Preparing for a Baby Panda
It seems hard to believe, but it won't be that many more weeks before Mary Erin and I will be welcoming our first child into the world. With a due date of the 17th of March the big day is just around the corner.
Over the last few weeks we have had a few comments and questions about how our friends and family can be of the most help, especially those who cannot make a quick hop over to Northern Ireland. With than in mind, we have put together a bit of information for anyone who wants to lend a hand.
The first thing we would ask is that you keep our family in your prayers. Prayers for good health and plenty of rest would be greatly appreciated.
We appreciated those who have asked about sending gifts to us! We have some thoughts on that. First, we would be delighted to receive any gifts folks want to send; however please know that packages shipped from the US tend to take a very long time (usually over a month) to arrive, and the shipping cost is often quite high. Second, when we return to the US in the future, our available space in our luggage will be limited; this means we are trying to borrow as much as possible (especially for larger items). With all that in mind, we have these suggestions for what will be most helpful for us.
- A lot of our immediate needs we will be purchasing or borrowing here. As unexciting as it is, cash would be very helpful. The easiest way is to simply write a check and mail it to us. If you are planning to do this, please reach out in person so we can verify our mailing address and how the check should be made out so that our bank here will be happy. You can write the check in dollars (or whatever your local currency is!) and they will take care of the conversion.
- We have also put together a wish list on Amazon's UK site. You can purchase items off this list and only pay local (UK) shipping rates. Please note: prices on this site are in pounds (£), and depending on your card you may be charged an international transaction fee (this all depends on your bank); however this fee is almost always way less than the extra shipping you would pay getting something here from the US.
View Our Amazon Baby Wish List
If you do want to mail anything to us, please check in advance that you have the correct address!
Thank you in advance for everyone who is helping us figure out what it means for us to be parents. Please know that no matter how you are involved - whether through prayer or finances or gifts - that we appreciate you and are so lucky you are in our lives!
Peace!