Laurel’s checklist as she prepares for parenthood:
Baby clothes…check. Diapers…check. 2 Cribs…check. Assemble cribs…check. Changing table…check. Assemble changing table…check. Purchase new washer and dryer…check and check.

Rob’s checklist as he prepares for parenthood:
Create family web site…check. Digital camera…check. Digital camcorder…check.

Of course there’s more to it than that. Certainly we’ve purchased a lot, received a lot of gifts (thanks), and read and attended education classes to prepare us as much as possible for parenthood. However, what I find is important to me is doing everything I can to capture and preserve memories. Perhaps it is important to me because my memory has been known to be anything but stellar. In fact, the name for my “professional” site makes fun of that very weakness. Laurel has the uncanny ability to recall memories of when she was 3 years old. Me? What were we talking about? Mom jokes that I only have childhood memories of everything bad that happened - no pleasant memories.

Consequently, I’ve taken steps to both refresh my memory (working to scan old family photos for archiving) and to make sure that I do not forget current and future memories. Hopefully this will be accomplished through the use of a digital camera, this web site, and the new digital camcorder that was delivered today.

The real question will be whether or not I’ll have the time to share these memories - I have a strong feeling I’ll be a participatory actor in what is the “Fay Family sitcom” rather than simply the cameraman with no other responsibilities.