So, my law school's university-wide alumni magazine seems to publish birth announcements in one of two ways:
1. "Jane Smith Comm'02 and Dan Smith welcomed Jacob Daniel Smith on January 7, 2010. He joins siblings Isabella, 5, and Connor, 18 months."
2. "Michael Jones Law'99 and Tracey Fitch-Jones Nursing'01 welcomed daughter Madison Jones on December 9, 2009. She is the couple's first child."
Seriously, I saw no variation--either the child is the "first" child or the child "joins" siblings.
So...how would you handle this in a blended family?
"ProtoLawyer, Law'09 and Her Husband welcomed Newbie on July 21, 2010. He joins Big Sister, 7."
"ProtoLawyer, Law'09 and Her Husband welcomed Newbie on July 21, 2010. He is the couple's first child."
Both are technically correct (he will have a big sister, and he is our first child together), but both have their flaws...the first makes it seem as though Big Sister is our child together (which, yeah, I do consider her one of my kids, but at the same time, that construction seems to write her own mother out of the equation entirely...), the second makes it seem she doesn't exist at all (and I could imagine she'd be hurt if she read it and saw she was excluded).
Which would you choose--if you would bother at all? (I'm overthinking this, as usual, but still.)
My undergraduate alma mater, a small liberal arts school that likes the "lifestyle" blurb, will let me write whatever I want, which could be something like "It's been a busy year for ProtoLawyer'97. She graduated from law school, married Husband and gained Stepdaughter, and on July 21, gave birth to a son, Newbie." My law school is way more conservative.
1. "Jane Smith Comm'02 and Dan Smith welcomed Jacob Daniel Smith on January 7, 2010. He joins siblings Isabella, 5, and Connor, 18 months."
2. "Michael Jones Law'99 and Tracey Fitch-Jones Nursing'01 welcomed daughter Madison Jones on December 9, 2009. She is the couple's first child."
Seriously, I saw no variation--either the child is the "first" child or the child "joins" siblings.
So...how would you handle this in a blended family?
"ProtoLawyer, Law'09 and Her Husband welcomed Newbie on July 21, 2010. He joins Big Sister, 7."
"ProtoLawyer, Law'09 and Her Husband welcomed Newbie on July 21, 2010. He is the couple's first child."
Both are technically correct (he will have a big sister, and he is our first child together), but both have their flaws...the first makes it seem as though Big Sister is our child together (which, yeah, I do consider her one of my kids, but at the same time, that construction seems to write her own mother out of the equation entirely...), the second makes it seem she doesn't exist at all (and I could imagine she'd be hurt if she read it and saw she was excluded).
Which would you choose--if you would bother at all? (I'm overthinking this, as usual, but still.)
My undergraduate alma mater, a small liberal arts school that likes the "lifestyle" blurb, will let me write whatever I want, which could be something like "It's been a busy year for ProtoLawyer'97. She graduated from law school, married Husband and gained Stepdaughter, and on July 21, gave birth to a son, Newbie." My law school is way more conservative.