Family Tales

Callum sleeps
Originally uploaded by Pamela PC.

Just another pic of our boy. He’s actually quite pink-cheeked here, fighting off a cold. Looks like just as he’s getting over it, his parents are both succumbing.

For those of you hanging on with bated breath after our last post on the subject, let me offer an update on the immigration situation. We went on Monday, November 7 to interview at the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS). We waited nervously in the waiting room, wondering whether they’d split us up and ask us intimate questions to make sure we were really married. After a few minutes, a short, balding Filipino-American man limped out to greet us. We followed him back to his office and the questioning began. He wanted lots of documents and was slightly unsettled that our driver’s licenses had different addresses (Michael hasn’t gotten his updated since we moved to the new house). But once we pulled out Callum’s birth certificate (and pictures) the deal was sealed.

“That’s him in his Halloween costume,” I offered, always the proud mother.

What mostly mattered, in the end, was the birth certificate. Michael was listed as Callum’s father, and myself as his mother. Yes, indeed, we were really married. They were convinced.

The only missing piece for Michael was a fingerprinting session and an FBI background check. He went the next day to get that done, so now we wait for a letter inviting Michael to come down and get his passport stamped. Then, the green card follows at some point.

Callum on hisTummy
Originally uploaded by Pamela Parker Caird.

Here’s Callum on his tummy, after he rolled from his back to his front for the first time. The last few days, he’s gotten so physical. He’s reaching out and grabbing things (kind of randomly, still, but increasingly purposeful). He’s also squirming around dramatically. We leave him in his crib for a minute and come back to him in a totally different position. In another “milestone” he’s playing with his feet. He’s also teething, which is no fun for him or for us.