Happy Halloween!

It is already Halloween in Melbourne! Granma gave us a spooky cat and jack-o-lantern candleholder that she brought all the way back from her recent trip to Ireland.

Lili gave us a tasty homemade shepherd's pie with pumpkin, scary spider cake, and a jack-o-lantern.

Mama is making a costume for Jackson to wear to a party for under-8's here in Williamsburg, where we are temporarily residing.

More on that soon...

Dog Group!

Jackson loves going to the dog group that meets most days in the park behind Lili's house. Here he is with Tonka and Rosie.

He has really taken up with Simon, Tonka's owner who lives across the street from Liza.

Here he is back with in Ben in Lili's lovely back yard.

At Lili's House

Jackson has been spending time at Lili's while Mama and Daddy get things all set up here in Melbourne.







Next: fun with Lili, Ben, and the dog group...

Arriving in Melbourne

Jackson and Daddy arrived in Melbourne from Singapore about 2 weeks ago:

Jackson got to see Oscar and Felix again.

But he was SO tired he fell asleep mid-play!

Jackson: Walking!

Here's a video Lili took of Jackson taking some of his first big steps at her house last week!

All About Jackson At 14 Months!

Mama made a list all about Jackson for him to take with him to Australia:

SUPPLIES: BASICS TO HAVE ON HAND

• Wipes (eco/unscented/sesnitive are best)
• Nappies (for 22+lb/11+kg active babies)
• Formula (“growing up” milk)
• Sliced meat (chicken, turkey, ham—preferably with no salt or water added)
• Chicken breast for grilling or baking
• White fish
• Cheddar cheese
• Fruit (berries, banana,s apples, peaches, melon)
• Vegetables (broccoli, potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, green beans)
• Pickled gherkins
• Wholewheat bread
• Pita bread
• Pasta shapes (small)
• Pasta sauce (tomato with vegetable or tomato and cheese)
• Rice
• Snack bars
• Vegetable crisps designed for toddlers
• Houmous
• Yogurt (no sugar or sweeteners; plain or fruit)

If possible, food should be organic with only natural flavourings, and no added sugar, salt or water.

Jackson can eat most grown-up foods now; a little sugar, salt and seasoning is fine in this case. He’ll need most things chopped up a bit, but he can feed himself non-liquidy items.

Perhaps if Liza is making lamb and veggies for the dogs she could do extra for him, since he likes things cooked plainly as well.

Frozen pre-chopped vegetables or tinned vegetables (NO sugar or salt added) are the easiest way to stock up on and prepare veggies. It’s also easier to just freeze meat and fish.

SCHEDULE

6 – 7:30am Jackson wakes up, has a bottle (5oz, prepared night before), and gets dressed

8:00 Breakfast :sliced toast with a little butter and sliced fruit (especially berries and peaches)

10:30 Bottle (6 oz) and nap in cot

12:00pm Lunch: use items from supply list, or give what you’re having

3:00 Snack: banana, yogurt, or snack bar

5:00 Hors d’oeuvres: banana, yogurt, or snack bar

6 – 6:30 Dinner: similar options as lunch

7:00 Bath, teeth brushed, hair combed and bottle (8oz)

7:30 – 8:00pm Jackson goes to bed

SOME MEAL SUGGESTIONS

Deli meat and cheese with broccoli and corn
Pasta shapes with sauce
Pita bread with humous and cheese
Grilled chicken breast with steamed carrots and potatoes
Rice with chopped cooked vegetables in pasta sauce
Ham and cheese sandwich with a little mayo and vegetable crisps or pickles
Yogurt or fruit for dessert
Whatever you’re having!

WORDS JACKSON KNOWS (TO PRACTICE)

Mama, Daddy, Piper, Jackson, high-five!, cat, dog, duck, quack, bird, leaf, shoes, socks, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, bath, bottle, snack, cheese, potato, toast, broccoli, strawberry, water, bye-bye, goodnight, hello, kiss, cuddle, hug, nappy, toes, up, down, uh –oh, bus (“beep beep”), owl (“hoo hoo”)

Other words you can work on are names of people and pets, body parts, clothes, food, and animals—anything and everything! Work on one or two a day. Once he hears a word once, it sticks with him!

SOME FAVOURITE BOOKS JACKSON KNOWS BY NAME

Brown Bear, Where’s the Baby?, Janet and John, the Ladybug Book, Boo! (Baby), Goodnight Moon, Mog books, the Kitten Book, the Farm Book, the Zoo Book, Eye to Eye

(Please make sure to read books together each day—he will usually bring them to you to read!)

OTHER WAYS TO HAVE FUN

Colour/draw with crayons
Sort shapes
Go through drawers/boxes (you can make him his own with safe objects)
Play with safe kitchen utensils (let him take them in and out of a box)
Stack and knock down blocks or stacking cups
Swim
Go to playgrounds/parks or walk around the neighbourhood
Look at photographs and talk about the people and animals
Climb up and down stairs
Get to know pet friends
Practice walking

SLEEPING COMFORTABLY

Use the monitor’s temperature to know how to dress Jackson for bed:

21 C and below: woolly footed sleep suit, or long sleep suit with grow bag
22 C – 23 C: long footless sleep suit only
24 C and above: short pajamas

Make sure there are friends like Leopard and Dog waiting in his cot.

Whether he has a bath or not, always brush his teeth and comb his hair last thing and call out goodnight to loved ones. As you go into the darkened room together say something like: “goodnight everyone and goodnight everything; goodnight Jackson”.

Jackson's First Haircut

Jackson was in desperate need of a haircut before he left for Australia!

We went to Mama's hairdressers, but he wasn't in, so his assistant cut Jackson's hair.

She did a great job considering Jackson spent most of the time shaking his head and standing up to dance to the Foo Fighters playing on the stereo!

Bye Bye Brighton

Daddy and Jackson left for our new life in Melbourne last Sunday!

We shipped a lot of boxes to Melbourne

We put the house up for sale (before then deciding to rent it out for awhile instead).

We booked some parking spaces for the movers

We had a going away party that all our friends and neighbours attended, including John (who was dressed exactly like Jackson).

And we said goodbye to Sunshine Nursery, especially Jackson's special carer, Ida.

Goodbye London

Last Saturday we all went up to Hampstead Heath.
Jackson had never been to Mama and Daddy's favourite spot in London.
We had a picnic and enjoyed the view from Parliament Hill.

Fun in Devon: Woolacombe

We are in the midst of moving-to-Melbourne chaos, so here is the final installment from our trip to Devon, where, on our way home, we stopped off at the beach resort town of Woolacombe.

Being England in summertime, it was freezing, but that didn't stop Daddy and Jackson from going out into the water...

...and touching the waves!

The sand was wet and messy and fun!