Our Home We live in Oakland, California, on a small quiet street with only eight houses. Our home is the perfect family home – sunny and comfortable with the baby's room looking out onto the back garden. We have a wonderful set of neighbors, some with children who will hopefully become playmates when our child is older. In preparation for our new arrival, we have been decorating the baby’s room with ocean waves and white puffy clouds. We are planning a party where all our friends and family will each get to paint a colorful fish on the nursery walls as a special welcome for the baby. We just know that our child will be as loved and cherished by our families and friends as we are. We are close enough to walk several local parks, which will give us a good excuse to use the swing set! We are also near to historic and beautiful Lake Merritt, which has a wonderful children’s playground and nature center. Nearby is a tiny amusement park called “Children’s Fairyland” where adults can only enter if they are accompanied by a child. We intend to stay in Oakland because we both love the rich diversity of cultures in our community. We believe that raising a family here will help instill and reaffirm important values that we believe in as a family – respect and celebration of diversity and difference.