I can’t believe it!
Last time I wrote it was 34 days to go and now there are only eight-teen sleeps left!

Wow! Things are steaming ahead.

Two weeks ago our leather couches, motorcycle and billiard table where still lurking around and now they’re gone!
Thank you Lord – we prayed about everyone of these items and one by one we sold them for reasonable prices.

We even got down on our knees for Phoenix’s unabridged birth certificate and the next day we had it sorted.

We are flying to New Zealand fully legal, we all have the correct passports and visa’s.

The only thing we still need is a good job and we are sorted. Even that won’t be a problem. Why would God drop me now?
I haven’t been unemployed for longer than two months since 1991. Cool.

Phoenix has had his first ever visit to the hospital (ok besides when he was born). Five days ago he was so exited when Melissa and I got home after work that he ran straight into the couch. He smashed his top lip so hard that the weird little piece of skin between your gums and lip ripped in half – Youch! He didn’t cry much and it seems as if it has already healed. I think we had a bigger fright than he did.

He is real piece of work. Not naughty at all and he keeps himself busy by playing with his toys and he loves his Barney Coloring Book.
He will be an artist like his dad – that’s for sure.

On Tuesday our worldly goods were packed by the moving company and sent off to the warehouse where it will be put into a container headed for New Zealand. We’ll probably see our stuff in two or three months time.

Very weird to be in our big empty house. Weird and exciting.

My mother-in-law Estee is visiting and besides her setting off the alarm every other morning we are really enjoying her company.
Watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night – it was, in the words of my mother in law, fair to mediocre.


Cheers,

Dan

Coloring with Ouma Estee



All of our boxes in front of our house



In the truck heading off to the container


Phoenix's first trip to Emergency. Melissa had to wear a mask to protect her from swine-flu

16 August Bubble fun

Just to show that we do still have some fun, even with all the planning, packing, Stressing & moving.

A couple of pics of our little poser! (He really does strike a pose whenever he sees a camera!)

One of Phoenix's favorite things in the world - BUBBLES!!

34 Days to go

Wow, only 34 days!!
We had such a blessed week and month! Here is a short list of things we were REALLY worrying about:

1. Selling the Pathfinder - this was basically the only thing we owe money on. We have property, but we are renting it out, so that is covered.


2. Selling our Leather-couch set - it is huge, and whenever someone is interested they tell us it's to big once they've seen it. We can't take it over-seas with us, and we don't want to put it in storage either.


3. Selling our snooker table.


4. And for me, the BIGGEST worry was getting my & Phoenix's Visa's in time.

So after lots of prayer and Faith:

1. Pathfinder sold, rather quick .
2. Leather-couch set sold and picked up Yesterday.
3. Snooker table, we do have a buyer for it. It looks like he will be taking it next week some time.
4. The Visa's, well, what a story! We handed in my Visa application at New-Zealand High Commission 2 and a half weeks ago. We got an e-mail from them requesting our son's Visa application as well, basically saying mine can't be fully processed without Phoenix's with. We told them that we are short one document, and they said we should hand in what we've got, they'll then start processing his, and then just wait for that one document before making a decision.

Our biggest problem with Phoenix's application was that, at that time, we had not received his unabridged birth-certificate yet. It's suppose to take 4-6 weeks, at this point we have been waiting for 8 weeks, and if you phone home affairs you get told the exact same thing every time "It is on my system, but not processed yet, I don't know what the problem is, I'll elevate it for you. You can call back in a week's time" We tried EVERYTHING! We asked if we could re-apply (and pay again) the answer was No, then we asked if we could talk to a superior, only to be told "this is a call centre, there is no manager/superior you can talk to" Then we asked for the number of someone ANYONE who can just explain to us what the hold up is - nothing. Finally, last Wednesday (11 weeks after requesting the document) Daniel and I decided to just drive to Home affairs Head Office and stay there till we got some sort of feedback. After an hour of standing in reception, right at the front desk, we got 4 numbers we could call. Daniel called 3 of the numbers - no answer, he then called the fourth number, and got put through to the wrong person. She was delightful, explained to us that there is a backlog in unabridged certificates, and they are busy putting babies on the system alphabetically, but they're now only busy with babies born in 2002. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
She also said she spoke to a person the other day, he was in tears, he's been waiting for NINE MONTHS for his son's unabridged birth certificate, and he too can't get visa's done without it.
She then told us that there is a form you can fill in (it seems that the people at the call centre are not aware of the existence of this form) and fax to her, she can then put it on the system as soon as she gets it. Daniel asked her if this means that we have to drive 30 minutes to Cullinan (again) only to get the form. She then asked him to hold the line for a sec. Came back and said to him, that she asked her superior, and she was given permission to do it over the phone. 5 questions later the document was ready for collection!! I swear, I was about to get in my car, drive over to home affairs head office, and kiss her!!
8:20am Tuesday morning I picked the certificate up from Cullinan, went straight to NZ High Commission and dropped it off. 2 hours later we got the following e-mail:



WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED!!! Woohoooo! NZ here we come!

Daniel picked our passports up Friday afternoon. Sweetheart that he is, I was surprised with my Passport incl. Visa, and the Black Eyed Peas CD I've been meaning to buy, with a message written inside from my husband, congratulating me on my Visa approval.

So, Here it is:
(Including Daniel NZ & SA VISA's)



Needless to say we've been saying a lot of thank you prayers. God is good!!

Khai Kruger Grey

We would like you to "meet" the almost newest addition to the Grey Family.

Khai Kruger Grey.

We went in for our 3D/4D scan yesterday, and were greeted by the sweetest little face. Khai was shy at first, hiding his face in my placenta, but after a few minutes turned to give us a peek into his world. The tech mentioned that he looks a lot like big brother Phoenix. I could definitely see that they have the same mouth (same as daddy, perfect for kisses), and it looks like they might have the same forehead as well, but it looks like Khai got my high cheek-bones. I am SO in love with this little boy! Like Phoenix he as LOTS of hair already, I could actually see it on the 2D scan, but we didn't get any pictures of it.
He weighs approximately 985g - standard for his gestational age. And everything else is perfectly healthy (heart, kidney's etc.)

It look like Phoenix is starting to understand that I have a baby in my belly. When ever he sees a baby he runs up to me, lifts my shirt and softly pats my belly and says "baba". This is very cute, but really not so cute in public places when I'm wearing one of my pre-pregnancy jeans, and have a top covering all the bits that is NOT looking so good, and then have an adorable toddler lifting up my shirt for all to see. (And if I stop him from lifting it I get a temper tantrum)
We take him with us to all the ultra-sound scan's, so when ever he sees an image on the screen (even if you can't make out what it is) he points and says "baba". Oh, and he HAS to sit ON the examining table with me.

Some of Phoenix's words include:
myno - MYNE (mine)
okoek - O KOEK (don't know how to explain that one in english)
Aghuu - LOVE YOU
igg - LIG (light)
aal - AAN (on)
aag - AF (off)
appo - APPEL (apple)
pie - PIESANG (Banana)
datie - DANKIE (Thank you)
du - DUMMY
Teddie - TEDDIE
boo boo - His favorite movie "BABY'S DAY OUT" The story is about a baby called boo-boo
Pap - PAP (Porridge)
Now my pregnancy brain kicked in again and I can't think of other words, there are LOTS more (like mamma & pappa) but thank goodness for that moment of clarity!D

He also Hums the Noddy song whenever he sees a picture of noddy, or if he wants to watch it.
He absolutely LOVES drawing, I can keep him busy literally for HOURS if I give him lost of paper and a pen. I leant the hard way not to leave him alone with pen in hand when he drew on our leather couches that we had to sell the next day. Luckily for us the guy who brought them (at an absolute bargain) just shrugged his shoulders and said "nothing leather dye can't fix.

Here are some pics of Khai!











Some pics of Phoenix (and us)

Phoenix doing his favorite thing - Drawing (note the scrabble on the table as well!)




All that drawing really wears you out!!


Hanging with Lila's boys (Justin & Xander)



Mom & Dad