Exciting Adventures in Archaeological Computing, the Xbox and Knitting!

Roz sent me a picture this morning and here you can see Baby JH modelling my first Knitted Baby Jumper! I made it back in December but he’s only just fitting it now. I’m pleasantly surprised by how good it looks on a real life little person rather than as a flat thing just sewn together. You can’t even see the mistakes! Doesn’t he look fab! Hooray!

Baby JH - the First Trinity Baby!

Last weekend saw a trip to Manchester to see the latest addition to the bambinos of the last few months, and the first of the Trinity Babies! Baby JH (as we aunties will call him). He’s well beaut, and his mummy is looking fabulous, despite having a sprog only 6 weeks ago. Hopefully, he’ll be the last baby amongst my friends for a while, this auntie business is expensive and there is only so much knitting one can do!

Knitting for Baby MJ

There have been hats, bootees, jumpers, cardigans and blankets for some of the most notable births in 2008. These probable stars and famous archaeologists of the future include:

Morgan Flynn O’Riordan (nephew 2!)

Isobel Amber Munday (first girl baby!)

Murran Jean Haston (first archaeologist baby!)

John Harry Edward Callaghan (first Trinity baby!)

That means lots of 1st birthdays in 2009, and so lots of hunting round the shops for suitable dinosaur presents as well as cute yet chewable book! Hooray!

A huge big public Congratulations to Samy and Gary who have just had their first wee one, baby Isobel Amber Munday. She’s so wee and tiny, and has the honour of being the only girl baby in the mass of wee ones born this year to my friends. So thats another excuse for trips to Monsoon Baby and uber cute girls clothes shops then!

I know! Shocking! Roz has decided not to drink or smoke for the next few months and instead have a mini RozJohn baby! Lola and I will be aunties! I am still in shock, despite having known about this for a good few hours now. A baby! Like, a real life baby. This sort of stuff ain’t supposed to happen in the Trinity. It’ll have to be Ribena in wine glasses just so she doesn’t feel left out and less green fairy cake all round.

Still, tis yet another licence to go toy shopping and buy little cute dinosaurs in time for December. Hooray!

I realised today, as I was baking in the sweltering heat of the office, that I really miss Scotland. More specifically, my nephews. I was up there last weekend and it was so much fun. We went to the Kelvingrove, the park, ate dinosaur shaped cake, had endless battles with Decepticons and other baddy robots and the most epic water pistol fight I’d had since primary school.

Now, back in sunny Reading, I have the office approaching 30 degrees, lots of work, talks and conference papers to write and university politics to deal with. Hurrah. Not the happiest of bunnies. A water pistol fight would have been just the thing to cool off earlier but I don’t think that the cleaner lady would have taken too kindly to gallons of water all over the allen lab.

I like my job (most of the time!) but the south just isn’t appealing. I love my friends down here and we do have the odd bit if fun in amongst work but something is missing. Not sure what that exactly is but I didn’t feel like this in York. I loved York, and its currently rising up the list of places I want to try and find a job come next year.

Also, you can buy potato scones and decent black pudding in York!

It must be my age! Disclaimer: I don’t want any, thank you very much, I love being an auntie who thinks its acceptable to have choccies before dinner and all but – there are babies everywhere!

Nephew number 2 – to be named Morgan Flynn O’Riordan, and will therefore grow up to be a pirate, is due sometime between next week and the next three. Mic and Tracy from Wire Jesus are waiting for a baby in May, the lovely Munday folk are expecting a little ninja baby in August, German Sven from York will be a dad in September, Jen from the ADS and Natasha from the IFA are also about to have babies.

That is 6 new little people this year. 6!

Whilst, this is all very exciting, and I am pleased for everyone, I kind of feel like soon those of us without babies will be in minority. Even some of my closest, oldest friends are going to start trying for babies soon! Madness I tell you!

It means I shall have to start frantically knitting funky baby things and buying noisy toys that are made especially to annoy parents, and always having chocolate around just in case one of said small children appears.

Now, I’m off to toys’r'us for some of that Indiana Jones Lego, they’re never too young for Lego!