From Business Suits to Backpacks to Babies

I can't believe our little boy, Jackson Christopher Burke, is two weeks old today! At two weeks old, he is a wriggly, hungry caterpillar who is incredibly patient with us (except when he is hungry), loves tummy time with his daddy and is a cuddly little koala. But i have skipped over a bit of time since our last blog post, so, i will go back and fill in some of the blanks.

After our trip to Thailand in January, it was back to Dubai and all systems go getting ourselves ready for impending parenthood. We finally finished our bathroom renovations which meant goodbye bath/shower combination which involved a death-defying leap every time we wanted to have a shower (especially with my expanding belly!) and hello to a beautiful new bathroom complete with a walk-in shower and rain-shower shower head. Bliss! I imagine our water bills are going to skyrocket but it is a complete joy and worth every minute of the 5 weeks or so that it took to complete.

My mum also visited Dubai in March and was here for Jackson's baby shower. It was a beautiful warm March day in Dubai and we had a great time in the garden complete with make your own baby bibs and guess the belly size games (some were a little kinder than others). It was so lovely to catch up with the many wonderful women that we have met while being in Dubai. A big thank you to Danielle and Rachel for organising the shower and for all the ladies who attended.

And now for the main event....of 2015...of our lives so far! At 1:44pm on April 5th 2015, Jackson Christopher Burke, weighing 3.1kg and 53cm long, finally graced us with his presence. He shares his birthday with the likes of Bette Davis, Spencer Tracy and Colin Powell and almost shared his birthday with his Mum and his new cousin, Jacob Burke, our little nephew born 2 days later to Damien and Renee! I couldn't think of a more special 32nd birthday present!

It was a scheduled caesarean since Jackson stubbornly refused to turn around. On the plus side it meant that his birth was a calm, planned affair. Full of nervous excitement, we left for the hospital at 10am, checked into our room (with views of the Burj Alarab) and then at 1pm, I was wheeled off to the operating room. 44 minutes later, Jackson was pulled into the world. After a few slaps on the back, he let out a magnificent cry and was soon being cradled in the arms of a teary and very proud new dad. Such a beautiful little boy.

So... Jackson... hopefully one day you will read our blog. Here are a few words just for you:

Your Dad and I hope you will always know, from our words and our actions, how much we love and cherish you. We waited a long time for you to join us and we are so excited about what the future holds for us as a family. Always be yourself, and trust that we will love and support you no matter what. At two weeks old there is so much in front of you, but know that we will always be beside you, holding your hand, loving you always. Welcome to the world baby boy, let's have some fun and adventures together!

//Kate

and a few more pictures.....