Excellent progress in every direction

In this quick update, our twin granddaughters who arrived earth-side at 28 weeks make excellent progress, our son Ben has a birthday, preparations for the delivery of our modular house are moving along, Lucy our grand dog improves and we take a break to visit our yachtie friends Sue and John. Oh and we begin to get ready for the arrival of our daughter Hannah, husband Pieter and our beautiful eight month old granddaughter!

Twin cuddles with mama

Our two tiny identical twin granddaughters continue to amaze us by growing bigger by the day and getting stronger as each week goes by.

Eva in the open crib but still with breathing apparatus on
The helmet won’t stay on for much longer
Putting on weight but still needing help to breathe
Eva now on high flow oxygen and looking positively chubby

Of course, there have been many ups and downs and some anxious times but our son Ben, and daughter-in-law Sarah, have remained strong and devoted, spending every single day from morning until night with their tiny daughters. 

Matilda still in her incubator
Matilda has a moment’s respite from her helmet
Another brief spell without her breathing apparatus
Matilda looking comfortable in her open crib
Eva loves sucking her thumb
Twin cuddles with Daddy
Eva enjoying a cuddle with Mum
So wonderful to pick up Eva without having to wait for a nurse to assist
Great to get rid of that helmet! The dummy (pacifier) looks massive but Eva is still very tiny

Meanwhile things have been moving along with the preparations for the delivery of our modular house. Water tanks were installed, the driveway widened, a pad cut for the house, retaining walls built and footings were installed. 

The truck carrying one of our water tanks drove past our driveway
Jonathan helping the driver turn round
The tanks are installed!
The house pad being prepared
Jonathan looking at the work done so far
What a transformation! And only two trees needed to be cut down (one was dead!)
The car port will be at the right of the picture and our “front” door will open from there straight into the house
The retaining walls are built and the footings are in
Exciting to see the footings installed
Looking at the site from the driveway
Chatting about getting power to our bush cottage
Soon there will be a house at the end of this driveway

Ben’s birthday came and went quietly but we did manage a celebration lunch in the pub near the Mater Hospital while the twins were sleeping.

Happy birthday to Ben
Indie likes helping to open presents
Lucy still bandaged from paw to shoulder but gradually getting better
She even feels up to a tug of war with Indie
We try to take the dogs for a big run most days
Indie looking like a champion

At the beginning of July we had a lovely few days with our boat buddies Sue and John, who were house sitting for friends in their lovely house on the Sunshine Coast (Sue and Reg, who we met when they stayed aboard Catabella – Sue and John’s catamaran – in Turkey and then Greece during 2023).

Cheers to being together again
The house we stayed in was very close to the beach
Gorgeous golden sand

We had a wonderful catch up and a really relaxing break.  It was also lovely to catch up with other yachtie friends, Jill and Shelley, who we first met in Turkey and who were now in the midst of a big caravan trip. 

Lovely to catch up with Jill and Shelley too

We had a great catch up with Sue and John’s friends Kim and Robert who we met when they stayed aboard Catabella at the same time as Sue and Reg. 

Learning to cook with Sue’s birthday gift from John
Sue (left), Kim and me
Morning tea at Kim and Robert’s
A beautiful home ….
……with fabulous views
Sue and John at the beach
Coolum Beach in a Brisbane winter – perfect!
We found a plaque that had become unstuck so J and J decided to fix it up
Fortunately John had a drill in his car
Fixed!

We have also been making preparations for the arrival from The Netherlands of our daughter and son-in-law and their eight-month old daughter. Such an exciting time coming up!

We have bought a few books, blocks and some toys
Cot at the ready
Teddy bears drying after a good clean in the washing machine

Comments

3 responses to “Excellent progress in every direction”

  1. Julia Challender Avatar
    Julia Challender

    So many exciting things to celebrate! Old friends, new house (and hip!), three lovely grandchildren – it’s wonderful to read about them all xxx

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  2. it’s all very exciting Dot . I hope the twins continue to make good progress .Have a lovely time with Hannah and family x

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    1. Thanks so much Tricia we appreciate your kind thoughts. The twins are definitely making progress which is wonderful to see x

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