39 Weeks

I'm quite proud of us for keeping Christmas in check this year. Minimal shopping, zero malls, no darting all over town on the 25th. Just lots of Christmas music and some modest decorations, and some short family visits to look forward to over the next week. It's been easy to take it easy, that's the only way to go at the very late stages of pregnancy. The updated due date is January 3rd, so the chances seem pretty good we're looking at a 2010 baby.

Bethany is doing a fantastic job of baby-growing! She's a natural at this, just like everything else she tries. We've been careful to make sure she gets enough rest and eats well (usually). I'm amazed at the energy she displays, despite the significant frontal load. She's got a favorite exercise DVD for pregnant ladies which she does regularly. I'm doing most of the house work around here, which is good practice for a few weeks from now when I'll be doing all of it!

We've been to two Christmas feasts on the island so far, staff parties for both the ferry crew and the fire department. Another nice local tradition is a turkey spread put on by all the island businesses, everyone welcome. They make sure all the kids get a gift from Santa. We attended this last year and it really shows the community spirit that is such an attractive aspect of Denman life.

Many highlights at the firefighter's dinner -- I was called up to take part in the magic show for one. That guy could have pulled those yards of ribbon from anywhere he wanted, lucky for me he used his own mouth. Bethany's firefighting career is on hold of course, but she was honoured nonetheless with the "Chief, I'm Having A Baby" award along with a very generous gift certificate. There were a number of funny awards, complete with entertaining speeches. That group laughs longer, harder and louder than any I've ever heard, mostly thanks to Len the radio dispatcher. Most the practices are like that too. Anyhow, the best moment for me was when I was called up with fellow rookie Jeremy to accept the award as co-Rookies of the Year! We both joined at the same time, attended our courses together, and apparently showed enough promise and enthusiasm to warrant this joint honour. The long-time vets spoke very positively about the future of the department, saying they've never seen a crew so strong in numbers and diverse in age -- which I think was the biggest honour of all.