Here they both are…sound asleep in their carseats. The plane wasn’t even off the ground!

After a brief stopover in Sydney…

…we were greeted in Tasmania by a small welcoming party (signs and all). Paul, Heidi and Dad left work early that day to witness the arrival of 2 tiny toddlers who had just crossed the globe. They were very surprised to find them complacent and actually happy!

Mum didn’t skip a beat…upon meeting Ethan for the first time, she promptly plucked him out of Elana’s arms and held tight. Mum didn’t really let go for the next 3 weeks.

Mum and grandson getting acquainted.

Chloe revelling in her time at the breakfast table with ‘Grand’. Apparently the same rules for children don’t apply to grandchildren. If I put my feet on the table like that, you can be guaranteed that Dad wouldn’t be smiling.

I never get tired of the view from Mum’s and Dad’s place. Their house sits high on the hills over-looking the city of Hobart (capital of Tasmania).

Here’s another view from the house – morning sun over the Derwent River.

After Mum and Dad got acquainted to their new grandson, it was time for Chloe and Ethan to meet their Great Grandmother (a.k.a Mema). We all took a road-trip up to Poatina (caravaning in 3 cars) to catch up with Mema for the day. It was so great to see her, just as sharp as the day I left for the U.S. 15 years ago!

Ethan was feeling right at home in Mema’s arms. Of course, Mema’s had good practise…Ethan is great-grandchild number 11!

The entire new family with Mema for the first time.

Heading down to the memorial site where Pa is buried…Chloe is flanked by two very attentive escorts.

Best friends – Matt and Cate Harding – threw a big BBQ shindig at their new house in Kingston. Between the Harding family, Lohrey family and Nanscawen family there were enough kids to start a daycare center! Fortunately, there was plenty of room. The house was beautiful and spacious and I was very jealous of Matt’s garage that was big enough to house a Boeing 747.

The happy Hardings showing off a plate full of blackened meat…cooked Aussie-style! (Matt threw the meat into a ball of fire).

The Pied Piper (a.k.a Jo Lohrey) with his four kids, the Harding kids and one Nanscawen kid.

Ella Harding holding Ethan

Nearly a week into the trip, it was time to introduce Chloe (Ethan too but he wasn’t so into it) to the kangaroos. We drove to a small wildlife park (it wouldn’t do it justice to call it a petting zoo because it’s so much more than that!) on the outskirts of town. It was a quiet weekday and, because it was near closing time, we had the park nearly to ourselves. Chloe was fascinated by all the unique animals that Australia has to offer but she seemed most enamored of the kangaroos (that roam free around the park and are fed by the visitors).

Kangaroos enjoying a late day feed.

Up close and personal (Heidi took this great shot!)

Thanks to the kind generosity of some family friends, the Johnsons, we were given full use of a really nice beach house in St Helens – a sleepy little town on the North East coast of Tasmania. Everything about that trip was very memorable. Including the trip up when we happened upon a surfer dude who lived out of his car.

He was enjoying a beer while typing away on his laptop when we took this picture. Not a bad day at the office!

On the first night in St Helens, we caught this stunning sunset from the deck.

Thanks to Heidi, Mum’s and Elana’s combined efforts…we were never going to go hungry on this trip. Dad and Paul supplied the excellent wines. I supplied the appetite.

Philip and Chloe catching the sunset.

Paul and Chloe on the beach after a long hot walk over the sand dunes. You might think that Chloe is tired in this picture but Chloe was like this with Paul most of the time. She and ‘Uncle Paul’ were inseparable.

Me, Elana and Heidi enjoying a thrill ride on the back of a powerful speed boat in St Helen’s bay. We were on our way to catch fish and I’d just like to note that I was the only one who caught ‘legal-size’ fish that day!

I’m so proud that we produced a Vegemite kid!

Although he’s a little too young to try Vegemite…I can already tell with that big smile and happy disposition that Ethan will, too, become a Vegemite kid some day.

Kym Lewis with her two beautiful daughters – Molly and Amelia – came to visit the morning of our last day in St Helens. Lee Lewis (not pictured) was a good friend from high-school and this was a nice (rare) opportunity for us to catch up.

Back ‘home’ again in Hobart. We enjoyed a bottle of bubbly (or two) to celebrate Paul and Heidi’s engagement. Having been together 13 years before popping the question…I’m a little worried my brother is rushing into this.

Heidi (who is probably more family than Paul these days) and Paul kicking back with their baby – Miffy.

Mum and Dad stocked the house with so much kids stuff before we arrived…nobody would ever have guessed that no-one under the age of 2 had ever entered the house prior to Chloe and Ethan! Dad completely baby-proofed the house (blind cords, electrical outlets, stair gates, table corner-padding), Mum built up the toy chest and they setup a full array of cribs, strollers and car seats. Our arrival was seamless…everything was thought of! As you can see in the photo above, Chloe loved every book that Mum read to her. It became a favorite daily ritual.

And when she wanted to get outside to enjoy the clean Tassie air, Mum and Dad would take Chloe down to the local kids park (down by the beach) where she showed off her mad swing skills to Grandma.

Last day in Tasmania…it was Dad’s birthday so we decided to get him in a group shot with all the grandkids. Of course, we should have known better. Miffy was the only well behaved ‘grandkid’ which is what makes this photo so great. Ethan’s eyes are bugging out of his head, Chloe’s about ready to bolt ouf of Dad’s arms and Dad looks like he’s doing everything he can to maintain a smile. Classic.

Every minute of Chloe and Ethan’s first Australia trip was incredible. Whether it was meeting family, seeing their first kangaroo or enjoying Vegemite breakfasts, this is a trip to remember. Unfortunately, at their age, they won’t remember any of it which is why we took (literally) thousands of pictures so they can one day see what they did. I’ve posted all the good pictures to our smugmug site. Anybody can view them by clicking on the link below:

http://jamesandelana.smugmug.com/Travel/Australia-Trip-Winter-2010/12107942_jvZuV#860566093_s2Vdt

]]> http://jamesandelana.com/?feed=rss2&p=309 0 http://jamesandelana.com/?p=306 http://jamesandelana.com/?p=306#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:45:46 +0000 james http://jamesandelana.com/?p=306 http://jamesandelana.com/?feed=rss2&p=306 0 http://jamesandelana.com/?p=292 http://jamesandelana.com/?p=292#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:07:53 +0000 james http://jamesandelana.com/?p=292 I had to make sure I got one post in before March was over…1. to let people know we’re still alive and well and 2. to start showing off some of the great photos we’ve taken of Ethan and Chloe over the past few months (those will come later). For now, I just want to share this one…

In just the last couple of weeks, Chloe has been noticing Ethan more and more. She was completely indifferent when he first arrived from the hospital but now she’s realizing more and more that the little guy’s here to stay.

 http://jamesandelana.smugmug.com/Ethan/First-Days/10579591_AwPdP#735086831_8jRnS

Newborn-mania is not over. We’ve been taking photo after photo of Ethan in every different position, angle and light. He continues to be a very happy, sleepy and manageable baby. Here’s to hoping that doesn’t change too radically as he gets older.

First, the stats…

Born: Wednesday, December 2nd at 12:21pm

Location: New York Downtown Hospital – New York, NY

Weight: 7 lb 9oz

Height: 19 inches

Given Names: Ethan Scott (Elana’s father’s name is Scott)

Admittedly, we both wondered how we could possibly love another as much as we love Chloe but (no surprise to those of you who have more than one kid) we do! It was love at first sight…the first time we saw this scrawny, purpley-blue li’l guy outside of Elana’s belly. And he came out fighting…kicking Dr Wong and Nurse Jackie and screaming like a banshee. The coolest experience was when the nurse presented him to us (as he continued to wail) and as soon as Elana and I spoke to him, he immediately stopped crying and opened his eyes to look at us.

Ethan arrived yesterday afternoon with a full bill of health and he’s been a source of entertainment and joy ever since! We’ve noticed facial features that resemble Chloe’s and people already say he looks like me (poor guy) but I’m betting/hoping that he, like Chloe, will begin looking more and more like Elana as he matures.

The pic on the left should look awfully familiar to anyone who saw Chloe’s first pictures.

Elana’s doing really well for someone who’s endured her second c-section in 14 months. Despite the usual pain experienced after this kind of procedure, she’s already beginning to walk a little and we’re expecting to be released from the hospital tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.

Ethan has been eating well and, so far (knock on wood) he’s been sleeping plenty and we’ve yet to hear him cry since his first appearance. He’s so similar to Chloe in many ways yet we’re already discovering his strength – big kicks with long legs – and a little more hair.

More photos and updates to come!

A big shout out goes to our good friend Mike Kantrowitz who took many of the photos that weekend (mostly the good ones). He has enough camera equipment to make Ansel Adams feel inadequate. The rest of the photos can be seen by clicking here.

It was a beautiful day and we managed to pick a lot of apples. Even scored a 16lb pumpkin to carve for Halloween (for a future post).

Chloe got a little confused about what she was suppose to be picking.

We celebrated by spending the day at FAO Schwarz. We’re not exactly sure if that’s what Chloe wanted to do but we figured – a lot of colorful stuffed animals under one roof – you can’t go wrong. Sure enough she seemed to really enjoy it and…added bonus for Mummy and Daddy…Chloe was no more excited about all the expensive toys than she was with a bag of candy (for us, not her) so she’s also a cheap date!

Hard to believe it’s already been one year! Although it feels like the year’s flown by, Elana and I have been trying to remember what life was like pre-Chloe and we actually find it quite difficult to recall! Did we really sleep in until 10am most weekends? Did we actually leave the house with nothing but keys and a wallet? As much as our lives have been turned upside down with this cute little dependent package, we wouldn’t have it (and can’t remember it) any other way!

Happy Birthday little bean.

Love, Mummy and Daddy

P.S. Can you promise to always enjoy items for your birthday that cost less than 2 bucks?

Ok so, by now, most of you already knew this but we figured it would still be fun to post the good news (especially seeing as we appear to have been in hiding for the past 2 months).

We know it’s going to be a boy (bringing balance back in the family…phew!) and he is due early December. We had grand plans (and tickets) to visit Oz over the Chrissy holidays but now Grandma and Grandpa  will need to wait until end of Feb when baby #2 is nearly 3 months old (roughly the same age Chloe was when they first met her).

Proud and very pregnant Mom is doing well (as active, if not more, than when she was pregnant with Chloe).