Family Tales

We’re standing on the edge of a whole new family reality, ready to emerge on the other side as a foursome, rather than a threesome. For now, though, things are pretty normal — well, as normal as they can be with a nearly-three-year-old and a nine-months-pregnant woman in the house.

Bloated and enormous as I feel, I’m aware things haven’t changed so tremendously yet. These are the last days when I can refer to Callum as my favorite boy in the whole wide world. I can still cuddle him with my attention undivided. We can still make our family plans without packing #1 size diapers and breaking out the Baby Bjorn.

This weekend, we had some very special moments as a family. Last night, after peeking outside, Michael declared he’d seen fireflies, so we rushed to get Callum into his pyjamas so we could wander into the back yard and take a look. Callum’s eyes were wide and excited. He’d heard about this phenomenon known as a firefly, and Mommy and Daddy were about to introduce him to some. Alas, once we got outside, none of the creatures could be spotted, but, in those moments, we fully experienced the anticipation of introducing our son to some of the wonders of this life. That’s what makes parenting worthwhile. (Well, that, and the cuddles.)

Though the fireflies never materialized, we did have some family “firsts” this weekend. We fillled up the baby wading pool in the back yard for the first time, and some of Callum’s bath toys migrated outside. I even put on my maternity bathing suit and plopped down myself, the new vantage point allowing me to discover a purple and yellow iris hiding behind the weeds.

We also went to the park on Monday and took in one of those legendary NYC experiences — kids running through spraying water fountains set up to cool them off. When we arrived at the park, the stroller ride had lulled Callum to sleep, so we sat on a bench and parked him in the shade, watching him closely for signs of awakening. Once he opened his eyes (we’d started calling his name at the first sign of stirring), his first words were, “the water is on!”

Callum took a little while to warm up to the idea of getting wet, but he was perfectly happy to kick his soccer ball under the streams and insist that Daddy go get it. It was a great opportunity for Michael to take Callum’s hand and nudge him along. After some initial hesitation, they rushed through the spray together, kicking the ball exuberantly. After a while, Callum grew quite comfortable, and Michael started to shiver with cold. Ah, the sacrifices he’s made for being a dad.

Yes, it’s just been another weekend of joy, and incessant “why?”s. I think we’re now ready for #2 to come along, whenever he’s ready.

Cross-posted from Free Range

is our 5 year wedding anniversary. Hard to believe.

When Callum and I went to pick Michael up from the airport on a recent weekend, we had to struggle to contain ourselves. As far as Michael was concerned, it was just an ordinary Saturday. His flight from New York came in around noon, and we were to pick him up and head home. Little did he know what we had in store…

When he got in the car, he was all excitement. “It’s a beautiful day. Should we go to the park? Should we go out to eat?” “No, honey,” I said, “I’d really rather just go home. I have some food I can fix there.” He acquiesced, and we rolled on toward Albany.

Upon arrival, he noticed that the weeds that typically grow beside the street had been trimmed. “Did you do that?” he asked. “Oh, yeah,” I scrambled. “It was no big deal. I just used the weed eater.”

I let him grab Callum, while I picked up his suitcases. They were the first to walk through the door and hear: “Surprise!!”

A few of Michael’s friends, and some work colleagues, had come over for a barbecue in honor of his birthday. It was a few days early, but it was his 40th, and some celebrating had to be done. There was beer, there were hamburgers and hot dogs, and it was sunny and beautiful. Happy Birthday, Michael!

As 2006 comes hurtling towards us, our on going saga (or should I say my on going saga) continues to drag on. As this Scotsman and his American family pulled into the drive on a ‘thank crunchie it’s Friday’  here comes the weekend sort of mood, the beginning of the weekend just got better. The letter from the U.S.Citizen and Immigration Services that we had been waiting for since our ‘Adjustment of Status’  interview on November 7th 2005,  was in the mail box. The three of us bundled into the hoose, and gathered round the grand opening of Daddy’s final approval for his ‘Green Card’. And there it was in black and white, as clear as day, staring us in the face, ‘IT IS REQUESTED THAT YOU SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS: Marriage certificate from all marriages and/or petition.’  This is the same marriage certificate that was the last piece of the jigsaw that completed the paperwork that was offically filed after the wedding  on November 11th 2002, nearly 3 years to the day  before my ‘Adjustment of Status’ interview. This is the same marriage certificate without which we would have got further than December 2002. This is the same marriage certificate that we gave copies of during the  ‘Adjustment of Status’  interview, November 11th 2005, and the saga goes on, and on and on!

So this latest episode, adds to the letter that never was, never arriving due to the Legal Alien not being home, being home but weeding the garden and didn’t hear the door, even though it was a normal letter and the postman doesn’t knock twice, doesn’t knock at all I’m led to believe. So I guess the USCIS thought the Legal Alien had skipped the country, or maybe was in a better place, that’s why they didn’t try and contact him again, hoping he would just vanish perhaps? Well he didn’t, and several months later he contacted the USCIS to see how his case was doing, and learned of the mysterious letter, which to this day, I have no idea of the contents.
Just one of those things I guess, along with the vanishing finger prints, which to be fair I’m sure was a combination of the high altitude during the flight from NY to SF, and a bad batch of ink??!!

Okay, I better get moving and get an appointment set up with USCIS SF to get a ‘Advance Parole Visa’ so I can visit Scotland in 3 weeks, my third visa in 3 years at $170 a pop. And I’m really looking forward to the bloke at the Immigration desk at SF airport screaming at me for not having a green card, why don’t I have a green card after 3 years, and why haven’t I mentioned my wife. Well he did tell me not to speak except for answering his questions, and he hadn’t asked about Pamela yet. I know I do spin a yarn from time to time when telling a story, but the last bit about SF airport immigration desk is no word of a lie.

I thought since my darling wife and son posts all the good stuff on Caird Family Tales I would try and re-address the balance. Ah, the joys of being a moaning, tight Scotsman, maybe the USCIS are smarter that I thought?

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.

At long last, after three+ years of marriage, Michael and I got a letter from Immigration asking us to come in for what is called the AOS (for adjustment of status) interview. You wouldn’t believe the pile of paperwork we are expected to bring with us. All going well, Michael will get the all- important green card in less than two weeks!

You see my darling wife has one of these camera phones, and she snaps happily away with it so often, I hardly take notice these days. Little did I know as I relaxed in rehab, she had snapped, scurried inside, and blogged about the ugliest looking hobbit like foot I’ve ever seen!!! Now I know she is an editor during her day job, but I think after hours I should take over as editor of the Caird Family Blog. I mean, this is an international blog after all, and what big professional football/soccer clubs going to sign a new star player with hobbit feet??!!

When Michael came home from playing squash Thursday night with a bit of a limp, I wasn’t concerned. He’d won — so he said — and few bumps and bruises are par for the course.

It wasn’t until the next morning, when he started telling me about this “sprained ankle” that I started to worry. It started with a twinge here and a twinge there, and didn’t really start to hurt until he was on his way home on the BART train. Still, he gamely went into work on the Friday, then decided to pop ’round to the doctor’s office at lunchtime. Our suspicions were confirmed — it was a fracture in his right leg just above the ankle.

So, he’s just keeping it elevated (the picture is taken in our sunny back yard, where he’s kicking his feet up and sipping on a beer — really tough….) and we’re waiting until Monday when we can get him an “air cast” in a medical supply store. (Yes, our U.S. health care system sucks. I won’t argue that for a second.)