Greetings from the couch! Some of you will be aware that our baby son, Fela Jack Hawkins was delivered safely into the world last Wednesday, May 23 at 120pm, weighing 3.4kg (7lbs 9oz). It was a surreal experience – walking into theatre and having my baby lifted out of my stomach about 20 minutes later, but an experience I can highly recommend.

Fela is a Yoruba name, and our son’s name was inspired by Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the Nigerian Afrobeat musician and human rights activist of the 1970s and 80s. Matt’s been a fan of his music for some time (its pretty cool – James Brown was but an imitation of him) and we figured the name had a resonance in Australia too. Jack seemed a good solid conventional name, in case he decides his parents were being pretentious when they chose his first. We also like the initials FJ and can only hope Fela J Hawkins may have some of the talent or cool of American Jazz musician Screaming J Hawkins.

I know anyone reading this who has a child doesn’t need to have explained the overwhelming feelings that come when meeting one’s child for the first time, and we were no exception. Admittedly, when Fela was first presented to me like a little Babooshka doll whilst still on the table, the morphine was still giving me quite a rush, and so that overwhelming feeling was rather more like nausea. But only a little later he was placed naked onto my naked chest, squirming like a little kitten…..And we have not looked back ever since. The love is actually very frightening.. The fact that I learnt later that night that the ashen-faced girl wheeled past me earlier in the day had just delivered a stillbirth who was due the very same day as Fela only increased the sense that we had been blessed far beyond what we could ever have deserved.

So, after a most impressive first suckle at the breast (Fela seemed to know exactly what he was doing, so that was one of us) we were taken to our room (a huge room overlooking the golf links and to the city and hills) the sun was setting, and celebrations began. Bottles of bubbles flowed for the next few days and I dived into a platter of almost everything that might contain Listeria as soon as I could (Matt had done a great job finding the stinkiest blue cheese, tastiest smoked salmon and the best duck liver pate I know for the occasion). I have to say I didn’t exactly feel like a Patient and made a speedy recovery from surgery, leaving one day early 6 nights later because I couldn’t bare the sense of fraud any longer.

I was pretty excited to get home too. Fela has been a very easy baby to this day. He is very contented, feeds well, and sleeps plenty, even at night. He does keep me guessing with the occasional fussy spell, but I guess that just keeps life interesting, if at times a little heart breaking.

So: there’s our news. There’s not much more for me to say except please take a look at our little slice of heaven for yourselves.
Note: squirmish people may prefer to skip the first couple of shots

23 May 2007, 1.15pm










7 minutes later.. a thoroughly modern birth







letting the paediatrician know all about the temperature of that stethoscope







2 hours old





















big little feet






the sage one






















Fela does Harrison Ford (no, I am not strangling him - that is a perfectly legitimate burping technique)





Sunrise views from bed


















Sunset views from the cocktail party suite










ready to go home























Home, sweet home