April 22, 2006:
Hello Rachel Marie
There is a little building going on in our family (and in Ken Canty's family).
Rachel Marie was born April 17 in Nashville, with proud parents, Jack and Lisa
pleased kids (Danielle, Abigale and Jake) and a super pleased Grandma Ellen.
Now you know why I have been struggling with life in Singapore while all the
action was at Vanderbilt.
and Rachel, sleeping quietly and
Here is Lisa and Rachel Marie
While Jake seems a bit distracted, clearly Danielle and Abi enjoy their new
sister. Jake is now clearly out numbered. In our own family, 3 boys and
Rachel, Rachel never felt out numbered. Of all our kids, Rachel can change
brake pads and change spark plugs and set the timing. Plus, when
our Rachel and Josh are together, the local cuisine is the best in town!
and the best moment of all - a pleased Grandma Ellen - who has been tending the
family while Lisa was doing her thing. Now she is on her way back to
Charleston to see if our bridges are still there and preparing to join me
in Singapore. So to say I'm pleased is an understatement. Being a
temporary working
dad, with laundry, ironing, shopping, outfitting our apartment, setting up
bank accounts, paying bills, updating the unbuilding web pages with
Sparky's photos and during my copious free time, working
(as faculty member #3) at the new
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School -
keeps me off the streets at night.
For a glimpse at out Singapore home, I had to make a web page for
each apartment I looked at. Ellen would review and say yes, no, or
maybe. We converged on this place and its wonderful - quite a different
life than Charleston - but I am 5 min from the MRT (subway) - 4 stops from
Singapore General Hospital and a 10 min walk from IKEA where Ellen would like to
hang out. Here is our place during
the negotiation phase