This weekend, Squish met her Australian cousins for the first time, and the experience was as fun as we had anticipated, for babies and parents alike.

To set the scene, let me tell you a bit about my family.

I have three sisters. My oldest sister married just out of school and has five boys. My other two sisters and I were late to get married and late to have children. But by the grace (and humour) of God, we recently balanced the gender ledger by having three girls — a daughter each — all within six months of each other. Annie was born just a week before Squish last July, while Charlie came at the beginning of this year.

Since Angie, Squish and I have been in the United States for the last year, this week was the first time all three cousins were able to meet. A weekend of many firsts, it was also the first time my two younger sisters and I spent time together as parents.

Precious Moments

The weekend was about as memorable as one could hope. We all converged in Sydney and shared an Airbnb, with a mum, a dad and a baby to each room. Lots of noise, lots of mess, and lots of laughs as we caught up on a year of missed memories.

Based on the Northern Beaches, we toured the city by bus and ferry, taking our caravan of prams all the way from beautiful Palm Beach to Manly, to the iconic Sydney Harbour. We even had a nappy change pit stop right out front of the Sydney Opera House.

To have spent over a year apart and waited so long to meet my new nieces made our big family reunion all the sweeter. We swapped parenting tips, shared stories from the trenches and watched with delight as our girls formed bonds that will last a lifetime.

On our final night together, the parents took shifts to allow for a girls and guys evening. With the men on child-minding duty, the mums caught up over an appetiser. Then we swapped and the men hit the local watering hole to share war stories. For me, this time was particularly valuable — and a reminder that while fatherhood has its challenges, there is no higher calling than being a husband and a dad, and as men, we are in the battle together.

Of course, everyone’s extended family looks different. I’m blessed to have close friendships with my sisters and their husbands. Even then, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing — we’ve had our share of conflicts and differences to resolve. But we have resolved them because blood is thicker than water, and family is the prize.

If we can pass the blessing of extended family on to our daughters, they’ll be the richer for it, growing up together to form their own precious memories and pass the same blessing on down the line.

No doubt, we’ll talk about our weekend in Sydney for many years to come.