Now given that the poor kid was wrapped in navy blue before he'd had an opportunity to get any real colour himself, there's no questioning that he'll be a Carlton supporter.

But being the deeply sentimental person I am, I couldn't help but wonder what form the AFL will have taken by the time Little Adam is old enough to enjoy the sport (or at the very least, hold up his own head). And whether supporting a club will be the same for him as it has been for me. Because if the past two weeks have taught me anything, it's that there's still no "i" in team. But there sure isn't any security either.

This year's trade period was huge. Not Buddy Franklin's $10 million contract huge, but monumental enough that for the first time in a long time, many of us were finally able to utter the sentence: "At least we're better off than Hawks supporters".

In fact the trade period has gotten so big, some believe it might begin to steal the limelight from other important, completely necessary sporting events, such as the AFL pre-pre-pre season (aka November), the eBay/Gumtree trade period (where Brisbane hope to finally receive some interest for their flagging captain in return for a second-hand couch).

And of course, the highly scrutinised Christmas period, where rumour has it Nat Fyfe has finally settled on a three-year deal to spend the big day with his parents. But personally I won't believe it until the papers are signed!

I'd like to say I avoided the hype of #AFLTrade and focused on other things, but the truth is that I found the fortnight so all-encompassing, I even forgot the US Presidential Election was on.For quite some time I genuinely believed Bryce Gibbs was unwilling to accept the results of this crooked, rigged trade, and just couldn't understand why he thought Adelaide were so "bigly" all of a sudden.

But here's the thing about the trade: I completely understand the cold, hard necessity of a swap here and there. But I can't help that my heart breaks a little every time a player we've been led to look upon as part of our club family, is packed up and shipped out, all under the mantle of "business as usual". And I just don't understand how fans in the space of less than a year can be expected to buy memberships, purchase guernseys and commit to a team, if the players of that team are more likely to get dumped than if they were dating Taylor Swift?

I have an American friend who considers my rigid attachment to the notion of one-team players ridiculous. Having grown up a fan of the NBA, he's quite used to regular changes with his favourite player, Shaquille O'Neal, moving between no less than six different clubs. As a result, he has so many different Shaq jerseys now that even Bec Judd would deem his wardrobe a tad too full. And yes, I see his point. The main goal of any team should be to win finals, and if an ever-refreshing roster aids this, it is the club's responsibility to make sure this is enacted.

But on the other hand, I think back to the first episode of Carlton Football Club's 2016 documentary, The Journey. Which, in case anyone is interested, is going to have a second series where the boys venture north to fight wildlings (the Sydney Swans). In one scene, Charlie Curnow has forgotten to bring a football with him to a pre-season training camp in Tasmania, so is forced to jump into an icy-cold lake.

It's as Charlie swims off that Brendan Bolton berates the team for not following him in to help, pointing out that: "If one goes, everyone goes". But if this truly is the Carlton mantra, then I guess everyone's off to sodding Geelong now, because that's where Tuohy has gone, isn't it? So which one is it, Bolts? In or out? Tuo-hy or not Tuo-hy? That is the question!

And it isn't only the fans that are affected. I remember the crushing sadness etched on Brent Harvey's face as he walked off the ground for the very last time after the brutal Roo cull of 2016. I very much doubt that Jordan Lewis and Alastair Clarkson's friendship really is the same after Hawthorn's botched trade period.

And Jimmy Bartel has every right to be upset about his treatment at the hands of Geelong, who literally told him that no one was available to see him when he rocked up for his end-of-season interview. The only scenario in which this is acceptable is if they forgot about the whole beard-shave thing and didn't recognise the handsome stranger standing before them. Otherwise, it's a disgrace!

Trades hurt people. Just look at what happened over in the US when basketballer Lamar Odom was traded from the LA Lakers to Dallas. His marriage fell apart, his career fell to pieces and eventually he was hospitalised with a drug overdose. Now yes, many doctors have argued that this is simply what happens if you spend time with Kardashians. But personally I think it was the trade.

So at the end of the day, while I may be sentimental about my new nephew, I know the score. I get that there's no room for such emotion amongst the big decisions of modern sport.

All I can hope is that by the time Adam Jr. is my age, he'll be fine with the painful yearly trades, because he'll have sat through multiple Carlton premiership wins as a result.

And we'll pleasantly compare the differences in our personal football journeys. His, collecting footy flags and mine, sulking and settling fire to all my Touhy merchandise whilst sobbing uncontrollably and muttering to myself: "At least I'm better off than Hawks supporters".