Under Construction!

After several months of very diligent shopping, Alisa and I finally found Lima's first bed and dresser. Special thanks to Lima's WONDERFUL grandmothers - Mrs. Chan for the crib and Mrs. Berliner for the rocking chair! The bed, of course, is like some huge transformer and will fold all the way out to a toddler bed for Lima. Initially though it cracked me up - I mean look at the size of that mattress! As a matter of fact, the mattress is something like 27" x 50" and assuming Lima will be about 10" x 18" we'll be able to fit 7 and 1/2 Lima's in that crib! You'll notice that babe's not there - she was in the other room doing yet more diligent shopping!

dad's proud of his work! (and, i must say, lookin' hard core with the tattoo ;->)

On a slightly more serious note, it was a really moving experience for me to build this stuff. My dad absolutely loved building things and he also absolutely loved being a dad. So as I worked late into the night, obsessed with finishing, I literally felt the ancestry, the history, anchoring me to my past, to my family, as I lovingly furnished the room for the next generation. I felt good about starting my family, about trying hard to fill the gigantic shoes of my father. For a few hours I felt like him, fevered, with parts stacked in neat rows (never scattered or unorganized!), pouring love into the work that will surround my child, fill our family's home and feed the timeless current of each generation of Berliners loving their children. And that is about the best family tradition I could ever hope to uphold.