The rise and rise of Fabian

Austria

2009-01-21T20:44:00.001+01:00

Austria

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Champ

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En met oma!

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Knuffelen met opa

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Boys

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Ann

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Alex

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Cheese

2008-11-02T09:34:00.001+01:00

Bradfield family visit

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Bradfield family in the woods

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Julian comes to visit

2008-10-21T21:50:00.000+02:00

The last 3 months

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2008-02-09T20:23:00.000+01:00

2008-02-09T20:22:00.000+01:00

2008-02-09T20:20:00.000+01:00

2008-02-09T20:18:00.000+01:00

2008-02-09T20:16:00.000+01:00

Fabians Birthday

2008-02-09T20:14:00.000+01:00

Christmas 2007 in Ehrwald

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A week in provence 2

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A Week in provence part 1

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A week in provence

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Ireland

2007-09-09T14:56:00.000+02:00

We all take a quick trip across to Ireland to see Grandma and Grandpa.
A lovely time was had by all.

Grandma and Grandpa had been busy on the house of course, having rebuilt the bathroom and the garden.

Grandad told us that he was having some trouble with his heart and that he was going in for check ups!

Trains

2007-07-01T20:24:00.000+02:00

Amstel Park

2007-07-01T20:23:00.001+02:00

Amstel Park

2007-07-01T20:23:00.000+02:00

Having lived in the area for just a while it becomes clear to us that sometimes either things should be sign posted better or we should look around us a little harder.
This lovely park is not more than a 10min bike ride away, with sheep, goats, a train, boats, you name it, it has got it and we have until today never heard or seen anything about it.

Nadias request and the Amstel Park

2007-07-01T20:19:00.000+02:00

Nadia made a request that we publish more portrait shots of Fabian so here they are, our best attempt at getting him to stand still, to look to camera, to smile and to fit in a portrait shot.

Gambia

2007-05-05T21:01:00.000+02:00

Mum and Dad decided that there was an opportunity to go away and a holiday was needed, just to spend a little 'quality time' together.
May is normally a risky time to holiday in Europe looking for sun, because the weather can be unpredictable and the sea can be cold (little did we know that a heat wave was about to hit Northern Europe). So mum booked a holiday to Gambia.

We took a week off work, packed the bucket and spade and took off to Banjul in Gambia.

We checked into a hotel with a beautiful pool, on the beach in the country where 'they are always smiling'. (Especially when they are pushing you to buy something, donate, support or just give your hard-earned). Fabian and Dad had a little look around.

On one of the aftrernoons beside the pool, we had some surprise visitors, Mum and Fabian went to see more.

These little monkeys, escaped from the nearby monkey park and would come down to the pool occasionally to pick up left over club sandwiches from the hotel guests.

Fabian loved the swimming pool, especially for the first few days, here you can see him having a drink from the fountain in the paddling pool and having a little pizza for lunch.

We decided to take a trip into the capital city Banjul to visit the local markets. We were advised that we would need a guide and therefore we got ourselves one! We rented a taxi that was just about still running and we all jumped in.

The market was quite incredible, fish, meat, vegetables, all sitting on the ground throughout the day, creating quite an atmosphere. Unsurprisingly Fabian passed out in his buggy pretty quickly.

Not only did we get to see the markets, but also the harbour (see above) - nearly as big as Rotterdam.

Opa turns 65

2007-05-05T20:40:00.000+02:00

During the months of April and May the Ahne family celebrate all of their birthdays, however this year April and May carry two very special birthdays, opa's 65th birthday and Oma's 60th.
To celebrate Opa's 65th birthday we were all taken to Noordwijk for a weekend away on the beach. We stayed in the lovely 'Huis Ten Duin' hotel. Above is the very special cake that Irene had made for the occasion.

Still a little early in the year there was a little wind on the Friday that we arrived and therefore Fabian looked like he was dressed for winter.

Opa picks up a kite......to entertain the kids!

Having just helped Opa open up his birthday gifts and sank a smorgersboard of E-Numbers through the birthday cake; Fabian and Stan take to wrestling under the grand piano.
Looks like Fabian is winning.

The weather was beautiful for the whole weekend, we were able to paddle, play on the beach and eat outside all weekend, the kids loved it, we all loved it and left looking forward to the next beach trip.

Ehrwald, Austria

2007-02-18T21:15:00.000+01:00

Despite the fact that the snow was at a minimum and the weather predictions said 'rain, rain and more rain' we took off to Ehrwald for a week skiing. Despite the rain at low level on the mountain it was snowing.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon and had a couple of days with the three of us, until the Tuesday evening when Opa and Oma arrived, along with Apple (the cat) and David (the dog). Fabian and David have become very attached, to the point that they even share food.

Fabian has developed an unbelievable ability to turn on 'the charm offensive' whenever a woman settles her unsuspecting eyes upon the little flirt.

After a few days of pretty overcast and unholiday-like weather, day 4 let the skys open up and we were blessed with beautiful weather and some good skiing conditions.

With the help of Oma and Opa we get the opportunity to ski, to take a break and walk a little in the sun and try out the back pack to carry Fabian.

Belated birthday

2007-02-04T11:02:00.000+01:00

Some people are just marginally less fortunate than others in life. Some people are leaders and some people are followers.

The mighty Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day and pretty close afterwards (fortunate for us) Fabian was born (marginally less fortunate for him.)

Because of the fact that Fabian was born so close after the birth of ourlord, or more to the point so close to the day that everyone very generously gives wheel-barrow loads of gifts, it is likely that in the future Fabian will miss out on some of the generosity, that would have befallen him had he been born in June or July. It also generally means that half the family miss out on his early years.

Therefore a decision was made that in January, a month to the day, Fabian would benefit from a 'second coming' a day of retribution, similar to that of the Queen but with plastic horses and carriages and more pomp.

Mum decided upon a teletubbies cake, which was a big hit.

Of course Fabian, who by now digests the equivelant of a middle weight boxer, loved the cake and ate Mums cake as well.

Of course (as should be the case) Fabian was spoilt with lovely gifts; a rocking horse from Oma and Opa, a Winnie the Pooh aeroplane from Aunty Irene, Bas and Stan, a Fidher Price aeroplane with air hostesses, a fabric wall chart and amongst other things a lovely wooden hammer peg toy.

Walking and riding

2007-01-21T20:55:00.001+01:00

Grandma and Grandpa bought Fabian a small trike for Christmas and although going forwards is still a small issue, reverse comes very easy!

Having just about worked out how the trike works, Fabian gets to grips with the zimmerframe, we count down the weeks now 'til he is walking.

A long time - a lot to say

2006-12-10T18:06:00.000+01:00

Since arriving back from Cape Town Mum and Dad have been a little bit lazy when it comes to remembering to update the blog.
Because of unbelievable demand, we have decided that we will update it in one go to get us up to speed.
Since October we have had visits to Oma and Opa, Sinterklaas and many other events that need to be documented.

Below are the last 4 months all jumble up together!

Fabian enjoying the arrival of Saint Nicholas in Weerselo! and Fabian and his mum being accosted by Black Pete Santas' helper.

Fabian and his cousin at his aunts house, taking advantage of the many toys that they have.

Tucked up in bed at grandma and grandpas Josh and George await the arrival of Father Christmas.

Then it was Christmas already. Fabian unwraps one of the HUGE number of gifts that Santa brought him, all we can say is that he must have been a very good boy.

Cape Town

2006-10-15T18:12:00.000+02:00

Having had the great news that baby George was born we decided to go to Cape Town to visit Auntie Nadia, Uncle Richard, Grandma, Cousin Josh and new cousin George.

Mum and Dad met in Cape Town and therefore wanted to re-trace many of the trodden steps, one of which was the V & A Waterfront.

Here you can see one and all with the exception of Esther who on this occasion is behind the camera.

Whilst Fabian is busy learning the drums mum is getting ready to head off to Camps Bay for a 'sundowner'.

The water of the Atlantic is always a little fresh, however Fabian has no issue with cold water. Grandma does however getting her shoes soaked through.

With barely anyone on the beach at Camps Bay and the cafes bustling, Camps Bay has changed very little in the last 8 years since Mum and Dad were there.

The following day. Auntie Nadia, Grandma, Josh, George and us head off to Hermanus.

On the way there, near Gordons Bay we come across 3 whales jostling in the bay, literally metres from the coast line.

We stop off at a very quaint village just outside Hermanus, with a 'hippy' feel that is well known for its pottery and brick a brack.

After a short while we hop back into the car and arrive at Hermanus to see yet more whales in the bay!

Piers and Petra

2006-09-20T10:15:00.000+02:00

17th September 2006 - The lovely Piers and Petra met us at the Westerpark Gasfabriek for a lazy Sunday afternoon spot of lunch.

Before we left however Fabian had to finish off a little melody that he had been working on.

When Petra and Piers arrived they cam bearing gifts and had bought Fabian a fantastic teddy bear that now accompany's him everynight to bed. Thanks P&P.

Christening

2006-09-20T09:49:00.000+02:00

The view from Richmond hill

The weekend of the wedding anniversary of Mum and Dad we ventured back to England for the christening of Fabian and were joined by Oma and Opa, Grandpa, Uncle Julian, Uncle Bas and Auntie Irene, Stan and two surprise guests. The christening was held in the church where mum and dad were married and we stayed in the Richmond Gate hotel in the same room that we had for our wedding night....aaaaahhhh!

Inside the church with Oma, Stan and above with Grandad

After church we walked along the Thames and had a special christening lunch at Canyons, before Oma, Opa, Bas, Irene and Stan had to leave.

The remaining party then decided to venture out on a mammoth expedition to Kew Green, which was longer than first expected! Upon arrival it was deemed necessary to have a little break.

Two in one

2006-08-06T22:03:00.000+02:00

This weeks uppdate is a combination of a couple of weeks events.

Firstly, last week we were invited to the engagement party of Elise and Maarten and Fabian puts on his best clothes and got to know little Maes a little better.

The next update is from the following weekend, when mum, dad and Fabian visited the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. A great afternoon out, with a lovely terrace and butterfly house.

Also floating around the butterfly house, was a peculiar woman dressed as an angel that sung an enchanting song for Fabian and mesmerised him.

Ideal for a picnic, the small river running alongside the Botanical Gardens, has a really enchanting spot with bee hives.

After leaving the Botanical Gardens Mum, Dad and Fabian walked along the Amstel river home, stopping to admire the view.

First ever bike ride

2006-07-23T21:33:00.000+02:00

Fabian now a real champ when it comes to solid food, devours a piece of bread.
Over the past few weeks mum has been cooking up avacadoe, apple, apricot and banana and all sorts of culinary delights.

Dad gets to spend a little quality time with Fabian and plays find the ring.

Having had a baby seat fitted, mum and dad get Fabian settled.

First impression is a good one.

Mum is a little nervous and does a little practice run first of all.

Once mum has her confidence up we head off to the woods

The grandparents

2006-07-16T22:01:00.000+02:00

Over the period of one month Fabian benefits from seeing both grand parents and a trip to Ehrwald.

Fabian bares his body to the sun and plays in his new paddling pool

Opa shows Fabian the view of the mountains

Fabian and David get to spend a little time together

Grandma gives the little one a bottle, whilst he is unconscious

Fabian reaches the point where anything tastes better than the bottle food he's had to date.

Zeeland and the first time to the sea

2006-06-11T22:34:00.000+02:00

Saturday morning a last minute decision to jump in the car and drive to the beach, having been tipped off about two places Middelburg and Westkapelle.

We arrived at th beach and Fabian stripped straight down to his nappy.

After a short dip (which he loved) he took it easy in a little shelter mum and dad bought for him.

Mum had her turn at taking Fabian into the water, this time fully prepared, without nappy but smothered in sun block.

Mum and dad found a very smart guest house, run by a slightly laissez-faire man, we all stayed in the 'Empire Suite' for the night and had breakfast on Sunday morning in the garden.

Whitsun

2006-06-04T17:27:00.000+02:00

A very eventful weekend.

Original plan was to visit Maastricht.
Too late to book accommodation.

Instead Fabian ventured out in the push chair for the first time and appeared completely dis-interested.

We visited the Noorde Markt and bought vegetables, Balsamic Vinegar, Fresh pasta and other over priced specialities.

On the way to the market we purchased a swing. A great gift especially when used to hit Dad.

Having cooked all of the delicious ingredients purchased at the market, Mum and Fabian were ill for the remainder of the weekend, having to stay in bed and miss the (first in a long time) good weather!

St.Petersburg

2006-05-14T19:14:00.000+02:00

We arrive in St.Petersburg and Fabian immediately gets settled in.

With a fine view of the cathedral and 24 hour room service he is quite content.

Testing the matress. Good back support is very important

Esther and Fabian dont realise they are being watched

Mum and Fabian pose before the church of the spilled blood, possibly one of the most beautiful things Fabian has seen in his young years

Fabian takes a picture of the group, hence faces being a little squished

One of these russian dolls was chosen by Fabian for his room, can you guess which one?

Russians are quite often very small people, fabian observed

Queens Weekend

2006-05-02T21:01:00.000+02:00

Fabian puts on his new sneakers and gets ready for Queens day.

Fabian and his cousin get to spend a little time together.

Fabian manages to roll onto his stomach and gets to grip with wriggling properly.

Mum and Fabian get ready to enjoy the beginnings of summer in Amsterdam.

Queens day weekend in Amsterdam, Old South has magnolia trees in bloom, Dutch flags out and even the sun came out for a short while.

Easter in Austria

2006-04-17T21:02:00.000+02:00

Rather than being in Amsterdam for the Easter weekend, the family decided to take off and head to Ehrwald in Austria for the last of the snow.

Once again the little man ventures onto the piste and is as good as gold.

Whilst his parents break their necks to push the buggy across the snow and up and down the mountain, Fabian kicks back and smiles.

We only went for a long weekend and just the three of us and therefore skiing was limited to taking it in turns whilst looking after Fabian and sadly as the weekend progressed the snow became less and less - ultimately turning into slush. Therefore a fair bit of time was spent relaxing.

On Sunday afternoon rather than another outing in the slush we decided to head over to Innsbruck. What a beautiful little city. The old part of the city still retains much of the medievil charm. Fabian spent most of the afternoon in the baby carrier, looking around - wont be long before he is out of the pram.

We ended the holiday - all smiles

Grandma and Grandpa visit

2006-04-01T23:04:00.000+02:00

Over 3 months old Fabian has begun to smile and communicate, apparantly even laughing (so grandma says) dad gets to spend some 'quality' time with his son

Grandma, Grandpa, Donald and Fabian all pose for a shot. Fabian adopts his regal pose.

Fabians' cradle and special musical toy

Grandma gets to spend a little time with Fabian and he loves it

Grandma and Grandpa look after Fabian whilst mum and dad get ready to go out for the day

Posing comes naturally for all generations

The family takes a visit to the famous flower fields of Holland only to find that there are no flowers, too early in the year!

Mum decides that rather than face the empty flowers she would rather hide

The only flowers to be found are in the flower shop and Fabian sniffs them out

Austria

2006-03-21T21:28:00.000+01:00

After a couple of weeks not being photographed, Fabian is back, bigger than ever, now making noises from his mouth.

He has developed the cutest 'gaga' that melts womens hearts. This selection of shots is prior to and during our holiday to Austria with oma and opa.

Preparing to go on holiday, just taking it all in and mentally preparing for the piste

Relaxing from a hard days skiing, the little one takes it easy at home in Austria

On the best day in Austria the weather was fantastic and Fabian ventured up the piste for the first time, wearing ski suit (still a little on the large size)

Again after another days skiing Fabian takes it easy on the mobile

On the balcony prepared for all weather

The family together enjoying the sunshine

Alex and Ann come to stay

2006-02-19T12:43:00.000+01:00

Alex and Ann arrive on Friday evening, to visit Fabian for the first time.

Having only seen the pictures of him, Alex seems more broody than ever to see Fabian in the flesh.

As new parents we are limited in what we can do and therefore it is perhaps a little boring for the still children-less couple. However we manage to stay awake long enough to cook dinner a couple of times and wander into central Amsterdam for a drink.

On Saturday night Piers and Petra come for dinner and we show all the wedding pictures - again! We love having people around and hope that Alex and Ann come back to visit soon.

First visit to Oma and Opa

2006-02-12T20:38:00.000+01:00

With the smartest pair of shoes (courtesy of Charlotte and Jamie) and a very smart new top (courtesy of Selina and Steef), we venture off to visit Oma and Opa for the first time in the East of Holland.

Upon arrival in Weerselo Fabian is greeted by a very doting Oma and Opa fresh back from Ehrwald.

Opa spends some 'quality time' with his grandson and appears to be enjoying himself

Oma takes a turn at admiring the little guy. Everyone seems amazed that within 2 weeks he has grown so much. You should see how much he drinks!

The first smile on camera! Despite the fact that the first recorded smile was already nearly one week ago. This is the first time that a semi-smile has been caught on film. As you can see we have been preparing him for this moment, filling his cheeks with dough for nearly a month

Not to be forgotten mum and dad get to spend a little time with Fabian

5th February

2006-02-05T12:03:00.000+01:00

Another week goes by and Fabian now weighs in at 4.5kg and measures 54cm. Nearly six weeks old, he is beginning to look more like a boy and less like a baby every day.

On a couple of occasions he has managed to sleep six hours straight through in the evenings, which is the beginning of a good habit.

On Tuesday he went to have his first medical check up, and scored well. His weight was good, height good and was graded a very well rounded boy. Dad had to take him on his own as poor mum was bed-bound feeling poorly.

A little late, (Fabian couldn't make his mind up which colour he wanted) but finally the announcement cards went out, they should be making there way to you shortly.

28th January

2006-01-28T19:21:00.000+01:00

Due to the Siberian weather front, a decision is made to put Fabian in his own room for the first time. Mum says farewell to the young one before he ventures out on his own.

22nd January - He hits the bottle

2006-01-22T15:22:00.000+01:00

Having suckled on mum for long enough Fabian attempts to drink from a bottle with dad. As with many so young and talented the bottle comes quite naturally to the rising star. In order to make feeding more interesting Fabian decides to time himself - 100ml of mum's best milk in 6 mins

Fabian holds mass for the people of stadionkade

Mum reads nursery rhymes to the little one, but he has heard them all before and would rather winge

Mum shows off that she can read, hold a baby and eat an apple all at the same time

Selina comes to visit bearing gifts from Oilily. Selina is always welcome, although looks slightly shocked when told young babies need feeding every 3 hours with milk and crisps

Sunday 15th January 2006

2006-01-15T18:21:00.000+01:00

After a visit from another of mums' friends Fabian takes a bath, we all have a bi-cep flexing competition and Fabian wins.

The folowing day we prepare to go to Amsterdamse Bos our first big outing in the car. Fabian takes a moment to prepare himself for the journey.

Mum and son wrap up warmly.

A little every day

2006-01-14T18:35:00.000+01:00

14 th January 2006, putting on weight well, growing nicely and feeding properly. We took our first ride in the car today. Fabian slept through the whole experience, not waking up until we had left The Hague and returned home.

Meeting the grandparents

2006-01-11T22:10:00.000+01:00

Not that it happened all on the same day, however the short period of time that young Fabian has been alive he has been priveleged to have had both sets of grand parents visit and pay him their respect.

Grandpa and Grandma England visit and strike a family pose.

Grandma England 'whispers' like Robert Redford

Oma prepares the little one for an 'gezellig' bath

Fabian bares all, a little bemused he allows oma to bath him

Mum looks amazing

2006-01-08T17:46:00.000+01:00

11 days since the birth of Fabian, mum is out and about looking amazing. Still walking a little bit like John Wayne but managing fantasticly, mum takes the little one for a stroll in the neighbourhood. We all think she scrubs up pretty well.

10 days later

2006-01-08T12:28:00.000+01:00

Ten days after the birth of Fabian he experiences his first nap in the box, with his winnie the pooh mobile from Grandma England.

At this point his full head of hair and sideburns are truly visible.

Since birth he has experienced terrible suffering from cramp, but is slowly over-coming this setback, with the help of a magic potion that oma and opa holland bought from Duitsland.

More visitors came today to see the little miracle, from Belgium and Holland, mum ventured out on her own for the first time to see friends for an hour and came back with a beautiful book of songs and the complete stories of the Brothers Grimm. Fabian devoured them both in minutes and then fell fast asleep, more books welcome!

Our first adventure into the great outdoors happened today. We went out in the Bugaboo to meet Piers and Petra on the Beethoven Straat, it was a doddle, slept through the whole thing.

Mum and dad leaving the house, managing the stairs a bit of a small issue but with a wagon with such amazing capabilities these minor obstacles were soon overcome.

Monday 2nd January

2006-01-02T16:47:00.000+01:00

Having got into a routine, Fabian takes it easy. Eats a little, sleeps a little, loses a bit of weight, puts it back on and then finishes off the day with a bath and a lite bite

The colour above/below is the main colour of the young princes room, a decadent, yet fresh and colourful kinder kamer for the discerning young man

The jealous cat. Not everyone at Stadionkade is happy about the new arrival

The paintings that aunty Nadia made. These two fun paintings are currently on exhibition in the baby room. Nadia is a very talented artist and turned these two around in a few hours. If you would like to commission something contact Nadia @ richnads@mweb.co.za

The new set of wheels, still to be road tested, sporting the national colour of Holland with pride with a union jack lining?!

Wednesday 28th December

2006-01-02T12:38:00.000+01:00

Fabian Willem Bradfield

Born - 27 December 2005

His first breath of air was taken at 11.30pm at home with mum and dad on the stadionkade, Amsterdam. He weighed in at 6lb 2 0z, has big eyes (colour still to be confirmed), very dark hair and the most beautiful complexion.

His mum is doing really well, recovering steadily, not yet left the house but getting about just nicely, everyone is relaxed and with the exception of uncle Richard, aunty Nadia, uncle Julian and Cousin Josh he has met all his direct family

Above and Below - his first night at home, in his first set of clothes in mum's arms

So far he is sleeping well, eating properly and beginning to settle into a routine just nicely

The Narcissus is his birth flower, something easy to find in Holland