I hope everyone had a great Halloween! We really enjoyed putting Clara’s costume together – one that was after my own heart.
Random
Summer Sleepless Sabbatical
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.
State Names
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)?
Due Date
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!
Tom Petty did say it best: waiting is hard.
That’s my boat!
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!