Happy Birthday, Daddy-to-Be!

Dan's birthday was Friday and I believe that when you turn 30, you should celebrate for at least 3 days. Friday was the big day, so we celebrated with dinner at one of Dan's favorite wing spots, followed by blowing out the candle on a chocolate chip Double Doozie from the Great American Cookie Company. Mmmmm! On Saturday night, friends joined us for a nice, celebratory dinner and we'll wrap it up today with a relaxing afternoon of ESPN, I'm sure.

Happy Birthday to the best husband & daddy-to-be a girl could ask for! We love you!

[caption id="attachment_164" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Thanks, everyone, for celebrating with us!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_163" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="The nice people at the restaurant even put candles on the cake for us!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_165" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Because, at some point, you have to have the "Daddy's hand on Mommy's belly" shot."][/caption]

Well, I think it's a good idea...

You know,  Madeline will be here in about four months. That's not very long at all! So, as we await her arrival (and because I have entirely too much time on  my idle hands) I've been doing some research on what's out there to help keep the baby girl healthy.

I've seen the normal baby food products in the grocery store - the spinach, squash, carrots, etc.  So, I have a question. Why are there no Southern baby foods?

Think about it: supper time for Dixie babies! Strained blackeyed peas, pureed collard greens (hamhock optional), and butterbeans in a jar. Before you make a face, does it really sound any nastier than mashed turnips? I'm not suggesting that we replace turkey & rice with 'possum & gravy, but I feel there is some regional cuisine that has been overlooked.

I figure, we're having a Southern baby so why not feed her Southern food? I don't have anything else to do with my time, so I would have all day to make the stuff. We could call it, "Supper Fer Yer Young'uns," or something catchy like that.

I suggested it to Dan. He was amused but not enthusiastic. Oh, well. It was just an idea.

Good Weekend, Great Husband

We had a very nice weekend visiting with family & friends in Alabama.  It wasn't what you'd call a vacation, but I felt like we needed a change of scenery for a couple of days. I know I did.

Have I mentioned, lately, how incredibly wonderful my husband is? Sometimes, I feel selfish for having him. He's smart, funny, selfless, a good provider, always puts the baby's and my needs before his own, and knows the importance of having a Christ-centered life. On top of all that, he's going to be an awesome father. I knew that already, but I had the chance this weekend to see him interact with a new baby cousin, an awesome 10-year-old boy, and a 2-year-old who is the very proof of God's grace.

These are three very different children, and Dan was wonderful with all of them. Seeing him hold baby Ryder, talk to Julien, and play with Addie made me very eager to see the kind of father he's going to be to Madeline.  She's a very lucky little girl.

[caption id="attachment_137" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dan with little Ryder"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_138" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dan with the lovely Miss Addie"][/caption]

The Full Babies R Us Experience

As you may know, I am addicted to checklists. I like lists of any kind, really, but checklists are a particular favorite. I really don't see how anyone stays organized or gets anything done without them. So, imagine my joy when I discovered a personalized pregnancy checklist online! It has everything from what appointments I should make, when we should buy what, and when to start thinking about fun stuff like showers. This week, baby registry was on the checklist. As any good list maker/follower would do, we headed to Babies R Us first thing Saturday afternoon to start a registry for everything Madeline should ever need for the rest of her natural life - or at least the first couple of months.

Holy overwhelming experience, Batman! When we went to the front desk, they were very friendly and provided us with...get ready...Yep! Another checklist! Woohoo! This checklist guided us through aisle after aisle after long, necessity-packed aisle. All items on the list are labeled "must haves," even though many of the items repeat themselves. I assume that doesn't mean we need more than one Pack N' Play or 6 outfits in which to bring her home.

After agonizing over whether or not the baby will have sensitive skin like mine or be tall like Dan (so should we get the sensitive skin diaper rash ointment? Will these onesies even fit? How many thermometers do we really need?) we made our way to the baby girl bedding to pick out our nursery decor. Yuck.  Is there any reason that the manufacturers of nursery bedding think that all baby girls have to sleep in 8 shades of pink with grinning butterflies and cartoon characters? Is it too much to ask for some polka dots or gingham? Not that I have any aversions to pink - I'm pretty girly - but the girl side of Babies R Us looks like a wall of Bubblicious.

Needless to say, we left Babies R Us with our free gift, sore feet, and a mostly checked-off list of "must haves." Despite the disappointing selection in bedding, we both thought this was even more exciting than registering for wedding gifts (although that was great, too!) and we can't wait for Madeline to get here and enjoy the things we picked out for her! Ok, she might not like the nasal aspirator that much, but we think she'll like the rest of it.

As far as nursery decor goes, I'm very fortunate to have wonderful friends who look out for me. Fabulous Jenn came through, as always. She sent me a link to a precious, polka dotted crib set and I think that's what we've decided to get! Some polka dots, some cute little giraffe accents, and we're good.

Now that we've started preparing for all the "stuff" we'll need, any suggestions for how to prepare mentally? ;)

Baby dancin'

I've heard friends describe it as a monkey running around, a guinea pig on a wheel, and a fish flopping around. I think it feels like a lizard running across the inside of my lower abdomen. There's no zoo moving around in my belly, just an active little girl who wants to participate in the conversation!

I like to imagine that she's listening to something like ABBA or KC and the Sunshine Band, dancing around and singing karaoke. Hey, it's a nicer image than a lizard! Madeline, the dancing queen...

What's really exciting is that Dan has been able to feel her moving a couple of times now. He's going to be such a great daddy!

Look what I found!

Bookish and nerdy? Perhaps a little. But, how excited was I when I found these awesome onesies?! They're never too young to give them an appreciation for great literature.

Pictures of the Baby Girl

I tried to edit these as well as I could so you could see her face instead of all the boring stuff around her. She had just taken her fingers out of her mouth. :)