Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!

At the end of a hard year - much harder than we'd anticipated, in many ways - we weren't really feeling the Christmas spirit. Going into the summer solstice didn't really help with that either. But we finally got our act together, unpacked the Christmas tree, opened the box of lights and ornaments, put on some holiday music, and settled in to read How the Grinch stole Christmas.

Christmas tree 2008 How the Grinch stole Christmas

On Christmas eve, we put a collection of gifts from family and friends under the tree, turned on the lights, and it looked quite cheery after all.
Christmas morning

Not a white Christmas
Christmas day was quite laid back and relaxed, a chance for us to catch our breaths a little. One thing it was not: a white Christmas. It was bright and warm and very sunny, a typical Aussie Christmas.

We hope all our readers had a pleasant and very merry Christmas: best wishes for the holidays and the New Year ahead.



Ollie in Santa hat

Monday, December 01, 2008

Looking back, part 2: Grandparents visit

Grandparents(October – November, 2007)

We want to take a moment once again to look back and acknowledge some special visitors we've had since Oliver's birth.

Less than a week after we brought Oliver home from the hospital, Oliver's grandparents, his Thamma and his Dadu, arrived from India. It was such a difficult time (they could tell you some stories!) that those early weeks at home have become a bit of a blur for us. Having Shami's parents here was a tremendous help, and in fact we're not sure we would have survived without them.

Feeding time A nap with Thamma
Notice how the lovely sari Ollie's Thamma is wearing on the left miraculously turns into a special heirloom blanket, complete with an embroidered "OA" for Oliver Akash! Thank you Thamma!

Meghan and Maini
Although we were mostly housebound and too exhausted to do much of anything beyond what was absolutely necessary, we did manage to get out a few times to show them some of Sydney's sights, including a couple of walks along the coast and a stop at Bondi beach. Ollie even dipped his toes into the Tasman sea for the first time, but he was not impressed.


At Bondi beach

It was not just their help with meals, cleaning and caring for Oliver we are grateful for, but their boundless love and emotional support. We are so glad they were able to come and meet their first grandchild early on, even if the circumstances were far from the happy ones we'd envisioned.

Three generations Meghan and Maini

All dressed up: three generations of Chatterjee men. And Oliver with his mum and Thamma too.