Willkommen

Welcome to the new blog! There will be lots of changes in the coming months, so I thought it was a good time to start a new site! The biggest change is that we are having a baby! The due date is July 21st. We found out it was a girl earlier this month and we are--dare I say?--relieved and elated.

The first and middle names have been chosen, and no, they aren’t a secret, but we are still getting used to them. We aren’t going to refer to the baby by her name until she chooses to show herself outside the womb. The first name will be my grandmother’s name, and the middle name will be my other grandmother’s middle name (which is a family name and also my sister’s middle name). We considered these names for a very long time (well, the middle name was a given) and thought the first name was perfect. It is an unpopular but beautiful name and honors a wonderful person. I only wish she were here to meet my baby.

So our little baby-in-utero is healthy, well-formed, and kicking. Kicking ALL the time. She already has her routines—this isn’t surprising considering the parents-to-be. Speaking of parent-to-be, it’s amazing how one’s approach to life changes.

J and I hope to move to Atlanta within the next year. Some people tell us it is better to raise a child here, but we think differently. There are many more opportunities in Atlanta, not to mention actual parks and more museums. I will be quitting my job in June, so we will be a lot more flexible. Besides the fact that I have always wanted to raise my own child, I work part-time now and day care costs were going to cancel out my paycheck. Nice work if you can get it. I don’t fault anyone who goes back to work, but we really wanted this so we’re cutting back to make it happen.

The cats are doing well. Anyone who knows we had a dog probably knows we no longer have him. We knew he was a little sick when we adopted him, but we really didn’t know just how sick. His body was failing him, and medicine would have made him as sick or sicker than no treatment. We didn’t want him to suffer. It was a tough decision, but we are happy for the time spent.

For those of you paying attention, I promise to be better on postings. Besides a baby, there isn’t much more to tell. Of course, a baby feels like enough at this point. I may ramble and vent a little more, but that’s what I do best.