Springtiiiime for Hitlerrrr and Germannyyyyy!...Actually just springtime for Xiamen

The proxy server I usually use to access the sites that are apparently subversive to China's national integrity, such as Facebook and Blooger, has been blocked and I just recently found another that opens these sites, albeit in limited capacity, so it's been awhile since my last post. So here's the dilly:

Tina's about 4 months preggers and she's got a bit of a belly going on. She's over the first trimester sick/weak/want-to-die hump, though she still tires easily and is sore pretty much all the time. I've got fingers of steel now from all the massages I give her :-P. So far everything's normal and it looks like the baby will be born just before next semester starts, so hopefully I'll have a little time to be at home with her and the new bundle of joy before I have to return to work. Tina's mother will also be around so that helps greatly.

Other than that, nothing new. I've taken up a new hobby painting harlequin masks in various styles and patterns, and that helps release my creative energy since tattoos will be off the menu for awhile. We've gotten pretty good at saving our money, but we still go out and have fun every once in a while too.

It's a scary thought bringing a child into a world like this. Tina and I were trying to think of anything in the world that is getting better, and we couldn't do it. I guess we just have to have faith that everything happens in its own time, and in the end, everything will work out for the best. So in the meantime, I'll just smell the tea leaves, enjoy the sunshine, and try to think of good baby names.

Update for 2010

It's been a while since I've posted here because the VPN I was using go the ax, and now it's working again for some reason. Like the judo penguins in the film Madagascar always say: "Just smile and wave boys, just smile and wave." Don't ask questions, just go with the flow.

Still doin' my thing in Xiamen University, currently enjoying a month-and-a-half long Spring Festival holiday. This stretch of bland weather (and no fireworks in Xiamen- gotta keep this tourist city sparkling! >:-/) is usually when Tina and I pack our bags and head out in search of adventure, but this time the adventure came to us: we're gonna have a baby.

Tina's about two months along now, and she feels tired a lot and pukes occasionally (quick clarification: it's not morning sickness, my buddy and fellow-father-to-be calls it baby sickness, because it happens anytime anywhere, not just the morning). But since I'm on holiday, I'm around to be the house husband. The timing of this thing is actually pretty sweet. I'm able to take care of Tina during the difficult (and vulnerable- fingers crossed!) first trimester, and then when it's time to head back to work, hopefully Tina will be feeling better enough so she won't need me around as much. And then by the time the summer holiday rolls around, she'll be all blimpish- in a cute, adorable way of course- but I won't have anything on my plate so I'll be back on point again. If things go well, we'll have a late August delivery date. I've already got the spot picked out on my arm where I'm going to ink the little anklebiter's name.

Of course I'm nervous, though not about being a father. This is something I've always wanted, and I know it's gonna kick my ass, but truthfully, I'm ready for a new chapter in life. Tina's pretty stoked too, when she's not feeling sick :-). I read all kinds of scary reports about birth defects, miscarriages, and a whole multitude of complications, but I tell myself that it's out of our hands. Whatever God chooses to give us, or not give us, is up to Him. So right now, we're enjoying the ride as much as we can and looking forward to the future. I've always liked change, and right now there's a lot going on with the new house and baby on the horizon. Sometimes I look back at my much simpler, more carefree, party-hearty life but I'm glad to be where I am now. This is the way it's supposed to be.