Grandma & Grandpa Andrews

When we decided to move out to Dubai, we honestly never thought that we would be able to convince anyone on either side of the family to come out to the 'scary' Middle East for a visit. And just when I had accepted that fact, Camille suggested that if we had a baby, then surely that would bring someone out. Oh wait.... "Um, what was that Camille?"........ "No, I would never write something like that"....... "You know how I like to joke around".... OK, let's get serious.

So, my parents recently came out to visit and it was so good to see them. It is weird to think that we have gone a year and a half without seeing family but we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Big thanks to my Aunt Terry for setting my parents up with Delta tickets for their flight, and business class at that. I think that was the deal breaker for my Dad.

On this day we decided to get a little taste of the local culture so we went to the Jumeirah Mosque, which is the only mosque that they allow non-Muslims to enter with a guided tour.

Here the guide is demonstrating how to properly wash your hands, face, and feet before each of the five daily prayers.

Inside the mosque we are getting a little introduction into Islam and the purpose of the mosque.

A view upward.

Dubai has created a center for learning and understand to help deal with all of the crazy ideas that the 'western' world has about the Middle East and Islam. :)

We decided to go for their lunch discussion. The ladies that led the discussion admitted that the food was mainly Indian food, which is just as well because I wasn't looking forward to traditional Arab lunch of dates and camel milk.

Here we are enjoying our meal with one of the ladies from the center dishing up her food.

Classic shot of the Burj Al Arab.
I couldn't talk them into going for afternoon tea that costs $100.

Picking up seashells for the grand kids.

I've seen that look from Dad before and it always means that he has some new idea for the cabin/Sunbeam so if you see his next project with some strange shapes, you'll know where he got his inspiration.

Evelyn doing what she does best.

Grandma doing some baby sitting.

No complaints from Evelyn.

On the outer edge of the Palm Jumeirah, walking to the Atlantis Hotel.

Sammy the whale shark giving us a close-up view at the Atlantis aquarium.

A better shot of Sammy just showing off.

The lobby in front of the aquarium.

More Atlantis.

We stopped in and grabbed some cold stone in the hotel.

Walking out the door to head back to the airport.

It was great to have my parents in town and we wish that they could have stayed longer. Our doors are always open if any one else gets the idea to really get away, although I understand that some of you are waiting to see where we go next.

Evelyn Rose Andrews

On March 1st, we went to Camille's scheduled appointment with her doctor to see how everything was going. The due date was March 10 but Camille had been working on her doctor to go a week early, although she didn't seem too interested in inducing Camille up to this point. After her examination, the doctor told us to come back the following evening and that they would start the induction. I wasn't expecting that so it all came fairly quickly. Camille had packed her bags weeks before so really there wasn't much to do to get ready.

Evelyn arrived on March 3, at 6:25 PM. 9.1 lbs and 22 inches.

Epidural is in, all signs are good... it's just a waiting game at this point.

You have to turn your volume up and listen closely but you can hear a soft voice saying, "I'm ready to go"

Only a few minutes old and opening her eyes for the first time.
'Bright light, bright light'

Mommy and baby getting acquainted.

22 inches.... it's official.

Comfy and ready for bed.

Getting some shut-eye after a long day of work.

Mom and baby recovering

The family is finally all together.

Discovering one of her new favorite places.

Finally home and in her new bed.

So as a new father, I am trying to adjust to all of the new changes in life. This photo is a good example. A week before Evelyn arrived, this was called 'watching TV' and I was wasting time and being lazy. With the addition of Evelyn, this is now called 'baby sitting' and I am helping out and being a good father and husband. Let's just hope that she likes basketball, soccer, and motocross when she grows up so that I can continue to be so productive. :)

Baby on the Way

I wanted to put up a quick post to cover the time when we counted down the days until our little one arrives. We didn't get out much during that period, for obvious reasons, but there were a few events worth noting.

We had a nice Christmas party for my work at a hotel on Raha Beach in Abu Dhabi. I think this was the first company party I have ever been to that was actually a 'Christmas' party. They even had Santa Claus and his elves walk around and pass out gifts.

Camille's friend, Sandy, threw her a baby shower and they all seemed to have a good time. I was able to enjoy some of the left-over dessert so it was good for my part.

Plenty of pink clothes.

I snuck off to the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi to watch the V8 Supercars, which is the NASCAR equivalent in Australia. A friend of mine was racing in one of the local races earlier in the day so we got to see a lot of racing. This was a cool sand sculpture outside the track.

A Formula 1 car with two seats.... I just may be able to fulfill one of my dreams.

This was taken off our balcony one morning when the fog rolled in, a city in the clouds.

OK, so I promise that the next posts will be full of baby pics.