Bremen Tam Musicians

Figured Father's Day was an appropriate time to announce... A few months ago, while killing time on Boise State Campus, I sketched this family picture. It is the Chinese Zodiac animals of all FOUR of us Tams. Welcome Dragon Baby! In early November we are due to add a second child to our family. The due date is one week from Lo's birthday, and within 2 weeks of my birthday. I'm actually hoping this baby will choose to share birthdays with either Lo or me--then as the years pass, we can go to get our free birthday treats all at once. Disneyland free admission, Red Robin free hamburgers, etc. normally allow only one freebie per family at a time, unless immediate family members share the same special day. :) I like the symmetry of Lo and this baby being exactly three years apart. It feels like good child spacing by any standard. Although having a winter baby wasn't my favorite last time in Massachusetts and Ohio (Lo was born in MA and about a month after the birth, we moved to Northern Ohio where it was frigid and gray, gray, gray for months), I'm hopeful Boise's winter won't be so bad. At least we keep blue skies all year there! And the snow doesn't usually stick longer than a day or so in the Treasure Valley. Being near family should help this time too. Oh, here is what the real Bremen Town musicians look like (my inspiration for our family zodiac sketch). We won't be able to find out if we are having a boy or girl until the end of the summer because we don't have medical coverage during the summer. Actually, Jerry just got an email saying he qualifies for Dell benefits right now, so maybe we will get coverage here during the summer and get an anatomy ultrasound done?? But we were thinking that email might have been a mistake--since when do temp. interns get benefits? Anyway, we have chosen a birth center with midwives in Boise. It is not hospital attached, but is located a 2 min. drive from a hospital. Already I have felt so much better about this midwife group than the ones we worked with for Lo's birth. The Boise midwives spend on average 1-1.5 hours with me each time we meet, discussing thoroughly every issue. When I have concerns or questions, they educate me on EVERY option--saying, "Some moms choose option A, some choose option B, some choose C, etc." and they are always respectful of my sometimes non-mainstream preferences and choices. Whereas with a few of my concerns in Massachusetts, the midwives did not help me find more information and even said comments like, "This is how everyone does it," or "This is our official policy," making me feel like there was only ONE way to choose. So yes, I feel like Lo's birth was overall good but this next one will be even more in harmony with our preferences. Vomited once during the first trimester, but it was a huge blessing we lived with my family so I got help with childcare for Lo while I napped, moaned about being nauseated, etc. Second trimester is pretty uneventful, so no news to add there except that I am finally getting comments from strangers about my pregnant belly (glad it has grown beyond that "bloated/chubby" stage when people only WONDER if I'm pregnant). Anyway, having a great pregnancy so far! I'll post a belly pic soon. Poor second child has not had nearly as much attention as the firstborn already.