Baby Shower

To say that I was excited about my baby shower was an understatement. I was a little nervous about it, just because I'm not usually comfortable being the center of things, but it really was a wonderful time. My friends Jo and Donna were so wonderful to host, and went out of their way to make it special and fun. I was really touched that so many people came, and how excited everyone is for us! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

*Side note: Imagine my horror when I discover a few days later that my top was see-thru with the camera flash. Hahahha. Very funny. I will only be posting the PG-rated photos, and spare you the Janet Jackson moment. This is a family blog, afterall.

Jack's cake was super cute. See the little booties? Kim Carlile's mom knit us some little camouflage booties that I thought were hysterical. So tiny that he might not wear them for long, but they will always be a keepsake.

How cute is this little green vest and shirt? Thanks Jenny. Not only for the cute church outfit, but for the hours of entertainment this will provide me. I explained to everyone at the shower that Daron finds little boys in vests very unsettling because of his own hot-naturedness. He sees them all snug and warm in a sweater vest, and assumes that they are as uncomfortable as he would be in one. Yep, can't wait to break out that vest.

There were many MANY great gifts, and I'd love to highlight all of them. But like I said, I've had to censor out the embarrassing see-thru photos in favor of photos with strategically placed gift bags in the shot.

Also, when looking through the photos, I noticed something about myself. How did I get to be this age and not know that I make the weirdest facial expressions? Why can't I be photogenic and take charming pictures? Daron thinks he is the butt of all jokes on this blog, so to prove he's not, I've thrown together a collage of my most bizarre and inexplicable facial expressions from that day. Keep in mind that one of these expressions stems from someone telling me she is preggers in her card, while I'm reading it in front of the crowd. I have NO poker face, so if you're trying to clue me in to a secret, don't make me do it in front of anyone!

So there you go Daron, you're off the hook for today. Incidentally, when the boys found out that Daron was sad about not getting a shower (face it, he was sad about not getting to eat), his friend Aric planned a "man shower" for this coming Friday night. Hilarious. I can't wait to see what will constitute a "man shower." For a laugh, see the invite below:

So there you go. What a great weekend. As for Jack, he continues to grow and thrive. He's got a few weeks left, and we are anticipating a late February, early March delivery. He still breech, so that might complicate the manner in which he arrives, but all the doctor's are very reassuring about his health. His size indicates that he could probably be delivered any time, but his lungs need a little more time. So hopefully he stays put for now, but babies have their own agenda!

We'll keep you posted,

Elisa

Nursery Update #3

Week 32. Eight weeks to go. Or less, if you are a betting woman like myself. I'm going to go on record as saying that Kelli won't make it all 40 weeks. More like 38ish. After many contractions, and recently flunking her glucose tolerance test, I'm betting that Jack is going to find his way out early, one way or another. Wait until he finds out how cold it is in Iowa right now, and he'll be wishing he stayed another month or two!

In the meantime, we are making progress finishing up various projects around the house. We've successfully cleaned out the office, and just yesterday I got the mural up on Jack's wall. Daron asked why we needed a mural, and I tried to explain the concept of whimsical and fun. Odd, because Daron is the most "fun" person I know. How could he not get the mural? If it had been a 7 foot Death Star, I might have been speaking his language. Clearly the area I was NOT speaking his language was the hip/inspirational vinyl quote I had ordered to put on one of the walls, which was promptly vetoed as "weird" because babies can't read. Yes, but moms who are up at 3am feeding babies can read, and would have pondered that quote in the wee hours of the morning. I shall have to settle for being less hip, and less inspired.

So here's the room as of yesterday:


We are about 99% finished. Just a couple little details like a changing pad and wipes, diapers, lotions, etc. I'm sure that with the showers coming up, those things will appear in abundance. For those of you that are curious, the tree was ordered off of ETSY.com , and was fairly reasonable. Just search for "vinyl art." It applies to just about any surface and peels off easily when you're tired of it. I say fairly reasonable, because when I weighed the benefit of easy vinyl vs. my embarrassingly childlike painting skills, it seemed more than reasonable to me.

I fully expect in about 5 years to be tearfully peeling this lovely tree off the wall in favor of a 7 foot Death Star. But until then, I'm going to enjoy this sweet room, and sweet baby, and savor every little minute. Quote or no quote.

Elisa

Nursery Update

So a big thanks to my BFF Sherri, for not only showing up to paint, but bringing much needed beverages from the Sheetz. And yes, I'm going to apologize to my friend Christy in advance- because as you so perceptively noticed once, there does indeed seem to be a Sheetz cup strategically placed in an alarming number of our family photos.

So as you can see, the "before" photos are shockingly so. I had always hesitated to do anything too drastic to this room, until I got a feel for the person moving into it. We had never even painted this room, and we've owned this house almost 8 years! So yeah, neglected. Or maybe postponed. I like that word better. This room has served as a storage room, a craft room, a guest room, a dump-it-till-later room. You name it, it's been there. I'm proud to say that this room has reached it's final destination, and I couldn't be happier about it!





There are still a few final touches that I will work on in the next few weeks (artwork, etc), but I think we accomplished a lot for one Saturday.

10 weeks, and our new tenant will move in!

P.S. Blogging from the IPad- still totally awesome....

Elisa

Beard rebellion

So Congrats everyone. You get to witness Elisa's first foray into mobile blogging via IPad. Awesome? Yes. And it will become ever more awesome when my mobile Apple keyboard arrives in a few days. These types of expenditures are not only allowed, they are encouraged when you're a serious blogger. At least that's the position I will take with the Hubs when the bill comes.

So check out Daron's one and only rebellion is his rather obedient, vanilla flavored existence:



No, its not a muskrat. Its a beard. And a full, majestic one at that. In spite of his mothers withering look every time she saw it, he continued to nurture it and love it. He would stroke it and talk to it, and the girls at work even named it Bruce. Did I love it? Not really. But I saw it for the experiment that it was, and for his need to try it just once. My only stipulation was that it disappear before Jack arrives, and that it not be present for any major photo-op events.

Turns out a new calling in the bishopric necessitated it's immediate and hasty removal. Daron will insist that it was time for a fresh start anyway, but the end result is the same- That baby face that I love is back, and is infinitely more smoochable.

Some progression photos for your enjoyment:


I call this one "Creepy Lynyrd Skynryd Roadie"


This one is Elvis... He was alive and well in our bathroom that night- if only for a moment.

I'm told by my friend Jenny that I'm lucky. Her husband Levi will wear his beard de-evolutions for several days each. Phew. That's a level of ridiculousness that I hadn't even considered.

The inspiration for all this beard rebellion? A long forgotten family show from the 70's called "Grizzly Adams." If you ask, Daron will even sing the theme song for you. Or see the video below....



Cheers everyone!

Posted by Elisa using her awesome IPad

Third Trimester!

As of Sunday, Kelli is 27 weeks along and officially into her third trimester!! She's been feeling a bit better these days, although Jack is a little stinker and likes to play trampoline on her bladder, and sit on a particularly painful nerve. His favorite position is to lay sideways, punching his fists up underneath Kelli's ribs. He's a very active baby, and a hard kicker.

The top five questions many of you are asking these days:

1. Are you ready? -Yes and No. Yes, because this is something we've been wanting, planning, waiting, and pleading for since 2002. No, because it's way more fun to shop for blankets and paci's and bouncy seats than it is to paint the nursery. Actually, let's be really honest with ourselves- Why is the nursery not painted? Because it's still deer season, and in the contract I signed when we got married, I agreed to look the other way when my better half spends 1-2 days of each glorious fall week sitting in a deer stand. Anything having to do with paint will require paternal involvement.

2. Did you know Rush is coming? -Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES. I knowwww. I'm painfully aware that they are coming. On April Fools day too. Ha ha. Very funny. The irony isn't lost on me, people. Reality: with a 10 day old baby, and probably only being barely back in the state, a Rush concert in Greensboro probably isn't feasible. Ahhhhh, this must be what they mean when they talk about parental sacrifices. I sooooo get it now.

3. Middle name yet? -No. We have one in mind, but we're waiting for final approval from the name's rightful owner. Long story. We are open to suggestions, and in particular "O" names (except not really).. Daron thinks it would be hilarious for him to have J.O.B. as initials.... as in, "boy, stop asking me for money... you need to go getta JOB!.." ....Ahh, dad humor.

4. Are things still going well? -Absolutely. Kelli is a great girl, and we've become particularly close. Sometimes life offers you opportunities you didn't expect, and the potential of a lifelong relationship/friendship with Jack's birthmom is an unexpected bonus. And not to mention, wonderful for Jack. Attitudes towards adoption and "open" adoptions in particular are so much healthier than they used to be.

5. What about work? -The plan right now is to take Jack with me while he's small and sleeping a lot. I've got a great office environment, room for a crib, and the flexibility to come and go. As soon as it's not feasible to have a baby in the office, I'll gradually whittle down my hours, and transition out. I'm not going to lie, not working is going to be very weird. I've worked full time for the last 20 years, so doing anything different from that will take some adjustment. I'm one of those odd ducks that really loves working, and feeling productive and contributory. My mindset now is that motherhood will be mindblowingly awesome, and I'll never feel the need to look back.

As we get closer and closer, I find myself becoming more and more excited and nervous. Excited for all the pretty obvious reasons, but nervous because of the many unknowns. My Type-A, plan-for-all-outcomes nature has been tested over and over again in this experience. I'm really having to rely on faith, and the hope that everything will work out just as it should. Daron has been instrumental in keeping me focused on the big picture. Just so I'm clear, I'm not worried about anything falling through- I'm anxious and empathetic for Kelli, and Jack's whole biological family- for the trial this has been and will be for their family. I'm anxious about the birth, and the lawyers, and the 1000 little surprise details that must be attended to. It's naive of me to wish for everything to run smoothly, and I fear being inadequate or underprepared for anything that might pop up. I'm sure this is just preparation for parenthood, where 85% of the time you're inadequate or underprepared.

13 weeks to go!

Elisa