Its been a sad few days for the Healey family lately. Mark’s Uncle Thom passed away on thursday after a long battle with Cancer.

I only had the pleasure of meeting Uncle Thom once, and it was on one of my very first trips to America. It was Christmas day and we had all gone out to Gram’s house for a big old Christmas Dinner. Being somewhat chilly outside, we had all bundled up really well, and I wore my new green cashmere turtleneck sweater from my future mother-in-law. So into Gram’s sweet little house on the Cape we all crammed, and the Christmas spirit was upon us. An enormous spread lay before us, and we all adjusted our waistbands to do it justice. I was perhaps understandably nervous being the newcomer and all, and pretty soon I felt a prickly heat creeping up my neck. New turtleneck perhaps? That and nerves maybe? Or could it be the 80 degree heat that Gram had pumping into the house. Pretty soon I was as red as a tomato and very aware of it too. Beads of sweat were gathering on my brow. I sheepishly I took a little peak up at my neighbors, Uncle Thom, and Mark. Sure enough Uncle Thom as going a beautiful shade of red too. “Hot enough to melt the butter in here” he cracked, and sure enough the butter was literally a pool in its fancy bowl. It was exactly what I needed to relax, and Mark and I snorted with laughter.

He knew just how to make you laugh. I only met Uncle Thom once but I will never forget how at ease he made me feel, what a ready smile he had and how eager he was to share it.
The world is a lesser place without him, thats for sure.

Mint.com has a drill-down on how you can pull it off:

If you are looking to save money without sacrificing the movies and shows you enjoy, there is an option to fit every budget. Here are three ways to optimize your cost-per-channel ratio.

Before Benjamin was born, Jude and I decided we were going to travel as much as we could during the first year. There was no doubt about it: we were going to bring Ben to meet his Zimbabwean family. What we didn’t know was that my brother was going to marry the woman of his dreams in New York City just 90 days after Benjamin was born. We also weren’t sure that we’d find ourselves in the California desert, on the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, the beaches of Newport, or in our favorite city on the planet — Cape Town. What a year, indeed.

Thanks to this handy little website, I was able to quickly add up how far the three of us flew the past nine months. Since December 2009, Benjamin, Jude and I have traveled just over 33,000 miles. That’s 3 continents and a total of nearly 70 hours in the air. I can’t begin to guess how many more hours we spent in trains, buses, rental cars — pushing our stroller around carrying 50 pounds of gear. It’s easy to say we’d do it all over again if we had the chance, but it’s even easier saying that we’ve already done it and once is enough. We earned the memories and the photographs we made.

Here are a few tips if you plan on flying across the world with your baby.

1. Be patient and remember you’re having fun.
2. Break the flight up into 15 minute sections. It’s easier to digest 15 minutes at a time instead of thinking about how you’re going to survive the next 7 and a half hours. Also, avoid the Moving Map channel. That little plane and estimated arrival time will drive you insane.
3. If you can, try to book flights which depart around a usual nap. Wheels up = nap time.
4. Take more than you need. More everything. More food. More diapers. More wipes. More clothes. Yeah, it’s true: you’ll be the guy in the airport you always said you would never be, but weather and airline schedules don’t get along too well.
5. Find a dollar store and buy a handful of kitchen utensils, like spatulas and measuring cups, or a rubber ball and a slinky. It’s cheap entertainment and bringing out a new toy every hour makes the world turn.
6. Save yourself a lot of trouble and buy an umbrella stroller. We own the UPPA G-Luxe, and the thing is G. Check it plane side when you board, and pray it comes back with four wheels. Ours didn’t, so have a contingency plan when you arrive in Africa and the grounds crew says “I don’t think the other wheels are coming; you better go.”
7. If you have a nice flight crew, go stand in the galley after the meal is served and they’re not cleaning up. Have you ever seen how many knobs, buttons, lights, switches, cabinets, drawers, and sliding things there are in there? It’s a boy’s paradise. Just watch the coffee pot. That one is usually hot.
8. Do not let other people’s comments or dirty faces bother you. If needed, remind them they are ugly and they were a baby once, too.
9. If you’re crossing time zones, be prepared to be up all night when you arrive. Babies don’t like being on different time zones any more than adults do. And being up all night can be fun (if you can sleep all day).
10. Don’t read too much about flying with a baby before you actually do. You know, like this site that has 20 tips for how to survive a flight. Much like anything else, you just gotta do it.
11. Make lots of photographs. Memory cards are cheap.

36,000 feet

Cape Point, South Africa

Cape Point, South Africa

Table Mountain, Cape Town

Check out our new front door, letting in lots of nice light (featuring the international supermodel, Holly).

Honey, now about those shelves I was talking about…

Benjamin is always trying his hardest to sit up. Grunting and loudly complaining if he is anything except for bolt upright. So today I decided to crack open the bumbo and see what he thought of it….He was a little surprised and first, and then spent the next 5 minutes trying to figure out how to get out of it. More grunting and letting his feelings be heard!

I love my lamb!! It’s nose is now well worn in with love – all matted and wet and the beginnings of a bald spot.

Holding Dad’s favorite toy from when he was a baby – the coloured ball.

I have been playing with a phone app called Polarize that my new sister-in-law Alexis recommended to me, it’s kinda funky and fun!

Today (two months and three weeks old) was the first day that Benjamin successfully reached for something and managed to grab it. Sure it was a bit of a shaky grab, but it still counts!!! As a side note I think he is going to be a righty as the left hand was not as quick off the blocks.

…and of course as with anything Benjamin, it had to involve his mouth!

November has come and gone so quickly, most of it being spent getting used to our new schedule (or lack there of!) with Benjamin and the chaos we leave in our wake. The night feedings are getting more tolerable, the days are full of giggles and smiles. He is a strong little man, always trying to get somewhere. We are having to buckle him into everything now, and not leave him alone on anything for a second as he inches off things pretty quickly now – I break into a sweat just thinking about when he starts to crawl as I know that Benjamin will never be one to sit still…just like his Dad and Grandy! He has discovered his fists, drools like a champ, and has decided that naps during the daytime are for sissies. His personality is coming out stronger every day, and we are finding a very determined, yet smiley and goodnatured little lad that is always ready to smile and burrow his head into the crook of your neck.

We are learning all about the joys of reflux, gluten intolerance and food allergies. Thank goodness for Mark’s sisters Stephanie and Diana who have been a wealth of knowledge for us. Stephanie has first hand experience with gluten sensitivity, and we are very grateful for her lead in this confusing world of tests, genetics and learning a new way of eating. In spite of all these new challenges for Ben, he is growing at a rate of knots! At two months, he now clocks in at 14 pounds 4 ounces, and is very tall at 24 3/4 inches! He is in the 90+% for all of his measurements which is wonderful!  In one old lady’s words “he sure is husky!” And indeed he is.

Hamming it up:

Learning the indignity of bad hats (on a side note, Benjamin is totally going to be that kid who gets his tongue frozen to the lamp post):

Copy Cat:

Bedtime stories:

Nap attack! If Holly knew how close she was lying to Benjamin, she would have had a heart attack:

It’s not too late to do your grocery shopping — and if you’re looking for gluten-free alternatives, don’t miss her Thanksgiving Guide. The cranberry apple pie is delish!

It felt a little silly to dress Benjamin up for Halloween this year as he is so small, however we were given this hand knitted adorable little pumpkin hat and I could not resist getting the poor guy out there for a mini photo shoot in it with Mark’s carved pumpkin. Benjamin looks very unamused, and I am sure this is a photo that will resurface in years to come ie. 21st birthday praps! It turns out there is a very similar photograph of Mark taken with a pumpkin when he was a little older than Benjamin, so I am going to have to dig that out to do a little father-son comparison. Watch this space!

Now the next series of photos are not to be misunderstood! I want to point out that contrary to how it may look, we are NOT getting a lot of sleep at all. In fact, all that these photos show is that he is a darn cute and has a sweet fat tummy that I can’t resist. Enjoy!

Of course we have to start with Holly…

Daddy time:

Play time:

We have been totally spoilt by family and friends with the most generous gifts. Check out the beautiful handmade quilt from the Nanster!!! She made two miniature ones just in case we lose one and a crisis evolves! Good thinking!

Baby shoes, baby shoes, baby shoes – you can’t beat them:

Happy family – happy Mom…

happy Dad…

happy baby …

and it all falls apart when we get to the golden retriever! Poor thing, life is a little challenging for her at the moment. She can’t quite understand what all the fuss is about.

We were lucky enough to have Mark’s Mom Rosemary to stay for a few days. She was on official baby duty dashing between our house and Mark’s sister Stephanie’s house, as Stephanie had a gorgeous little girl called Sarah just two days before Benjamin arrived. Thank you for all your amazing help Rosemary, you made it all seem far less daunting!

The first bath!!! It took an awful lot of convincing to get me to give Benjamin his first bath, which we did when he was 1 week 1 day old. I didn’t want to wash off his newborn smell, but I knew I eventually would have to cave and do it! Luckily Rosemary  was here to show us the ropes. Benjamin was not as opposed to the water as I thought he would be, and he loved the olive oil massage afterwards. Much to all of our surprise, he came out blonde! His hair color reminds me of my Mum’s hair and I see a lot of my brother Myles in him.

Here are some random pics from around and about getting used to life with Benjamin.

Hanging with dad…

Almost caught that smile…..

From our site’s first post:

This is the new web-based home of Jude & Mark. Our family has recently expanded and now includes an aging golden retriever and three-mode newborn baby boy, Benjamin.

We’ve got family and friends scattered around the world, and we will be using this fancy little website to broadcast news, photography, and more from our home at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Enjoy!

In Saratoga Springs, New York, reports The Saratogian, controversy has erupted over the Marino family’s desire to let son Adam ride his bike to Maple Avenue Middle School.

Before the first day of classes last week, officials actually placed calls telling parents not to permit kids to bike or walk. The Marinos, regular bike riders, defied the “rule” — school officials can’t dictate how kids get to school any more than they can tell parents which make of car to drive. They were greeted outside by school personnel and a New York state trooper.

World Changing continues with more ridiculousness.

The Marinos aren’t alone. A recent New York Times back-to-school piece profiles similar cases in which parents who permit their kids to walk and bike are met with raised eyebrows, or worse. One mother in Mississippi was threatened with a child endangerment charge for letting her 10-year-old walk a mile to soccer practice after passersby saw the boy and called 911. Another in Vancouver, British Columbia, was left waiting and worrying for her first grader after school officials prevented him from walking himself home — a distance of six houses.

I vividly remember walking to and from school each day from first to sixth grade with my younger brother, and loved every minute of it. Perhaps my mother was worried about the two of us being abducted. I know I’ll worry about Benjamin when it’s his turn. Looking back, it felt like a five mile walk. Google Maps tells me the route is only 0.6 miles — 12 quick minutes! The fresh New Hampshire air early in the morning was energizing as a little guy, and nothing felt better at the end of the day than breaking free from the nuns that taught us social studies and geometry.

It is sad to see schools feel the need to put these types of rules in place. These days, it’s more important than ever to get kids outside away from the dreaded television, video games, and Internet… walking, riding or chasing each other down the street. The trick, of course, is moving to a house that leads to school up-hill both ways.

Weighing in at 8 pounds 12 ounces (3.9kg), 23.5 inches long (59.69 cm), he is a healthy and hefty little boy. He is a lot bigger than I expected (although it explained my enormous stomach) and our doula said she had never seen such a long baby delivered before! He is just beautiful and has us totally enchanted.  We feel so blessed that he is not only finally with us, but is also so healthy and strong.

What a blessing indeed!

We’ve got family and friends scattered around the world, and we will be using this fancy little website to broadcast news, photography, and more from our home at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Enjoy!

I’ve been listening to Joe on Red Sox radio my whole life, and with any luck, he’ll keep covering the games long into my unborn child’s life — similarly to how Johnny Most covered the Celtics until he practically couldn’t talk anymore. We’re still a month away from meeting Baby Healey, but I’m of the opinion you can never start preparing someone too early to become a member of Red Sox Nation.

I’m very proud to share that she has just launched a brand-new version of her successful website featuring a new design, fresh navigation, new sections, and even a shop. Stop on by at glutenfreebynature.com, and let her know what you think of the new digs.

ALA #270 has more work-from-home tips, including links to web-based tools, pre-fab home office buildings for your yard, and more.

How on earth do I actually create really delicious food without the gluten ? Food that is still fun to share with the people you love – even the non-celiacs?! This blog has become a chronicle of my culinary journey. This is how much I care about food. About my family. About what a privilege it is to create something in the kitchen that can be shared with the people you love.

Stephanie’s an excellent chef, and these recipes are no doubt winners. They’re quick, easy, healthy and wholesome. We tried her beer bread and lemon dill dip today — yum.

Diabetes is treatable with the proper medication, but you cannot beat it nor can you erase the effects it has on your body.

Diabetes is anything but minor. It wreaks havoc on the entire body, affecting everything from hearing and vision to sexual function, mental health and sleep. It is the leading cause of blindness, amputations and kidney failure, and it can triple the risk for heart attack and stroke.

“It is a disease that does have the ability to eat you alive,� said Dr. John B. Buse, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine who is the diabetes association’s president for medicine and science. “It can be just awful — it’s almost unimaginable how bad it can be.�

More at well.blogs.nytimes.com.

Our inflation is now over 1 million %. Cash exchange rate was yesterday sitting around Z$865,000,000 to 1 US$, and I expect it will be higher today. We now have “banknotes” in 5, 25, and 50 billion $ denominations. Zim is in a crazy mixed up state.

Zimbabwe’s presidential election was held this past Saturday and media organizations around the world are widely reporting the end is possibly near for the country’s ruthless dictator, President Robert Mugabe. Although it’s entirely unclear what transpired this Tuesday, one thing is for sure: all of us anxiously awaiting the results of the election are forced to wait yet again.

Both sides — the ZANU-PF and MDC — are still playing against one another. Some high-ranking ZANU-PF officers have told reporters that Mugabe is meeting with aides and the MDC to determine an “exit strategy” while the MDC spokesman says he has heard nothing of such meetings. (Surprise, surprise.)

Judes and I are watching closely on the BBC and other world news sites, and have our champagne on ice if Mugabe’s day has finally come.

The NY Times reports:

The government of President Robert G. Mugabe, battered by hyperinflation, said it would begin issuing new currency beginning Friday: $1 million, $5 million and $10 million notes. The highest existing note, introduced just last month, is $750,000. The new $10 million note is the equivalent of about $4 in American currency [emphasis added, Ed.] at the black market exchange rate used by most Zimbabweans. A hamburger at an ordinary cafe costs about $15 million in Zimbabwe money, or $6 American. Cash has dried up and long lines have become a feature at banks and A.T.M.’s.

We’ve got family visiting with us this week between African hunting and safari shows in Dallas and Reno, and they’re returning to Zimbabwe at the end of January after being in the States for nearly a month. How things have changed since they left.

Early this morning, Zimbabwe time, my wife’s mother, Jane, passed away. While we struggle to grasp the events that have transpired since we went to sleep last night, we’ve spent the past 4 hours on this beautiful Thursday morning crying, laughing, and remembering a life not lived, but truly lived. Jane McCallum, 68, was, in a word, magnificent. And she will be missed. We travel back to Africa tomorrow to say goodbye and to celebrate a life of love.

Jude and I traveled to Zimbabwe earlier this year; here’s a brief collection of some great photographs of Jane from that trip.