Having been back only a few weeks, life has returned to normal for the young man. Gone is the excitement of cousins, sand in the eyes and snowballs, Things have indeed calmed down. Not for the rest of us however! We are now nearly six months down the line with the good ladies bump. TheO has named this unborn bump Whitby for some reason! I can only assume a fishfingers packet is to blame. None the less, with Whitby's imminent arrival, the lady of the household has started getting a bit clucky! Changes are afoot! I have been instructed to create more room in the existing space and prepare the recent purchase in the next eight weeks! Of course it has to be complete with Italian designer kitchen and inside toilet!

Number two has signalled the advent of yet more responsibility! Is that possible? If anything, I have discovered that after having number one, the wine bill from Lidel went through the roof along with my ability to make the right palatable decision! Flicking through previous entries has done little to prepare for what lies ahead. The Sicilian Syrah is none too bad though, and it's on offer, might as well get a case eh!!



TheO cops a snowball! on Guildford grounds...

Apparently I have only a few days to shape up or ship out. The young man is unhappy that I have not posted his tales from an airport lounge or beach like a true modern 'blogger' would. Explanation from my side is futile!

Needless to say, we all made it to England where we we were finally coerced to take 'the' trip with an offer we couldn't refuse. London to Hong Kong (7 hour visit between flights) and onto Perth, with the young man dressed as Superman for most of it!

TheO managed to have a totally fantastic time! Meeting his cousins, uncles & aunts for the first time and even catching up with some old friends from 'The Rock' Turning 3 with a party in Kings Park gave the little man a day to remember and his daddy an excess luggage bill! (nearly)

The youngster adopted his new temporary country with relish, shouting at everyone 'Good Day Mate' whilst pointing to every Aussie flag he saw and shouting 'Stralia!
With Australia Day approaching, this became quite a frequent shout.


Hat upgrade to XXS

Four weeks of house sitting later, we took a trip to 'Rotto' and booked into the Rottnest Lodge Hotel. The Quokkas which make the island famous quickly became the little lads new friends, pointing them out whenever he spotted them. Like the Aussie flag, this also became very frequent!



Us 4 at Rottnest Island, with one in hiding...

With medical facilities all over the place, the good lady decided it would be a good opportunity to have a 5 month scan. This was to be the decider! Would there be a flurry of shopping activity for small pink dresses, Barbie's and a wedding fund? We wanted to know!



A little boy at 22 weeks!

With a plane to the UK and the holidays fast approaching, questions of 'should I pack my Bikini' remain unanswered. I'm left fumbling around unsure what to do. Do I take the blue pill and wake up in my own bed or do I take the red pill and wake up with extreme sunburn on a beach far away from the strain of fiscal responsibility. 'NeO' seems to have made his own mind up already, talking of little else than meeting Kangaroo's and seeing his cousins. I try to show him pictures of wind, rain and financial catastrophe but the boy remains focused.



Somebody is packing, or is that packed...

Looking for some clarity, I hoped that it may be found in halls of academia. As the good lady graduated from BA to MA, I could really only think Quantas. The little lad was also somewhat distracted and chose to demand the toilet twice and a walk to the shops. This did little to shorten the ceremony or the fear of being on an aeroplane for 24 hrs with a ticking infant.



Creativity & Innovation

Being immersed into a large group of brainy people must have rubbed off on the little lad though. He has started chattering away, singing songs he learns at school in the bath! Structuring his requests, he recently asked from the back of the car "Daddy, can I ask you something?" After agreeing to listen further, there was then a demand for presents from Santa which read, 'Superman, Flash and Superman" I have decided to stop him watching any more programs about Santa!

Life IS moving pretty fast. With Christmas, a trip to England, a trip to Australia and the recent 'irrational purchase', time has increased it's velocity, and prompted a more spontaneous outlook. This and the now confirmed future family addition, requires careful consideration! Australia? May do! Will buy the tickets on the day! Needless to say, TheO is undisturbed by the quandaries and concentrates on his acquisition of the entire range of Ben 10 merchandise. The T shirt, the figures and the boxed DVD sets, (an element of creativity is called for here) and of course the official 'underpants' too!

With the youngster's discovery of communication, he has managed to tell us that his favourite colour is green and that green is for boys! He has also told us that he misses his friends who have escaped to Australia, and wants to go visit! Yes, another pebble for the heavily weighted scales of indecision. At least we'll save on the Christmas postage costs for the cousins!

Despite the fixation for all things 'hero' and 'alien' the youngster has recently enjoyed 'Jimmy Neutron' and some episodes of 'The Simpsons'. Whilst I despair at times of his viewing preferences, it does provide some respite from an overactive infant. Favourite food is noodles with anything (thank the Panda) and Jelly Tots!

The good lady is now approaching the 12 week mark. Still quite early days.
Despite the complications of growing out of everything, life is good!



Eight legs, two hands and ten fingers!

The little lad has managed to thwart my recent attempt to obtain a reasonable picture. Managing to look everywhere, except in the lens, has resulted in the publishing of a 'spider' picture from Halloween. Apologies!

The young mans debut as a spider on Halloween, has not been the only 'scary' thing to have occurred in the last few days. As well as the fairly offhand decision to purchase a house, (somewhat concerning) there is the news that the brood is to expand! TheO is greatly excited that he is to have a younger sibling, as we all are! Just as I'd caught up on my sleep too! It certainly looks as though these adventures go back inside!

Having been through the mill once already, I was pleased to imagine, just for a moment, that we have all the necessary equipment, although not in 'hot pink'. Possibly a regrettable oversight if the good ladies prediction is correct. Apparently the Bugaboo is out and the ridiculous Victorian Silvercross is in!

Whatever occurs, TheO has taken to the news very well. I will have to come up with a good story or two regarding Storks and Cabbage Patches or something, but plan to just look surprised when cross-examined! He is however, little distracted from his usual demands of supers, heroes and a bowl of Stars & Moons!




TheO gets to grips with the true meaning of the word 'Scary'

As detailed in the previous entry below, there are plans afoot to visit our antipodean relatives down-under for Christmas. This has caused a frenzy of activity within the household. Even 'Mum" may be jumping on board. The good lady has committed further time to her commercial activities with a new job on a TV programme, thus leaving me to slowly evolve into a more 'hands on' parent, which is funny, not!

The little lad is back at his school, but this is also causing some angst! He was the youngest last year and due to a technicality , is the oldest this year. He now wonders round his classroom telling other, smaller children 'I'm the daddy' It's not clear where he learnt this. When the the terror tot is not running his extortion racket(s), he has been known to be watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at home. My expensive Italian designer coffee table has become his podium to do the 'Hot-Dog" dance. It's also the launch pad to the heights of the sky when watching Justice League, a cartoon that will distort and ruin any chance of a normal childhood.

It must also be noted the changeable habits of the good lady. Despite a routine etched in concrete, there is a developing pattern of fatigue and unreasonable requests, particularly for food. When a small packet of biscuits were reported missing from a local 'work' cupboard, the little lady was strangely quiet. For those in the 'know' I'm taking her to be checked out!



TheO enlists with the Justice League, with a little help from a bad comp!