Belly bumps in Oz

Anyone reading my stuff on a regular basis will know that I occasionally like to rant about pretty 'serious' topics (as in the last post) but I mostly try to share some of our Aussie adventures with friends and family. That's why I started this foolishness in the first place although I haven't done a very regular job of it. I'm safe in the comfort of knowing that nobody reads this anyways :)

It's more of a writing project for me than a reading project for anyone else.

As far as Aussie adventures go, Kate and I are about 17 weeks into an adventure right now. Kate is pregnant and we will have a Australian born baby sometime in late May. Our first - and a first grandchild for all of our parents. As they say here... we're excited azzzz. This was always in the cards but now that it's real - it's more 'real' than I expected, if that make's any sense.

When I think of effective parenting, some ideas do spring to mind, but strangely enough none of them include a baby. Gimme a kid I can speak to who will respond. Gimme one I can teach chess, math, world capitals, and sports. Who wants a baby? So that's my position as of right now. Thankfully Kate will be a spectacular mother. She's almost too responsible, if that's possible, and I'm sure it is. And she has that dry British humour that the kid will inevitably pick up... and I'll just laugh all day at both of them for years and years.

Kate and I agree that we should let 'team sports' do some of our parenting for us. We were both athletes. Mainly it give you something to do - a reason to avoid trouble. And you get all of that stuff that you don't realize you're getting until it's too late... a bit of confidence, perseverance, some experience with losing and winning, some hard work, some concentration, some quality social interaction, some great friends, some goals... and I don't mean 'goals'... but those too. Mainly, you get the pride associated with acquiring a skill - any skill would do it I suppose - it could be basket weaving or it could be basketball. Competitive basket weaving would be sweet. There's a frightening amount of value in sport. You can only teach what you know right :)

It turns out that I not only have at least 'one' reader of this blog. I have now also received my first request :) For Amanda and Jason - my pretty lil'wife and her belly:

If you look closely, you might also notice the black eye. Funny story that one. There are not many reasons why a grown woman would have a black eye. Kate scratched her itchy eye one night until it was bruised. But that's obviously not what people assume when she and I are in public. I've received some pretty terrible looks from strangers - and some awkward confused ones from friends. But what's a brother to do? "I don't beat my wife" is exactly what someone who does beat their wife would say. So I just have to accept the assumptions. And beg Kate to take care and not put me through it again.

It's hot in the QLD now. Very hot. We spent a weekend on the beach recently. Here are our friends Ghyda and Cassie offering moral 'bump' support to Kate.

Cheers