Adams Down Under

A quick update

2010-09-30T18:44:00.003+10:00

So it's been awhile...

I was very kindly reminded by my friend recently that I need to update my blog. So here's a quick update because that is all the time I have. I'm pretty sure that Cyrus is more spoiled than his sisters. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Anyways, he is laying on the couch next to me patiently (as usual) while I type this up.

So here's Cyrus have a little nap. This picture is already a month old at least and he looks different now. He's getting a bit chubby which is totally cute.

Here's Sadie all dressed up as a fairy princess.

Here's Celia holding Cyrus in the hospital. She loves having a little brother.

And here's one of Sadie posing for the camera. She has a dramatic streak in her.

Who Says Men Can't Multitask?

2010-06-25T13:01:00.000+10:00

Here is a picture of Brian and Cyrus last night. Brian was marking (grading) final exam essays and Cyrus was simply loving life. He slept on his dad's chest for almost three hours!

Cyrus Samuel Adams

2010-05-06T21:58:00.000+10:00

Well, it’s been 17 hours since Cyrus Samuel Adams arrived in the world—17 hours that the world has been holding its collective breath. But all can relax, for all is well in the Adams Family.

Cyrus (for thus shall he be called) made his appearance around 4:20am on Thursday, May 6 after an uncharacteristically difficult labor. We saw one reason why when he came out face up (posterior). The other reason quickly became apparent when we saw that he was a 9lb. 4oz. chunk.

There was a little scare (at least for Dad) when after a few minutes Cyrus began to struggle with his breathing. The medical staff bustled him off to the special/intensive care unit and placed all manner of tubes in his nostrils, throat and veins. It was tough to see my little boy struggling so much. But he quickly recovered and was back with his mom a few hours later. As of last communication they were both bruised and tired but doing very, very well.

I brought the girls up in the afternoon after Célia came home from kindergarten. We bought some treats on the way and had a bit of a family celebration in the hospital room. I guess you could say it was Cyrus’ very first birthday party.

The girls loved seeing him. Célia commented on his every move, literally, including REM as he slept. Sadie laid on the bed and insisted she had a ‘Baby Cyrus’ in her belly. As evidence, she would lift up her shirt and stick out her tummy as far as she could.

As you can see below, both girls are excited to have a little brother. Célia seems ecstatic to have another child on which to practice her mothering skills.

And Sadie.....well, I think she just wants to eat him.

It's been a long, eventful day.

Good night from a proud father.

Goin' Bananas

2010-04-24T21:13:00.000+10:00

Well, Carolyn's due date has come and Cyrus isn't budging. We are all excited for his arrival, but he doesn't seem to bow to public opinion. We grudgingly respect his strength of character.

We promise to let you know as soon as he arrives.

We also thought to share with you a photo of our bananas. The girls are fascinated by how they grow. And for our friends and family in Michigan, "Yes, you can grow bananas in Brisbane, even in Winter."

Pessimism beware!

2010-04-21T16:47:00.000+10:00

I would like to share the most remarkable photo I've come across in a very long while. I would be a better man for adopting his attitude.

You can read more about him here.

Hard at Work

2010-01-22T22:18:00.001+10:00

The problem with kids these days is that they are just too darn soft! Too many cuddles and kisses and not enough work! Well, we ain't got no patience for that in the Adams Family. As soon as they can walk they got to earn their keep, we say!

Our girls have to get up early and start on their lessons.

Once they've finished that, then it's into the weight room for their daily workout.

And after they've burned off the extra energy that seems to get all kids into trouble, it's on to the real work...

like shoveling gravel...

and shuckin' corn!

Now it may seem like a hard life, but it does them good. It keeps them out of trouble and they sleep great at night!

Nope, our kids ain't gonna be no lazy, good-for-nothin' moochers thinking they can have fun all day every day. They'll learn to work and they'll learn to love it!

Against Criticism

2009-12-18T13:54:00.008+10:00

Although it may be true that the nay-sayer is correct more often than is the person proposing a solution, I would much rather be an imperfect resolver than a perfect complainer.

I say this because I just heard something that grates on my nerves and I felt that writing this post was one way I could fight against such ideas.

As I was approaching the building in which my office is located, I passed a couple of my fellow Ph.D. students. They were discussing the problem of the prison system in a Pacific Island country, which is that many of the inmates purposefully reoffend because it is preferable to stay there than return to what they have or don’t have outside the prison.

One of them said, “When I hear things like that, I cringe.” The other student said to him, “Well, then get in there and fix it.” His response is what sticks in my craw. He said, “I don’t want to fix it. Fixing it is an assumption that there is no flaw in the conception [of the proposed solution].”

This bothers me for a number of reasons. It bothers me because it highlights one of the great, glaring weaknesses in academia. While the majority of academics work hard to make a positive impact on the world, many of us are often quite comfortable sitting in our ‘ivory tower’ criticizing structures, institutions, policies and practices throughout the world, without offering any solution. A person can ‘enjoy’ a ‘respectable’, successful academic career built solely on showing how someone or something else is wrong. I put ‘enjoy’ and ‘respectable’ in commas, because I don’t know how anyone can enjoy being perpetually negative nor do I think that such a career is respectable.

Such a statement also bothers me, because this person will soon complete the Ph.D. process, no doubt successfully, and then will become the teacher of the next generation of university students. While I don’t know what his career aspirations are, I assume he will become a university instructor because I can’t imagine someone with that attitude choosing or lasting long in any other profession. But it worries me that this attitude will have a platform of influence over part of the next generation of students, including my children. I think that while university instructors should certainly help their students see the difficulties and challenges of the world, they should also prepare their students to meet these challenges--with skill and with hope.

The statement also bothers me because it is weak. It is an excuse to keep from engaging with difficult issues. It reminds me of those members of my church who regularly criticize the leaders for their weaknesses yet don’t fulfill their callings or do their home teaching. I have often counseled members that we are qualified to criticize and complain once we are ready to do something about it. Otherwise, keep it to ourselves.

The statement also bothers me because it is cowardly. Many criticizers don’t offer a solution simply because there is a possibility to be shown that their own ideas are flawed. It reminds me of a kid in a neighborhood I lived in as a child. He didn't like anyone. He would throw things at other kids from the safety of his front yard where he could quickly retreat into the house if you tried to catch him. Or, if he saw you wrestling with your friend, he would wait until you were inextricably entwined before running up to kick you in the ribs or the head and then sprinting back to his house. He was a coward. I hope he outgrew it.

A respectable academic (or person) follows their criticism by proposing action. Perhaps this is a courageous step, because they are quite aware of the possibility that their approach will be flawed, but they take it anyway, prepared to be kicked in the ribs by the cowardly neighborhood intellectual while they wrestle with the problem at hand.

I'm happy to hear your thoughts.

Cyrus Samuel Adams

2009-12-05T23:13:00.001+10:00

Greetings to the faithful worldwide readership of the award-winning Adams Down Under (ADU) blog. No doubt you have been breathlessly waiting for the next installment in our Pulitzer-worthy investigative reporting and celebrity rumour-mongering, including the behind-the-scenes look at the next Squeaker and the Bug blockbuster or the Adams Family New Year’s Beach Bash.

Well your prayers and patience have not been in vain! The intrepid reporters of the ADU blog were able to obtain (at considerable cost) ultrasound photos of what appears to be a baby boy, clearly attributed to a Mrs. Carolyn Adams.

Realizing that acknowledging the veracity of these photos would only feed the media frenzy sure to arise at the announcement of his birth, Brian and Carolyn were quick to squelch any questions. Said mother Carolyn, “If we were to have a son, and I’m not saying that we are, we would most likely name him in memory of his great-grandfather Cyrus Samuel Adams. A wonderful man who was an example of gentle strength to many and who showed great love for and faith in Brian through many challenges. But that is only hypothetical, of course.”

“No comment” was all the father would say when asked if the pictures were of his son. He then commenced to puff out his chest and swagger out of the room.

But not everyone is shouting “Halleluiah!” For example, Dick McDastardly, believed to be one of the many suitors spurned by Carolyn once she met the man of her dreams, released this recorded statement to the press only minutes ago: “IF the child is truly the son of Carolyn and [unintelligible cough] Adams, then there is cause for great rejoicing, for the world is certain to be a better place. But I urge the public to practice caution and restraint so as not to be disappointed once the truth comes out. Because it will! And in the interest of truth, might I point out two sobering facts as to why I doubt that these pictures represent any son of [coughing fit] Adams? First, Mr. Adams has not heretofore shown himself capable of siring male offspring, so why should we think that suddenly things have changed? Second, the child clearly has only five fingers on its hand.”

These are very good points so a rejoinder was sought. An anonymous source close to the family quickly rose to their defense in saying, “Hey, there’s a first time for everything, right? And perhaps the boy takes after Carolyn's side of the family.”

Certainly the truth will eventually be known. In the meantime, how will the cosmopolitan couple handle being outnumbered by their offspring? How will the mercurial superstarlets of the Adams Family respond to sharing the limelight? Will Squeaker and the Bug become the Three Amigos? Or will they find that ‘two’s company, but three’s a crowd’?

Stay tuned as the drama and excitement unfold!

Célia Marie's artwork

2009-09-14T17:25:00.006+10:00

Célia Marie loves to draw. Here are two recent examples of her work. (click on image to enlarge)

Notice in the first picture the uni-brow. I think it is a picture of our friend, Ward. She has an eye for detail.

The second picture she drew today after watching me lift weights. Notice the very thin arms and legs and the disproportionately large head.

I told you she has an eye for detail.

Brian

We're back!

2009-09-10T16:17:00.010+10:00

Why haven’t you heard from the Adams Family?

A) They have fallen into a vast hole.

B) The entire family has succumbed to any of the 1.54 million creeping, crawling, swimming nasties that can kill you here in Australia.

C) They have taken a paddleboat ride around the world.

D) They are lazy slobs too focused on their own selves to take a few moments to keep their humble, patient, charitable family and friends updated on their exciting lives.

While you are taking the time to puzzle through the above multiple choice exam, we would like you to enjoy a charming selection of behind-the-scenes shots from the upcoming film “Adventures of Squeaker and the Bug”, starring Célia Marie and Sadie. (check local listings for rating and availability)

Here the two stars are reviewing the script, making last-minute changes in the dialogue.

Being method actresses on the cutting edge of their craft, they put a lot of work into getting into character, as the next three images reveal.

It seems the two stars are already practicing their Oscar acceptance speech.

Candid shot of Sadie leaving her wardrobe, ready for the day's shooting.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

2009-03-18T15:10:00.001+10:00

Well, we know that some of the lessons we are trying to teach Célia are getting through to her. Two recent events illustrate this. One thing we try to teach her is that she should be nice and gentle when Sadie starts to cry or complain by stopping hugging/laying on her. We say that Sadie’s cries means she no longer likes it. Well, the other day after breakfast I was wiping off Sadie’s face and hands when she started complaining and wriggling just like she does when her big sister gets to be a bit too much. Célia said, “Daddy. Be nice. Sadie nope wike it. (Sadie doesn’t like it).” Which is basically the same thing we tell her. I tried to explain to her that in some circumstances I have to ignore Sadie’s cries, but Célia wouldn’t have a bar of it. I gave in to her argument and let Sadie go half-cleaned.

A second lesson we try to teach Célia is to share. She’s not too bad about it, but she stills has periodic selfish attacks, so we have to emphasize it still. Well, Carolyn drives the car most of the time, because she is home with the kids and runs most of the errands. But when we are together, I usually drive, unless they are dropping me off at work or somewhere. Well, the other day we had gone several places as a family and, as usual, I drove. In the afternoon, after observing this pattern throughout the morning, Célia pipes up from the back seat, “Why not mommy drive?” We didn’t understand what she meant at first, but then she explained, “Daddy. Mommy drive. You share. It’s fun to share.”

Célia Marie

2009-01-11T22:10:00.000+10:00

Our eldest daughter, Célia Marie, has developed a wide range of abiding interests.

For example, she loves her sister.

She loves playing on the computer.

She loves her sister.

She loves veggies from the garden.

But most of all, she loves her sister!

Happy Birthday Célia!

Sadie Ann

2009-01-08T22:31:00.000+10:00

Sadie Ann is proof that Gilbert blood runs in the veins of our children. Not only does she not have a large, round head, but her calm, quiet demeanor bespeaks her gentle Gilbert ancestry. It was only fair, I suppose, to balance our family out.

Now, if E=mc(2) and the relative velocity at which an object falls in a vacuum

is a function of its mass, then that means... (and yes, I love to suck my thumb)

I'm just making plans for the day I'll be moved into the big-girl bed.

Behold the princess on her blue throne! All her minions must recognize her big-girlness!

My fashion tastes run more towards the chicken-spinach-and-pasta-bake variety.

How do I look?

Um, Ma! People are watching!

Squeaker and the Bug. Friends for ever!

Happy Birthday Sadie, our big one year old!

New Year's Day at the Beach

2009-01-06T22:45:00.014+10:00

New Year's Day was a fun one for the Adams family. As is typical, it was a scorcher, but as was atypical, Brian had a day off, so we loaded up the 1990 Camry and headed to the beach with the Orths and the Harts.

It wasn't love at first sight for our girls. The waves knocked them about a bit and the beach wasn't the kind of sand that Célia Marie could use to make sand castles. But the water was shallow and very warm, so they were soon the happiest little girls in all creation. Sadie even found that though not like the sand in the sandbox at home, the sand at Redcliffe was just as tasty.

Afterwards, we all went out for some fish and chips at a local shop and then slept like logs once we got back home.

Hmmm. This is the worst sand in the world for sand castles!

Arrrrggghh! I'm the one-armed, snaggle-tooth sea dawg, Cap'n Chubby Legs! Arrrr!

Happy New Year from the white-legged, Adams family!

A Snapshot of Christmas

2009-01-06T21:23:00.002+10:00

So Christmas has come and gone already. I can't believe how fast it went. It may be hard to believe (because of lack of evidence on our blog) but we did actually celebrate Christmas in our home. We set up the tree with a little help from the girls.

We did our traditional Christmas cookies. We even went Christmas caroling this year when we delivered them.

And of course we got pressies (presents)! Thanks Joan for the ADORABLE matching outfits for the girls!

You know you're tired when...

2009-01-06T21:11:00.006+10:00

you fall asleep watching TV.

you fall asleep sliding down your bed.

you fall asleep standing up.

um...I can't really explain this one.

P.S. As you may have noticed in the first picture, Célia Marie is now potty-trained!!!!!!

Just a couple of cute ones...

2008-10-29T22:51:00.003+10:00

I couldn't resist adding these two pictures to the blog. Aren't they just the cutest little girls ever!?! I must say that I just LOVE being a mom and I have to have the two funniest and cutest little girls ever.

Who can resist a pile of shoes like that?

Célia was really enjoying lounging around in the backyard. She didn't know I was taking pictures of her. That Mickey Mouse book (The Prince and the Pauper) that she is looking at is her favorite book right now. We have to read it at least twice a day. Her favorite line from that book is "Guards, seize him!"

"What's that you are holding?"

2008-10-29T22:43:00.003+10:00

"And why does it keep flashing?"

"Boy, that sure it bright!"

"Got it!!!"

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

2008-10-29T22:03:00.005+10:00

We recently took a family day trip to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It was a fun day and Célia really enjoyed seeing all of the animals. Okay... I did too.

Here Célia and Brian are trying to feed some lorikeets but they didn't want to come down from the trees. Maybe next time.

Célia wanted to take a picture of me in front of the water.

Célia really liked feeding the kangaroos. That is our Chinese student behind Célia that stayed with us for a few weeks.

These not-so-little guys were out sunning themselves all over the park.

These goats got a little too friendly with Sadie (I hope she is not emotionally scarred for life).

A koala mum and baby.

My little koala baby!

My Third Baby

2008-10-29T20:44:00.003+10:00

No, I'm not pregnant. I'm talking about my new obsession. My garden. Here it is:

So it may not be much to look at but I am so proud of it. It is my first attempt at gardening and I have been happily surprised at how easy it has been. The garden bed was already there but I had to do some major weeding before it was ready to plant. When my seeds first sprouted I surprised myself with how excited I was. I check it at least three times a day and love seeing it grow everyday. Most everything sprouted about three weeks ago. My hot pepper plant, capsicum (bell pepper) and coriander (cilantro) are a bit younger. The bush looking thing up the back is the rosemary plant that has been there since we moved in. It's pretty much impossible to kill that thing.

So these are the spring onions. I have already tasted the sprouts and they are Delicious!

This is my rockmelon (cantaloupe) plant.

My beautiful beans. I can't believe how big they are already.

My zucchini plant (it looks a little wilted here but it perks right up when I water it... this plant needs water like a teenage boy needs food... it's insatiable).

The is one of my two tomato plants. I think they are so cute leaning up against Japanese chopsticks.

This is Célia's special pot. She chose to plant capsicum (bell pepper) and we thinned them down to this one little plant. It now has four leaves and she is very proud of that fact.

So I'm sure I'll continue posting pictures from my garden the way I post pictures of my girls. I apologize in advance if nobody out there cares about my garden and have to endure looking at pictures that you don't care about. I'm just a proud parent and have to show my new "baby" off.

Let's be honest...

2008-10-13T11:42:00.007+10:00

Hello faithful blog readers. Below is an essay (with minor edits) I wrote in response to a request of a good friend. She forwarded to me an email (one version of it can be read on this website) and asked that I keep an open mind and give it a fair evaluation. I tried to do both.

Normally I keep this blog purposefully light with news of our growing family and our adventures. Our life is so full of wonderful experiences and opportunities that I just don't feel justified in wasting anybody's time talking about the many unpleasant things of the world.

But I feel the seriousness of this message merits an exception. The issue I want to highlight is that people will lie to get you to buy into their point of view. No particular party (Democrat or Republican) or political persuasion (liberal or conservative) is immune to this weakness. We each need to determine for ourselves the veracity of our information sources, no matter how authoritative or well-written something may appear.

One final note before the review. I do not know the originator of this email. I would not be surprised if the version I received is the product of purposeful editing by someone or several someones. While I refer to the author of this version of the email as "he" I recognize that it could very well be a woman or a group of people working individually or in concert.

Dear *****,

(I’m writing this little section after having finished my evaluation. I have two favors to ask of you. First, would you please send this commentary to all those to whom you sent the original email? I think it is important they see what they have been given. I hope they read it, even though it is long, for in fact, it is about two pages shorter than the original email. Second, I tried to stick to commenting on the content and logical structure of the email, though I do confess I did comment on the motivation behind the email. I’ve tried to avoid adding what I think should be done or how these issues should be interpreted, since that is not what you asked me to do. But if you are interested, I would like to respond to some of the issues with my interpretation and opinion someday. Let me know if this is what you would like.)

I apologize for not getting back to you sooner in regards to your request to give you a “fair evaluation” on the email you sent me about Muslim terrorists and the USA. I’ve just returned from the second of two back-to-back conferences and feel I now have a bit of breathing space to take an in-depth look at the essay. Since you specifically asked for my commentary on it and you are someone whom I have seen show me and everyone around you great kindness and respect, I felt the very least I could do would be to take a close look.

I will start with a few general comments before looking at each of the basic questions, the two key questions and his conclusions. Then I’ll add a few more general comments in closing. I hope you stay with me in what could be a dry analysis.

General Comments, part I
As a rule of thumb, I try to not take for face value essays written by unknown or anonymous people. The author of this essay seemed to recognize that many people are like this and so attributed authorship to a very respectable and undoubtedly patriotic Dr. Vernon Chong, a retired USAF Major General. But after a quick Google search I found that Dr. Chong didn’t actually write this essay (for one example cut & paste the following link: http://www.snopes.com/rumors/soapbox/chong.asp ). I get very upset when someone lies to me or attempts to manipulate me. You asked me “to open [my] mind…and give [this email] a fair evaluation”, but after having realized that some skulduggery was taking place in the very first line of the email, I confess that my open-mindedness was severely hampered.

The introduction to the email is simply a statement of his opinion and the thesis of his argument. Whether or not I agree with his opinion, he has every right to express it and it’s not my place to evaluate it.

Question #1: When did the threat start?
I found the response to this question unsatisfactory and dishonest. The author seems to pick an arbitrary starting point with the Iran Embassy Hostage Crisis of 1979. In essay writing this would normally have to be supported by some reasoning. Perhaps it is the time he first became aware of terrorists and their evil ways. But I agree that September 11, 2001 was not a start of purposeful attacks against the USA. I’ll address the actual list of attacks in my commentary on the next question.

The dishonesty to which I refer comes from the last statement in which he states that 7,581 terrorist attacks have happened over 20 years. While this number may or may not be roughly accurate (the reader has no way of verifying this, as the author didn’t cite the reference), the author is making a direct connection between the Muslim perpetrators of the 11 attacks he lists and the 7,581 over 20 years. In short, he is trying FIRST, to get the reader to think that Muslim terrorists have conducted more than one attack everyday (379 attacks per year) for 20 years and SECOND, that these 7,581 attacks have been committed against the USA. This would an incredible feat of organizational and strategic prowess never equalled in the history of the world, if it were true. But neither implication is even close to being true. Assuming that 7,581 terrorist attacks have taken place over the specified time period, the author seems to (purposefully) ignore that included in this would have to be the Basque separatist attacks in Spain, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Irish Republican Army attacks in Northern Ireland and the UK, and the Tamil Tiger attacks in Sri Lanka among others. The latter two of which have been more numerous and killed more people than all of the 11 attacks the author lists above.

Question #2: Why were we attacked?
The author’s answer to this question seems to be purely his opinion. Unlike my no-response to the opinion stated in the introduction, I will comment on this one, because it seems to fly in the face of all evidence. For example, as I understand it, one of the primary motivations behind the 1983 attacks was a desire to get the USA military to leave Lebanese soil and to stop supporting the Lebanese government. The 1996 bombings in Saudi Arabia were as much against the Saudi government as against its close ally, the United States and their military presence in the sacred land of Mecca and Medina. The 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center was to get the USA to stop supporting Israel and to leave the Middle East. And using as examples the al-Qaeda bombings in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Aden, New York and Washington, D.C. is an insult to the intelligence of the general populace, as their billionaire financier and organizer, Osama bin Laden, had access to all the greatest benefits of our position, success and freedoms.

(I would like to add an editorial comment here, if you have made it this far without falling asleep. I am by no means saying the reasons given for these attacks nor the tactic of terrorism are justifiable. They are despicable, cowardly and evil.

And there is something I haven’t told you, but is pertinent here. I was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with plans to go to the US embassy on the day that it was bombed. Thanks to what I feel was an act of divine intervention, I didn’t make it and thus escaped possible injury or death. But I happened to know some of the guards that were killed in the bombing. I don’t pretend to say that we were best friends, but we had on several occasions exchanged light banter when I would go to the embassy. I knew their faces and knew I would never see them in this life again.

In addition, I was in Nairobi, Kenya not long after the bombing of the US embassy there and saw the destruction still very evident in downtown Nairobi. I spoke to medical personnel who heroically dropped whatever they were doing, even though not on duty, to respond to the death and devastation. I am no friend of terrorists.

Nor are most Muslims. The disgust and anger that many Tanzanians, including Muslims, displayed after the bombing of the US embassy in Dar es Salaam was sincere and heartfelt. And I lost track of the number of times a complete stranger approached me with an apology for what had happened to our embassy on their soil.)

Question #3: Who were the attackers?
Yes, in the 11 attacks the author lists, the perpetrators were Muslim. But this is where the author begins to set up the most egregious mistake in logic that is perpetuated throughout the rest of the rest of the email. He tries to paint all Muslims with the same broad brushstroke.

Question #4: What is the Muslim population of the world?
Okay.

Question #5: Isn’t the Muslim religion peaceful?
(For the sake of being open and honest about my evaluation of this email, I must add another editorial comment here. It is in the response to this question that my irritation at the author’s dishonesty began to turn to disgust at his propaganda.)

The author’s historical comparison of Nazi Germany to the entirety of Muslimdom is shockingly ridiculous in a number of ways. First, to say that one nation under authoritarian rule is analogous to a non-hierarchical religion that spans the globe and includes large chunks of Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa is mindboggling. The political, linguistic, racial, and yes, even religious diversity across that area is vast and impossible to encompass in one flippant analogy. It ignores the numerous close Muslim allies of the USA as well as the large numbers of Muslim voices that cry out against such attacks and the work they are doing to get stamp them out.

Second, to imply that everyone in Nazi Germany “went along with the administration” treats as naught the great sacrifices that many under the Nazi regime made in order to fight against such horrors.

Finally, the author has seemed to overlook the fact that the Allies did not treat all the citizens of Germany or its occupied territory as complicit in the Nazi atrocities. Even the Allied military recognized this difference and acted accordingly.

Question #6: So who are we at war with?
I think it interesting that the author speaks of honesty in the first sentence of his response, since he has repeatedly expressed himself dishonestly up to this point. But I do agree with his statement, “There is no way to win if you don’t clearly recognize and articulate who (sic) you are fighting.” The problem is, due to the faulty reasoning and a loose reference to fact, the author has totally misidentified the enemy. His identification is both too broad and too narrow. The identification is too broad in attempting to include all Muslims as complicit in this war. It is too narrow in focusing on Muslim terrorism. That’s as foolish as a soldier saying, “I am only going to be concerned about hand grenades and mortars manufactured by Russia.” Any kind of grenade or mortar can kill you. Or, as seems to better fit the author’s argument, any kind of terrorism can put your country at risk.

Key Questions #1 & 2: Can we lose the war? and What does it really mean to lose the war?
Having provided the reader with a bit of background, the author now moves on to the meat of the email, which is a vivid rant/description of what will happen if we lose this war. I won’t go into a detailed analysis because it is simply his opinion based on spurious evidence and, given the low level of intellectual analysis the author has displayed up to this point, I am not inclined to give his opinion nor his biased interpretation of events much weight. And, to be honest, I’m quite tired. I’ve been working on this response for almost 4 hours now. It’s past 6pm and I need to get home to my wife and girls.

But before I go, I will try to finish up per your request.

In the example of how we obviously don’t get that we are in war, the author mentions the issue of profiling. I am led to ask if this isn’t the real thing that has stuck in the author’s craw. If it is, why not come out and say so? Why the need for such a long-winded, pseudo-intellectual argument? Why not just say that we already do profiling in security procedures so profiling Muslim men is just another part of the process? (As another editorial comment, the author must mean Middle-Eastern men, not Muslim men, because given the racial, linguistic, national and political diversity in the Muslim world I mentioned above, there is no way to profile a person through Muslim traits.) We know it happens. Being a young-ish male who often travels alone, I have been the target of profiling by security personnel in many airports. As has a good friend of mine who was detained in the Baltimore airport for a very long time after a flight from Amsterdam, because he fit the profile of a person who might be carrying marijuana back to the USA.

Concluding comments
In question #3, the statement that “Muslim terrorists…kill all in their way” including “their own people” is misguided. ALL terrorists are like this, not just those that are also Muslim. Why single out only Muslim terrorists? Why ignore Political, Cultural and other Religious terrorists, too? Is it because the author feels that no other type of terrorist has attacked or has plans to attack the USA? If so, he has no grasp of even recent history or any ability to see what is taking place in the world today.

After having read through this email multiple times, I am left with the opinion that the author suffers from a kind of intellectual myopia that is of his own making and allows him to cherry pick only those facts that fit what he wants to say, while throwing out all the rest. The sad part is that he is throwing away the fruit and choking on the cherry pit while trying to get others to do the same.

After all of this analysis, one might be inclined to say, “Okay. Despite the dishonesty, uncited statistics and bombast, isn’t the overall idea or argument correct?” My response to this is an unequivocal “No.” The author seems to have an irrational fear or hatred of Muslims. I say irrational because he does not bring rational thought to bear in his exposé. This essay is a wonderful example of propaganda, which is “(chiefly derogatory) information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view.” (Oxford American English Dictionary).

For what purpose is this propaganda being spread, I do not know, but I refuse to be a part of its perpetuation. Thank you for motivating me to not turn a blind eye as I usually do in erasing such emails and forcing me to make my voice be heard. Let’s hope it is.

With love,

Brian

Four posts in one day!

2008-09-16T16:01:00.002+10:00

Be sure to look at them all! So this last post is just a few more random pictures to get me caught up on the blog. It feels pretty good to be caught up.

What did I tell you... I have a million pictures of them in this chair. Here they are enjoying some bikkies (biscuits....aka cookies) together and watching some TV.

I can't believe that Sadie is old enough to wear this dress! Isn't she adorable?!

Célia fell asleep right next to the door (she will occasionally still take a nap) and didn't want to move when she woke up. Sadie is playing with her fingers that are sticking out under the door.

Tiger cubs in the city

2008-09-16T15:32:00.002+10:00

So we heard that there was going to be some show in the city with animals so we decided to go in and see and meet up with a friend. It turned out that the "main" attraction was a couple of tiger cubs that they brought up from Dreamworld (amusement park on the Gold Coast). Well, Célia got a place right up close on the little platform they had set up. Luckily her friend Will was there and had saved her a spot. I can't believe how crowded it was!

This is a picture of them taking the cubs back to the car at the end.

Here is Sadie, just hanging out in her pram.

Célia was close enough that she got to pet the tiger (unfortunately I was not close enough to get a picture of that).

Célia is the one in the pink/purple striped shirt.

Célia was on channel 9 news that night but unfortunately we missed it. I wish I had recorded it so that I could have posted it here on the blog.

Learning to Drive

2008-09-16T15:14:00.003+10:00

Is that kid having fun or what?

Double decker car.

Flashing the peace sign.

Célia showing Sadie the ropes.

"Man I wish that car would get out of my way!"

Cruising with one hand.

This one's for you Jenn!

2008-09-16T14:33:00.007+10:00

Okay so I hope you don't mind a bunch of random pictures. I keep thinking "I need to post on the blog," so I keep taking a bunch of pictures but that is as far as I get. The order of the pictures is newest first and oldest last but it is only within a couple of months so I think that is alright.

I love this outfit for Sadie! It is the cutest. Thank you Nana Monette!

She loves being able to crawl around.

Is this a happy kid or what?

I love pictures of them in their pj's.

Maybe you can't tell but she had been chewing on a pink highlighter.

I have about a million pictures of the two of them sitting in this chair together. I just think they are so cute when they sit together.

Célia doing a painting project. She LOVES to paint! (you probably can't tell from the grimace on her face, I think that was meant to be a smile)

And Sadie LOVES her walker too!

So this is a Brisbane winter... you just have to wear a hat with your short sleeve shirt and capri pants when you dig in the dirt. Célia and Sadie have matching hats (thank you Great Grandma Gilbert) but I couldn't find Sadie's that time.

That's Never Happened Before...

2008-05-30T16:52:00.002+10:00

She fell asleep watching TV! I hope she is not sick.

Cast off! (or Déjà Vu all over again)

2008-05-28T06:37:00.002+10:00

I’d like you to take a close look at the following two pictures and tell me what you identify as the common feature.

If your answer includes the cast on Brian’s left arm, you would be correct.

Now, I’d like you to consider that these pictures were taken about 11 weeks apart.

“What?!” you undoubtedly exclaim. “Why is Brian in a cast for such a long time?”

Answers to this question do not include:
• It’s because the doctor forgot about him.
• The attraction Carolyn has for men in casts is second only to those who wear eye patches.
• Brian enjoys not being able to do the dishes.

No, alas. The answer is much more embarrassing. You see, the photos depict two different casts treating two separate injuries. Here are the details:

About one week (actually, closer to six days and twenty-three hours) after Brian got his first cast off, he decided to jog to work. On the way, he stepped in a hole, twisted his ankle, fell and reinjured the same wrist in the same spot.

I guess you might say that Brian gets another break from doing the dishes.

(pardon the pun, but I couldn’t resist)

Fiji report

2008-05-24T16:03:00.012+10:00

Well, as you may have guessed, I’m back from Fiji and have been for almost a week now. It was a good trip. I learned quite a bit and made some very good contacts. I will be returning in June for about 10 days and possibly in September, too.

I don’t really know what to say about it other than I enjoyed my time. Being a week there allowed me only a brief snapshot. Added to that is the fact that I stayed in Suva, the capital, and spent a large amount of my time in the hotel. Thus, I feel that the snapshot was a bit out of focus, too. But I will share with you some impressions. Fiji struck me as being halfway between the developed world and the developing world. Planes left on time, traffic congestion was almost non-existent, the water was safe to drink. But the roads are terrible, unemployment is high, prices are relatively low, vehicle emissions seem to be unregulated, tourism and servicing the expatriate staff of various aid offices and embassies are major employers. Having only that brief snapshot, I have no way of determining in which direction Fiji is heading or if it is on a development plateau, though most of the papers seem to say that Fiji is struggling tremendously.

One of the more memorable events of my week in Suva was dinner on Thursday. A member of the board of directors of Transparency International-Fiji was involved in the week’s meetings. Her name is Suliana and she is an elderly, humble, regal lady. When she saw the number of foreigner visitors were there she decided we all needed a good Fijian meal, so she invited us to her home. The setting was marvelous. There were woven mats on the floor, beautiful baskets, carvings and pictures decorating the home. The yard was full of lush flowers and tropical fruit trees framing an incredible view of the bay from a broad, open porch. And, as if to complete the paradisiacal tropical image, a drenching downpour periodically made its appearance throughout the evening.

The evening started with a traditional Fijian kava ceremony. Kava is a traditional drink throughout the western Pacific. It is made from the leaves of the kava plant and is drunk as a relaxant, a bit like alcoholic beverages I suppose. There are even kava bars throughout the Islands and one can be cited with ‘driving under the influence’ if you’ve had too many bowls (tanoa) before heading out on the road. Kava looks like muddy water and tastes like one would think muddy water tastes. It also numbs the tongue and mouth. I can’t say it’s my favorite beverage. I have had kava once before while at BYU. It was in my ethnobotany class taught by Paul Cox, who does quite a bit of research in Samoa. He invited a Samoan chief to come perform the ceremony for us. The Samoan and Fijian ceremonies are very different and since I am not an expert ethnographer, I won’t try to describe either of them. I just hope you get the opportunity to witness them yourself. Undoubtedly due to the intoxicating effects mentioned above, I have heard that drinking kava is against the Word of Wisdom, but I have also been told that it is an accepted tradition and that Spencer W. Kimball would imbibe when in the Pacific. Until I hear from an authoritative voice, I won’t worry about it.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, chatting and eating a number of wonderful dishes. I think Suliana tried to make every Fijian recipe ever invented:
• various baked fish (yummy);
• taro, cassava and yams (interesting);
• banana and coconut pudding (not as good as I would have thought); pineapple cake (yummy);
• crawfish or raw fish salad (I couldn’t understand her pronunciation and didn’t want to really find out. It was very good);
• various fruits and veggies (always a winner); and
• chicken.

My final observation is about the people themselves. Fijians are a handsome people, but one must be careful about whom one calls a Fijian, because ethnicity in Fiji is a very important issue. Originally Fijians are of Melanesian stock, a bit more slightly built than Polynesians with very kinky curly hair and dark skin, but they have intermingled with other Pacific populations, particularly the Tongans who had conquered the Fijian islands at one time, such that there is a range of features not frequently found in Melanesian populations. The term ‘Fijian’ refers not to nationality or citizenship, but to race. About half of the population is Indo-Fijian, descendents of the Indians brought over by the British in the 19th Century to work on the plantations. The other half is ethnic Fijian. Only those of ethnic Fijian descent are called Fijians.

In closing I thought I'd throw in a few random photos.

I highly recommend the Tymo cookies. Especially the coconut Tymos.

I'd like to know the story the behind this one (no pun intended).

I call this picture 'Humble Optimism'.

Poor Sadie

2008-05-24T14:43:00.005+10:00

I just though I'd post a couple more cute pictures. I realized recently that I don't take enough pictures of Sadie. When Célia was a baby, every phase was new and we took pictures of everything that she did but Sadie isn't getting so much photo time. So I am trying to remedy that without going overboard like we did with Célia. Here are the girls hanging out:

This one was too cute not to post. I told Célia that it didn't matter where but she had to wear her pajama pants. She chose her head:

Hopefully next time I will have some more creative pictures to show you.

I Cannot Think of a Creative Title

2008-05-22T16:58:00.004+10:00

Okay, I challenged myself to write on our blog today. I don't really have anything exciting to say (or I don't want to take the time to think about it to be more honest), so I am just going to post a couple of cute pictures from today. This is Sadie just after waking up from a nap. Her new trick is rolling over (back to front) and she is getting a lot more used to being on her stomach now.

Célia decided to fix us some "dinner" this afternoon. I went in to check on her and she was feeding her doll. Every time I ask her to smile for the camera she smiles and closes her eyes. We'll have to work on that!

Squeaker and the Bug

2008-02-29T14:43:00.006+10:00

As you can see, Célia Marie loves her blocks. But a recent family addition has supplanted building blocks in her heart. Célia Marie has teamed up with her sidekick/little sister to form the intrepid tandem of Squeaker and the Bug. This appears to be more than a passing infatuation, as the dynamic duo grows ever closer. You may find them reading together,…

Playing in the living room…

Or just hanging out talking.

While we know Célia Marie is tickled pink about her sidekick, evidence suggests that fissures may be appearing and Sadie may be formulating plans to overthrow her big sister to start a solo career.

Just have to brag...

2008-02-19T21:39:00.002+10:00

Okay, so I don't have any pictures to post today but I just have to brag about my Valentine's Day present from my husband. He got me around-the-world plane tickets. First we will be going to San Fransisco for a week. Then we go to Kalamazoo to visit my family for a week. Then we go to Paris for a week to visit friends and to speak French. Then over to Singapore for just a couple days and then we head back home to Brisbane, Australia. What a life I lead! Thank you Brian!

P.S. We will be in Kalamazoo April 1st to April 9th.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Introducing....

2008-01-15T22:23:00.000+10:00

Sadie Ann Adams!

Date: January 8, 2008
Time: 4:34am
Weight: 8lbs, 1oz.
Length: 21.25ins.*

Since both mother and baby were doing splendidly, the hospital let us pack her up after two nights and bring her home...

...where she was warmly greeted by a big sister eager to hold her.

even if she didn't quite know what to do with her once she was on her lap.

Both mother and baby continue to do very well. As of the one-week doctor's examination, Sadie has regained the weight she lost after the birth and began to put on some. It won't be long before she is a chunky little thing rolling around on the floor.

*Special thanks to my astute sister-in-law, Jesica, who noted that my conversion from metric was off. In the original announcement I said she was 24 inches long. I beg for your understanding as I was operating on little sleep and lots of adrenalin.

Preparing for Sadie

2008-01-15T21:54:00.000+10:00

As you can probably tell from the above picture, we have been waiting for the arrival of the newest Adams. But we haven't sitting idly by, for there is a lot to be done in preparation. And Célia Marie took an active role in those preparations.

She helped cleaned the livingroom.

She helped with the dishes.

She helped cook and freeze a few dinners in advance

...and she made a few treats, too.

In fact, Célia Marie was so excited about getting the house ready for her sister that instead of taking a nap one day she decided to redecorate the walls and door of her bedroom with the new crayons she received at Christmas.

Thank goodness she isn't any taller.

Célia's Big Week

2008-01-15T21:46:00.000+10:00

The breaking news in the Adams’ home is the arrival of Sadie Ann Adams on January 8, 2008. And though the spotlight has been justifiably shining on the newest Adams, I would like to make sure her big sister isn’t lost in the media crush, because great things were happening with her in the week leading up to the birth.

Célia Marie has had a big week. She learned to climb out of her crib, so she is now in a big girl bed. She went on the potty twice without any prompting from us. She said thank you without being reminded.

And she had her birthday party early in preparation for her little sister’s birth. And though so many new things have arrived at once, she seems to be taking everything in stride.

She is growing up so very quickly.

The Bourne Trilogy and Pregnancy

2007-12-20T15:49:00.000+10:00

Fatherhood definitely colors the way one sees the world. Carolyn and I went on a date a while back to see The Bourne Ultimatum. I felt it was an appropriately themed title given Carolyn’s advanced state of expectancy. (Speaking of appropriately themed titles, King Kong was the last movie we saw before Célia Marie was born. As she approaches two, we are beginning to see many similarities.)

Upon reflecting on the film, I thought of how the entire trilogy of Bourne films is certainly a metaphor for the gestation period. Permit me to expound.

The first film was named ‘The Bourne Identity’. This equates to the period when parents seek a name and await the announcement of the sex of the child

The second film was titled ‘The Bourne Supremacy’. This aptly describes the time when the pregnancy takes over everything (conversation, dreams, social acitivities) due to preparations and the woman's increasingly limited ability to bend and move around.

Finally, the third Film is ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’. This, of course, describes the time in the gestation period when the body makes its final demands and directs the course of the rest of your life through the actual birth of the child.

Due to Hollywood’s love affair with sequels, a logical question that follows is “if the Bourne movies were to continue along these lines, what would be other appropriate titles?” I propose the following three:

The Bourne Tantrum
The Bourne Rebel
The Bourne Aliens Abducted My Child and Replaced Her with an Adolescent

I’d love to get your input.

Philippines update

2007-11-16T15:05:00.001+10:00

Now that I’ve been home for almost a week, it’s time I gave you an update on my trip to the Philippines. In short, I had a very enjoyable time. I LOVE exploring new areas. In terms of work it wasn’t a very productive trip, but personally it was very enriching.

My first impression of Manila was about the driving. Traffic is a madhouse and gridlock is the norm. Road signs and traffic signals are just contributions to a canvas of creative driving art that is limited only by the imagination of the driver. But since everyone drives very defensively there seem to be fewer accidents than I saw in Bamako or Dar es Salaam on average.

The second impression was about their advertising. I have never seen such profligate use of giant billboards. They are enormous—many looming more than 5 storeys above the street. One might find some Freudian reasoning to argue that the size of the billboard is indirectly proportional to the size of the people.

General impressions are numerous. For example, the public transportation in Manila is conducted through the use of what is now my favorite mode in the developing world. Every developing country I’ve visited has its own form of local interpretation of moving people around. One of the universal traits is that they are driven by young, brash hooligans who own the road and tear about with abandon. In the Philippines, these buses are called Jeepneys, the name and design of which are inspired by the American military vehicles of WWII. But that is where the similarities end. Jeepneys are school-bus long, made of shiny metal and gaudily decorated.

I would love to create an encyclopedia of the different designs. You’ll find religious themes, Hollywood themes, and political themes. The most incongruous characteristic found on all Jeepneys is the following sign:

This sign never failed to evoke a chuckle from me.

I found Filipinos to be a very polite, warm, beautiful people. Their children are adorable. They dress modestly and cook some wonderful foods. The best food I found was bibingka. It is a Christmas treat that tastes like an egg custard with coconut on top. Ferino’s is the purported best brand of bibingka.

The fried baby crabs aren’t bad. They are eaten whole, shell and all, and taste crunchy bland. Hot sweet bean curd soup was undoubtedly very healthy, but not the greatest.
The peanut sauce soup with tripe was tasty. And I loved the various sticky rice pastries.

Filipinos love malls and Christmas. Malls are numerous, enormous and packed every day. It was pointed out that the few parks in the Manila metro area are found in Manila itself. None of the other cities have any. Therefore the only place that families and couples have to spend time together outside of the home are the malls or villages in the provinces. And since the villages aren’t air conditioned, malls are the most popular place to hang out. Even in early November the Christmas decorations and cheesy music were already in force. Christmas lasts through the –ber months (any month that ends in ‘ber’) and ends in the –ary months. I, too, spent a lot of my evenings there exploring, people watching and shopping. It was a lot more enjoyable than sitting in my hotel room wishing Carolyn and Célia Marie were with me.

At the mall I found a couple of food providers that seemed made to attract my pesos.

and

Finally, I came across the most hearteningly optimistic fellow one hot afternoon.

Catching up on Pictures

2007-11-11T20:31:00.000+10:00

Well, we finally figured out how to fix the problem we had with downloading pictures from our camera to our computer. So I thought I would post a few pictures we have taken over the past few months. Here Célia has gotten into some flour and when we found her she looked at us like "What?" with her big innocent eyes. (If you click on the picture you will see she got almost as much on her as she did the floor.)

This next picture shows how much she loves her mom. She has been pretty big into posing for the camera lately.

Here she is watching TV. I just like this picture because she looks so cute with a baseball hat on.

Here she is helping dad wash the car. She loves playing with water.

Here she is wearing a really cute outfit that her Nana bought for her. I just love the sandals! Oh, and she rarely lets me put her hair up so when I do I only get one chance at it. So sometimes it looks pretty funny but I have to leave it because she actually let me try.

In this next picture she just wanted me to take a picture of her eating. We have a student from Taiwan staying with us at the moment and for the first few weeks she took pictures of all the dinners we ate and Célia thought that was pretty cool. So one day at lunch Célia went and got our camera for me to take this picture.

Halloween really isn't celebrated very much over here but we were invited to a Halloween party this year. I went as a mommy mummy and Brian went as a cereal (serial) killer. As you can tell I worked and slaved over our costumes! My mummy wrappings didn't stay up past the door but that was okay with me because it got very warm very quickly wrapped up in all that toilet paper.

Here is a picture of Brian's first attempt at surfing (That's him on the right). Yes, we have been in Australia for three years now and he only just got around to trying it out. I was a little bummed that I couldn't go as well but I can't see how I could have paddled on the board in my condition!

Here is a picture of Célia helping me make Pumpkin Bread. As you can tell, she loves to help me cook (although there isn't much that I let her do yet).

Oh, and for anyone interested, here is the recipe we were using (it is absolutely delicious):

Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups flour (I do half plain and half wholemeal)
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups fresh pumpkin, 16 oz if using canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water, 2/3 cup if using canned pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil (I usually do 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 water and it still turns out really good)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional - I usually don't use)

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, water, oil and pumpkin. Stir until blended. Add nuts. Mix well. Pour into two 9x5" loaf tins. Bake 1 hour (I usually have to do 70 min in my oven) or until done. Cool slightly and take out of pans to let cool on a rack. This tastes best if you wrap, refrigerate and wait one day to eat it. It keeps well in the fridge and can be frozen.

Well, that's all for now. Brian is going to post about his recent trip the the Philippines. I hope you all enjoyed the pictures and I encourage you to try the Pumpkin Bread.

Célia's First Sleepover

2007-10-28T21:22:00.000+10:00

Célia spent the night with some friends recently (well a month ago, but better to post late than never right?). This is a picture of her with her friend Will. It was her first night away from both mom and dad and actually her first night away from mom ever. It was actually quite nice to get away and not have to worry about her for almost a whole day. Brian and I were able to go to Young Woman's Camp together for the night. It was lots of fun and brought back tons of memories from all my years at Young Woman's Camp when I was a Young Woman. It would have been even more fun it I wasn't pregnant though, it made for an uncomfortable night on the hard ground.

Anyways, Célia had lots of fun on her sleepover. This is a picture of her and Will at breakfast. As you can see Will loves Célia and even though she may look like she doesn't enjoy it, she laughs and squeals when he chases her around. It is very cute to watch them play together.

Adams #2

2007-09-27T10:55:00.000+10:00

In case you have been living under a rock that was buried in a mudslide several months ago and have only now dug yourself out, I thought I'd let you know we are expecting another little girl.

And here is her first of many introductions onto the world stage:

Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you, the one, the only.........

Female Child Adams #2!
(We are still debating names.)

Apparently the poor thing has her father's hairline.

Women Power!

2007-09-06T08:09:00.000+10:00

Well the women in the Adams household have been on a sort of run lately. They are taking over the show.

Célia Marie has discovered her independence and can now lie on the floor and beat her fists with the best of them. I thought the experts said this wouldn’t start for another few months!

Carolyn is finished with her Associate’s in psychology! In case you were wondering, yes, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a grade point average of 4.0. Understandably, she is feeling pretty good about herself. Less understandably is that her slacker husband hasn’t done anything for her to celebrate and show how proud of her he is. The slacker husband would appreciate any ideas.

And last but not least…there will be another female added to the Adams family. We found out that the latest swelling in Carolyn’s belly has taken the form of a little girl. Sadie/Céleste/Cheridan Adams (we are not yet set on the name) is due to make her world premier on January 12, 2008. For those astute blog readers, yes, this is exactly two years after Célia Marie was scheduled to appear on the world stage, though in her excitement she arrived a day early.

Parental Abuse? You decide!

2007-04-05T17:48:00.000+10:00

Evidence:
The weapon allegedly used to strike the brutal blow. It is itself a symbol of violence as the so-called “child” hammers away at a series of wooden pegs.

Victim:
36 years old, Caucasian male, 6’1”, 180 pounds, thinning blond hair, one hazel eye, one black-and-blue eye

Perpetrator:
14 months old, Caucasian female, 25 pounds, wispy blond hair, bright blue eyes

Crime scene:
Living room floor, 7am, Friday morning.

Testimonies:
“I was minding my own business while exercising Friday morning. I try to do this so that when my children are teenagers, I’m not too flabby to lay down the law. I think I was in the middle of doing sit-ups, but I can’t be sure as my memory of the events leading up to the assault are a bit foggy due to the strength of the blow. What I do recall is a crazed attack from a giant baby with blood in her eye! And then everything went blank. When I awoke, I had blood in my own eye.”

“Now I know it looks bad for me, because I had just given Dad quite a fight during my morning diaper change, but I honestly wasn’t holding a grudge. I just wanted to play. He had a bright red face from sitting up and down on the floor. He always gets a bright red face when he does this and I think it’s funny. I just got caught up in all the excitement and threw my toy. I didn’t mean to hit him in the eye. Honest. I’m innocent I tell you. Innocent!”

You Decide!
If proven guilty, Célia must give her father at least one hug and kiss per day for the next 20 years, with no time off for good behavior.

If proven innocent Célia Marie requests, “Play with me on demand. And a cookie. I want a cookie every day.”

Now that you have been presented with the evidence, what is the verdict? Is Célia Marie guilty as charged or is this simply a case of in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time? Do you consign her to 20 years hard labor or does she get her play and cookie time?

Women + Chocolate Detection = Nobel Prize

2007-02-24T21:02:00.000+10:00

Penicillin. TNT. Gravity. What do all of these important discoveries have in common? They all came about through the combination of a keen mind and a serendipitous event. I can humbly say that I now belong in such rarified company for I have finally been able to substantiate via empirical evidence that women’s love of chocolate is innate, akin to other instincts such as blinking, hunger and heart palpitations. I was able to ascertain this socio-physiological breakthrough by closely observing my daughter. Here are the details:

On Valentine’s Day Carolyn received a box of Lindor chocolate balls (the kind with shiny wrappers). It was accidentally left on the coffee table overnight, so that Célia Marie discovered it the next morning. With her uncanny ability to find exactly the one object she shouldn’t have among hundreds of others vying for her attention, she walks right up to the unopened box of chocolates. After a brief, yet thorough, inspection, she brings the box to me (who am slouching on the couch in a daze because it’s not yet 5:30am) making “I’m interested in this” grunts. I thought she just wanted to play with the box so I wriggle it around and make funny sounds with it. She just stares at me for a short while, then grabs it out of my hands while making "I'm disgusted with you" grunts and heads across the living room directly to her high chair. She pushes her highchair over to the kitchen (the only spot other than the shower we can hose down after she’s done feeding) and then forcefully grunts “I’m hungry and I want up”.

I was dumbfounded. How in the world did she know that the contents of that box were edible? The box hadn’t been opened. I could detect no smell emanating from within. The box that had no representation of chocolate on the packaging other than a shiny bunch of red, blue and green balls. AND SHE HAS NEVER EATEN CHOCOLATE! The only plausible explanation is that she is genetically hard-wired to recognize and consume chocolate, and it is all tied to the presence of two X-chromosomes.

Case closed.

I fully expect to be contacted by the editors of Nature requesting I submit an article to their journal, followed shortly by a call from Sweden.

Now, on to the section that is the reason for why you all log onto our blog.

Some young girls at Church were wearing headbands, so Célia Marie wanted to try it as well.

One of Célia Marie's greatest joys is watching Curious George when she wakes up in the morning. As you can see, she is deeply into it.

International Symbol of Marriage

2007-02-19T21:29:00.000+10:00

I don't mean to brag, but I have traveled quite a bit over the years. In doing so, I have found that every land has its idiosyncracies and unique perspectives. But there is one true universal:

In case you're curious, I found this picture here

Consistencies amidst Constant Change

2007-01-20T22:10:00.000+10:00

Célia Marie has been very busy since we last posted to our blog. She’s had her first Christmas, went camping, celebrated her first birthday and suffered through her first molar. It’s all happening so fast we can’t keep pace. Sometimes it seems that we wake up in the morning only to find that she’s been replaced with a bigger model.

But, through all the lightening-quick changes, some things are becoming clear. First, this kid loves her food.

Second, her grandmas know exactly what she likes. They both gave her a present that she doesn’t want to put down.

Third, she loves being outside. One of her favorite things to do is go on bike rides with her mom and dad.

She also love camping.

Fourth, just as she is beautiful like her mother, she is also loved by everyone she meets. For example, we probably had close to 40 people come to her birthday barbecue at the park. And they left her too many presents for a little girl to play with all on her own.

Aussie Christmas Gratitude

2006-12-22T20:07:00.000+10:00

Merry Christmas all!

Despite the persistent 85-degree weather and a distinct lack of commercial bombardment, we are getting into the spirit of Christmas. Thanks in large part to our friends here in Australia who lavish us with well wishes and holiday cheer.

One of the sweetest expressions of the Christmas spirit came from our friends Grantley, Samantha and their little boy, Lucas. Grantley has been battling cancer for several months, but now seems to be in the clear. His chemotherapy combined with a little boy Célia’s age has kept them preoccupied and stretched to their limits. Despite these challenges, they still found the time and energy to make us a beautiful gingerbread house.

Imagine the detailed work on this.

Samantha stopped by a few days ago and dropped it off as a way of saying thanks for the help we’ve given them during her husband’s illness. It was a magnanimous gesture for such little assistance rendered. It was also one of the rare moments in his life that Brian was speechless. He couldn’t find the words to express how humbled he felt for their gratitude.

We wish them a Christmas of joy and pray that their New Year will be one of good health and lots of laughter.

May God bless you all with a Merry Christmas and that you feel of our love all year long.

Brian, Carolyn and Célia Marie

P.S. Status report on the gingerbread house: the structural integrity was quickly compromised. Imagine our surprise when we found that the inside was stuffed with all sorts of Aussie candy, including Brian’s favorite marshmallow banana thingies! (Carolyn prefers the chocolate covered caramel fencing.)

Sniffles and Professional Development

2006-12-09T10:18:00.000+10:00

Today is my Dad’s birthday. I wonder if he is watching his grandchild grow. If he is, he had better pay close attention, because Célia Marie is growing fast. It seems like she is trying to turn 16 before she turns one.

We’ve had a bit of a rough patch since we last wrote. Célia came down with a virus and had a high temperature for several days. We took her to the hospital, but they weren’t able to do much except suggest an over-the-counter fever medicine. She’s fully recovered. But Carolyn has come down with a flu three days ago and is still struggling to shake it.

We’ll see if she is in good enough shape to attend the Christmas party at Church today. I’ve been asked to be the Master of Ceremonies. I’ve never MC’ed a Christmas party before and am not very prepared. Originally, I had been asked to play Santa (Yes, I have put on a bit of weight, but I didn’t think it was that much), but the first MC choice dropped out just two days ago, so I’ve been reassigned.

In case you’re wondering, I still haven’t heard officially if my Statement of Intent has been accepted or not. But that's okay by me, for as they say, “No news is good news!” The presentation went fairly well. I think most attendees were pleasantly surprised to hear Célia’s input. It sounded like she was well pleased with what she observed, but I suspect she was actually excited about all the raisins her mother fed her to keep her in one place. Otherwise she would have probably gone rifling through everyone’s bags.

This week saw another important milestone in my professional development when I presented a paper at the Australian National University for a conference titled “Dialogue across Difference: Governance in a Multicultural Era”. My paper discussed the role cultural difference can sometimes play in mediation by inhibiting communication or compounding the conflict. I presented a case study and then proposed two ways for mediators to assess the impact of cultural difference on their work. It was well received overall. The paper can be found here:
http://deliberativedemocracy.anu.edu.au/dadconf_prog.php#P2

I had a good time at the conference and it feels good to have taken this step. But the best part of the trip was the afternoon I spent with the Gordons. They are friends from Brisbane who moved to Canberra and it was good catching up with them and playing rugby, Frisbee and cricket with their little boy, Dechlan.

Getting into Trouble

2006-11-12T15:55:00.000+10:00

This is a picture of Célia on her first night of wearing big girl pjs (ones without feet to them). She is growing up so fast! She has started walking now. She will take a few steps every now and then and sometimes even makes it to where she is wanting to go. She's not shy at all anymore (except around old men, they scare her). She's even starting to scare some of the other kids because she is so forward. It's a complete 180 from how she used to be. Oh, and she will eat anyone's food. Last Sunday I think she sampled food from three other kids.

Here Célia is causing trouble. I was in the kitchen getting an early start on dinner and I thought, "Célia is being really good playing all by herself." Then I got a bit worried because she was being a little too quiet. I went back to the bedroom to check on her and she had pulled all the Kleenex out of the box. She loves to munch on Kleenex.

But how can you be mad at her with a face like that?

Malachi 3:8, 10-12

2006-11-03T16:12:00.000+10:00

Where did October go? I guess it was lost in the struggle to balance all that we have going on in our lives. But we are doing well. I think Carolyn is being pretty patient with me, as I am often gone during the evenings due to my responsibilities in Church. I try to be home for putting Célia Marie to bed (7pm), but then I often leave for meetings and interviews. It seems like I only spend time with her after 9:30pm. Unfortunately, that is when I start to nod off.

Célia Marie took an important step in her development yesterday. Literally. She took three steps towards me. She quickly got to the point where she could pull herself up and walk around holding onto things, but then she plateaued for a month or two. But lately she has been showing signs of preparing to launch herself into the big-girl club as she has been standing independently for several seconds. Yesterday I was holding her hand and walking backwards as she walked towards me. Then I let go of her hand and she took the remaining three steps to get to me. It was controlled walking, not falling with three steps thrown in. I was pretty excited. Carolyn was in the back bedroom and I hollered for her to come see how amazingly talented our little daughter is.

Additional excitement came about a week ago when I found out I had been awarded the UQ IPRS (International Postgraduate Research Scholarship). It came as quite a surprise. I had checked our bank account online to see if my fortnightly pay and scholarship checks had been deposited and saw that a significant amount more was included. Once on campus I called the scholarship office to notify them of the error and they told me that as of July 1 my former scholarship was replaced with the IPRS. The lump sum was backpay for the difference between the two scholarships. I was ecstatic! Carolyn was ecstatic! Everyone is ecstatic, or at least they should be.

This means we will be getting a good amount more per fortnight than before. Also, the lump sum gave us enough to meet out savings goal for the year. Things had been looking very tight and we weren’t sure if/how we were going to make it. Finally, this is a much more prestigious scholarship and will look great on my CV. As you may recall, when all the dust had settled, I missed out on the IPRS by only 3 places (for more information see December 26, 2005 blog entry). Well, what I had been told as nearly impossible and certainly unimaginable happened. Three people ahead of me dropped out.

The good news continues to roll in. Just last week I received an invitation to a symposium in Salt Lake City commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the Rotary World Peace Fellowship on June 14-16, 2007. So we will be heading back to the US once again. We are even more excited about this than the scholarship news, honestly. I plan on combining the trip with some field research for my dissertation. I’ve been tossing around the idea of returning to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument as a case study for my Ph.D. This looks like a great opportunity.

The Ph.D. is progressing well. I submitted my Statement of Intent (SOI) this afternoon to the independent reader. The SOI is a detailed proposal of my dissertation research. The reader is someone qualified in the field who assesses the work and presents questions and critique at my SOI defense next Friday. The defense is open to the public and anyone can pick up a copy from the school office to read and pick apart.

It feels good to have made it to this step and to have done so relatively quickly. My supervisor, Morgan Brigg, has been a great help. He sees me every two or three weeks to discuss what I’ve done, box my ears if I’m too far off base and suggest paths to explore. He's put quite a lot of work into this.

Pictures for Grandma

2006-10-30T21:36:00.000+10:00

I just wanted to post a few pictures quickly since it has been so long. I was talking to my mom today and I felt bad that she hasn't been able to see how cute Célia is becoming. So for our family night tonight I had Brian show me how to post to the blog. My entries won't be as entertaining as his are but at least you will be able to see a few more pictures from time to time.

Aren't we cruel parents? If you can't tell, those pants are long johns and we about died laughing because she is so cute.

She loves her Weet-Bix for brekky (breakfast). She's a true Aussie.

You just have to love this one!

Hitchhiking Australian Style! (click on image)

2006-10-22T08:17:00.000+10:00

This story is from a colleague of mine.

Have a look who hitched a ride from St Lucia to Rochedale here in Brisbane (Australia) on Monday night. Found him after a few drivers on the Southeast freeway drew my attention to him. I had a driver yelling at me as I was zipping along at 100 clicks. It sounded like he was saying that I ‘had a stake in my diff’. This seemed a bit strange. The car was performing okay. So I waved politely and he sped off. Then another driver behind me started flashing his lights. So pulled over to see what all the fuss was about and bloody hell if I didn’t find this bugger on my bumper. Nearly scared the bejeasus out of me. How many other drivers would have seen this on my rear end during my 20 minute journey? There'll have to be a few stories circulating about the sight I'm sure.

Anyway, I thought he’d stayed on this far, he was not going to fall for the rest of the trip. Flew back home, took the photo, showed my Dad and we discussed what we should do next. I would have been happy to leave him sliver off into the dark, but the next door neighbours are reptile phobic. My brother had rescue a pair of blue tongue lizards some days back as the wife and daughter were having an anxiety attack. In fact, if no one had drawn my attention to the snake, I would have never been any the wiser and the neighbours would have had some real entertainment. So, I grabbed a broom and found a spot in the bush near my place and prised him off. He was reluctant to anywhere - really locked into his position on top of the bumper bar. All those twists you can see wedged him into that spot.

The snake’s a python. Checked a local wildlife reference book that evening. Harmless, although I was not prepared to handle it - too many years in Scouts as a kid. St Lucia's full of wildlife. It's the second snake experience. Came across the tree snake on the bike path earlier in the year. Loads of bush turkeys and water dragons, too. Nice to see. I suspect that the python had just come out of hibernation. It was the first warm day in Brisbane this side of winter and mine was the first car parked there in the morning - a warm spot to hang out maybe.

Negative Comments (click on images to enlarge)

2006-10-08T08:28:00.000+10:00

I know, I know. It’s been a very long time since many of you had any news from the wayward Adams family. Well, the reason for this is because absolutely nothing has happened since June.

For example, we didn’t have an absolutely amazing time visiting friends and family back in the States. The time didn’t go by too quickly and we weren’t loathe to leave and come back to Australia. We don’t miss anyone and aren’t already planning our next trip home.

Also, Célia Marie isn’t growing like a weed and becoming more independent and fun everyday. She does not have six teeth and isn’t on the verge of walking any day now.

Brian and Carolyn haven’t been asked to serve in new positions in the Church. Carolyn isn’t the secretary of the Young Women’s organization and Brian does not serve as Elders Quorum president, so don’t ask them about it.

Carolyn isn’t managing somehow to take care of Brian and Célia Marie while taking two classes. And Brian’s school and work aren’t going well.

Above all, the three of them are not a happy family who loves being together.

So you see, there really has been nothing to for them to report. Therefore, all those who have been harping about not receiving any news for such a long time, rest assured. You haven’t missed a thing.

P.S. We do not promise to be more diligent in keeping all those we do not miss up-to-date on a regular basis.

Great Leap Forward (click on picture to enlarge)

2006-06-06T17:24:00.000+10:00

Célia Marie is growing quickly. Below is a list of her most recent and noteworthy achievements.

1. Sucking thumb
--Brian and Carolyn are EXTREMELY excited that Célia has found her thumb. It helps her fight off those blue bedtime beasties and put herself back to sleep when she wakes in the middle of the night.

2. Sitting up
--She sticks her chunky arms out as props and looks around like she owns the world.

3. Allowing others to hold her
--This is another big achievement from her parents’ perspective. For several weeks she would vociferously pronounce her displeasure whenever anyone but her parents held her. This was a concern because we will soon be taking a trip back home and worried that she would not want any of the many adoring friends and family members cuddle her.

4. Eating solids
--After bearing the weight of days of intense scrutiny whenever she ate anything, Carolyn finally gave in and fed Célia some rice mush to supplement the gallons of milk she consumes daily. And it came as no surprise to her parents that the child-who-never-misses-a-meal attacked the spoon with relish. She now happily wears whatever she can't get in her chubby maw.

Carolyn has chosen her classes for next semester. I have no idea how she is going to be able to get it all done, but she always comes out on top.

Brian’s work and Ph.D. are going well. He flies down to Canberra on Wednesday to present his work to the governing board of his research center.
(**Just in case any of you were wondering, Brian is the Communications Manager for a large research project on governance. What this means is that he is responsible for the development of their website (http://www.griffith.edu.au/govnet/) and is the managing editor for an online scholarly journal that will launch in April 2007. On the website work, Brian has been developing a number of tools that will allow researchers from all over the world to collaborate with colleagues anywhere else on the Internet. Some of these tools will be coming out this month.)

Célia Marie and the Attack of the Bedtime Beasties

2006-05-26T13:27:00.000+10:00

Once upon a time in a kingdom far away to the sunny South, there lived a young, naïve couple with a beautiful daughter. Said the innocent father to his wife, “O darling of mine. O love of my life. How my heart rejoices to know that we are fortunate enough to have a beautiful daughter who cries little and sleeps deeply! Truly, she is an angel in the guise of a baby girl.”

“Yes, my cherished one”, said the modest, dutiful wife as she took her beloved by the hand and looked tenderly into his eyes. “There never was a more serenely marvelous child born to mortal parents.”

They then passed the next hour or so in typical, chaste, marital bliss.

Unbeknownst to the young, naïve couple, troubles were at the door, for as they were too distracted by each other’s eyes, they missed seeing two blue bedtime beasties floating at the window.

The larger of the two, named Glub, turned to his companion. “Hrumph! Never in all my immortal days of eavesdropping and mischief-making have I seen a family so well-rested and bright-eyed! It is an affront to all I hold unsacred! Come Bulg. We can’t just float here and do nothing. The Blue Bedtime Beasty law and my own greasy gut force us to action this very night!”

Later that evening, when the angel was lying in her crib playing with her teddy bear and thinking of how beautiful her mother is, into her room snuck Glub and Bulg. They squeezed under the door and stealthily wafted over to her side. “Look at this human-child, will you Glub?!”, buzzed Bulg into Glub’s blue beasty ear. “Have you ever seen such perfect skin and such chubby arms?” “No, I never have” answered Glub, and he pushed Bulg away because it always tickled to have someone buzz in his ear. “Now quit your blue beasty buzzing! We have work to do.” And with that pronouncement they each bit her once, just above the elbow, and flew off into the night.

The little angel smiled and gurgled as she watched them float away.

Now as you may well know, the blue bedtime beasty’s bite, much like that of its distant cousin the mosquito, can create a remarkable change in a victim. While a mosquito’s malaria will leave one feeling chilled and very tired, the beasty’s bite renders one easily excitable and violently opposed to anything remotely related to sleep. Other than time, there is no known cure for this ailment.

And as the story draws to a close, we see that the ragged, world-wise couple have plenty of time late at night to contemplate their former fortune and an eventual return to innocence and bliss.

The End.

Itchy Feet and Easter Weekend

2006-04-23T14:19:00.000+10:00

Happy Belated Easter greetings from the Adamses. We write you from our living room as we scratch away at the many bites on our feet and reminisce over our latest camping trip.

On a bright, beautiful Friday morning, we and three other couples headed off for South Stradbroke Island. This is one of the largest sand islands in the world, which means that every inch of its coastline is beach. We had fun from the start with a wallaby coming up to our camp to check us out from a discrete distance. Lots of lorikeets and kookaburras and who knows what other kinds of birds did their bird things in the trees. We even had some close brushes with a few goannas (a type of monitor lizard).

Almost all of the wildlife was nonintrusive and beautiful to behold. But there was one species that made the camping trip very uncomfortable. No, I’m not talking about all the mosquitoes nor do I refer to the pesky sand flies. They are heaven-sent compared to our encounter with the native Intoxicatus jackassium. It is a rather dirty nocturnal beast easily identified by its loud, raucous call and absolute disregard for the well being of campers. This is the only species beside the Rattus norvegicus and the Corvus spp. (rats and crows) that seems to thrive on human contact, expanding its range to coincide with the spread of the human population.

While it prefers cheap beer, the I. jackassium has been known to eat almost anything, many being found in the morning with its own foot in its mouth. Alternating between two and four legs, the I. jackassium expresses a humorous, unsteady gait as it shuffles about foraging for sustenance, approbation and a warm female body. Despite the hilarity of its locomotion, Intoxicatus species are very successful at intimidating neighboring campers. Their intimidation comes not because of a cunning intellect, but rather because of their absolute unpredictability. One moment they could be laughing hysterically and the next fuming in a mindless rage before breaking down in pathetic tears. In fact extensive fieldwork supports that belief that the I. jackassium doesn’t even know itself what it will do next.

This species is a true natural anomaly that runs counter to all proposed theories of natural selection: it persists despite having a very high mortality rate and great difficulty attracting a mate. While much is known about this curious beast, much remains a mystery. How does the species perpetuate itself? Do they reproduce asexually or are they examples of a developmental stage of an apparently unrelated species like caterpillars and butterflies? Are they, as some have hypothesized, the poor victims of a poisonous mold that grows only on the rim of longneck bottles? Or is there a flying insect that carries within its saliva a stupid virus that slowly eats away at the brain centers controlling coordination and propriety?

As you can see from the photos, Célia seemed to enjoy herself immensely camping. So much so that she had a tough adjustment returning to sleep in a crib, because she wants to be sleeping in a tent.

Highs and Lows

2006-04-10T13:51:00.000+10:00

It’s been a week of ups and downs for the Adamses. Remember the clutch that Brian and his friend fixed back in October (see Oct. 16, 2005 blog)? Well, it has broken again; the same problem as before. So we decided to take it in to a mechanic this time to see if the real problem could be identified and fixed.

We also found out that the person buying our apartment (see Feb. 04, 2006 blog) has decided to move in when our contract expires in June. So it looks like we are moving again!

Célia Marie has moved into her own bedroom this weekend. Now her parents can sleep without waking at every grunt or squawk. It’s amazing how much noise a little baby can make while sleeping. It was a tough adjustment for Carolyn who suffered a bout of separation anxiety, but all is well now. Célia seemed to adjust without any problem.

Célia continues to grow ever more adorable, most likely due to the fact that she’s sleeping for longer periods at night and is learning to put herself to sleep. We can tell she is going to be very intelligent. Her coordination is getting very good and she loves to look around at everything. She laughs and smiles and talks quite a bit. But the most important sign is that she thinks her mom is the greatest. Carolyn can do almost anything and Célia will smile and try to tell her how happy she is. Brian has tough time leaving them in the morning to go to work or school.

Stay tuned next week for the First Annual Adams Easter Camping Bonanza!

Letter to Célia Marie

2006-03-28T09:27:00.000+10:00

Dear Célia Marie,

Your birth has awoken some new thoughts and feelings within me. One is that I never imagined how great I would feel having a baby. These feelings are so much more powerful than I ever thought they would be; they border on overwhelming at times. Another is how I look at people around me. I see families, especially those with little girls, and think about how we are as a family. I see teenage girls and wonder what you will be like at that age. I see boys and girls together and wonder what kind of boy you will choose to love and if you will have your heart broken by someone who doesn’t respect you. I also wish I had treated girls better when I was younger, now that I see they were some loving father’s little sweetheart, too.

The third awakened realization in me is that of my own mortality. Never in my life have I been so constantly conscious of how tenuous my life really is. And it’s completely your fault for two reasons. First, because you are utterly dependent on your mother and me your life is so fragile. One misstep on our part and you could die. But I don’t mind or regret our responsibility a bit, because the alternative is an even more difficult aspect of reality to accept; when you are no longer so dependent on us and you start school, choose your own friends, go on dates, get a job, go away to school and move out, then your mother and I will not be there to watch over you and protect you every second of every day.

The second reason it’s your fault is that you change so quickly. Just in 8 weeks you’ve grown and developed enormously and you will continue to do so. But I don’t want you to change and grow. I want to keep you just like you are, because I can’t imagine you getting any more adorable or my developing any greater love for you.

Watching and loving you reminds me of how ephemeral life is. It’s something I have never thought about so fervently for such an extended period.

Love, Dad

P.S. Why are you always shaking your fist at me?

Where's she been?

2006-03-07T09:49:00.000+10:00

It has been quite a while since the world has heard the news of Célia Marie Adams. As with the disappearance of any great personality known the world over for her charitable works and cheery disposition, rumors abound as to what she might be doing. Gossip columns and opinion pages have hinted at Sri Lankan tsunami relief coordination, addressing the UN Security Council concerning the growing famine crises in Kenya and Zimbabwe, and chairing a series of roundtable discussions of bishops, imams, rabbis and other spiritual leaders (no, not Pat Robertson) to promote interfaith dialogue and cooperation.

But the truth is much simpler than that. She has been spending time with her Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert.

They arrived on February 18 and have been their own two-man paparazzi storm. Because of their generosity and attention we’ve been able to document her first plane ride:

Her baths:

Her massages:

Her naps:

Her smiles:

How strong her neck is getting:

And how happy she was to be blessed at Church last Sunday:

Yep, we have a happy girl. She is healthy and flourishing under all the attention and affection. We figure that when she goes to kindergarten she’ll introduce herself in a manner similar to the following:

“Hi. My name is Célia Marie…

but everybody just calls me Cutie.

One Eternal Round

2006-02-05T07:46:00.000+10:00

If I were to tell you about a kid who is inexplicably fussy, has acne and eats like it’ll all be gone tomorrow I know what you would think. But no, Célia Marie hasn’t hit puberty. Apparently it’s normal for babies. I guess life is just one long loop through which we cycle again and again. We begin life wrinkled, toothless and incontinent and we end life the same way.

And in between, we start others on that same cycle.

The Adams Family is doing very well. Célia and Carolyn are healthy and happy, secure in the knowledge that Brian adores them. Their two-week checkup showed that Célia had surpassed her birth weight and was showing no signs of slowing down. Carolyn’s recovery is progressing without mishap. Célia is ever so slowly learning to sleep at night. Carolyn does her best to handle most night issues so that Brian won’t keep falling asleep at his computer and having his coworkers laugh at him. But the battle is not yet won.

A recent development has us in a bit of turmoil. We received abrupt notification this week that our apartment is being sold immediately with no guarantee that the purchaser will allow us to stay beyond June. Much evidence points to collusion on the part of the realtor and owner in knowing the sale was imminent when we signed our lease, but there is nothing we can do about it. We are looking into our options.

Despite this rude shock we are all learning to adjust to our new familial setting. This learning is liberally supplemented with help from friends here and family back home. Brian’s Mom spent 10 days here easing our transition into parenthood. Carolyn’s parents get their turn in two weeks to spend some time with the Fair One. Also, our friends in Brisbane have been generous with their meals, advice and moral support.

Sunday Afternoon Blessings

2006-01-23T16:00:00.000+10:00

It’s Sunday and this afternoon was one of the greatest in my life. After Carolyn and I took a much-needed nap, I sat in the living room feeling blessed. I was sitting in our gliding rocker with the scriptures in my lap. Célia was at my feet asleep facing me in a little bouncer thingy. Carolyn was reading on the couch and I had a slideshow of Célia pictures on my computer playing on the coffee table. The sun was shining yet we were relatively cool. I just couldn't imagine a man more blessed on the planet. It is good be a husband and father.

The Fair One (click on photo for enlargement)

2006-01-13T19:20:00.000+10:00

I'm lovin' my Nana Monette.

But I really love snuggling with my mom.

And when I'm not doin' that, I like to be swaddled tightly.

Thanks for all the great presents at my baby shower!

--Célia Marie

Luke 2:13-14

2006-01-12T14:21:00.000+10:00

The New Year is starting out well for the Adams Family. We’ve recently undergone a 50% increase in family size, but the growing pains have been welcomed. In fact the new arrival seems to fit right in. Her name is Célia Marie Adams and she arrived bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 10:25pm on January 11, 2006 after a short, problem-free trip.

Her Grandma Monette was also in attendance, having disembarked the day before. She has been a great support already.

Yesterday Carolyn started having contractions around 10-10:30 in the morning. They began to be regular around 3pm and then we checked into the hospital at 7pm. The birth went very well. Célia’s heart rate remained in the normal range throughout. Carolyn was very strong and did very well, too. She wanted to have a natural birth, so she didn’t take any drugs or use any gas. Towards the end she was really hurting and it made Brian a bit concerned because she was so tired and in so much pain (and because he had never experienced anything remotely similar to that in his eventful life). But he did his best to encourage and support Carolyn. The only thing he couldn’t do was buy for her the graham crackers she was craving after the delivery. They aren’t sold in Australia.

Célia Marie cried almost immediately and took to nursing like a pro.

As it turned out, Carolyn didn’t need any stitches after the birth and she is feeling as good as a new mother could today. So much so that she feels good enough to come home today, but wants to remain one more night just to have a bit more supervision to make sure Célia is fine and the breastfeeding is going well.

Célia Marie is a good size. 7 lbs. 10.5 oz. 20 inches long. Her hands and feet are tiny and cute. She has a good amount of brown hair, which surprised us, for Carolyn was bald for the first 2-3 years and Brian had almost translucent white hair as a baby. It looks like she has her mom’s long legs and her dad’s earlobes. Brian’s been told she looks like him, but he can’t see it. She is much too gorgeous to look like her dad.

Célia is already a daddy’s girl. She recognizes and responds to Brian’s voice by quieting down. Is it too much to hope he always has that influence on her?

Merry Christmas and Good News!!!

2005-12-27T11:02:00.000+10:00

What a difference one week can make. A Christmas windfall of blessings has come our way and given us clarity on the next stage of our lives.

As the faithful followers of this blog are aware, we were ready to pack our bags and head back to the United States after Célia’s birth in January, because Brian didn’t have the funding necessary to pursue a Ph.D. here in Brisbane. Despite the increasing unlikelihood of staying in Brisbane, the Ph.D. seemed to be the option we most wanted, so we decided to pray and work for opportunities.

Therefore, on Monday, Brian interviewed for a part-time research assistant position at a nearby university. The interview began in disastrous fashion. Brian had been told the wrong information and thought he was applying for a completely different project. But once he and the project director sorted things out, the interview went well. As it turned out, the job was to work on a project to reintegrate refugees into their home communities in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand.

Brian returned home full of hope.

Tuesday saw Carolyn take her last exam for the semester. Odds are strong that she will maintain her 4.0 g.p.a. She did very well in both of her classes throughout the semester and she breezed through her final exams.

Wednesday was graduation for Brian and two of his colleagues. It was a nice affair, followed by an even nicer celebratory lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant. It is not easy to describe how much more enjoyable this second Master’s degree was compared to Brian’s first. He just loves what he is researching and the people with whom he gets to work.

Upon returning home there was a phone message saying that Brian had been offered the research assistant position, though the offer was contingent upon Brian staying for a Ph.D. Although Brian had been accepted into the Ph.D. program, he had missed out by three places on receiving the University scholarship. Fees for international students are prohibitive, so we knew that if something else didn’t come along, we would be packing our bags. A part-time job would not make ends meet.

On Thursday we received a phone call from the University of Queensland saying that Brian had been awarded a scholarship that covered tuition, family insurance and 60% of a stipend ($11,500). We were ecstatic! Thus, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. This stipend plus the research position give us enough to survive modestly, but comfortably.

But being humans, we are never satisfied with our lot, so Brian took part of his new scholarship to the casino downtown to see if he could win enough to make up for the 40% not included.

Just kidding.

Honestly, what we decided to do was find a new apartment roomy enough for us and the Fair One (whenever she arrives). On Friday we found a beautiful little place within our budget and only a five minute walk from the ferry Brian takes to school: two bedrooms, lots of storage, a dishwasher and AIR CONDITIONING. It was everything we dreamed of having. On Monday, Brian faxed in the application and the rental agency called back in about one hour to tell us we got the contract.

Did we mention this apartment has air conditioning? Even though our electricity bill will undoubtedly shoot up, this has been a tremendous boon, especially for Carolyn. 100 degree heat, high humidity and 8 months pregnant is a nasty combination. She has stoically held up under the heat, but every day became a bit more difficult for her. We turned in our keys to our old apartment on Christmas Eve and entered a new life of cool paradise. Merry Christmas to us!

And the move came not a day too soon, because our poor old, secondhand fan finally gave its last turn the day we were moving.

There is a moral to this little Christmas story. For all of our family and friends who worry that we aren’t being cared for or watched over, you worry in vain. The Lord continues to watch over us, guide us and bless us. He loves us all (John 3:16) no matter where we are.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!!

Love,

Brian, Carolyn and (someday soon) Célia Marie.

Nipple Testimonials and Slaughter Falls

2005-12-12T17:42:00.000+10:00

This week’s prenatal class started out a bit dubiously for Brian. It was about breastfeeding, which is no problem for him. But when former breastfeeders started standing up to tell everyone about how their nipples became sore, raw, cracked, etc. he began to shrink down into his seat and look for a way out. That sounded MUCH too painful for him. Why doesn’t anyone tell you about these things before it’s too late?

Of course, Carolyn didn’t seem to be in the least bit fazed by it.

After the nipple testimonials stopped the temperature in the room began to cool and the evening ended up pretty well with a video about how to tell when your newborn is communicating with you. It’ll be fun to see how the Fair One will communicate with us.

Needing a bit of a break, Brian took some time Friday to go hiking on Mt. Coot-tha to Slaughter Falls. Along the way he came across some Aboriginal rock paintings that he wanted to share with you.

One final bit of business before we close our blog this week. Célia is due to arrive on January 12, so on January 10 Brian’s mom will be arriving to see the newest Adams. Don’t feel obligated, but if you would like to send anything with her, just email her at monette49@gmail.com and she will happily work out the logistics.

Scary Movie and First Kiss

2005-12-06T22:00:00.000+10:00

Signs abound of the imminent arrival of the Fair One. First, Carolyn is developing a powerful nesting instinct and realizing that there are tons of things left to prepare for the birth. Second, a friend of ours, who was originally due only a day or two before us, just had her baby. They are both healthy.

But the biggest sign is the Tuesday night prenatal class we began last week. Once a week for four weeks from 7-9, we make the short trek to the Mater Mother’s Hospital with about 20 other couples. Honestly, Brian doesn’t remember much of the first class, except for the scary movie they showed at the end. It was a documentary following a few women as they went through labor and IT DID NOT LOOK LIKE FUN!!! He is not sure how he is going to make it.

Carolyn didn’t see anything to be worried about.

On the lighter side of life, we caught Célia’s first kiss on film. We don’t know the name of the lucky fella, but his parents promise to give him a name soon, because he is due any day now. The picture is of Carolyn and her friend Tahna Dunn in Tanha’s living room.

Mt. Coot-tha Botanical Gardens

2005-11-27T18:41:00.000+10:00

Hello faithful readers.

If you ever decide to come over for a visit there is one place you have to absolutely visit. It’s the Mt. Coot-tha Botanical Gardens. We’ve visited lots of parks and gardens around the world—New York, Paris, Keukenhof, Kuala Lumpur—but these are the best yet. They combine European structure and sense of space with U.S. size and variety. These gardens are also over 30 years old, so they are generally mature, well-established plant communities.

Lots of paths wind in and out revealing great little nooks and quiet spots for reading, resting and/or contemplating. Célia will love this place. We recommend the Fern House and the Tropical Plants Dome. Make sure you bring a lunch with you, because even a quick trip will take a few hours.

We give the Botanical Gardens a rare and prestigious Adams rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. The only drawback is that not every area is wheelchair accessible.

Baby Shower Gifts

2005-11-27T16:01:00.000+10:00

Gifts from Baby Shower:

Tons of nappies (diapers) and tons of wipes
A couple boxes of nursing pads
5 wraps
2 blankets/quilts
2 small toys
1 hooded towel and 3 washers (washcloths)
2 bibs
4 dummies (pacifiers)
6 pairs of baby socks
2 bottles of baby powder
1 bar of baby soap
1 disposable baby care mat
1 magnetic picture frame
1 hat
1 hat and bootie set
Some chocolates (for me, not Brian)
1 Baby Einstein DVD
1 Baby carrier (one that you strap to your chest)
1 Baby carrier (with handles that you can put in a stroller)
1 baby bath
1 baby book
1 book
1 burper
12 singlets
14 bodysuits/outfits

Plus other things we have bought or been given:

A few more blankets
A couple of baby books
A couple of books
A couple picture frames
Quite a few more clothes (I think we are okay on clothes for the first three months at least)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2005-11-21T11:59:00.000+10:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
Big news from Down Under this week. Brian finished his degree on Thursday and promptly looked up from his books to notice that it was no longer early October. Where has his life gone? Since he does not yet have any Ph.D. funding he is exploring some other options, only two of which risk prison sentences.

Two friends of Carolyn threw her a baby shower on Saturday. Reports from various sources confirm that all had a great time. Amidst copious amounts of chatter and chocolate, Célia received some very nice presents (the list of which will be posted in a few days), which helps her parents quite a bit. Brian really likes the Baby Einstein DVD in different languages and Carolyn seemed partial to the cute clothes.

The picture of all the pregnant women is in order of due date.

A bunch of us from church spent Friday night camping on Mount Tambourine. It was beautiful and an enjoyable break. Believe it or not, this was the first time that Brian and Carolyn have gone camping together. They both love it enormously, but, as you know, Brian has a tendency to only be aware of what he is currently engaged to do, and tends to put off other things until he is done. And since he never seems to be done….

We wish all who celebrate this Thursday a Happy Thanksgiving. We will be spending it thinking of our family and friends so far away while celebrating with some American friends here.

Where did her belly button go?

2005-11-14T10:20:00.000+10:00

Hello after a long hiatus. Sorry about not keeping you up to date. We wish we could say it’s because we’ve been on vacation, but that would be a lie. Instead we have both been the busiest we have ever been. School and work and church have kept us running flat out for several weeks. Luckily we have a core of good friends and colleagues here who support us and strengthen us in our fatigue.

But enough with the apologies. On to the news…

Carolyn has officially lost her belly button. We can’t say where it went, but week-by-week we watched it slowly diminish. Brian was a bit worried for a while. Having never watched a pregnancy so closely he thought perhaps the belly button would come untied and Célia would be dumped out onto the floor. But to his great relief nothing of the sort happened.

Célia continues to do well. And by all appearances, she has a promising future in kickboxing and cycling.

Brian, on the other hand, has no promising future at all. He heard back from both of his Ph.D. funding sources and they were both a resounding NO! It was disappointing news to the Adamses. They aren't sure what the next step will be. He is just trying to finish up his degree this semester. If all goes well he should turn in his final assignment on November 16. After that he will be looking for summer work in hopes that other resources will be made available to continue the Ph.D.

Here are the pictures of the week. Yes, he is superman.

Feelin' manly!!

2005-10-17T13:42:00.000+10:00

All is well in the Adams family. Célia is getting stronger and bigger. Carolyn has passed the 6-month mark and has found that Célia gets in the way more and more. Brian? Well, he is feeling like a studman. His pregnant wife is frequently barefoot in the kitchen

and with the enormous help of his buddy, Paul, the clutch is repaired, saving around $600.

The problem was very easy to fix, but extremely difficult to access.

Noosa: vacation and the clutch

2005-10-09T16:48:00.000+10:00

Life moves on here in Australia.

Célia is getting stronger and has developed a knack for finding the nerve endings in her mother’s belly. Carolyn stays very busy with her studies, work and volunteering. Brian is beginning to feel the immense weight of the thesis and tutoring.

Despite, or perhaps because of, all the pressure, the past few days were spent on vacation up the coast a ways. We spent Thursday night with Rob and Lindi Orth at their family’s unit in Caloundra. We had a good time just hanging out and chatting and playing with their boy, Laughlin. Brian highly recommends him to Célia. He comes from a good family, is handsome and has a fun, easygoing personality. Plus he is only about one year older than her.

Friday morning we all had a big breakfast and then motored up to Noosa. A kind friend of ours, Ian Hanger, loaned us his apartment there. Before we checked in there we decided to have a look around town and go on a little hike. The Noosa National Park has lots of interesting trails and beaches. Because of Carolyn’s advanced stage of pregnancy we didn’t go too far, but the two kilometers we did cover were beautiful and fun. We’d love to go back sometime.

After the hike we were pleasantly blown away by the quality of Ian’s apartment. It sits right on Noosa Sound with a great view of the wild peninsula across the water. It has three bedrooms, a roomy kitchen and a long balcony and everything (and I mean everything) is of much higher quality than our homely little apartment here in Brisbane. The Orths stayed for the afternoon before heading back down to their place in Caloundra while we spent a quiet, romantic evening alone.

But the quiet times didn’t last long. Saturday morning Brian tore a contact lens putting it in and then found that he had left his glasses in Caloundra with the Orths. So on our leisurely way back to Brisbane we decided to swing by to pick them up. But just as we came to our first stoplight in Caloundra Carolyn found that she couldn’t get the car into gear. We pulled over to check things out and decided that the clutch was broken. Luckily the Orths were only a few minutes away and luckily Ben and Hope Hurt had just given us their old mobile phone, so we were able to call for help. After an afternoon of tinkering with Rob and his dad, Ralph, Brendan Orth towed me the 120 kms home.

Last night Brian was enormously frustrated about the situation with the car. It’s the second time this has happened to us in the past few months. We sold our van after the first time and bought this car thinking it would be more reliable, but here we are carless again. And with the crunch of end-of-semester assignments and grading he just didn’t know where to find the money or the time to fix it. So he went to bed, tired and very stressed out. But the dawning of a new day brought with it the realization that we were tremendously fortunate that the clutch went out when and where it did and that we have good friends around who are more than happy to help us out.

Yes. Even in our trials, the Lord watches out for us.

Showering babies

2005-10-03T10:30:00.000+10:00

Spring is in the air and the shower season is upon us, though there’s not a cloud in sight.

The Taimana family from Church invited us and two other pregnant couples over on Monday for a small surprise baby shower. We played lots of crazy games, which, according to Carolyn, are typical shower fare. This being Brian’s first experience with a baby shower he just decided to let it all hang out, especially in the husband’s rockin’ version of Ring around the Roses, which undoubtedly propelled his team to their unanimous victory over the wives and children teams. He is still strutting around the apartment.

Friday night was another baby shower, this time for Tanha, but Brian wasn’t invited. Carolyn had a great time and came home full of baby talk and excitement. Apparently two of her girlfriends have begun planning her shower for next month.

Célia seems to like the sound of running water. Whenever her mom showers or runs the water at the sink, Célia will kick quite actively.

Célia’s gift list:
Baby’s first five years book
Pillow book

Fishin' for my manhood

2005-09-25T18:06:00.000+10:00

It’s been a good week. Brian finally finished his proposal and submitted it on Monday. It was a great relief to have it behind him and to be able to his attention to studies and work. But he has been suffering bouts of uncertainty as to its acceptability in the eyes of the DK-CRC (Desert Knowledge Collaborative Research Centre). They are the ones from whom he is seeking funding. He truly feels he has some good ideas, but also feels as if he didn’t have/take the time to make a solid proposal.

Célia has been doing well, also. She’s kicking on a regular basis and growing steadily (as indicated by Carolyn’s increasing girth).

Carolyn started the week on a down note, but things picked up for her towards the end as she started volunteering in the temple on Thursday. She absolutely loves it.
Yesterday the two-and-a-half of us went fishing with some friends on the Logan River. The father of our friend, Chad Hart, rented a party barge for the day. The weather was Queensland perfect. We saw a bottlenose dolphin swim past the boat and watched sea eagles soaring and fishing around us. Carolyn promptly set the standard of fishing for the day by reeling in a healthy-sized flathead within the first 30 minutes. Brian patiently fed the fish everything on his hook hour after hour while watching everyone else pull in some good ones. Spotties, flathead, stingrays, blow fish and mulloways were the catch of the day.

The score by the end of the day: Carolyn = 6, Brian = 1. We came home tired and happy and had a fish feast that night. Yes, Brian's manhood lies in tatters, but at least he knows that if he dies Carolyn will still be able to provide for their children.

Kicks and Holy Ghost

2005-09-18T17:27:00.000+10:00

Brian saw Célia kick for the first time today. It was during Church so he couldn't stand up and shout for joy. Though if he did, maybe they would have thought he had the Holy Ghost!

We've fixed this blog so that anyone can add comments. You can either sign in with a username and password or you can comment as Anonymous, which is faster/easier. But if you do Anonymous, please include your name so we can see who wrote us.

First Posting

2005-09-17T13:58:00.000+10:00

Hello from Oz-tralia,

We are well into Spring, and Carolyn is well into pregnancy. She just spent the week working in our department's office all week and is wiped out. Apparently having a growing baby in your belly is tiring because she was wiped out every evening.

Brian is feverishly working on a proposal for funding due on Monday. He's come a long way with it, but still has far to go. It's to work with the Desert Knowledge Collaborative Research Centre (DK-CRC) in Alice Springs studying the impact conflict in the Central Deserts of Australia has on the development of the region. It's a bit ambitious, but exciting.

This blog page is an attempt to find a more reliable means of keeping friends and family posted on our life here in Australia, especially as we are expecting our first child. So feel free to check this page regularly to read what's new in our neck of the woods. Also, you can post comments on what we have posted. All you need is access to the Internet and an ability to type.

Or you can just send us an email.

And I guess I should make it official. We are having a girl and her name (with about 90% certainty and a margin of error of about +/-5%) will be Célia Marie Adams. She is due January 12, 2006. Inter alia, per the repeated requests of an experienced grandmother, this blog will be used to post a list of things already purchased for Célia, to avoid duplication.