Best present ever
July 21st, 2008
7:30am in the Halavais household, light seeps in through the soupy July morning air.
Jamie: Good morning, Darling Husband!
Alex: Grumble… mrf. Why are we up?
Jamie: What day is it?
Alex: Monday?
Jamie: Yes, but what Monday?
Alex: Too-early-in-the-morning Monday?
Jamie: Today’s the 21st, your birthday!
Alex: It is? Cool! What am I getting this year?
Jamie: [Dramatically indicates her own personage.]
Alex: Um. didn’t I get that last year?
Jamie: Notice anything… different.
Alex: Well, I’ve been meaning to say, you’ve been really packing on the pounds lately…
Jamie: How old are you again?
[A subtly cruel question, since she knows he hasn't been able to keep track for about a decade.]
Alex: I’m gonna be 40.
[A graceful allusion to pop culture that nonetheless dates him.]
Jamie: Well, we’re off to the hospital for pictures.
Alex: What, have you been listening to the Vapors?
[A less graceful, overly obscure, yet still out-of-date pop culture reference.]
Jamie: I’m sure you’ll figure everything out eventually…
Our first child is due on December 8 of this year. I’m furiously reading various parenting books and trying to figure out who I’ll need to knock off to get him into a decent pre-school on the Upper West Side.
Don’t worry, this blog will remain unfocused, intermittent, and boring. But soon, with more baby!
(The sonograms are in order: April 22, May 6, May 22, July 21, and many more are over at flickr.)
July 21st, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Happy Birthday Professor / Father-to-be !
Here’s my special birthday song for you… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MFpy-yw9G0
July 21st, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Here I was feeling guilty that it’s almost the end of the day and I haven’t wished you a happy birthday on FB or Twitter and now I’M SO GLAD I WAITED!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! This is wonderful news!
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:17 am
This is the best blog you’ve written.
Congratulations to you and your new family-to-be.
Don’t worry about the books, parent from the heart.
You’ll do fine.
Best,
Collee
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:27 am
How exciting for the family Halavais! Congratulations! (Managing an infant is *much* easier than writing a thesis.)
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! With you as the father, I doubt the baby’s first word will be “da-da or ma-ma.” :-)
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Hey, great to hear…parenthood is one of the most frustrating, but also most rewarding things you will ever do. I have 4 kids; feel free to seek advise.
And a belated Happy Birthday too. You’re no where near getting old yet.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Congratulations! Professor Cohen just told me the wonderful news!