A Growing Family

If you looked closely at the picture in the previous post then this news should come as no surprise:  We're having another baby!  Some time in early February Colin will have a little brother to play with and Jean Marie will have a new crew member.  We're all very excited. 

We've been considering having another one since Colin was about a year old, not because of any burning desire to procreate or a narcissistic need to surround ourselves with little versions of ourselves.  No, this decision was based simply on providing a sibling for Colin -- someone to grow up with, someone to share life's big moments with, someone to confide in and trust in and depend on when his aging parents are no longer there.  Let's face it, I'm not a young man anymore.  It's comforting to know he'll still have immediate family when Dad is gone.  A depressing thought, I know, but no less relevant.

Obviously, this presents some additional challenges to our cruising plans.  We enjoyed having Colin with us as we sailed down the Mexican coast but it wasn't always easy.  Having a small child aboard certainly increases the stress levels associated with safe passage-making.  And, now, we're about to multiply it by two.

We won't, however, be crossing any oceans next year.  Our plan to sail through the South Pacific is on hold for the immediate future.  Instead, we'll stay here in Bend, work for a while, raise our little family, and take time off when we can to explore the Sea of Cortez on Jean Marie.  I haven't given up on a Pacific crossing yet...we just have to wait for the next window of opportunity.

Needless to say, this isn't the way I envisioned it playing out when we left Alameda a few years ago.  In my version, our family has relocated to New Zealand, a tired Jean Marie is tucked away in a marina, and Dad is working for a software company somewhere in the Auckland area.  Our newborn son is born with dual-citizenship and we're all spending the weekends exploring the kiwi countryside in a used camper van.  Funny how destiny gets in the way of well-made plans.  It's good to have a backup.