Family Tales

Reading these statistics makes me feel so… typical. Still, it’s interesting to see trends in the U.S.

A Robin Williams video on Scotland and on golf. Really amusing stuff.

Here are the exciting happenings in the Caird household for the past week.

Yes, the little creature will have a place to sleep upon his arrival. We placed an order down at Darla’s Baby Boutique, and it should be arriving within the next few weeks. I took a couple of pics in the store to show to my dad, who helped us make the purchase. Thought as long as I had pictures, I might as well share them with you.

And for those of you who come and visit, you might be sleeping in this, too. That’s because it coverts into a daybed, and into a full size bed, as well.

My colleague and new father Zach posted a great entry today on gardening and parenthood. I expect with the new house, we’ll soon be finding out a whole lot more about both of those subjects.

I think my last house-related entry was pretty negative so I’d better update. It turns out we ARE getting the house! (A call from Michael’s brother, Ian, this morning reminded me that we haven’t really spread the news that widely.)

The sellers came back to us with a reasonable offer with regard to repairs. The price will be the same, but, at the closing, we’ll get checks written out to the repair people of our choice, so we can get most of the major things fixed. Then we’ll have to repair other things ourselves, or get them done after we move in.

We actually found this out on Michael’s birthday, so his fancy birthday dinner was not only a celebration of Michael — it was also a celebration of our future family house together. Since then, we’ve been very positive but still disbelieving that it’s actually happening. It’s hard to believe that we’re on track to buy our little house. (I added a couple more pictures to the album today.)

We’ve set a date of Tueday May 24 to sign the final paperwork (and write lots of checks) on our end. Then the official close is on Friday the 27th. That’s when we’ll get the keys. It’s right before Memorial Day weekend, so I think Michael will have both the Friday and the Monday off work. I believe I just get the Monday. Also that weekend, is a sidewalk chalk art and chocolate tasting festival along Solano Avenue — so we’ll have a nice opportunity to get to know the ‘hood. (Picture above is chalk art example from the event Web site.)

Then, the repairs can commence! Of course, then we get to move.

So less than a month before the baby is due, we’ll be moving. It’s great, though, because now we have a room for him and we can be preparing it for his arrival. We’re holding off buying the crib — which my dad has generously offered to pay for — until we get into the new place. We’re going for a safari theme — not too boyish — so it would hold up if we eventually have another child.

And speaking of children, I’ll use this opportunity to say everything is looking fine. I have been going in for twice-weekly monitoring (non-stress tests and ultrasounds). Every time, my blood pressure is just fine (way down from the high reading that was cause for concern before), and the baby seems to be doing well. One added benefit, I guess, is that I’m getting quite comfortable with the hospital where I’ll be giving birth. On the way to the monitoring area, I get to pass the nursery and see the newborns.

This is going to be us.

Michael and I at the Baby Shower





Since I know you’re dying to see my true gargantuan proportions, here’s me (with belly), along with (L to R) my cousin Shannon, her husband Brian, my Uncle Lane and Aunt Mary. (You can click on any of these pictures to see them bigger.)

We are home today after a whirlwind weekend trip to Houston for a baby shower. For all you Scots, the idea behind the baby shower is that the to-be parents are “showered” with gifts by friends and family, in preparation for the new arrival. I don’t think there’s such a tradition in Scotland…or maybe it happens AFTER the baby comes. Anyway, here it’s very common — for the first baby in the family — for it to happen around this time (30 weeks or so) before the blessed event. Traditionally, it’s been more of a female-focused event, often involving just the mother-to-be and the women of the family, but, more recently, men have been involved, too. In this case, it was both men and women (and lots of kids) who attended, and it was a full house!

I really can’t say enough about how special the event was to us. We got to see so many people who we haven’t seen in such a long time, and we got to share our excitement about becoming parents. Everyone was so wonderful and supportive and generous. We were a bit overwhelmed, I must say. It also makes this whole baby arrival thing a bit more concrete, as we now have very important gear such as a car seat (can’t take the baby home without it!).

Despite thunderstorms on both ends, we made it home safely, at the end of what had been a fairly smooth trip, all things considered. We miss everyone and wish we’d had more time to spend catching up with everyone. Aargh, it’s so hard living far away sometimes. Come visit!!!!

Just wanted to wish my darling husband a Happy Birthday on this special day! We’re going out to dinner tonight in Berkeley to celebrate.