A Family reunion....

My beautiful niece arrived in India on Friday night to help us on our last leg towards home. With three babies we need 3 adults to accompany them home so our darling niece very happily volunteered her services.

It was emotional seeing her at the airport and the big surprise was that she got through customs very easily and was out of the airport within 35 minutes of her plane landing - is this unheard of at Indiria Ghandi airport?

So Rachel is with us for a little over a week. So far I have taken her shopping at M Block market where she bought herself a coat and a warm hoodie pullover as she didnt really believe how cold it could be in Delhi. After spending a measly $30AUD on these two items we did more baby clothes shopping.....

Last night we had a pizza night with Gachy, Fernando and Francisco and Ryan and Ruben and Zara and Aiden. There were lots of laughs and a touch of sadness as we realised this would be the last time we would be altogether as Ryan and Ruben fly home Wednesday night and Gachy and Fernando the next day. We have been so blessed already with our 3 gorgeous children but to have also met these wonderful people along the journey is so incredible. I cant wait to take our children to Miami in 5 years time or so (Disneyworld Orlando) but also to catch up with Ryan and Ruben and Zara and Aiden again and hopefully a trip to Argentina can also be in the plans. I will miss them all so much ......Thank goodness for Skype to help stay in touch.

This week sees us ensuring all the paperwork moves along smoothly so we are thankful Rachel is here to help out with the babies. Today Andrew and Rachel are seeing the Taj Mahal so I have my three babies all to myself.....

Here is a pic of my gorgeous niece on her first night in India cuddling her cousin Sophie....

How quickly a week passes

I cant believe it has been a week since I last blogged! Getting the babies into a routine and getting to know them, Christmas parties, haggling for good prices for baby clothes at Sarojini market, meeting our surrogate mothers, getting the paperwork rolling have all filled up our busy days! I did have a bit of a melt down on the night of Christmas Eve. After having a party with Ryan and Ruben Zara and Aiden, Gachy and Fernando and Francisco we did not finish up until 1am in the morning. The babies were very unsettled so I had zero sleep that night after having had maybe averaged 4 hours previous 3 nights. When the power went out at 4am in the morning and the heat went off 2 of the babies started howling and I could see nothing. I screamed out to Andrew who was soundly sleeping through all of this just like his son Jack who didnt wake up at all....my brilliant husband came down and lit the gas stove so we could get heat and light...it was all over in 30 minutes but I cried like my two daughters were crying telling them how sorry I was.....this was all because of sleep deprivation in the main. I have also been very emotional during the Christmas season because my dream has come true .

Anyways, we have decided that with 3 babies we will have a nurse every second night and have Lalit on an ongoing basis - she is really good!

Lunch at Moet's Restaurant on Christmas Day with the compliments of Dr Shivani and Dr Vishal was really lovely. A big thank you to them. Meeting other new parents was really good. A big shout out to Maree and Pat - I am so glad we met again having met up at a conference in Melbourne earlier this year. I am so looking forward to staying in touch with you.

Everything is looking good for us to fly home on 13 January, Thanks again to Maree for helping Andrew out at the High Commission. For Aussie IP's coming for baby pick up in the next 6 months. The contact at the Commission is Jennie Mitchell (she goes back to Australia though in 6 months time). Also the Commission will accept cash you dont need a bank cheque at all....you also cannot apply for babies passports simultaneously - you must wait for citizenship certificate to be decided and then you can lodge the passport application. We are paying a priority processing fee of about $103 for each passport application and we need to explain reason for urgency but everything is great. We should have babies passports 9 or 10 Jan and then we can go to FRRO 11 or 12 Jan before we fly out on 13/1/13........

Here are some more pics since 21 Dec when I last blogged...wishing everyone a Happy New Year for 2013.

 Sleeping Sophie girl

Lilly soundly sleeping

Christmas Day at Moets Restaurant Defense Colony compliments of Dr Shivani and Dr Vishal Gachy and myself wearing traditional dress

 Christmas Eve in our apartment with my friend and new Mum Gachy

 In celebration mode but still feeding babies from left to right me, Gachy with Sophie, Andrew with Jack and Ryan (India Calling) with Zara

 Our babies Christmas menagarie

 Daddy feeding Sophie and cuddling Jack (or burping him)

 Andrew and our dear friend Fernando (Gachy's husband and Francisco's Daddy)

 Jack at 1.5 weeks old

 Ryan, myself and Gachy at Sanjorini Market - best place for baby clothes - haggle for prices

Sophie the reindeer waving 

 Lilly girl my gorgeous kissable girl

Best job in the whole world

I am loving parenthood! I love everything about it even the sacrifice of sleep. I love being with our babies and cuddling them, smelling their newness, changing their at times very interesting looking nappies, swaddling them so they are snug as a bug. The thing I love the most is in the wee hours of the morning when they are fed, burped and changed, I love the wonderment in their eyes and over their face as I sing to them. Special special moments I thought would never come and I will treasure forever.

And my husband....is it possible to love you more? Yes it is. Not just for this fabulous gift of a family but everytime I watch you with them, your face beaming with pride as you tend patiently to their needs.....makes me very emotional.

Wishing everyone a Merry Merry Christmas.

Here are some more photos!!

 First day home with our babies - photo taken by new mum and new friend Gachy

 My beautiful sleeping Sophie girl - she is feeding happily in my arms at the moment

 Lovely Lilly girl...kissable cheeks

Master Jack has a smile that makes you melt                                Our favourite NICU Nurse Gina

Our babies are leaving the hospital Tuesday !

That's right Dr Gupta and Sisters Dina and Gina were so happy to tell us that our babies could come home with us Tuesday morning. They are all feeding well - I think Lilly is feeding very well and is the little guts of the three!

Our babies had their hearing tests today and all good. A blood test in the morning to see levels of jaundice (if any) etc and we should be bringing them back to their Indian home around lunchtime.

Rahul is helping us to bring them home. Tomorrow we will get their passport photos done as they have all started to open their eyes.

Many thanks to Rachna and Meena for helping us today with the birth certificate process. We now put the pedal to the metal in getting all of our other paperwork and processes done. Whilst we knew we would be having an Indian Christmas we are hopeful we might be able to get home and leave India around 13 January 2013. We shall see how we go.

Got to thank Dr Shivani personally today and gave her a big hug - how is thank you ever enough though?? Our surrogate mothers are still in hospital recovery post c section and we wish them a speedy recovery.

Here are some more pics. Needless to say we fall deeper in love with our children everytime we see them.

 Our little monkey and first born - Sophie Zelie Bowes Hay

 Me feeding Jack our son - my very first time feeding him

 Lilly sleeping after feeding very well and having a good burp (and a whoopsie)

A Daddy and his son Jack

Blessed with Bubs!!! 2 girls and a boy

Still crying, still overjoyed that our 3 little ones have arrived safely into the world on Sunday 16 December 2012

Dr Shivani and SCI angels and of course Dr Gupta and Eden Hospital how will we ever be able to thank you?? I love you India

Sophie Zelie Bowes Hay was born first at 12.45pm weighing approximately 2.52 kgs

Her sister Lilly Shirley Bowes Hay came along at 1.55pm weighing a whopping 3.2 kgs (pretty good for a twin)

Then their baby brother Jack Bowes Andrew Hay entered the world at 1.56pm weighing 2.9 kgs.

First pics

I will blog more when I can string more words together!!!

 Here is the oldest of them all Sophie Hay with her Mummy (that;s me my face says it all I am sure)

 Daddy and Lilly both having a bit of a cry and a cuddle

Jack in front with sister Sophie.

Meeting more great friends on this journey

On Friday night we also met another lovely lovely couple who are at the end of their SCI journey. Fernando and Gachy from Argentina. When we met them they knew instantly who we were from reading our Bless us with Bubs blog.

Last night we went out to celebrate the birth of their beautiful son Francisco Augustine. Here is a pic of our celebrations.

For those of you in Delhi who want to try some really yummy food at decent prices that wont break the bank go to Beluga in GK2 M Block Market (yes there is an M Block in GK 1 and GK2). They have a great terrace bar that has heaters for the cooler nights and they have a restaurant. So far we have tried their vegetable tempura (yummy melt in the mouth), tenderloin (buffalo) lasagne, duck confit salad, thai chicken, tom yum soup, tiramisu and cherry roulade.

Really worth going to.

Today we hope to find out when our babies will be scheduled for c-section.

Hopefully there will be news soon. And if anyone is looking for a great 3 bedroom apartment for baby pick up I have to recommend where we are staying. It is about $3500 USD per month but has 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, washing machine within fully equipped kitchen, 2 sunny bathrooms and in a quiet area of GK2. I will eventually post some pictures on here for you to see. It is huge and we have our own sitting room and dining area and the master bedroom is huge too!.

Christmas Decorations in our Delhi Apartment

Whilst these pics dont really do justice to our apartment in New Delhi and the decorations go nowhere near to how over the top we decorate at home it is nice to have some Christmas warmth.

We met a lovely US couple today just starting their journey with SCI .  To respect their privacy, I will only use their initials  R and J - we had tea with them at the Coffee Bean at M Block in GK1 and are going to catch up with them again tomorrow night.

Hope everyone is well.

 Our small little tree

Christmas stairwell

 Starry starry lights

Christmas Pooh Bear Onesies leftover from my baby shower