Hope's moving up to her ejector car seat!

Barely 14 months in and Hope is being upgraded to a sport ejector car seat with side impact bars, racing straps and a bright orange glare.

Let's hope this doesn't give her a penchant for fast cars later in life...

Hope the Hippo recently turned 14 months!

I can't believe it's been 14 months since Hope was born!

This is a testament to how fast time flies!

Here's a picture of what our little angel looks like at the moment :-)

Happy five year anniversary to the (New) Johnstons! Wait ... That's us!

... And THAT is NOT us!

Charming card, Kat ;-)

Morning brunch with the (new) Johnston girls ... AND A WEDDING!

Attempting to get some sun for a change (the weather here has been somewhat erratic lately), we've headed off to Bloomberries (at Burgess Nursery) and we've been treated to a Saturday afternoon wedding!

How much fun!

It's about time

Hello World.

This blog is stirring.

How ironic that the active updates about our family life would cease just around the same time that we take our latest addition to the (new) Johnston family home. And that was eleven months ago!

I had plenty of ambitions to include a wonderful chronology of Hope's life at home as she grew up but being the perfectionist that I am, it's led to paralysis rather than development. Instead, I have decided that rather than trying to catch up eleven months of life in one go I'll just start updating you on our lives (and Hope's development) from now onwards. The actual chronology of Hope's life will be saved for her blog, which we have already established (as in, grabbed the URL) but I'll get around to that as soon as I can.

Hold on to your horses - things will surely get a little more interesting around this neck of the woods, and hopefully soon :)

Take it easy...

Great Parking!

I've discovered that it can be quite difficult to find parking in the Westville Hospital precinct, especially during the holiday season and with seven births in a single day (and all the associated family members and friends wanting to view the new arrival from 7:15pm to 8pm).

One way to ensure you beat the masses and get yourself a parking is to take a left at the end of the road as you enter, just before the entrance. There are a bunch of covered parkings reserved for doctors and such, but right at the end there's a little gem for those that find it... Covered parkings reserved exclusively for "visiting anaesthetist" and "visiting doctors" - so as long as you intend to visit a doctor or anaesthetist you have your very own covered parking! I haven't been able to find any "visiting patient" spots but I guess they consider that to be any other parking since it's usually fairly obvious that's what you're doing at the hospital.

Use this pearl of knowledge only for good and especially if you're planning to visit our little one!

Christmas giving ... And Christmas taking

Amongst all the highs and lows of the past few days (details to follow), tonight I returned home around 9pm with Megan and Phil. Megan let herself into the flat while I was receiving a consoling hug and offer for coffee from Bruce. A few moments later Megan popped out of the front door and asked me if I had moved my new TV. A bit flummoxed by the question I gave a cautious "no?" back...

"Then I'm sorry to say this but I think you've been robbed..."

And sure enough; our home has been ransacked!!

I came in to find the lounge a bit sparser than usual and our bedroom completely ransacked with everything out of cupboards and junk piled onto our bed.

My friends mobilised quickly and soon I was supported by around ten buddies (thanks to Greg for phoning the police and Brian for reaching the in-laws). A special response unit comprising of three vehicles and about ten cops were here within ten minutes of reporting the crime. Thereafter another unit showed up to take my statement.

It looks like they gained entry via a well-levered pitch fork on the lounge window (after climbing up the wall to get onto the balcony - no lean feat). Later on that evening Steve and I did a reconaissance around the perimeter and find two strategically placed logs on the electric fence which no doubt has been causing it to short circuit (which no doubt has been causing the random power trips over the weekend). The prime suspect is now a plumbing service because of the location of the intrusion on the property and the apparent inside knowledge.

Megan must have interrupted the crooks because she came into the flat to hear a loud bang (but obliviously went to the 'loo). Amongst the losses are Kat's designed engagement ring (I'm most disappointed about this and ...), Kat's varsity purse with mementos of our relationship from first date to engagement, Kat's digital camera, Kat's work laptop, my XBOX 360, my controllers for said XBOX 360, bizarrely - some of my XBOX games (it's like they picked which ones they wanted), my electric razor and our new FHD 40" LCD TV.

Phil discovered the TV wrapped up on the balcony, as well as a single "Scene it: Box Office Smash" XBOX 360 buzzer.

Kat and Hope's departure clothes from hospital were emptied out of a bag and the bag was missing too. However, I later discovered the bag wedged behind the front door with a netbook inside (a customer's).

What further suggests we busted their party is the presence of my laptop, the MP3 CD player, my digital photo screen (stuck in a menu mode), and the 22" HD LCD monitor.

I'm relieved to see my memory tapes (of past life moments, including wedding and honeymoon) were intact, as well as Kat's wedding band and our ID documents. It appears whomever did the deed knew exactly where to go. They even took some junk food we were given as a gift for Christmas as well as some fruit (I think)!

Luck also favored me because that day I took my laptop, my camcorder, and Wes Martin's camera to hospital for conenience / safe-keeping and it's darn good I did that or else our captured memories of Hope would be lost (not to mention the fancy Kit).

Still, not nice timing to have to deal with this or go through it :(

Awesome times!

I've just had Kat's lunch. It was beef and gravy stew with rice. Not too bad actually. With beetroot salad. I feel quite well looked after so so far I'd recommend this place to any couple having a baby.

In fact, this hospital is so big - I've been exploring new corners I didn't even know existed and getting lost for hours down the dark deep corridors. It's totally whack.

I think maybe I should head back soon. I may have missed the action. But the lunch was worth it '-)

JUST KIDDING - nothing happening right now apart from hoping that we don't need to do a caesar. Kat is channel hopping on the TV and I'm trying to get some Zzzz's.

Congrats to Simon & Bronwyn Clur on the safe arrival of baby Jake - the latest Springbok rugby player!

This is SPINAL TAP!

Well, no, not quite. It's supposed to be spinal block, but even then that's not quite right anyway, but "this is epidural!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

What an experience! This baby birthing thing isn't like in the movies! There's hours of waiting around, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, needing to haul up to 1st floor to use the 'loo and being asked to leave the room all the time! True, they served breakfast, but still - this isn't the Ritz. Two slices of toast, some jam and yoghurt, and a muffin. And to be asked to keep an eye on the drip bag! Such nerves! I think I should suggest more comfortable pillows and perhaps another bed for me to rest in next time.

Oh hang on, you want to know about Kat? Well, she's hanging in there just great. They've done the epidural, but they kind of forced it on her. I did the right husbandly thing and dug my heels in between the 6'6" Czeckoslovakian and Kat and made sure after several mini discussions to-and-fro that it was the best option at the time. The nursing staff kind of tried to defuse the tension but in the end after making absolutely sure that Kat was okay with it I let it proceed. I admit I was becoming a bit protective but I think they also realised without our consent they couldn't do anything.

Prior to the epidural they gave Kat an enema. Quite a simple procedure but it was obviously a unique experience. When they inserted a catheter (she's like a human pin-cushion - I haven't even mentioned the IV drip! Ok, so now I have...) it ruptured the waters so we are all good to go now.

ETA is now 4pm to 6pm. Dr. Czarnocki is still happy with everything so all systems are go!

Allow me to make In(tro)ductions

It's even more official now. Despite early concerns that our baby's heart rate was relatively low and that there was a lot more protein in Kat's urine sample, and the added implications towards a C-section, the doctor arrived all bright and cheery, checked out the readings and decided we are still good to go.

Turns out Hope's sleeping patterns were as Kat predicted and she started giving more favorable readings.

Dr. Czarnocki is a really great doctor - very smooth and friendly and always jovial. Really nice doctor to have available. He says in around 2 hours things should start to happen now that he's inserted The Gel.

The nursing staff says it's the right time to evict the passenger because bloods and vitals are showing signs for concern. The doc also made an observation to the nursing staff about our expecting chromosomal abnormalities but don't know if that had any relevance to the heart rate.

T-minus two hours...

The Long Walk to "Freedom"

That certainly is a misnomer this morning, by all accounts of experienced parents :)

Sadly, we weren't told to get pre-authorisation so now we have a slight pickle. Not a big pickle; more like a cocktail onion pickle rather than a spicy gherkin pickle. At any rate, I've secured Kat a private ward at extra cost (R1030 extra!!) but it's worth it, especially if we need some time together to adjust to any potential complications.

This is where it all happens!

This is going to be our home, for a while. May as well get comfortable I guess ;)

Less than twelve hours to go!

Yes! I know! So much so soon! So fast! So crazy!

Kat is at risk of pre-eclampsia, so we are moved forward to 4am Monday morning to induce labour! I feel so freaked out! We certainly aren't prepared but with all the friends and family supporting us at least we'll be somewhat ready!

Will keep you all posted as soon as there's something worth commenting on...

Kat and I are just trying to enjoy our final countdown now until life changes for us and our little family forever!

NINE WEEKS TO GO!!

The old adage "time flies" certainly is frighteningly true! I can't wait to meet my little girl, but at the same time I don't feel anywhere near ready to be an awesome dad (look at the pictures on the left to get my drift)!

63 more days until Friday, 31 December 2010.

Also, I noticed last week I made a funny - "final stretch". Haha, funny for me, not funny for Kat :(

TEN WEEKS TO GO!!

As of today there are officially TEN WEEKS to go until the Expected Due Date (EDD) of our little baby.

In other words; 70 days until Friday, 31 December 2010.

I suppose one could say the final stretch has commenced!