Nine months

Although we didn't know it at the time, there were actually three of us on the walk from Binna Burra to O'Reiley's. It was mid July and the air was beautifully crisp and clear up in the mountains. A 21km walk through lush rainforest along the dramatic escarpment between New South Wales and Queensland brought us to the late afternoon tranquility of Green Mountains. The walker's camp was thoroughly uninspiring, but we carried our cooking gear and beanies up to the picnic area and enjoyed a very fine meal. I recall joking that maybe I was pregnant, but it still seemed quite a surreal and remote possibility. The following day we retraced our steps to Binna Burra, finishing weary and footsore, but mightily pleased with our 'marathon' effort!

I think we were both in shock when the test came back positive. It was reality setting in, and it required us to do some impressive mental and emotional gymnastics. Whether we liked the idea or not, we would be parents in nine months time. No, hold on a minute... it was already less than eight months!!

We celebrated with a fabulous trip to the snow. Our doctor said that skiing would be fine, but cautioned me not to fall over. This was daunting advice for someone who hadn't been on skis for three years! We headed out from Dead Horse Gap along the Cascade trail, and lucky for us, the snow was unbelievably good. I started out cautiously but couldn't resist the temptation of the amazing conditions. With two days spent practicing our telemark turns in small bowls beside the Thredbo River I must admit to falling over several times, but I managed to avoid any serious stacks. We awoke to a light dusting of snow beside our tents and spent a magnificent day making fresh tracks on a return trip from Perisher to Charlotte's Pass. What an absolute joy!

Our next adventure was a weekend trip to Hastings Point in celebration of Joel's birthday. It was a relaxing couple of days spent exploring the local estuaries in our beautiful wooden boats. Paddling was interspersed with walks along the beach, and the copious consumption of fish and chips. Unfortunately Joel had serious repercussions from our dinner on Saturday night, and wasn't feeling so well for the remainder of the weekend.


I finally managed the ascent of one of the smallest of the Glasshouse Mountains in mid September. Although not the most impressive of peaks, Mt Ngungun offers lovely views over the Sunshine Coast hinterland and a relatively easy climb despite my three-month pregnant figure. I certainly felt more breathless than usual, but plodded along at a steady pace. As a special treat we lunched afterwards at the Spirit House - a beautiful modern Thai restaurant, stunningly situated amongst lush tropical gardens in Yandina. It was fun to watch the water dragons and turtles sunning themselves beside the pond while we enjoyed our gourmet food. My only regret was not leaving enough room for dessert!

Having spent the past two months getting used to the idea of becoming parents, we decided it was time to share our exciting news with a few people. Our parents were thrilled, and friends were very happy for us, but no one seemed all that surprised! Nevertheless it was good to have our loved ones finally share in our excitement.

Two of my colleagues are the parents of young twins, so there were many jokes flying around the office about the possibility of more twins in the work group. I was very much relieved when our first ultrasound confirmed that there was only one baby! It was absolutely mind-blowing to see images of our bub for the first time. At only 13 weeks most of the major organs and body parts are already developed, even though the fetus is little more than 6cm long. We also got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time which was simply wonderful. It made me feel very protective towards this teeny-tiny person who is growing inside me.

Six weeks later we had our second routine ultrasound. By this stage the baby is big enough that they could check all the fingers and toes, the development of heart, lungs and brain, and measure the length of major bones. It is also usually possible to identify the gender, which most people seem to do these days, but we were happy to keep it a surprise. Happily all the results were reassuring.

November took us back down to the Snowy Mountains for Kevin and Kate's wedding. They chose to have their celebrations at Lake Crackenback resort which is very close to the spot where we camped in early August. This time however we were staying in four and a half star accommodation - very swanky, with nice views over the lake and up to the mountains.

The wedding was fantastic and it was lovely to catch up with loads of friends, both at the reception and back in Canberra. Unfortunately I was a little too optimistic in combining high heels and dancing with my 19-week pregnant body. My poor back took several weeks to forgive me for the injustice.

I always like to make the most of birthday celebrations and this year, being my 30th, was no exception. Joel gave me a wonderful early birthday present of a new piano which has been very much enjoyed in the months since, and will no doubt continue to bring music to our home for many, many years. We celebrated my actual birthday with a gourmet picnic in the botanic gardens, and to top it all off I had a another fabulous party on New Year's Day!

We had a very pleasant break over Christmas, first at Goonengerry, and then at Belmore River. Swims at the beach were high on my agenda, while homemade wood-fired pizzas were top of the menu.

By the time we arrived home I was just beginning my third trimester. I only had nine weeks left at work, and anticipated the time disappearing very quickly. Our final big trip away came in mid January when we headed down to Victoria for my cousin's wedding. They were married at a winery in the Yarra Valley with a beautiful outlook over the extensive vineyards. I particularly enjoyed the crisp, cool nights and early mornings which were a wonderful relief from the heat and humidity of Brisbane.

My next adventure was unfortunately not so much fun. At 31 weeks I was admitted to hospital with the doctors concerned about premature labour. We spent more than 24 hours waiting for an ultrasound, not really sure about what might eventuate. It was a stressful and tiring couple of days, having been caught completely by surprise, but thankfully bub decided to stay put for a little while longer. I was sent home with instructions to take it easy, but otherwise all appeared to be as it should.

Since then I have experienced Braxton Hicks contractions approximately once every hour, and after more than seven weeks that adds up to a lot of practice contractions! So hopefully by the time I go into actual labour my body will know exactly what to do!

For the past month I've been pottering around at home, having lots of swims, playing the piano, and generally organising a few things for our new arrival. It has been a very welcome change of pace from the nine-to-five routine of work, and I've really enjoyed having the time and energy to keep in better touch with friends, and nurture my creative side for the first time in a long while.

With my estimated due date now only ten days away, it is still hard to believe that we'll soon be coming home with a beautiful little baby who will be completely dependent on us. It is impossible, I think, to really understand how much our lives are going to change in the very immediate future. But for now I'm just taking one day at a time. And although I'm super excited about meeting our baby, I don't want to hurry bub along. I'm sure he or she will make an appearance at just the right time. And until then I'll just try and get as much sleep as possible, as much gentle exercise as I can manage, and try to continue in this relaxed and confident frame of mind, so I can welcome our baby into the world with love, laughter, and a big smile.

Taste of the Top End

Every now and then it's good to do something a little bit crazy! Neither Joel nor I had ever been to the Northern Territory before, so the Queen's birthday weekend seemed like a perfect opportunity. Granted, three days is not very long to explore such a vast region, but we felt like escaping from Brisbane for a while and catching up with old friends.

We flew to Darwin after work on Friday, and even arriving at midnight we were immediately hit with the heat and humidity of the tropics. According to the locals midwinter is mild and pleasant, not even remotely comparable to the oppressiveness of the build-up to the wet season. But we were caught by surprise nonetheless...

Saturday was spent exploring Darwin itself. Firstly the wonderful colours and smells of Parap village markets. With such a strong South-East Asian influence, there were loads of yummy food stalls to choose from, and we devoured delicious bowls of laksa for breakfast, followed by freshly squeezed tropical fruit juice and pancakes.

Our day continued with visits to the museum, art galleries and WWII bunkers, lunch at the sailing club, and an evening of good food and somewhat bizarre entertainment at the Greek Glenti Festival - an annual event on the Esplanade.

On Sunday it was time to venture further afield, with friends who were kindly willing to show us around. We decided on a day trip to Litchfield National Park. Less than two hours from Darwin, this is a beautiful area of gorges, waterfalls and delightful swimming holes. It is also an extremely popular destination for tourists and locals alike, especially on a long weekend during the dry season. The park is serviced by sealed roads, and a clearly defined circuit of main attractions. However it soon became apparent that all we needed to do was walk a hundred metres or so off the beaten track to find equally pleasant waterholes that we could enjoy all to ourselves.

The heat brought on a distinct feeling of lethargy, which made it difficult for me to think beyond plopping into some cool water. We picnicked at Wangi Falls and lazed the afternoon away in the shade. It's inevitable that you experience a place differently when on holidays rather than caught up in the everyday routine of work, but I still think that living in the top end would necessitate a more relaxed pace of life.

Evenings are a beautiful time of day up here. On returning to Darwin we grabbed an esky and a few bottles of wine and headed down to Mindil Beach to watch the sunset. The geographic layout of Darwin is very confusing for newcomers. Despite being located on the northern coastline of Australia, the city itself is on a peninsular which is surrounded by water to the east, south and west. So along with hundreds of other spectators and holiday-makers, we were treated to the golden glow of the sun setting over the water. And when our drinks ran out, it was only a short walk up to the markets for a mouth-watering choice of dinner possibilites!

Despite being a public holiday, our friends were back to work on Monday. So Joel and I borrowed a car and headed down to the Adelaide River for a Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise! There are many such tours on the Adelaide River, and although it is a hugely commercial operation with lots of hype for the overseas visitors, it was actually quite good fun.

Saltwater crocodiles became protected in the early 70's and now thrive in the river systems and waterways of Northern Australia. They are rarely seen by the casual observer because they spend most of their time hidden in the mud, but the crocs on this stretch of river know they can get an easy feed from the tour boats and seemed quite happy to perform for us. The power and speed with which they propelled themselves out of the water was quite incredible.

And so ends our visit to the Northern Territory. All too brief to really do it justice, but good to see a completely different part of Australia. We stopped at the Humpty Doo Hotel on our return to Darwin for a bit of an outback pub experience. The locals looked at us askance as we wandered in and ordered lemonades, and we quickly retreated from the dark and dingy interior to a table outside where barefoot kids played with a mangy looking dog. Maybe I'm just too accustomed to city living to appreciate the iconic nature of the Aussie pub and the colourful characters who inhabit them. But I'd certainly jump at the opportunity to return to the Territory for some more glimpses of it's stunning landscape and many hidden treasures.