28th May (yesterday) marked 3 months until my due date. Wow I have entered the third and final trimester. Things are good. She still moves around a lot and kicks and it makes me happy. Martin has felt her a few times and it makes him happy too.

I still feel well and have started an exercise routine for pregnant women. Pretty much just a light walk (the pool’s shut and they say I should stay off the bike due to the centre of gravity change) and then some strengthening exercises and stretches that are supposed to keep things in shape during pregnancy prepare all the right muscles for labour so here’s hoping all goes well.

I’ve also started to have that “nesting” thing going on. Last weekend we began painting the nursery and today we cleaned the garden all up. What I really want to do is go and buy things but I am trying to put that off as a friend here who just had a baby a week ago is moving to the Sates at the end of June and is going to be seeling almost all her baby stuff. She’s promised us first look at all so I figure that’s the cheapest, most sustainable way to get some really good stuff I just have keep my nesting desires at bay.

I continue to get bigger and heavier, although I read today that she weighs just over 1kg at this stage but is going to get to about 3kg so I still have a long way to go on that front. At night my legs are always pretty sore and I am very tired (although unfortunately sleeping is not the easiest thing) so I don’t imagine I’ll be able to keep up current levels of doing things for much longer but it’s good for now.

I think that’s pretty much it.

It’s so good to feel healthy again. This morning as I drank my tea and ate my toast I was overwhelmed with how wonderful it was to actually enjoy them. And then I had a quiche and lots of salads for lunch. Again I was overcome with how good it feels to be putting healthy food into my body and my baby. I guess being very sick for 3 months teaches us not to take anything for granted. And Leunig always helps too I have to say. The baby bonding books tell me that Che can hear my voice these days so I try to talk to her and sing to her (although she won’t enjoy that when she comes out) and I have started reading her Leunig. That’s not brainwashing is it?

Politics in this country has become very sad again. Not that I really know what I’m talking about but I thought the budget, apart from maybe the tax on super profit mining companies, was incredibly sad. A cut for social services, a cut for international aid, a cut for climate change and a massive investment in border protection. What a disappointment. It seems all Australians ever want is tax cuts and limited spending. “What’s it in for me?” was the question been asked over and over in the discussions about the budget. I don’t understand why people don’t want governments to spend money. I know we have a debt but it is relatively low in comparison to most other countries and if in the name of offering decent services to Australians and the world, especially those who need it most but can’t afford it, it takes a few more years to pay it off I don’t see the problem.

Also, I don’t understand the attack on Kevin Rudd’s little outburst on the 7.30 report. I mean it was hardly over the top really and I thought seeing some passion from the PM wasn’t a bad thing at all especially about climate change. Why has it become a bad thing for politicians to express emotion? Sometimes I find it hard to not just give up on people.

I just hope that those who are disappointed in Kevin Rudd and the government, for which I am one, although I do understand his point about been limited by the opposition (as well as the Australian people in my opinion) decide to vote for the Greens instead and not the Liberals. Tony Abbott scares me.

I wish I could put pictures on my blog because I would realyl like to put a picture of my office (well cubicle) and my classroom up. Not just because it is the thing to do but because I have given things an amzing clean up over the last fortnight. For the last year that I have been here you would not believe the chaos that I have worked in. Everything has just been everywhere and I have finally managed to organise it all. I also decorated my classroom. I have put up lots of welcoming as well as educational posters and sheets. It looks awesome if I do say so myself. Technically we are not really supposed to do that, just in case it ruins the paint job, but I after arguing with the campus administrator that as an educational institution we should be more concerned with educational benefits rather than paint jobs. He must have been somewhat convinced because he assured that if I were to put something up he would turn a blind eye to it.

So I blogged about three weeks ago that our car was having troubles. We had to decide whether to fix the radiator or not to find out if there was more problems. We did fix the radiator and $800 we found that the head gasket was also stuffed and it would cost us between $1000 and $2000 to fix that. The mechanic really didn’t think it was worth it. Thankfully, he said we are still able to drive it for probably a few more months before it completely dies, we just have to fill it it up with water every couple of days. This means that we have a little bit of time to try and find a new car and that when we find one we can give it to the neighbours, who don’t have a car at the moment, and they can drive it until it dies. Makes me feel like we didn’t completely waste our money.

So we have spent the last week or so looking for a new car. I don’t like shopping in general but I think car shopping is the worst kind of shopping. Alice Springs is also an especially bad place to look as the range is so limited compared to the big cities and everything is slightly more expensive too. It’s so stressfull because cars are expensive and it always feels like such a risk in that you never know what is going to happen. Not to mention used car sales people can be so off putting. Most of them were fine but when bargaining down the price of one car the woman assured us that we would get the best deal she could give us as her company aimed to take care of young families.

In the end we found a toyota carolla that we are going to buy. I have to say neither of us love it, it certainly isn’t the most attractive car, but I didn’t like Giles that much in the beginning either so hopefully it will grow on me. I think it’s the right decision though, it isn’t too expensive, has really low kilometres, our mechanic friend confirmed it was in good condition and you don’t get more reliable than a toyota carolla. It’s also a bit bigger than Giles so we can drive it comfortably to Sydney and back not to mention it’s the perfect size for prams and baby capsules and all that jazz. I have to say it’s probably the perfect family car which makes sense given we are about to become a family but there is something kind of depressing about buying a family car. It feels so conservative.

So Thursday is good bye Giles and hello family car day. I feel a bit sad. Giles has been such a good car to us and I have become rather attached to it but a new car is exciting too I suppose.

I don’t really like sterotypes and I am sure there are some lovely security guards out there (in fact some of them are my students and the other day I saw one, crawling on the ground helping an indigenous couple search for some change they dropped) but one the whole in Alice Springs there is a real problem with the security culture. It is not an uncommon occurance in this town to witness an incident of security guards seriously bullying citizens, 99.9% of the time these citizens been indigenous people. The indigenous people are not unaffected. On the weekend we went to a music festival east of town. I was chatting with John at one point and we saw Keith and my mum. I said to John let’s go over there and see them. He didn’t want to as to do so he would need to walk past a group of security guards who were staring him up. Can you imagine, John, a traditional owner of the land on which we stood too intimidated even to walk past some security guards?

On the whole these incidents of bullying go unremarked upon. There was a letter to the editor in the paper the other day but not much more. However a month or so ago Martin witnessed an incident he couldn’t ignore. Two security guards standing over an elderly indigenous man whose nose was bleeding. Martin walked over and as calmly as he could asked if all was okay. The indigenous man claimed that the security guards had hit him. Martin then asked the securty guards if this was true to which they responded with “who gives you the authority to ask that?” Martin said he was just a concerned citizen and asked the security guard “who gave him the authority to hit this man?” At this point the security guards became very aggresive. They told Martin that he wasn’t even Australian and couldn’t speak English so he should butt out. They were encouarging him to fight them and eventually one of them poked him in the face with a pen. Martin would have liked to fight them but using all the strength he had he called the police instead.

The police came and took them all down to the station and they all made statements except the indigenous man because he was under the influence of alcohol. Of course the security guards told quite a different story to Martin. The police knowing the culture of security guards assured Martin they believed him and encouraged him to press charges. Martin agreed to, hoping that if someone showed the security guards that they could no longer get away with this behaviour, it may begin to change the culture. The security guards however were still able to ban Martin from the Coles complex in Alice for one year. Perhaps more annoying for me than for him.

Anyway, the police began investigating the incident and we have been waiting to hear ever since. Unfortunately they got back to Martin today and said there would be no point going ahead with the charges. Essentially it is his word against theirs and as they are two people plus two others they have convinced to back them up Martin wouldn’t have a chance. It is very frustrating. Martin especially is very angry about it all and disappointed. He feels that again justice has failed the underdogs and perhaps nothing we do makes a difference.

However I disagree. I believe that if everyone in Alice Springs stopped turning a blind eye to this and like Martin confronted the security guards about it, showing them we will no longer tolerate this bahaviour it would eventually cease. Most importantly though I believe that when Martin confronted the security guard he showed the indigenous man that he was worth standing up for. That he didn’t have to, like John and I imagine others, allow these guys to intimidate him so much. That there are non indignous people in Alice Springs who don’t think this behaviour is okay and are willing to say so. I hope more people, myself included, will be as courageous as Martin next time they witness an incident of bullying and say something.

Today makes exactly 4 months to go until my due date. Not that many people are born exactly on their due date (and I would be very happy if Che decided to come a little early) but it seems like a significant date. I feel like I am nicely over half way although it still seems like a long time away as well. I am getting so curious about who she is and what things she is going to like and not like and how she is going to look and all those things.

I am feeling pretty well health wise. Still not eating as I would like but the nausea has pretty much all gone and for that I am very grateful. It’s nice to be able to finally enjoy this a little. I am totally showing now (there are photos on facebook for any interested parties) and I feel pretty heavy but I am yet to get a lot bigger I imagine so I better not complain at this stage. Although nearly couldn’t get out of the hammock today so I don’t think I’ll be getting in their again unless someone is around to help me out. Our last check indicated that all okay with her and with me. Heartbeat sure is fast but they assure me that is normal. It is the most amazing sound. Most exciting part though is I can feel her moving around. Not kicks exactly but little flutterings. She is a mover. On the ultrasound she was moving around heaps. I asked if that was normal. The lady said it wasn’t a problem but at all but said she did move a lot. I wonder if that tells me anything about what she will be like as a person?

I am calling Che “she” as you may have noticed and that is not without reason. The ultrasound told us that she is going to be a girl. Not that they can be 100% sure about thses things but they said 90% which are pretty good odds on her being a girl.

We took Giles (our car) to the mechanic after it overheated on me the other night. The mechanic rang today and told me we that Giles needs a new radiator and that it might cost around $1000. I asked how the rest of the engine is, to know if it is worth fixing. He says he can’t really tell me until the radiator is fixed. Now I have to decide do I spend the money on a car that it probably not worth much more than that at the risk of finding out afterwards I am going to have spend another load of cash to fix something else or do we start thinking about buying a new car. I love Giles and would spend the money (especially as I just spent $500 on registration) if I knew this would be only problem but if it turns out that he is actually on his last legs all over then it will be a total waster. Decisions like this make me very stressed.

22 March – She’s a Mil had its 6th birthday. I read over some of the previous posts. Wierd. I was a very different person back then.

2 April – Martin and I were married for 5 years. Yay for us.

9 April – Marked 20 weeks pregnant. Half way there. Hoping the second half is going to be a little easier.

11 April – 7 years ago to the day that I met Martin. I wonder what I would have thought if I knew on that day 7 years later we’d be married, living in Alice Springs and about to have our first child. Anyway, even on that day I thought he was the most gorgeous and charming man ever. Now I know he is.

Here’s a song for you my beautiful soul.

“I wanna love you and treat you right;
I wanna love you every day and every night:
We’ll be together with a roof right over our heads;
We’ll share the shelter of my single bed;
We’ll share the same room, yeah – for Jah provide the bread.
Is this love – is this love – is this love –
Is this love that I’m feelin’?
Is this love – is this love – is this love –
Is this love that I’m feelin’?
I wanna know – wanna know – wanna know now!
I got to know – got to know – got to know now!

Is this love – is this love – is this love –
Is this love that I’m feelin’?
Is this love – is this love – is this love –
Is this love that I’m feelin’?
Wo-o-o-oah! Oh yes, I know; yes, I know – yes, I know now!
Yes, I know; yes, I know – yes, I know now!”

Is this love? Bob Marley

After almost 2 months of doing prettty much this nothing this week is filled with activity. I went camping on the weekend in the beautiful West McDonnell Ranges. We spent the first night camping near John and Malley’s outstation with them and their family and then the next two nights at Ruby Gap. It was high clearnace 4 wheel drive only into the place and it was intense for me but worth it. Ruby Gap is stunning and I was able to lie around most of the day, reading, sleeping, swimming in the waterhole and just enjoying the views and being in the great outdoors. Also went for some little walks and we had some fires in the evening under Central Australia’s incrediblt skies.

Today I am off to Darwin until Saturday. I have some training to do for work as well as catch up with colleagues there. I am hoping it is not too humid and disgusting there.