds w/ rubbers pants for around the house and pocket nappies for overnight & outings. Oh well, next time I will make my own prefolds.

Fleece lining is the best for pocket nappies, especially for the baby prone to diaper rash (like Alex)! Great thing is if you have cotton nappies/prefolds you can buy a yard/meter of fleece, cut it into strips and put between baby and nappy. No need to hem the fleece cause it doesn't fray. Just make sure the fleece isn't as wide as the diaper and a bit shorter, otherwise it will wick all the moisture/wee out of the diaper.

Hemp inserts are more absorbent and have come down in price. Microterry inserts dry faster than hemp, but have to be pretty thick to be as absorbent. Pocket change has a 4 layer microterry booster that is really absorbent, so if you get something similar to that you're good to go.

Rubber pants have improved - no need for safety pins. You can buy rubber pants that have velcro now so you just put the prefold into the pants and velcro the pants around the baby like a disposable. You can also get clips/pilchers to replace the safety pin method if you buy rubber pants that you just pull on over the diaper.


What I bought: 3 diff types of pocket nappies. BumGenius, SwaddleBee and Pocket Change.

#1 Pocket Change - they are awesome. Yes they have snaps but you snap to the front so they are much easier that Swaddlebees. They are super soft inside and never leak and are slim fitting with 1 insert. Great absorbers, although pretty bulky when you put both inserts in (Alex only needs it at night). The hemp insert is so absorbent that he will go through the night without needing a nappy change! Plus they run big so you most likely will never need to buy more than two sizes (sm & med). And you don't have to pull the insert out because they agitate out in the wash!
Downfall: Can't think of one. :)

#2 Swaddlebee pocket nappies - I like them a lot though but kind of annoying because the part you 'snap to' is at the back, so it's difficult when they're wiggling. The applix/velcro version are much easier. Not bulky at all - so great for when you are going out and you don't want your kid with his bum the size of his head. :)
Downfall: with boys they may wee out of the swaddlebees if they do a big one all at once cause they are narrower in the crotch.

#3 BumGenius 2.0 - these are meant to last from birth to potty training. They are great for around the house but pretty bulky when they are little babies. They snap up the front to create the different size leg openings and then have velcro for closing. Alex is on the middle snaps cause his legs are so chubby and they aren't quite so bulky on him anymore. The insert that comes with is ok, not super absorbent for boys so I usually change him quite often with these. I like the fact that they are wide at the crotch = less chance of leaking.
Downfall: bulky at the beginning. Also, only one store sells them with the fleece liner and they don't really let on about that. I bought them thinking they had fleece, but are really some suede mixture that doesn't wick away moisture as well.

Old school version: Much cheaper and I think the life on these are longer since you don't have to wash the pants every time you change a nappy (the 'pants' in essence are on every pocket nappy).
Prefolds/tri-folds are best cause you don't have to fold them up beforehand and they are much thinner.
Just a week or so ago I bought some flat square nappies at Target (the one's they call 'fleecy') and some rubber pants with velcro. I love it for around the house but because they are square nappies I have to fold them and they are pretty bulky unless you iron them every time. Plus you have to complete unfold them when you throw them in the wash.

Mother's Day and USS Lassen Ship Tour

I'm extremely grateful that I have Sarah as my wife and as the mother of our child! She's pretty amazing. It has been a beautiful thing to see her take to motherhood like a gopher to the dirt. Or maybe more like a gazelle to the field.

I got to take a tour of the USS Lassen, a DDG 51 Class Flight IIA United Sates Navy destroyer that is here in Adelaide. The company I work for, Gibbs & Cox, designed these ships. There are more than 50 of them in the fleet now. Here's a sampling of the pictures I took, if you want to see more check out our Flickr page. I'll be putting some photos of the lovely mother on her special day up soon.

This photo was removed due to my employer's request.

This photo was removed due to my employer's request.

This photo was removed due to my employer's request.

This photo was removed due to my employer's request.

Taking Over...and giving in

They have taken over! Maybe it's just one, but it seems like a whole gang of spiders has taken over the back yard. I was hoping to enjoy the nice weather after a couple days of it being cold & wet, but when I looked out the back door all I could see was spider webs glimmering in the sun. I walked through a lot as I tried to hang up the clothes on the line. I wiped away what I could see on the line but when I returned to hang up the next load there were new webs everywhere!! I was yearning to swing in the hammock with Alex but didn't dare for fear of poisonous spider attack (I'm sure it was harmless spiders but I hate feeling like I have spiderwebs all over me).

I'm learning to give in...I guess. Those of you who know me, know that I am somewhat of a neat freak. If I wasn't so cheap I would of course be an extreme organized neat freak, but I hate to spend money and it takes me months before I can decide if something is worth it. I'm dangerous in an office supply store. Anyways, since having Alex I've realized that I have to let go. I cringe every time I walk into the kitchen and the bathroom. Trust me they aren't bad but I notice every speck of dirt, every hair, every smell (not as much as when I was pregnant!) and just want to grab a vacuum, sponge or mop and go to work. But then I remember the crazy week of cleaning I did and how I crashed emotionally at the end of it due to lack of sleep. It was no good.

I do keep up on the laundry though :) That's mainly due to that I have a limited number of clothes that I can wear, Alex changes his clothes several times a day and he's in cloth diapers (nappies for the Aussies). Oh yeah and after having researched cloth nappies for months and bought pocket nappies I have recently gone for the old school system as well. I mean old school (well ok not the safety pins), not prefolds but flat nappies that you fold up yourself and put in the rubber pants. They are great for around the house. I love it! And I can't believe I got them at Target!

Ok, yes my post may not be super exciting, but it is what my mind is filled with since I live from one feeding to the next.

An Amazing Capture, Amongst Other Things

The cuteness continues. Alex is growing at a disturbingly fast rate. He is also developing very quickly. Not compared to the other babies we know, I'd say he's about average, just the general process seems to be going at light speed. Craziness.

We are coping as best we can, which seems to be pretty well. Sarah is very tired, I am a little weary, but Alex keeps on keeping us enamored.

We had a church conference in the hills on Saturday about love. It was very good: a lot to soak in even over a full day, so we'll be digesting it all over the next couple of weeks. Lex was pretty good, but neither of us got to hear everything, so we'll be getting "the tapes".

Here is the provider of all sustenance for our little guy, providing sustenance. Very discreetly. It's a beautiful sight, melts my heart every time.

Here is the amazing capture. I recently got a remote shutter release, and was trying it out the other night. Alex and I were having some photographic bonding time. I did not realize it until I loaded the pictures onto the computer, but one of the photos perfectly captured Alex in mid-puke.

If you would like to see more pictures of the past week or so just click here.

This morning was great! As I was waking up for the day Alex was too. After I took a quick shower and got my clothes on I got him up and changed his little diaper. We got to hang out for about a half hour before I had to go to work. He's very interested in the world around him now. He's starting to respond to our attempts to play with him; he smiles at us and wiggles around. I think he's even starting to laugh. Wonderful and amazing. Thank you Lord!

Alexander's Video Introduction

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.