Not that Ruben is really an excuse to spend less time in front of a keyboard. I've found fatherhood totally absorbing and have probably become one of those previously loathed fathers of small children with nothing better to discuss than night time feeding routines and the contents of nappies! I'm sure that every parent thinks that their child is beautiful.... I know we do.... just that we are not sure where he get's his cuteness from :-)Ruben gets his first name from "Rubens Barichello" of Formula 1 fame and his middle name is inherited from Grandad David who sadly passed way last year. Also inherited is his nationality (British) from his parents. Despite being born in Switzerland he is not eligable for Swiss citizenship as his parents are auslanders. One advantage, of course, is that he won't be eligable for military service either. The disadvantage is the bureaucracy envolved in getting him a British passport from the consuate in Paris (yes, Paris.... we used to be able to do this in Geneva but the service was cut..... long before the Torries got back into power).
Amazing then to find that the nine months since "B-Day" have passed so quickly. Autumn is soon upon us (tree's turning already in these parts) and Ruben is keeping his parents on their toes with his super-crab crawling style. He is also a well travelled little man and is notching up the air miles with visits to Grandparents back in England. He's also been to Italy twice, Austria, Germany and France..... but nothing makes me smile more than the look he gives to the neighbours when they talk to him in Swiss German (almost as blank and confused as his parents).
Fiona has spent the last nine months as a full time parent and although exhausted I have never seen her looking so happy and content. I guess that the hole in her heart has been healed. She has built up a great network of friends through the Basel Childbirth Trust who she meets every Tuesday for the "bumps and babes" sessions. I never did get a straight answer as to whether "babes" is referring to "yummie mummy's"..... Ruben would be graduating to the "bumps and bruises" sessions in the autumn, however unfortunately Fiona has to return to the office in October so he won't get the chance. Instead he will be going to kindergarten in Basel which is, thankfully, tri-lingual (english, german, italian) so he will get an excellent start in languages.
As for me, well I've done very little this year.... trying to limit my hours in the office and time spent on work related travel. I did make it to San Fransisco in January and Washington DC in June but that's about it, and enough too.... My fitness has taken a big hit with hardly any exercise all year. I did a bit of MTB'ing in the Dolomites in May but that's all. I brought a trailer for towing Ruben which has been used a few times, but, boy do I need to get fit!
So, hopefully this will be the start of a blogging revival. If you don't see any posts in a while, well, you know that's because I've been busy.... with my beautiful family:
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