Sunday, September 27, 2009

Baby Gift Registry

Many have asked us about gifts and we have finally created a Baby Gift Registry. The difficulty is that we really prefer used items as part of our general philosophy. And when items are new, we are looking for solid woods, non-toxic paints, organic cottons, non plastic, non chemical coated, non off-gassing items that are environmentally safe and sustainably made. It's not easy to find just one registry that will handle that, but we found one. Wishpot.com lets us link to the websites of other companies and also create items on the registry that are not on any web site. That's neat because then we can say we want a onesie and not have to pick a particular one, leaving it up to the giver to decide on a design for The Kid.

If you feel like buying The Kid a gift from the registry, you can click it to reserve the item so that The Kid does not get duplicates. Then, you can look around your local thrift store or buy the item from craigslist.com or any company you choose. Wishpot does not make you buy the item from the company listed in order to check the item off the list. Cool.


Most importantly, there are very few things in life that are truly needed. We're hoping for love and affection to be given to The Kid above all else. Tami read somewhere recently that, while there are lots of neat things for babies, a baby only truly needs 1) arms to hold the baby, 2) boobs or bottles to feed the baby, and 3) a warm place to sleep. When it comes down to it, we've already got what The Kid needs to survive.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Painting and Races

They say you learn something every day. And that's why I like you. You're smart. Me? I don't know if I learn something that often, but I do pick things up here and there. For example, when painting the dresser that my grandma gave to The Kid, I learned not to try and correct apparent paint blemishes while the paint is still drying. Turns out, most of what looks bad on drying paint looks great once dry... except all those places one tries to fix. Those spots stand out. Lesson learned. That will come in handy when I paint the drawers.


But before the drawers get painted, some friends got together to hang out and watch the Isle of Mann motorcycle races on DVD today. A good time. There is a racer named Guy Martin (see his picture below) and if you ever have a chance to hear him talk, I highly recommend it.

As Don said, he talks like Brad Pitt's character in the movie Snatch. Guy was almost as entertaining as watching the motorcycles and they were extremely entertaining. A good time all around and I'm reminded that I have good friends. As a lucky bonus, several have motorcycles and they share which explains how I have ridden four bikes in three days while the only bike I own is with my Nina and Nino in Arizona.

Yesterday I rode by the reservoirs after work and I was so happy to get that smell of water, grass, and bay leaf. Today, Nathan and I rode up HWY 9 for some nice curves and more good smells including trees, bay leaf, and bar-b-q. Tomorrow? Who knows. But the roads in California are as beautiful as those on the Isle of Mann, so I can't go wrong.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Look, he's moving!

We are now past the point of just being able to feel the kid jiggle around in there. We can now SEE him jiggle around. Awwww, just like his daddy likes to dance. It's pretty cool. Not the dancing, well... that's cool, too. I mean specifically that THE KID IS MOVING... and WE CAN SEE HIM! Little pushes in every direction. Excellent.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

One of those Days


You know those days when you wake up slowly, have time to stretch and just lay in bed for a bit? Then you walk outside to a world that smells good and you have plenty of time to enjoy a cup of coffee? And even your metephorical ducks out of the row don't really bother you, because you're okay with them being where they are right now? And work goes well and people are nice and you just happen to own matching brown and orange argyle socks and shoe strings and you decide "Well, if there was ever a day to wear argyle, this is it!" and you do, and life is good? Yeah, I had a very good Thursday.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

What's in a name?


(photo taken at Evan & Sarah's wedding)


We've been talking about what the name of The Kid is going to be. We've done this on four occasions and you would think we would be getting pretty close, but we're not really. In fact, two of those four discussions were spent on what we are going to do about his last name. I assume the majority of parents don't need to spend much time on the last name, but we do and we're not done yet. What's in a name is not the same for everyone.

I'm just not attached to my names. Together, they are a convenient tool. If I needed to change mine, I don't believe I would require much time in adapting. Through my names I do not feel a connection to history, ancestors or identity, though I know that they have helped to shape me.

I think of all the males and females through time that added their genetics in the cosmic intermixing that led to this body I call me; my own private room in the Universe. And I think of this last name I cary that randomly traveled through this mass of genetic donors. It dose not seem so much me as it does an accident of who happened to have the Y chromosome when these men and women got together. Like a pebble bouncing down a cliff, side to side, my last name flowed through history and landed on me. It's not me. It's just mine. I am amazed at the connection to history, ancestors and the people of the world that I posses through the DNA of every one of my cells; and merely amused at the odd path my last name took to get here.

Tami sees this differently. In simplest form, she does sense a connection to history and family through her name and this connection is something that she feels is very valuable and worthy of preserving. Neither of us changed our last name after marriage, so what do we do about The Kid's last name?

Tami would like four names for The Kid. A first and two middle names, one being Tami's last, with mine as The Kid's last name. I would prefer he have fewer names and proposed it would be better if The Kid is to have either her last as the only middle name or her last name as his last, rather than have four names. Two names or even one would suffice. Four seems a little extravagant for a boy to whom I hope to teach the benefits of simplicity. Tami still wants the four names with mine at the end. It's an interesting discussion when two people, not exactly alike in thinking, try to negotiate with each other based on rationale that was, at least in my case, only recently negotiated internally between personal philosophy and accepted traditions.

I wonder how our choice of names will affect our son as he develops his personality? How much will the name contribute to his experience compared to the genetic code we are passing down to him, developed by a strange mix of chances and forces over the millennia? I wonder what The Kid will think of this whole discussion some day. I wonder what name he will be pronouncing when he considers it's connection to his own identity.