So obviously I haven’t been blogging for a while, taking the summer off having my hands full with this little bundle of joy.
It’s hard to believe that she’s already 3 months old! In fact, Clara celebrates her 100 day birthday tomorrow. I finally got some time to comb through all of the pictures we’ve taken of her, and posted some of our favorites up on Flickr. This has seriously been a mental barrier for me in terms of non-work-related computer time, so I’m really excited to be able to get back into the swing of things and making some posts. I’ve had no shortage of thoughts and opinions, and am anxious to get them back on here.
While driving home tonight, that "Carolina" country song by Parmalee came on, where he rattles off those state names. I like that song for the most part, except for the fact that he doesn’t specify North or South Carolina – which got me thinking: which state names can also double as names for people (mainly girls)?
After committing some thought, here is my proposed list:
Acceptable (and Even Pretty) Names:
Carolina
Georgia
Virginia
Dakota
Borderline, but still acceptable
Arizona
California (in the form of "Cali")
Barely Acceptable
Florida
Montana
Nevada
Can’t Be Considered
Any state that starts with "New" (New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire)
Any state that doesn’t end in "a"
Do you know anyone who has a name from the above list (or perhaps even someone whose name wasn’t made the list)?
Well after nearly 10 months, it’s finally here – or at least it’s supposed to be. Ever since we’ve announced that we’re expecting our first child, I’ve been a little mum about the subject on my blog, for two main reasons: we’ve been a little unsure and uncomfortable sharing some of the information (as in we *think* we’re having a girl), and I also have been hypersensitive about using my blog to share pretty typical pregnancy things (especially since I’m not the one personally experiencing them).
Today is the official due date for the baby, although as we’re approaching 10pm, the likelihood of Baby Balderrama arriving today is pretty slim. It’s funny, it seems like those 40 weeks have breezed by (especially as things got really busy in the spring), but these last few days have felt excruciatingly long. We’re extremely hesitant to make any plans that take us too far away from home, and we can’t help but think ahead and get excited about the baby arriving.
It’s funny, you realize people are being curious and caring by asking questions, but it starts getting old providing the same answers: No, she’s not here yet. Yes, we’re still pregnant. Yes, we want her to get here too. Yes we’re doing <Insert wives tale to induce labor>, but it hasn’t worked yet. Not to be crass, but trust us: when our baby arrives we’ll make sure that you know! Hopefully it’s going to be soon!
As I’m approaching what’s likely my last week before parenthood, no one ever said that I’d have to go quietly. I fell in love with kayaking back in 2004 during a visit to my Aunt & Uncle’s summer cabin at Lake Champlain in New York, where I would spend hours on end paddling along the shoreline. At that point I went home dreaming of having a watercraft that I could take up to the various lakes on weekends. Practicality put that daydream on hold, but with our house being a sanded path away from a beautiful Windsor lake, the seeds of that dream were returning. It didn’t take much convincing for Bethany and the next thing you know, it was slated as an early birthday present. Last weekend we found a deal we couldn’t refuse.
I took the kayak out for its maiden voyage on Monday, and was surprised how quickly it came back to me – just like riding a bike. I was going up and down the shoreline in no time. Bethany encouraged me to take it for a spin around the island, and no sooner than after turning turning the corner, the wind kicked up the current. A brief arm workout later, I made it back to the shore. I went out again on Wednesday, this time with a canoe dolly to see if we can transport the kayak by ourselves – mission accomplished.
I’m excited for the opportunities the kayak will give us. Even with the baby, hopefully we’ll each be able to sneak out for a quick spin around the lake during naps. Next time you come visit us, come out and take a spin!
Now that the little one is on the horizon, we’re going through our shopping list of “things for/before the baby”. This is a combination of some necessities (like a crib and a changing table), to a few luxury items in the “let’s get them before we can’t afford them for the next 18 years” (like a new bed) – to items things we’ve wanted for a long time, that we’re writing off “for the good of the baby”. Enter: our new camera.
A DSLR has been on my wish list for a while, and after getting the chance to play with one during Christmas, I began to daydream about the great pictures that we could take. I don’t want to become a photographer, but I definitely would like to make sure we beautifully capture the special moments of our family, but didn’t want to break the bank. After seeking some advice from my sister’s boyfriend, who is a fantastic photographer, I narrowed the camera down to two choices: the Sony NEX-5 and the Nikon D7000. The Sony was definitely a tempting camera, but ultimately the ability to have more options with lenses down the road put the Nikon over the top.
After unboxing the camera, it became pretty apparent that I have a lot to learn about photography. The Nikon is helpful because the camera will take some pretty good pictures on its own, but I definitely want to get out of auto and do some playing around. There are tons of great videos and tutorials out there, and I’ve started building a playlist with ones that I’ve found particularly useful. Jared Polin’s videos have been particularly helpful, as he did a great walk-through of all of my camera’s controls, and has some awesome walkthroughs for beginning photographers.
In order to become decent by the time the baby comes, both my wife and my cat have been patient subjects. Below you’ll find some of the better beginner shots that I’ve taken, and would definitely appreciate any feedback and tips.
