Firstly, who are we?
There's me: the author of this blog, Sydney FC fan, solicitor by profession but more focused on family and friends than my career.
There's Pablo: wonderful husband, a Liverpool FC and West Tigers fan who looks after us better than anyone could ever ask for.
Then there's Rafael: our almost 2 year old son, car obsessed and the most gorgeous of choochy pies there ever has been with a smile that will melt your heart and curls to die for.
Oh… and our 2 rabbits, Bodo and Thomas. Bodo is the bully, but he's getting better.
I say that Aidanvale is our new family home because we've already had a family home; a large unit in the inner west of Sydney. This unit was the first place that we purchased together. It's where we brought our son home from hospital to. It's where we lived when we finally said our 'I-dos". It has been the perfect place for us. Close to the city, work, friends and family. In it, we've been able to experience the inner city lifestyle we enjoy but in a neighbourly and family friendly environment.
Then along came baby. With Rafael came joy, laughter and a sense of wholeness. Following that, came sleep deprivation, mounds of laundry and toy box after toy box of toys. He started to grow. First he started crawling everywhere. Then he started walking. Now he loves to run around and explore as often and for as long as possible.
Our middle floor unit became more crowded than ever and getting up and down the stairs with the child and all of his belongings became harder and harder. We began to wonder what we would do when we had another one.
It was time to upsize.
After many long months of looking, several stops and starts, a failed auction attempt on another property – we finally found our new home… Aidanvale.
When I first walked into it, I had a feeling about it. Nothing tangible, just a feeling. It looked and felt cozy. Half late 19th century cottage with original features and half more modern extensions (more modern than 1890 anyway!), it was exactly the sort of house we were looking for. Inbuilt book cases, original fire places, two living rooms and enough bedrooms for the kids. There was no modern open-plan layout which suited us perfectly. In my husband's words "we're more nooks and crannies kind of people". After a few inspections we decided to go to auction and you already know that we were the lucky ones who purchased it!
Where to from here?!
We're in now – well, only in the sense that it's ours. We won't move in until early March, once our unit has sold. It will be sad to leave the home we started out our family life in. But I am more than excited to see what the future brings in our new home. This is the home where we will bring our second child home to (and maybe a third, that's still up for debate!). It is where we will have our first wedding anniversary (plus some more), where we will be when our kids start school and, with any luck, where we will be when they finish school. We will have Christmas's, birthdays, parties, fun, tantrums and everything else that comes with family.
This is our family journey in Aidanvale.
