Deabill.net

So, for some this is news, for others it's old news. It seems we're having another baby. :-)

Yesterday we had the initial dating scan and, broadly speaking everything is fine. Based on size measurements we are at 10+2 (as of today) and the due date is 6th April 2010. We already had a busy few months ahead. They just go busier.

Back in Febraury of 2006 Katie was pregnant with Poppy and despite strong protestations from myself my unborn girl was given the affectionate name of "cookie". I know, I know. Please direct your mocking towards Katie. That was her work ;-) Anyway, as is always possible it seems this may have come back to bite us. A few weeks ago we told Poppy the news and she has thus far bounced from delighted to indifferent in the way only a small child can. One of her pearls of wisdom was this...

I'm going to call it Doughnut

Oh dear. Please, no. Unfortunately, this also seems to have now stuck. I guess if you can't beat them, join them.

It's too early at the moment to talk about gender, that'll come at the next scan in about 7-8 weeks time. We haven't decided yet whether we want to know this time, but if we do, we won't be telling ;-)

The pics from the scan are below. The baby's the small blob in the middle :-)

As everyone knows fire is currently displaying its awesome destructive power in Victoria, southern Australia. In fires covering areas roughly equivalent in size to greater London hundreds have already lost there lives and many more have lost all but their lives. And it seems that some of the fires may have actually been arson. It’s desperately sad and my thoughts are genuinely with the people of Australia.

Boston.com has some pictures that bring home just what such fires mean:

The state of Victoria in southern Australia has recently been hit with hundreds of bush fires during a record-breaking heatwave - temperatures well above 38°C (100°F). Unfortunately, these fires have proved to be the deadliest in Australian history, with at least 166 deaths reported so far. The fires mostly appear to have been started by lightning - however a few appear to have been arson…