There’s a joke about the evolution of parenting: new parents see their first child eat dirt and so they rush the child to the doctor only to be assured the child will in fact be fine. Time passes and they have a second child who, as so many children do, also eats dirt. The parents are watchful of the child during the following hour, but say to themselves that a trip to the doctor is very much not needed. Time goes by again, and the couple has a third child. This child too samples the local earth and the parents turn to each other and muse aloud, “so, did that count as dinner? I don’t feel like cooking”.

THE NEWS

We’re becoming those stereotypes! The proof? The timing of this announcement.

Yes folks, we’re becoming a family of four. Our little lady is set to join the family in May, 2018. While Daxon was in utero, we called him The Passenger. While Zala was still hooked-up to the umbilical cord, she was The Tatter Tot.We’ve waited so long to name this one, that Amber already has a baby bump and so we are celebrating the gestation of The Basketball! We’ll try to take at least one or two pictures of her when she’s born (and all the youngest children reading this groaned).

THE PLAN

Our sending organization is celebrating 100 years of service in May of this year (2018). There is a conference being held in Victoria, British Columbia (on Canada’s West Coast). Immediately following that is a mandatory conference for all of the employees who work outside of Canada (that’s us). And immediately following that there is a training conference for those of us who are two years into our current overseas deployment (that’s us again). So that’s 3 weeks in BC right around the time that baby is due.

Amber will be traveling to BC at the end of March to ensure she can still fly (airlines have rules) and has time to get up to speed with a doctor in Canada. The kids and Matthew will follow at the beginning of April when Thai schools break for Songkran (Thai New Year). Having a baby in Bangkok’s private hospitals would not be an issue, but the conferences put us back in Canada anyways. We will have the support of family, be able to introduce The Basketball to our friends and family, engage with our organization and learn at the conferences, and ensure that the 2009 and 2015 amendments to Canada’s Citizenship Act regarding first generation limits do not impact our future grandchildren.

Daxon, Zala, and Matthew will return to Thailand in May to plug the kids back into school. Amber and The Basketball will follow when the paperwork is complete and they are strong enough to travel.