Baby Questions (by Randy)

Here are the questions that we are often asked—and the answers, of course:

1. Do you know the sex of your baby? Soon, we should know…There’s a doctor’s appointment at the end of this month, and if the little one is cooperating, we will find out, inshallah.
2. What surname will the baby have? It will be a Ball. There are enough Meuniers in the world already (just kidding, in-laws!)... (This is Christine: the MIDDLE name will be Meunier!)
3. Do they even have hospitals in Abu Dhabi? Yes, and they are state-of-the-art, the best that oil money can buy. Our current doctor is a well-qualified German woman. The hospital where we will have the baby is called the Corniche Hospital, and midwives will deliver the baby. The medical care we receive here is better than what we would have gotten back home. Abu Dhabi—and the United Arab Emirates—is NOT the third world.
4. Is there a baby shower, or is there anything you need? Hmmm…If you’re willing to pay the child’s future college tuition, great (of course, with those Ball-Meunier genes, the kid should be a genius and get a full ride). Otherwise, various family members may be contacting you about planned showers, etc. If you don’t hear from them within the next few weeks, let us know. We can ALWAYS tell you something that we need. By the way, Christine is doing most of this. I’m busy trying to figure out how to do taxes…We worked in the States for half of 2007, which means we have to pay…Next year, we shouldn’t really owe anything…but we still have to file. It’s a complicated business. How about a national sales tax and an end to this income tax nonsense already? I blame FDR, of course. The income tax isn’t even constitutional…okay, my libertarian values are showing. Sorry for the sermon.
5. Will Christine have maternity leave? Well, we've timed this a bit weird, so having the child in the summer means we may not use it. However, Christine has 45 days of paid maternity leave that she can use before or after, if necessary.
6. What about child care? We will hire a nanny. We will have her come in a week or so before school starts in August, so that we can see how she behaves toward the child. Christine will have late arrival to school, so she can stay with the baby later in the mornings and breastfeed, etc.
7. I guess that last sentence answers another question people sometimes have...