Happy Christmas

We wish all of our family and friends a magical Christmas, full of love, joy, peace and wonderful memories to sustain you for the following year to come. We look forward to spending Patrick's first Christmas together with our families.

All the best

Kathryn, Cameron & Patrick

oxoxox

Happy Happy, Joy Joy!

Woo Hoo!!! 3 more hours till we leave for the airport! Patrick is packed, I am (mostly) packed, only the last few second bits and pieces & Cameron only has a few things left to go in his bags when he gets home. I am about to leave to go our for Christmas Cocktails (or mocktails in my case....) and say goodbye to all my girlfriends :)

Blair & Emmaleen are taking us to the airport so that we don't have to hold Patrick in the taxi and we can put his maxi cosi (car seat) in their car and then they will bring it home for us. Bless their little cotton socks!

We will be back on our Australian mobiles as of Thursday evening. Our first stop is Perth, then we fly to Adelaide on Saturday, drive to Port Augusta on Sunday, back to Adelaide on Tuesday then we fly to Brisbane on the 29th December for New Years. We fly from Brisbane back to Dubai on the Wednesday evening of the 2nd January 2008.

Take care everyone and have a happy and safe Christmas period.

Happy Birthday Ben

To my gorgeous God-son, Ben.

Happy Birthday spunky boy, have a fantastic day.

I love you HEAPS - see you at Christmas time :)

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Another precious baby is born

Congratulations to Robyn & Daniel on the safe arival of their precious baby girl - Keeley Shae born at 11am this morning.

Remember - Life is filled with lots of things that make it all worthwhile but none is better than the love found in your baby's smile. Enjoy every moment together as you embark on the wonderful new journey of parenthood :)

Our love, thoughts & prayers are with you always.

Fun in the Sun (well, shade actually....)

These photos were taken of Patrick on Thursday 22nd November 2007 at Al Safa Park while we were having a picnic. He LOVES the outdoors and is here holding his favourite toy. Patrick is 3 and a half months.

I know - we're slack!

Sorry everyone - I know it has been weeks since we have posted anything here. Things have been very busy though (as usual). Let me tell you all what has been happening here with us.

Jodie and Jasmine have been here visiting for two weeks, so we have done heaps of shopping, sight-seeing, eating and just catching up in general. I hadn't seem them since February and of course, they hadn't met Patrick. Jasmine learnt to ski while she was here so she was very proud of herself. We did a road trip (with some other friends) to Fujairah and spent the day at the beach. We spent an afternoon having afternoon tea at Al Qasr hotel and an evening wandering around Souk Madinat Jumeirah admiring the Burj Al Arab by night. Jodie, Jasmine & Cameron did the tour of Jumeirah mosque (Patrick & I stayed home) and then we all went and wandered around the textile, spice and gold souk, before having dinner and touring the Dubai Museum.

We did A LOT of things in the time that they were here and were sad to see them leave yesterday. We not have 2 and a half weeks at home before flying back to Oz for Christmas!!! We can't wait :)

If anyone is interested in seeing the photos of everything we did while the girls were here on holidays, follow the facebook links on the right hand side of this page to "Out & About in the UAE - Albums 1 & 2"

Time flies when ya havin' fun!

We CANNOT believe that our baby will be 3 months old on Saturday! He is already 12 and a half weeks and is growing so big and strong so quickly. He is starting to try and roll over (not that he has managed it on his own yet) and he loves to stand and sit - while we are holding him of course. He was 5.095kgs on the 20th October when he had his last lot of immunisations and I am predicting that he will be in clothes the next size up by the end of the month or very early into December. Lucky we went shopping for them on the weekend!!! These photos were taken today while we were at Sema's house for lunch. Patrick is 12 weeks and 4 days :)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Patrick (11 weeks and 5 days) in his pumpkin costume :)

Patrick sitting on his own for the very first time.....with a little help from the Bumbo

Good news all round

We had two pieces of good news last Sunday that I just have to share because I am so excited!!! The first bit of good news is that Jodie & Jasmine have booked their tickets to Dubai and arrive next Thursday, for about 10 days. I can't wait to see them and introduce them both to Patrick. Of course they will stay with us, so while it may be a bit squishy, it will also be alot of fun :)

The second bit of good news is that Kalee & Ben have booked tickets to come to Adelaide in December and spend Christmas day with us! They will be there for 8 days and we are SO VERY EXCITED to get to spend the time with them.

We are so lucky to have such great friends and cannot wait to catch up with all of them when we are back in Australia. It's just a shame we can't make it to Sydney to see everyone there......next time hopefully!

Chillin' by the pool

The weather is starting to cool down now and the afternoons by the pool (which is fully shaded by 3ish) are fabulous. We like to head down there to enjoy some of the fresh air. Patrick loves to "chill out" on the sun lounge :) He is all smiles when he is out in the sunshine and fresh air!

Patrick is 9 weeks and 4 days old in these photos - taken 16th October 2007.

Thanks to Emmaleen for taking these photos of Patrick & I while we were playing. Emmaleen is Patrick's new girlfriend, he adores her and never fails to impress her with his gorgeous smile!

Happy Birthday David

Dear David (Uncle David),

Wishing you all the happiness in the world on your birthday and always.

Our love always,

Kathryn, Cameron & Patrick

xxx

Our Beautiful Boy

Thanks to Emmaleen for taking these gorgeous photos of our adorable son, Patrick (aged 9 weeks and 3 days).

He is such a happy and content baby who brings nothing but love, joy and happiness to our lives.

Visitors from Oz

We have just been fortunate enough to spend 3 nights and 2 wonderful days with our good friends Dennis, Stefanie and their beautiful little girl Lauren while they were in Dubai on a 2 day stopover. They arrived in the early hours of Monday morning and left early wednesday morning - just a short visit but it was definately great to see them and for them to meet Patrick :)

We had a very busy time showing them around and catching up. We took them out for Iftar (the breaking of fast during Ramadan) at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (see photos below), showed them around Mall of the Emirates and Ibn Battuta (the best 2 shopping malls in Dubai - in my opinion) and took them to Madinat Jumeirah where we had dinner on Tuesday Night. The view of the Burj Al Arab was spectacular (see photos below)

Lauren enjoyed playing with Patrick and loved making him smile and laugh.

It was a shame when they had to leave but as they say...."All good things must come to an end".

Happy Birthday Bev

Dearest Beverley

Happy Birthday to you! We hope you enjoy your special day :) Sorry we cannot be there to share it with you but (as always) you are in our thoughts.

Our Love Always,

Kathryn, Cameron & Patrick

x

Congratulations on your wedding!

Dearest Kalee & Ben,

This day belongs to you alone.

Wishing you always love to surround you, warm memories to cheer you, good fortune to walk beside you and happiness to fill your heart. May the special love you share today grow deeper and deeper through your lifetime together.

Congratulations :)

Our Love Always

Kathryn, Cameron & Patrick

oxoxox

Our wish for our son!

Cameron came across this song while I was still pregnant and decided that this should be our special song for Patrick, as every word on every line is exactly what we want for our son and his life. We listen to it so often and used to sing it to him and play it to him even before he was born and continue to do so now. I'm sure you'll like the words as much as we do. If you want to hear it, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz32I_GbpeU

My Wish by Rascal Flatts

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,

And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but you never forget,

All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,

And always give more than you take.

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish

I hope you know somebody loves you....

May all your dreams stay big

The well over-due McKay update :)

Gosh, time sure does fly when your having fun! It just occured to me that I have not done a proper blog entry in such a long time. A few little "Happy Birthdays" and a few photos of Patrick....but not alot about us and how life is really going.

Well, things are going really well for us. We are loving being parents and have adjusted really well to our new little addition to our home. My life is now filled with bathing, cuddling, feeding, snuggling, nappy changing, cuddling, kissing, snuggling, playing, cuddling and kissing Patrick. I LOVE IT! It is all I have ever dreamed of and have NEVER been so happy :)

Patrick is doing very well, growing heaps and even though has been smiling for a few weeks he is now starting to giggle a little and vocalise ALOT! Just like his mummy, he always seems to be making noise and trying to talk!!! Patrick is now 8 weeks old and goes for his next Paediatrician's appointment for a check up and his 2 month immunisations on the 20th of October. More pain and tears for the little angel, but it is for the best - not that that makes it any easier fr mummy to see his little tears when he is crying in pain :(

Cameron is still busy and working hard, however manages to come home earlier due to the shorter working ours during Ramadan. Patrick & I are loving haing him home earlier in the afternoons to play with. Cameron still manages to get out flying (not as often though) and went out to the new flying field on the Al Ain road a fortnight ago. The field he usually flies at in Dubai is closing down, so he will need to fly at the new field, even though it is alot further away. Patrick & I are waiting for the weather to col down, just a little more, before we can go out with him.

The weather actually got down to 29 last night and days are roughly around 35, so it won't be much longer till we can start spending more time outdoors - which we are all looking forward too.

We were able to start booking our flights home for Christmas yesterday, so we are definately coming home! We are so excited and can't wait to introduce Patrick to our family and as many of our friends that we can catch up with! We arrive in Perth on the 13th December, arrive in Adelaide on the 15th, Brisbane on the 29th and back to Dubai on the 3rd (leaving from Brisbane, via Singapore).

Dad & Pat are arriving in Dubai on the 10th and are staying for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!! What fun we are going to have showing them our home and the sights of Dubai :)

I can't resist adding these photos of Patrick - taken on the 4th October when he was 7 weeks and 6 days old.

Me and my Mummy

This photo was taken by Shannon while I was at Georgia's 1st birthday party yesterday. I am 6 weeks and 5 days and it was the first birthday party that I have been to :) My eyes are really big because the flash is really bright! Mummy and daddy are going to take some photos on the weekend in the natural light so I don't get blinded and go "bug-eyed".

I am doing very well. I hardly ever cry and am working hard at settling myself to sleep in my cradle. Mummy and Daddy are very proud of me because they don't want me in the habit of needing to be rocked to sleep all the time! I feed well and am growing quickly. I can't wait till the weekend to spend more time with both mummy and daddy :)

Happy Birthday Cameron

Dear Cameron & Daddy,

Wishing you the most fantastic birthday ever, filled with cuddles, snuggles, kisses (and noserubs from Patrick)

We love, adore and treasure you so very much,

Kathryn & Patrick

oxox

Patrick - 5 & a 1/2 weeks old

Ramadan 2007

Well, Ramadan started last Thursday, so for the next month, most restaurants & cafe's are closed from sunrise till sunset and eating, drinking, smoking and public displays of affection are banned in public. Naturally, it is okay for us to eat and drink in the privacy of our own home, or in the home of non-fasting friends. Some restaurants in hotels are open for business, however are sectioned off from the fasting public as not to offend those who choose to fast during this period. While it is a little challenging for people who do not fast (not being able to eat and drink in public), it is only for a month and we need to be respectful and understanding of the Islam religion, considering we are living in a Muslim country!

Ramadan does have it's benefits for us, the main one being that Cameron is able to finish work earlier (3pm) therefore, gets home much earlier to spend extra time with Patrick and I. The traffic can get pretty heavy at certain times of the day, so there can be more traffic delays than normal. The weather is still hot and humid, however the temperature is starting to drop and there is some relief to the heat.

Cameron has just finished building his latest plane (The Plaigerist) and it had it's maiden (first) flight last Saturday. No problems - no crashes!

Patrick - One Month Old

Patrick was one month old today! It is so hard to believe..... how quick the past month has gone!!! We started the day with a visit to his paediatrician for his one month check up. All good - she was very impressed and said his level of development was at a 2 month olds, as he is tracking with his eyes, grasping onto things and smiling :) He now weighs 3.675kgs. The poor little tiger cub had to have his 2nd Hepetitis B vaccination - I don't know who cried more, him or me!!! No, I only had a few tears - Patrick screamed! Here are another few photos of him at one month old, taken this morning.

Patrick and Mummy

Our 2 Year Anniversary

Monday the 3rd of September marked our two year wedding anniversary. This year was extra special as celebrating with us was our beautiful baby boy. We went out and enjoyed a lovely dinner at Soy restaurant at Ibn Battuta and after dinner went up on the hot air balloon, and saw Dubai by night. Patrick went up with us and was the youngest baby (3 weeks and 3 days) to go in the balloon! The balloon is attached to a cable and goes up 150 metres. There is a platform for you to walk around as you enjoy the 360 degree view. It was a little scary being up that high, but the view was amazing. Here are pictures of us, way up high!

Happy 1st Father's Day Daddy

Dear Daddy,

Daddy, I love you

For all that you do.

I'll kiss you and hug you

'Cause you love me, too.

You feed me and need me

To teach you to play,

So smile 'cause I love you

On this Father's Day.

All my love, snuggles and nose sucks :)

Your Son

Patrick

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Happy Father's Day

Dear Dad & Dad

We hope you both had a lovely Father's Day. Sorry we were not there to share it with you, but you were in our thoughts, as usual.

Our Love Always,
Kathryn & Cameron.

P.S. Patrick wishes both his Poppies a very happy Father's Day as well :) Here is a cute photo of him - taken today!

Congratulations!

A HUGE congratulations to our dear friends Cheryl & Barry on the safe arrival of my God-daughter (and their 2nd little girl) Annie Beatrice, born yesterday, 27th August at 2.07pm, weighing in at 8lb 2oz and measuring 51cm. A gorgeous little sister for my other precious God-daughter, Jorja. Our love and best wishes to you all as you once again embark on the journey of dirty nappies, sleepless nights but endless cuddles and joy!

Updated photos as requested....

Some more photos of Patrick. Don't forget, more photos are posted on facebook - follow the link from the blog (on the right hand side) to get there!

Thanks Shannon for the little cow outfit in photo 2 - Patrick looks sooooo cute in it!

I am home from hospital now, and am still a little tender from the surgery, but recovering well. I am glad it is all over and after this, I can get on with hugging, kissing and loving my precious boy. He missed me in hospital but had a fantastic time with his Daddy - who did an absolutely TREMENDOUS job in looking after him.

Update from Patrick

Hello everyone! Tis Patrick here again... I've snuck onto the computer while dad is snoozing....
Anyway, it has been a few days since anyone updated the blog so I thought I'd fill you in on what's been going on (everyone has been really busy here!).

So, firstly... Mum hasn't been feeling the best. She got those pains again (the one's she first got when she visited Adelaide and I was still inside and only 12 weeks) on Friday and finally dad got to take her to the hospital. The doctors gave her some medicine and took some pictures of her insides - you'll never guess what they found.... They found some kidneys, a liver, a pancreas, her gall bladder and some gall stones. The doctors said this was not good and she'd have to see a surgeon on Sunday. We finally went home and mum got some rest - she was very tired and dad spent some time making his next aeroplane. Well, that was an exciting day for a Friday - wonder what we'd do the next day hey?

Well, we all got up quite early on Saturday looking to make the most of rest of the weekend together but mum wasn't feeling too good again. She tried to fix it with some medicine at home but she was still very sore and upset. So in the afternoon, we all went back to the hospital to see the nice doctors and nurses again. The doctor saw mum and was not very happy - he said they'd have to operate straight away as these gall stone things were blocking some ducts (if only I understood what was going on... all I know is that mum stopped feeding me because of the medicine they gave her - well at least I had a good feed before we went to the hospital and my tummy was full!). Now, dad started to look a little worried at this point (he gets a bit funny when mum or I am not very happy) and we said goodbye to mum for a little while so she could go and have the operation. Now this is when things got interesting..... Dad and I (without mum) went for a drive - this has NEVER happened before (mum likes to keep me real close to her, I think). First, off to the bank to get some money... now we were cashed up, we were off to the shops. Now, I'm not too sure what dad was up to but I don't think he had a clue himself. He stood there in this isle pacing up and down looking at all these tins. What are these tins? Why can't he just pick one? What's wrong with him??? He finally made up his mind (twice) and off we went with our tin. Dad and I then got home and man was I hungry. This seemed to get dad a little worried again and he was pottering around in the kitchen. What's he doing and what am I going to drink??? Finally, after a tear from me and a few from him, he runs out of the kitchen with this bottle in his hands - he's looks pretty impressed with himself (damned if I know why....) and thinks he's going to feed me. What? A bottle? Hmmm, not too sure about this? Does he really know what he's doing - I don't think so....

Well, that wasn't too bad. Not the same as mum but not too bad. If this is what it's going to be like, he better get used to making these bottles quicker or I'm going to raise hell on him. We went back to the hospital to take mum some clothes and see how she was. She was a bit dopey and she still wouldn't feed me but that's ok, dad brought another one of those bottles (between you and me - he might be getting the hang of this you know...). We spent some time with mum and then said goodbye to go home. Dad and I spent the night at home and got some sleep. We had a feed at 1 and then again at 5 in the morning (dad looks a bit funny in the wee hours of the morning - he walks funny too!).

Sunday - the start of a new week - but hold on... where's mum??? Oh ooooh... dad is going to try and give me a bath. Now you see, I like baths (I get a bit cold but I do like my baths). But, I think I'm going to make this a little more interesting for dad... let's see what happens if I wriggle like there's no tomorrow.... (dad - bathing a baby is like trying to bath an octopus!!!). Well, now that was fun - you should have seen dad's face. Now, oh damn.... you've got to be kidding... mum??? What were you thinking? You've let me with dad to dress me? I hope he get's this colour coordination thing you've got going right? Well done Dad - safe bet too - Classic White (white underclothes, white suit and white socks - how can we go wrong???). Well that's it, bags are packed - let's hit the road. First stop - The Dubai World Trade Centre site. Dad has a quick meeting and we get to show off. Now, off to see mum. Mum's doing ok. Now, off to dad's work. Wow, look at all these people again. Back to see mum before her second operation (this one to remove her gall bladder). Back to work with dad for a while (man, he really needs to clean that desk of his!). The afternoon we spent with mum after her operation, then back to dad's office for another meeting. Then, back to see mum before we went home. We got home and dad fed me another one of those bottle so I thought I'd keep life interesting for him - this time instead of only taking say 60ml of the bottle, I guzzled 120ml of it - then, the interesting part - I proceed to projectile vomit half of it back up (first on my chair and blanket, then on the lounge) - man you should see dad run when I do that - it is SOOOO funny.

Well, night nights... I'm off to bed (I think I'll try and give dad a run for his money tonight and not go to sleep straight away.....).

Bye bye.... Patrick.

Patrick - One Week Old!

Hello Everyone :)

It's me, Patrick - I am one week old today! Mummy and Daddy cannot believe I am here already and that 9 months of pregnancy is finally over, let alone that I am already one week old. Mummy says to tell you that I really am a perfect baby (so far) - I sleep well (I am even sleeping better at night time) and my feeding is improving and I am now above my birthweight (after dropping a little in hospital - which is completely normal)! We saw the Paediatrician yesterday - she said I am doing well. She listened to my heart and said it sounded good and strong! I have a little jaundice (very very mild) but that will clear up and be gone in about a week or 2. It is worse under some light than others. I had a hearing test in hospital and passed with flying colours - what a relief!

Daddy says to tell you that he loves me more and more everyday (which I know because he loves kissing and cuddling me and telling me how much he loves me). I know mummy loves me this much too because she does the same. I have changed alot from when I was born and Mum and Dad both say that I am absolutely perfect - I know I am not (quite).....but I am pretty darn close!!!

Most people say I look like Mum - Dad agrees.....he says I have mum's chin, her nose (it is even always cold like hers) and probably her eyes - for now anyway. Mummy says I have Daddy's gorgeous smile....you know the one where only half my lips move up to meet my eye. Anyone who knows Dad well, will know this smile :)

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has rung, text messaged or emailed Mummy and Daddy since I was born. They cried at some of the messages (but they weren't sad because they had smiles on their faces).

Mummy has put some of their favourite photos onto Facebook, so if you want to take a look, follow the link. You can then add it to your favourites list and check it when you have time, as the photo collection grows very quickly. Mum and Dad are forever sticking the video camera or digital camera in my face, so as you can imagine, there are lots of photos to share :) There is a link on the right hand side panel of this page, in the facebook archive section.

Well, thats me pretty tired now, so I am going to go and have some cuddles with Mum and Dad before I go back to sleep.

Lots of love, hugs and kisses,
Patrick

x

P.S. Thank you to my God-Parents (Kalee & Ben) for the beautiful flowers you sent us in hospital. This is a photo of how beautiful they were!

Just a few more piccies.....

These are a few pics taken on my phone, so the quality isn't the best (so it is no point trying to print them) but thought I would share them anyway, cause they are quite cute (if you ask me).

.