Mr. and Mrs. Gray Sparrow Expect a Family

Shortly before we left for vacation, we had the fun of watching our terrace become a singles bar for gray sparrows. For several days we spent our lunch time watching the pudgy little males puff their feathers up in hopes of attracting the slender females. There was lots of chirping going on, so much that we could hardly talk between ourselves while we were out there. We assumed that our presence on the terrace would scare the birds off, but they didn't seem to care. I counted up to 6 or 7 sparrows at once, chirping and flaunting.

When we returned from vacation, it was evident that one couple in particular had hit it off and chased away all the other sparrows in order to call our terrace "home." For the last few days I've been watching them make a nest, wondering if I should deter them or let them go. They're making the nest in a corner of the terrace we really don't use, so I'm not too worried about the mess. The noise of chicks won't bother me too much; I've heard it before, plus we have the noise of a hundred other birds competing each day and night. For now we've decided to let Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow continue with their nesting.

They aren't the only ones expecting a family. I now feel comfortable sharing my news with the blogosphere. I'm 15 weeks pregnant. We're expecting a baby in August. I've been torn about going "live" with the news online. On one hand, I've always not really been that interested in babies that I don't know personally and I don't want to bore others who aren't that interested either. On the other, it certainly affects my life here, and my life here is what the blog is about. So expect occasional mentions of "Sharkbait" from time to time.

As long as Sharkbait and I stay healthy, I'll stay here until pretty close to our originally scheduled leave time this summer. And, as long as we're healthy, it will be no problem for us to continue on to India this fall. It's just one more part of the adventure!