Christmas Celebration & Eight Month Update

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Let your heart be light... Don't you just love that song, I do! Recently, whilst googling this particular Christmas song, I learnt that the original lyric was actually 'Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, it may be your last. Next year we all may be living in the past'. I recently watched Meet me in St Louis for the first time this year while visiting my grandparents, a movie I had wanted to see for years now. Judy Garland made this song famous in a Hollywood classic, however the original version was considered too morbid and was later changed to the now popular song we all know and love. Our first Christmas with our darling son was everything that we could have imagined it to be and more. This time last year we were praying that our dear surrogate Sarika would be safe, healthy and happy and were blessed with the knowledge that in only four short months, our baby would be born and we would at last be parents. The reality of this dream is somewhat overwhelming and yes, we are still amazed at the gift God has given us. We of course started the Christmas season with decorating the house and our Christmas trees as we do each and every year since we met fourteen years ago. We have yet to venture outdoors with the exception of a garland here and there and bows on the garden lamp posts. This is most likely a blessing as it already takes us long enough to decorate the inside of the house so I can't begin to imagine how much longer outside would take too. Usually we start on the first Sunday in November but this year we were a month behind. I know that many people think this is too early, but we both just love this time of year and I am not the only one in my family to have chronic Christmas-itis. We were both so excited to have Noah's first santa photo taken and we ventured into one of Sydney's major department stores, David Jones to have this done.
The window displays are beautiful and the store is decorated and early in the morning leading up to Christmas there are carolers too. Noah just adored Santa, let's see if we can have a repeat next year and years following this as he grows and becomes more aware of this strange man in a red suit. The above photo was the first one taken by the photographer and NoNo was so happy that he almost pulled Santa's beard off. Being one of Santa's helpers as we all know, his beard wasn't real of course. Only Santa himself has such a long beard and he needs this so he stays nice and warm in the North Pole. Ninna, Daddy and Pappa enjoyed Christmas carols in the Blue Mountains this year. We spent the early evening singing underneath the largest English oak tree in Eastern Australia. We also met with other same sex families in the Blue Mountains for a Christmas dinner and catch up at a restaurant close to home.
We are the only male parents in a large group of mainly lesbian parented families. The Blue Mountains Rainbow Family Group is a division of Rainbow Families Australia and it is great to catch up with other families living nearby. We were lucky enough to have another visit from one of Santa's helpers during dinner too, aren't we a lucky bunch! This year, Daddy and Papa wrote Noah's letter to Santa for him since he is still a small baby. We excitedly woke on Christmas morning and followed our normal routine of morning bottle and some cereal before Noah went back to bed for a morning sleep. Ninna's partner, Poppy Michael came for Christmas breakfast as he does every year although for the first time ever we were very much behind schedule; understandably so with our little one demanding our attention! Still, we enjoyed a champagne breakfast and opened some presents before Noah went back to bed for his lunch time nap. I think the day was somewhat overwhelming for Noah, he was so excited and just loved the gifts that Santa, Ninna, Daddy & Papa gave him. WE definitely need to find out if Fisher Price is a publicly listed company and if so, get to buying some shares! Daddy and Papa decided that we wouldn't spoil our little boy (excessively) as he is still a baby and has everything that he needs in the world and has not yet been tainted by modern day consumerism! We did however still buy some toys; a FP talking/learning puppy, a tambourine, another FP walking trolley with blocks & Dr Seuss boxed set of books & some new clothes. We knew that family members would be very generous to the newest addition of our household, and they were. Ninna bought Noah a beautiful limited edition Disney Christmas tree that plays carols and the small characters spin around the tree, some books, new shoes and clothes and a keepsake Christmas ornament for the tree. Poppy Michael bought NoNo a beautiful Blinky Bill book. Grandma & Poppy went totally OTT and bought books, books and more books, toys a plenty; including many made by you know who, Wiggles DVDs, clothes, and a new beach towel. Aunty Becky & Uncle Stephen bought NoNo a FP 'Little People' train and an Elmo doll dressed as a chicken that does..the chicken dance. Noah is still not 100% certain of this one! Aunty Trella and Uncle Patrick bought Noah a wonderful alphabet floor rug that is in his bedroom, books, books and more books, a xylophone and hooded towel too. Have I mentioned that we love reading to our son? Noah enjoys story time too and it is wonderful spending time with him reading and watching the expressions on his face. I pray that the love of books and reading stay with him for life. Uncle Brett bought Noah a Christmas teddy bear and a FP musical bird bath that sings from one to ten and your ABCs too. Darren's niece Hollie and her partner Dan bought us the most beautiful Swarvoski crystal baby carriage and rocking horse for Noah's room. They are simply stunning and will be especially treasures as our son grows up. We also had fun opening presents from Aunty Tans and Uncle Trent; a Royal Doulton Bunnykins figurine, bath time toys and PJs. Aunty Ed gave NoNo a teddy bear too. Uncles Michael, Jarrad and cousin Reid sent us a beautiful tin plane that we just love, a book (The Night Before Christmas) and Nanna Lyn from Tasmania sent a small children's bible. Aunty Rhonda & Uncle Mark from Port Macquarie sent a beautiful set of outfits. Aunty Tanya & Uncle Chris from the Paris of the West (see earlier blog entries for clarification) sent a beautiful boxed set of Little Golden Books (the Christmas stories). One of Daddy's work colleagues sent an enormous Mickey Mouse toy which we added to the now mountainous collection of stuffed toys in Noah's bedroom (note to self, no more stuffed animals)! Neighbours Carol & Mark gave Noah an embroidered legionnaire hat with a penguin and his name. To say our son is loved and was spoilt would be the understatement of 2010. I a sure that I have missed gifts and the kind people who gave them to us. There is just strong>SO MANY GIFTS! It is amazing to witness the mass of toys and books one little boys has in such a short period of time. We are truly blessed beyond imagination and still wonder at the bountiful life we enjoy here in Australia. It does make me sad to think of those less fortunate, especially at this time of year Children who are not as lucky as Noah and will go without. We did have the obligatory 'tears before bedtime'. Noah was playing on the floor of the conservatory with a mountain of gifts around him and fell, hitting his chin on a box and cut himself. Not too badly, but bad enough for a bit of blood and plenty of tears. All was good again however with a big cuddle from Daddy & Papa. We enjoyed Christmas lunch at Johnny's parents house who live nearby. Aunty Becky & Uncle Stephen along with Aunty Mags and Uncle Charlie came to the Mountains for the day and enjoy our first Christmas with NoNo. We had a sumptuous feast prepared by Grandma, Papa & Aunty Becky including the yummiest turkey and stuffing, glazed ham, prawns and oysters, salads and desserts just to make sure we were well and truly full! The weather was simply perfect, we had such a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze, lucky considering that it has been four seasons in one day these past weeks. For December, the weather has been all over the place; a blazing hot day and the A/C is turned on, Noah sleeping in a singlet and nappy and then, the next day it's freezing and the heaters are on again to keep us warm. No wonder NoNo has had summer sniffles and coughing off and on for days...again! After our beautiful Christmas Day lunch, Daddy, Papa, Noah and Ninna headed down the Mountain to Aunty Trella and Uncle Patrick's house for Christmas dinner. We enjoyed an equally delicious dinner albeit somewhat lighter than lunch with family; Atlantic salmon with asparagus spears, balsamic glazed cherry tomato and lemon butter sauce, roasted chicken, salads and a Christmas punch with punch! We had a lovely Christmas day with our son and returned home just before midnight. Noah was so tired and managed to sleep for a few hours before we returned home but still, the day was long and he sure did make up for lost sleep over the coming days. Apart from the excitement of Christmas day, other news of interest is that our son is now officially crawling! No longer content with the strange bottom shuffle or a backwards crawl, we now have forward thrusters activated! It was so exciting to see and we are now actively mobile. Noah is also holding his weight very comfortably on both legs and can support himself unaided by either Daddy or Papa when holding onto the furniture.

The other thing Noddy enjoys is jumping and I mean JUMPING. All the time, be it on the floor, bed, lounge or Papa's lap and I have the bruises on my legs to prove it people. Noah is so very active and loves to move. We are definitely going to have to enrol this boy in some kind of active sport. Tomorrow is New Years Eve and we have a quiet night planned with friends we often catch up with. Noah will be spending the night at Grandma and Poppy's house after months of pleading from Grandma, her wish is granted. We want to end 2010 by wishing everyone 'out there' the very best and pray for healthy pregnancies if you are pregnant, positive results if you're trying to conceive and blessings beyond compare for 2011.

Noah's Six & Seven Month Update

This post is long, long, LONG overdue and I apologise. Life has been hectic beyond belief and it just seems to be gaining momentum! Just wait until Noah is crawling and then *gulp* walking, Where is the stop sign PLEASE! Perhaps it's that life seems more hectic than it actually is, simply because Noah has been sick...again. Our poor little man has been coughing and sneezing with a snotty, mucusy nose. Combine this with a lack of sleep and you have yourself an unhappy little chappy. We have had the tiniest of tiny tastings of what a Spring day should be like in the Blue Mountains since the start of September but, Jack Frost and his Winter pals have not wanted to leave us this year. We even had snow in October which is unheard of where we live given that the altitude of our tiny mountain village is only around 750 metres above sea level. I have mentioned in older posts that Darren and I both adore the cold weather, mist, rain and chilly Winter days, but this year we really want some warm weather to 'chase the blues away'....gotta love Ella Fitzgerald right!

The above paragraph has been in 'drafts' for weeks now and I have come to the realisation that even though I may not blog as often I like, what's the point of worrying; que sera sera. I love Doris Day too! The purpose of this blog is two fold really. It is a resource for other intending parents to use when planning their own family through surrogacy overseas and it is for our son. I want Noah to have this blog, our thoughts, feelings and emotions to look over and have when he is older. From India With Love will become a book for he & us to share and read together. A gift from his parents detailing our journey to his birth and the first twelve months of life with his Daddy and Papa. I don't yet know if I will continue blogging after Noah turns 1; what will be will be, right!. The past two months have been as always filled with many great adventures, shared laughter, tears and a few sleepless nights! Noah, Papa, Grandma and Aunty Becky travelled west to the country town of Dubbo. Affectionately known as the Paris of the west in our family. It was for a family wedding that we travelled here and it was officially Noah's first wedding! Je t'aime Duboo! The drive from where we live to Dubbo is just over four hours and Noah slept the entire way. He is the perfect, contented baby (thanks Gina Ford)! We arrived at our destination and the cute cottage we rented for the weekend escape. By the time we unpacked the car and were indoors it was around 11pm. Noah decided to wake up on our arrival and not to sleep in his travel cot. Grandma tried keeping Noah happy while Papa unpacked the mountain and I mean MOUNTAIN of luggage that is now required for a simple two night get away. It was then left to Papa to relax his little one and ensure his safe boarding on the 'sleepy train' for another night. After two hours I gave in and in the end Noah spent the weekend sleeping in the queen size bed with Papa. Other than this minor blemish on an otherwise perfect sleep routine, we had a fun weekend and enjoyed seeing our extended family and had a great night at cousin Em's wedding. She was the perfect blushing bride and looked beautiful! We have also spent time enjoying picnics with friends and their children as the weather finally warms up and Noah just loves being around other kids. He really is fascinated by them and they seem to enjoy being with him too. Tans and Trent who are close friends living nearby to us and their three children Mason, Mischa and Sienna just love being around 'Bubba Noah' and they are all so beautiful and gentle with him. We're just so excited to see them interact and look forward to them growing older and spending more time together. Once a month the Sydney members of the Gay Dads Australia Support group meet for a catch up. Usually it is a picnic or we meet at a park or children's play centre depending on the weather.

Our family have been to one get together since Noah was born and decided this month to return to Sydney for a planned picnic. We have been waiting for Noah to recover from his seemingly never ending cold and the warm weather to join us. Papa, Daddy and Noah hopped in the car, provisions on the ready and headed to Sydney. Turns out that Papa was not as prepared as he first though he was. We arrived at Pyrmont and I had forgotten the address of the meeting point. I also did not have any contact numbers and could access my email from my phone. We did try three separate parks in and around Pyrmont but in the end had our own private picnic just the three of us and enjoyed the afternoon sun relaxing on our blanky playing with our little boy. Noah and daddy have started swimming lessons together and our little one has taken to the water like the proverbial duck. We thought this would be the case as bath time has ended up with Papa on his hands and knees drying not only the floor of the bathroom but the hand basin, walls and toilet which end up covered in water from our son, he just loves it. Swimming lessons are meant to be a weekly occurrence, every Friday morning. A quick trip in the car after Noah's morning sleep and lunch to our local swim centre and a 30 minute lesson or thereabouts. But as you all know, the best laid plans....Having been so sick we have missed a few weeks and can you believe that if you miss more than two you need a DR certificate to make up the classes! Perhaps due to the fact that they are paid for in advance and only operate during the school term. Noah's last lesson for the year will be the 17th December but I know that Daddy and Papa are going to continue taking him to our local pool during summer. We have a beautiful pool located in a wonderful bush setting, with shady trees, it is so peaceful. There is plenty of soft grass to relax on with a summer evening picnic and we can enjoy balmy nights and a refreshing swim! We are still waiting on Noah's first tooth to appear and thought we were there a few weeks ago. There was a tiny white speck on the bottom gum line that had Papa convinced a tooth was moments away and then...gone. Noah will be 8 months old in 12 days time so it can't be too far away. There is an 8 month old girl in Noah's swim group that already has three of her teeth; two on the bottom and one on top and it is utterly adorable! Noah does seem to be drooling more and more every day combined with chomping down on anything put in his mouth and rubbing his gums. I am told, these are the signs a tooth or teeth are not far away! We have had Noah to our local GP a few times these past two months for his six month immunisations, general check ups and also to a paediatric opthomologist. Noah weighs just over 9 kg & you sure can tell when you pick him up! The very top of both of Noah's iris have a tiny crescent moon spec of white which you can see the colour of his iris through. Of course being first time parents and wanting to be safe rather than sorry, we booked an appointment months ago and saw the specialist recently. It turns out to be nothing of concern which is wonderful news. It was explained that the tiny spec of white is hypo-pigmentation and does not have any affect at all on his eyesight. We were at the specialists rooms for close to three hours and the full eye check up was around two hours duration...$200 later, thank you for coming. Noah has been expanding his culinary world this month. As well as enjoying the deliciousness of HEINZ progress formula, STAGE II four times daily, Noah is now enjoying the following home made delights: Stewed Apple, Pear & Blueberry / Pumpkin, Carrot, Zucchini & Quinoa / Pumpkin, Carrot, Zucchini & Sweet Potato / Stewed Apple / Sweet Potato & Avocado. We have recently also introduced KIDS Weet Bix for breakfast mixed with some formula and mashed banana which Noah simply adores and it turns out so does Daddy! Papa has yet to venture down the road of giving it a try as the smell of the formula is enough to discourage me, but it seems not Daddy! Noah is now also enjoying a morning and afternoon snack of some fresh fruit of which our favourites are: Blueberries that have first been peeled and slightly mooshed by Daddy or Papa, Peach pieces (ditto peeling & mooshing) & Mashed Banana. Our little one certainly has developed a palate for veggies and fruit for which we are thankful. We have had to resort to some store bought food now and then as travelling with home made food is not always practical or possible but thankfully there is an abundant choice of organic baby food on the market and the variety is not too shaby either so we make do. We recently returned to Melbourne for four wonderful days catching up with our friends Jarrad, Michael and their truly beautiful son Reid. As always we had an amazing time & only wished our visit had been longer. We rented a private apartment decorated in the French Provincial style which was perfect for us Francophiles. Anyone who has been to our mountain home will attest to the fact that we are BIG lovers of French style. Complete with kitchen and laundry facilities it was simply...divine and a perfect pied a terre on the outskirts of Melbourne CDB for the three of us. We enjoyed a lovely day trip to Daylesford with the boys enjoying lunch, coffee and the array of gift shops in this picturesque town. The remainder of our time was spent enjoying great company, meeting new friends and the delights of delicious food and superb wine. Not to forget the deluxe edition of scrabble. My newest favourite board game. We always love visiting Melbourne and our dear, dear friends and eagerly await the next time we're together again. Did I mention to you however our pram was misplaced by a certain domestic airline? We arrived into Melbourne Tullamarine nice and early so as to avoid afternoon peak hour. Jarrad had agreed to meet us at the airport and we disembarked ready for our four days of relaxation. Baggage carousel number two had our luggage ready and waiting. We then head on over to the oversize baggage counter and wait. Noah happily chatting to himself and Daddy & Papa commenting how quick we always seem to get our luggage when we fly. This dear reader was our fatal mistake, the Achilles heel of this trip. Wait until you have all your luggage before praising your chosen airline you have just flown with. Other guests prams, surf boards, baby seats, appliances and God knows what else they had packaged into boxes, eskys and the like were being dropped off at a cracking pace. But not our pram. Ever the optimist, I was convinced it would be next to arrive. Now, when we departed Sydney airport we checked our one and only pram at the gate and this is where we made our first fatal mistake which destined our pram to the abyss of missing luggage. Darren laughed out loud to himself that wouldn't it be funny if we arrived and there was no pram. Funny? One is not amused! Having handed over our boarding pass' we are assured by the staff checking our flight that all would be OK and our pram would be in Melbourne with us when we arrived. We then board the aircraft and are now blissfully unaware of what drama lay ahead of us and the fate of Noah's Princely Carriage! Back to Melbourne and forty minutes or so later and still no pram. The next flight arriving had begun to have their luggage pass by on carousel number two, it was then we raised our concern with the airlines dedicated ground staff and discovered that yes, the airline had lost our pram. In fact there was no record of the pram even leaving Sydney or the whereabouts of it's current location. Even a phone call to the gate and staff there failed to reveal an answer. Our pram went awol. Not happy would be an understatement! I completed the mandatory lost item form, gave my contact number to the airline staff member and hoped for the best. We had been waiting for the pram for over an hour. We then readied ourselves for peak hour traffic into the city! That night we enjoyed a wonderful BBQ and an unseasonably warm Melbourne night for the time of year and our pram woes seemed to be a distant memory. It wasn't until after a few glasses of deliciously sweet bubbles I realised I had missed a call from the airline. I phoned back but of course no answer after hours. We did eventually get our pram back. The same night we arrived in fact, around 11.30pm. We do not know the details of the sordid adventure it had but we are glad she returned to us.

Noah's Four Month Update

As each day draws to a close surely as the setting sun, our little man is growing, developing and enriching our lives. Noah is fast becoming a baby boy with a wonderfully gentle, loving and warm personality. Our son is now four months and 16 days old. He has truly perfected his sleeping routine and again we sing praises to the 'Contented Baby' routine by Gina Ford. To the non believers of having your newborn in a sound routine, it can and is being done, not only by us but parents everywhere. I was amazed when I attended parents groups and there were children older than Noah who were still waking in the night and then others who had wished they had tried a routine but thought it was not possible. We have been following the routine as recommended by Gina Ford since Noah was born in April.


We did not feed on demand as recommended by the nurses at Hiranandani Hospital. Rather, we chose to feed as outlined in the 'Contended Baby' and the results speak or I should say sleep for themselves. Noah has been sleeping through the night from 7pm to 7am since he was three and a half months old and nothing has changed. He is perfection at bed time and, as the clock approaches 7pm, his beautiful little eyes start to become heavy and in a matter of moments he boards the sleep train bound for sleepy land, as we say in our home. This routine has been important for us knowing that both of us would be returning to work so soon after Noah was born. Darren returned to work just after Noah was one month old and Johnny has just returned to work too. We needed to know that our son was going to be happy, healthy and in a strong routine and, he is.


The past month has been one of major development for Noah. He is no longer newborn and this is very obvious to us when we compare him to other young babys; cousin Reid who is seven weeks old and cousin Alexander who is four weeks old. No No (Noddy) is growing up.

Our son can now hold his head up high on his own and is no longer a rag doll when sitting upright. He really enjoys tummy time but not for too long Papa! Noah is laughing out load every day and especially loves it when Daddy wakes him up with his morning wake up song; Good Morning! Nothing compares to the joy we feel when we walk into Noah's room of a morning, opening the blinds and there is our little star looking up at us smiling, giggling and waiting for us to pick him up for his first cuddle and kiss of the day. He is so happy to see his Daddy and Papa and the squeals of delight are simply divine! Noah really enjoys Fisher Price's "Little People" too. We have a couple of Baby Einstein DVDs and the Little People Discoveries DVD which runs for fifteen minutes. We usually find this being played at around 10:30am just before a mid morning bottle. The five 'Little People', Michael, Maggie, Sonya-Lee, Sara-Lyn and Eddie enjoy a number of adventures together such as helping Farmer Jed with his corn field, helping a little car stuck in a tree, playing with the animals at the zoo and helping each other. The DVD is not long and Noah just loves sitting on the sofa watching while Papa and Daddy run around the house trying to get a few chores done.


Noah has also had his second immunisation booster this month: diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hep. B, rotavirus, pneumococcal and hib. When we went for the two month check up and immunisations he was such a trooper, but this time round he was less eager to accept what was being offered by the community nurse. Perhaps it's because Noah is growing and becoming more aware or maybe he was simply having a bad day. Regardless he did not take the oral vaccine easily and one of the two needles he was given really, really upset him. He took longer to calm and settle this time round but at least we know he is protected from illness that can be prevented. Immunisations are a topic of discussion amongst new parents and we know that some people are against vaccinating and other would not have it any other way.

A large section of the community where we live in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales like to live a simple, hassle free and alternate lifestyle. I suppose you could say the city of the Blue Mountains welcomes with open arms the inner hippy in all of us. And sometimes, with this chosen way of life many people like to live as naturally as possible and this sometimes means not having your children immunised. To each his own, we live in a wonderfully accepting society (could be more so) and if you don't want to do something, you have the choice not to do it. For our family however, Johnny in particular immunisations are something that was non negotiable. When I was in high school, a young boy in year 10, his third year of junior high, came to school one day with a cane. The kind of cane you see vision impaired people using to assit in walking. I though nothing of this at the time, consumed by my own world and that of my friends.

Later that same year I left this school for a twelve month student exchange program to live in Japan. When I returned to Australia in 1997 I discovered from my younger sister that the boy who had brought the cane to school had in fact contracted the measles. This boy gradually lost his eye sight, went completely blind and was then bed ridden before he passed away.




This young boy aged fifteen years old had died from the measles.



I remember Becky telling me that the school community at the time was in total shock at his passing and nurses in our local hospital required counselling after he died. I still often think of this boy and his family. I can not imagine the pain and anguish that his parents and brother must have endured knowing that he was about the lose his life because of the measles, a preventable disease. This is why I always felt that if we had children there would be no question in having him or her vaccinated. And, on to the next topic of debate, politics!

Isn't this meant to be a blog about family, our son and our experience in India and not a social soapbox?


I won't venture too far down the political brick road other than to say that Australia has just had a federal election over the past weekend and we are still awaiting the results to hear who our new Prime Minister will be. Neither of the two major political parties won my a clear majority. and both now need to try and coerce the independent and green parties to form an alliance with them to have a clear majority of power in the senate or it's back to the polling booths for us all. One of the hopes Darren and I have coming into this election is that the government will recognise our family as equal to that of our straight counterparts and even (gasp) allow us to publicly declare our love for one another and have this recognised as valid and equal too. You know what people; doing this will not result in the world as you know it crumbling and falling apart! The sun will still rise in the East and set in the West. Autumn will still follow Summer and Spring will still follow Winter. There is still hope and change will come. But change, major change always seems to take a snails pace to happen don't you think?

This past month Noah and Papa went to their first local school's open day and I'm sure this will be the first of many as we decide where is best to nurture our little boy and provide the best opportunity for him to grow and develop both emotionally and academically. So far so good and we will go again next year to look at the school's facilities, chat with staff and students. If we decide this is where we want Noah to be educated, we will pay the enrollment fee, sign the paperwork and place him on the waiting list for kindergarten in 2010. YIKES!



We have had some wonderful day trips, outings and visits from family and friends over the past four to five weeks too. Daddy, Papa and Noah started off with a very full day exploring Sydney and some of her outer suburbs. We started our day with a spot of shopping trying to find some cute outfits for No No. We then enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch at Nicks on world famous Bondi Beach and spent our afternoon enjoying coffee and a spot more shopping in the cute village of Woollahra in Sydney's Eastern suburbs. We decided to finish the day with dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant in Glebe, in Sydney's inner west. A total of ten plus hours out with our little man and Noah was perfect! He woke, ate and slept when he was meant to and enjoyed a great outing with his dads.


We also took a day trip west of the Blue Mountains to the small town of Oberon, famous for wild mushrooms in Autumn and truffles in Winter. This is where Uncle Brett lives. We also had a visit from friends Fara and Matt this month, with the wonderfully exciting news they are expecting twins which was a surprise and a half! We knew they had been trying IVF and did not know they were successful until we saw them this month. Cathing up with this pair is akin to walking into the FRRO in Mumbai, swanning around without all your required paperwork and then leaving with your child's exit visa in hand within the hour...next to impossible. We have been trying to catch up for lunch since our return from Mumbai in April and finally managed to do so in July. The expectant parents managed to keep their pregnancy a secret and when they arrived we were met with a five month pregnant belly! We are so excited for them and know they will be great parents.

Aunty Nadyne, Uncle Murray and Cousins Emerson and Makayla also visited us from Newcastle in July. This was the second time we had caught up with Johnny's sister, brother in law and children since we returned from India. And it was a great opportunity to relax at home and enjoy some time visiting wonderful cafes and shops which are abundant in the Blue Mountains. We always have a fantastic time when we meet up and sharing the joy of parenthood with them adds another dimension to our relationship.We also enjoyed a wonderful weekend with dear friends, Jarrad, Michael and their newborn son Reid, born in India in June of this year. We had a beautiful weekend exploring some of the surrounding areas in the Mountains and again, enjoyed delicious food and beautiful wine but most importantly shared great times with remarklably wonderful friends. These boys and their son mean so much to our family and we are delighted to have continued our friendship since the birth of our children. In them we have friends for life.

No Time To Blog

How long has it been since your last time? For me it has been 18 days. I seem to have no time to blog anymore and this post has been a long time coming, sorry for the delay. Prior to Noah joining our family I had a grand plan of 'stay at home parenthood' in my little country boy head. Baking, gardening, preserving (yes preserving) quince are almost back in season you know! The required amount of housework and of course time spent playing & reading to our son. Maybe too a little time enjoying outings with friends and family. HA! To say that I am busy is an understatement of unimaginable proportions and time poor simply does not cut it either. Is there such a thing as the lack of time poverty line? If so, I'm there my friends........The above paragraph was started on the 20th May and it is now June 29, almost July! Jeesh, I HAVE to find the time to blog, this I know. There just doesn't seem to be any time available. Today is different though. Today is the first day Noah is spending with someone other than his Papa. But more on this later. As I said above, prior to returning home and daily life with an infant, I had planned to update our blog on a weekly basis with cute photos of our son & humorous stories of what was happening in his life and how he was growing and developing but that has seriously taken a back seat. I also mentioned above that I was looking forward to preserving some fruit, quince in particular as I simply adore it! Well, this too didn't happen and I am super miffed. Quince come into season in Autumn and are a strange looking, rock hard, yellow, furry nothing. That it until after hours and hours and hours of poaching. This non descript fruit becomes blossom red and the fragrance tells you it is ready. YUM!!!! Well, I excitedly rushed into my green grocer last week expecting to buy a kilo or two of quinces only to be told I have missed the boat this year. The best of the season is long gone. How did this happen? I was so looking forward to this once a year delight. In the now common domain of my baby brain, I had thought there were weeks to go until the end of the season. HA! You silly boy. Were you not in India for the first month of Autumn??? Was you son not born just as the leaves were turning golden brown?
Alas, another year will have to pass until I can enjoy this most humble of fruit. Never mind, good things as they say will come to those who wait and wait and wait as this is the case when poaching quince. Now onto the second reason for the delay in posting and I like to think the most valid. Yes I am time poor there's no mistaking this fact. Baby up-chuck now and then on my shoulder, no time to change my shirt. Just a quick blend and you would never know it was there. Except of course if you are wearing black. My computer has not been allowing me to access blogger and facebook. Every other internet site known to man kind there has been no problem at all. But these two for some unknown reason have been a no go for weeks now. Of course, there have been much more exciting things going on in our loves than the above. Our perfectly wonderful son is almost THREE MONTHS OLD. Can you believe it? In nine days time Noah will be three months old and yes, the time does pass by ever so quickly and I now can see why parents say it only seems like yesterday when.....It really does only seem like yesterday. Already Noah has become an infant, no longer the newborn baby we brought back to Sydney from Mumbai. He is starting to become a little boy with an amazing personality to match. He is now holding his head high as his neck muscles start to develop.

Tummy time is still kept to a minimum and it usually is on my lap/chest or with a swaddle under his chest for five minutes or so. Noah has settled into life with us perfectly and we with him too. From the very beginning we were determined to have a routine and after reading too many parenting books on which is best. Feeding on demands versus feeding to a routine, we opted for a routine by Gina Ford, author of the fabulous Complete Sleep Guide for Contented Babies. And, we are happy to say at two months three and a half weeks, we officially have our contented baby sleeping from 7pm to 7am! YAYAYAYAY! Noah really is such a good little boy. We did have to tweek the suggested routine around a month ago and thanks be to J whose little boy is also following the same routine. Your advice as you know worked a treat. In a nutshell, Noah's day starts at 7am and is awake for two hours and then back down from 9am to 10am. From the time he wakes up at 10am, it is up for two hours and then down for two hours and so on and so forth. Until 4pm, when he has a quick 45 minute nap until 4.45 and is then up again for a bath, night time feed and lots of kisses and cuddles until 7pm when he goes back to sleep again. The routine has worked really well for us and Noah too. His awake time is really positive and he is not in the least bit grumpy and we all enjoy this time together. The sad reality of having to return to work is soon going to breathing down my neck. In a matter of weeks I will be returning to part time work and no longer spending every hour of every day with out little boy. This saddens me so much to think that there will be magical first moments I am now going to miss out on. But hey, the majority of parents have to work right? Also, we were not the winners of OZ Lotto's $50M last night so we have to work. But all is not lost. We have our healthy baby boy who is perfect. We have each other, our health, home and the wonder of a lifetime of joy ahead of us with our son. This post has been SO long overdue and even now, it is tomorrow (two days since I started the second paragraph). The day is over and I have a MOUNTAIN of laundry to fold. Prior to ending this entry though, I want to take the opportunity to congratulate our dear friends who we met last July when we cycled in India. A couple from the state of Victoria whose first attempt ended in a heart breaking miscarriage. Months of waiting to hear news of their second attempt....pregnant! We welcome their darling little boy into the world and know they are going to be the best possible parents. Congratulations guys, we love you and look forward to creating many happy memories with our combined families! Below is my current favourite photo of Noah taken a week ago. What do you think? Adorable no?

Home

As Dorothy famously said; "There's no place like home". And, as we all know too well she was right. It is great to be back. It has taken our body clocks a while to re-adjust to having Noah in our lives. In Mumbai, the responsibilities of daily life are but a distant memory. Housework? Cooking? Cleaning? Simply pick up the phone and dial room service. Hop in an auto rickshaw and in five minutes a plethora of dining options are at your disposal. Leave a small card on the bed, return a short while later to fresh linen and one's room cleaned, fresh water supplied for the next 24 hours. Being home deals the new parent a different hand of cards. One has to shuffle these cards and manage daily chores with the demands of your new born plus the added bonus hand; sleep deprivation! But, we are not complaining after all, this is what we have all been waiting for. Prior to us leaving India on Sunday, we said goodbye to Greg, Rob and their beautiful baby girl Addison who is simply divine. We had such a great time with them all and are glad they too are now home safe and sound. Both the guys were right, we did end up having more bags for the return trip then when we first arrived into Mumbai! Our flight from Mumbai to Singapore was in the morning this time round, departing at 10am. We used the fantastic Vikas to take us from our hotel to the airport and anybody travelling to Mumbai should avail themselves of his services. He and Ajit are both great guys and will make sure you are taken care of and arrive at your destination in air conditioned comfort. THANK YOU VIKAS!!! Our Qantas flight into Singapore arrived on time and we were met by ground staff to assist with our mountain of bags and the transit to our next flight. Thankfully we had the wonderful Baby Valco carrier which was a God send. Thank you to the Tigerlilycats for their insight in recommending this to us & the bottle drainer which arrived the day of our departure from Sydney! Noah used the carrier the entire time we were in Mumbai and it meant we did not have to disturb him when travelling from the hotel to where ever we wanted to be. He even slept in it while we took an auto here, there and everywhere. Our flight from Singapore to Sydney was with British Airways and thankfully there was no delay due to a certain Volcano eruption the week prior. This was our only concern as we arrived at Changi International Airport. The cabin crew on both flights were amazing and everyone wanted to meet little Noah who, was an absolute dream on both legs of the journey home. Not a peep. He slept, ate and pooped just as he had on the ground in India. You would not have known there was a newborn in the cabin with you unless you snuck a peek at his cherub like face. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to BA's World Traveller Plus cabin or premium economy cabin which was just perfect and the best way to end our flight home. The cabin is a dedicated 32 seat cabin in front of economy and just behind business and it was not full. We had the centre row of four seats to ourselves and the extra space and seat recline was appreciated! Our thanks also have to go out to the BEST travel agency in NSW, Jetset Blue Mountains and their never ending help whilst we were in India. Nothing was ever too much trouble and we thank the entire team there, especially agency manager Lisa. www.jetset.com.au/bluemountains.

From 33 degree Mumbai heat to a crisp 13 degree Sydney morning, the temperature difference was very noticeable when we landed in Sydney at 5.15am Monday morning. This, combined with sandals and light shirts we were very eager to breeze through customs and immigration to our heated car for the drive home. Speaking of which, customs too was easy. Simple and straight forward without issue in Mumbai, Singapore or Sydney. Sure we had the obligatory where is the mother question when we left Mumbai but other than that nothing! Having an infant with you is akin to Moses parting the seas. Queues become non existent and one simply glides through formality with the simplest of ease; which we are completely fine with thank you very much! We arrived home to welcome signs, balloons, flowers and kindness from friends and family. Darren's mother & Johnny's parents had organised a wonderful morning tea with some friends, family & neighbours and everyone went to so much effort for the three of us. Thank you to our parents, Tracie & Patrick, Scott & Julie, Tans, Michael and everyone who made us feel so welcome on our return home. We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends surrounding us and our son. Now that we are home, what's next? This week has seen us having to get used to a new routine with Noah the centre of our day. Our little boy is doing so well and it is hard to believe that in four days time he is going to be one month old! He is sleeping very well and daddy and papa are trying to stick to our chosen routine which he seems to like and appreciate! He is currently feeding from 100ml + each feed every three to four hours and longer after his midnight feed. Last night for instance he fed at midnight and then again at 5am which is great news for us. We have had a couple of outing since being home but have preferred staying in as it is truly amazing how even the simplest of tasks can become a mammoth effort in organisational skills. We are expecting a visit from the community nurse this week to check on Noah's progress and general health yet, other than that and maybe a coffee date here and there our week is our own. We are indeed glad to be home and are enjoying just that. Being home and being parents. We are both so thankful that our son has been born and is in excellent health, this is what we have been waiting for and, what some people are still waiting for. After two, three, four or sometimes more attempts still waiting. We know we have been blessed to have been successful on our first attempt and we never take this for granted. The wonderful support and friendship of Dr Sudhir and Dr Yash that has been forged over the past year and a half will be life long. We are very strong advocates of Surrogacy India and their services, http://www.surrogacyindia.com/. Why wouldn't we be? Look at the result for us. We know yes, our surrogate did not agree to carry a child to term for purely altruistic reasons but still, we admire her wonderful generosity and are thankful that we had the opportunity to meet her, her family and convey in person how we feel about the amazing gift she has given us. We would not change this for the world. There seems to be so many IPs pregnant at the moment & equally as many still trying. It's easy once you reach the other side to speak words of wisdom but we truly believe that one should never give up. To everyone who has been with us every step of the way and to those we have only just met, thank you. Support is the one thing you can never have too much of and for that, thank you.

Parenthood...Days 4 to 14 & Mumbai Madness

This post has been days in the making and I mean DAYS! Time is no longer our own and blogging has had to take a back seat I'm afraid to feeding, changing nappies, washing bottles and baby clothes & napping! Our days in Mumbai have been as busy or relaxed as we want them to be, yet still there are not enough hours in the day. We also have had to learn that we DO need to nap during the day when Noah does. This was made abundantly clear today on our way back to our hotel from the Australian Consulate General in South Mumbai when we fell asleep in the car. The past ten days or so have been amazing. No adjective will suffice in describing our time here so amazing will have to do. Our son has changed our lives and for the better, we both know this. He is perfection personified and so utterly beautiful. Our birth certificates took 7 days to arrive to us & this included a delay due to a public holiday. Dr Sudhir was great in arranging all the necessary paperwork and birth certificates for us to obtain Noah's citizenship by descent....that's right OBTAIN. Our boy is officially an Aussie as of yesterday and the turn around was super quick. Like we said, Dr Sudhir arranged for all the paperwork required to confirm Noah's citizenship by descent; letter from Hiranandani hospital confirming he was born there, signed and stamped letter from Dr Soni confirming she delivered him, letter from Dr Pai confirming he performed our IVF and finally a letter from SI confirming our status as IPs under their care. Along with our surrogacy contract and the fee of Rs5400 we visited Blue Dart couriers at Galleria in Hiranandani Gardens and sent our documents to New Delhi. We had confirmation the next day of their receipt and then we began the phone calls. We were given the standard 'this will take four weeks to process' and not disheartened we insisted on speaking with the team leader Varun Gupta who handles citizenship by descent applications. He is very familiar with surrogacy and what is involved so he asked we call back that afternoon after 2pm. In the mean time I emailed him directly (he was cc'd in the email to us from DNALABS in Sydney confirming Noah's parentage) advising we had our flights booked for Sunday and we needed citizenship processed ASAP to ensure time to have a passport and exit visa processed. Voila, 24 hours later we have a third Australian citizen in our hotel room and a passport to collect from the Consulate General tomorrow. It could not have been easier or smoother for us and for that we are thankful. The passport application process was straight forward too. Our original certificate of citizenship for Noah was couriered to us today from New Delhi and we requested a scanned copy of the original be emailed to the Consulate General to expedite our emergency passport application which was done without issue. Tomorrow we visit the FRRO after collecting Noah's passport at 9am. We have been fortunate to spend the past 13 days in Mumbai with some fantastic people and we have especially enjoyed sharing time with Greg, Rob & Addison. We have been shopping, eating and sightseeing our way around the city with the three of them plus the docs and it has been a blast. Last night in particular we visited a small complex around 50km outside of the city which showed what village is like in Rajasthan. It was great and we had a fantastic time with the guys, Dr Sudhir, Dr Yash & Ajit. There was traditional dancing, fire eaters, magicians, puppet shows, camel rides, bullock rides, fresh sugar cane and mango juice stalls, henna painting, pottery wheels to throw small vases, arcade attractions like an old fashioned fair...just fantastic. It was such a great way to spend time with the docs and share something really special that we will remember always. We had such a great time that by the time we got back to our hotel it was close to 1am! We then slept and fed Noah at 2.30am and again at 5am and had to be up and ready to leave our hotel at 8.30am for the 10am appointment at the Consulate General. Hence being so tired today. We were due to see Greg, Rob and Addy prior to their leaving and catch up for lunch in South Mumbai, but our passport could not be issued same day and subsequently we did not visit the FRRO today. That adventure awaits us tomorrow! We were so tired we ended up back at our hotel by 1pm and slept for four hours. Our hotel at Powai has been great and it is very convenient to Hiranandani Gardens and the stores, cafes, restaurants & banks there. An auto rickshaw into Hiranandani costs between Rs 30-40 depending on traffic compared to the Rs200 in an A/C cab. We would highly recommend to others coming back to Mumbai for baby pick up to stay at one of the hotels at Powai. Yes the VITS is popular and we too almost stayed there but are now so glad we're here. The hotel has some beautiful grounds and the pool area is to die for with a grassed area to relax in the shade! So what is left for us to do in Bombay? When we booked our flights here we anticipated a stay of just over two weeks and it has proven to be true. 16 nights is the total for us. We arrived on the 9th April and we leave Mumbai this Sunday the 25th April. A total of 16 days. Noddy's exit visa is issued tomorrow and two days later we will be on a plane back to Sydney. Now that the time has come we are sad. Sad to be leaving our hotel room we couldn't wait to leave, sad to be leaving the smog, heat and crowds we are so unaccustomed with. Sad to be saying bye to Dr Sudhir and Dr Yash, now friends for life. And sad to be leaving Bombay, the birth city of our son. We will however be back so goodbye is not forever!

For those of you reading this contemplating if surrogacy in India is right for you, just as we did...the proof is in our son. And you could do no better than to have Surrogacy India, Dr Sudhir and Dr Yash by your side.