Fra-jee-lay

You may be wondering what's in the box. No, it is not a fishnet stocking clad lamp with fringed shade for the front window. Good guess though. Alex's crib arrived today! Vicki ordered our crib online and Timothy went and picked it up while I was at work. After adding some items to our registry at Walmart, we spent a good chunk of the evening assembling the darn thing. Somehow we managed to put it together without screaming or throwing unassembled crib parts at one another.

One of the biggest differences between how Timothy and I would approach a project such as this is that he's what you might call an "instructions reader" while I rely more on common sense and tend to subscribe to the "winging it" method. Here you can see how Timothy has carefully laid out each wood screw, machine bolt, and barrel nut and organized them into their respective piles before proceeding with the assembly.


I cannot complain, however, because it was done correctly in the end. The mattress and bedding are both en route, so if nothing else, Alex will soon have somewhere to sleep.

Baby Beat

This week marks the beginning of the third trimester! I am starting my 27th week and had another doctor's appointment this afternoon. Pretty routine stuff, although this was the first time since our initial visit in November that we did not get to have an ultrasound. Apparently another doctor was monopolizing Mari's ultrasound room, to the obvious disdain of Mari and the other nurses.

Although we were a little disappointed about that, we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat for the very first time! All this time we had been able to see the heart beating, but our friends all insisted that hearing it was pretty cool too. And they were right! Mari was able to find it right away, but apparently Alex was moving around so quickly that she had a hard time keeping up with him. She was able to determine, however, that his heart rate was increasing as he moved - a good sign that he's not under any stress.

His mother, however, is a different story. While my blood pressure is fine, the scale indicated that I have gained 6 pounds since my last visit, which comes to a grand total of 23 pounds!! I left the clinic feeling fat and depressed.

So we went to Olive Garden to make me feel better. Lest ye judge, let me defend myself and explain that I picked one of their "low fat" options, ate only half, and limited myself to a single breadstick. I left Olive Garden still feeling fat but determined to focus on exercising more and eating better so as not to become any more so.

The third trimester means doctor visits every two weeks instead of four. I have another appointment in on April 11, where I'll take the test to determine whether I have gestational diabetes. I'll finally have to slurp down that infamous orange syrupy stuff that all the girls warn about, so I'm not totally looking forward to that. But we should get another ultrasound, which I totally am looking forward to, so I guess it's a wash.

Good Samaritans

We had quite a productive weekend! We dogsat Bella (Seth and Joy's shih-tzu) on Friday and Saturday, which was lots of fun. We even took the dogs to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather. They weren't as excited about it as we were, but they were both troopers and made it around the park one whole time before we headed home so that they could recover.

Our community group had planned to prepare and serve breakfast on Sunday at the Samaritan Community Center - a program where volunteers provide breakfast for impoverished families before an informal church service - so I spent much of Saturday afternoon making cranberry orange muffins and egg casseroles. The Primms were on their way back from Branson and invited us to a slumber party at their house so that we wouldn't have to drive so far in the morning. We jumped at the opportunity to spend time with our dear friends (and to sleep in a little, to boot). As usual, it was tons of fun to hang out with them. Way to be awesome, guys!

We got up early Sunday morning and headed to the SCC, with muffins, casseroles, and Oliver in tow. We met up with the rest of our group and invaded the kitchen. The girls heated up the food and made things look pretty (like themselves, for example). The boys brewed coffee and made things look pretty (like the muffin trays, for example).

We ended up serving more than 80 people - it was such an amazing experience and we were so happy to be able to spend that time in service and fellowship.

We had good intentions to continue our Community Group lesson at Ryan's Grill (for those unfamiliar with Ryan's, imagine if Ponderosa Steakhouse and Old Country Buffet had an illegitimate love child). However, the hostess "lost" our reservations for the private dining room, so instead, we ended up rubbing elbows with octogenarians and suffing ourselves with heart attack-inducing mac and cheese and tasty sausages made of indescribable pig parts. We had great conversation and gut-busting laughs - many at poor Oliver's expense. Suffice it to say that the list of embarrassing stories to tell Oliver's girlfriends when he's sixteen has grown by one.


After lunch, we headed to the hospital to visit Derrick and Emily, who had just given birth to baby girl Quinn the night before. Our entire Community Group invaded their room to congratulate the newly expanded family and to ooh and aah over the beautiful new baby. This was my first post-partum experience since being pregnant, so I definitely was viewing things from a different perspective than during previous visits. Seeing Emily in bed with hubby Derrick by her side and little Quinn being passed from hand to hand gave me a sudden glimpse into the future. Yikes, we will be here soon!

The Return of Alien Baby

So I'm a little freaked out, because not only can I feel Alex moving around - I can literally see him doing it. I was lying on my back watching TV, which, depending on the degree of inclination, can be quite challenging as my evergrowing gut often impedes my view. I was alternating between What Not to Wear reruns and the Food Network when I noticed a slight movement in my peripheral vision, accompanied by the familiar sensation of being kicked from the inside. I starting watching my bump closely, and every few seconds, a particular area of my abdomen would jut out as a result of being struck. Yikes! Immediately, scenes from Alien came to mind, where Kane notices odd movements in his belly and begins thrashing about until a nasty little creature bursts through his stomach and runs around the room.

Okay, so maybe I'm being overdramatic. It is weird though.

Whatta Weekend

We had an eventful weekend past that included cleaning out Alex's room, rearranging the computer room, organizing the garage, and spending some good quality time with our bestest of friends.

Yeeaahhhh, turns out emptying Alex's room was not quite as fun as I had anticipated. This room was previously being used as a makeshift guest room, consisting of a twin size trundle bed and a large bookshelf. Our mission was to completely remove any trace of non-Alex related paraphernalia from this room. Sounds easy enough. However, when combined with Phase II of this project (aka rearranging the computer room), this simple task soon became one of enormous complexity.

Although generally referred to as the "computer room", a more accurate moniker for the space would be the "computer/sewing/drafting/filing/piles of law paper waiting to be filed/piles of books waiting to be shelved/magazine scattered/art supply housing/sometimes guest quarters/place where things without a room end up" room. Needless to say, attempting to sort out myriad assorted piles of random junk while simultaneously incorporating the contents of Alex's room was no piece of cake. But somehow, between arguments, breaks, and naps, Timothy and I managed to empty Alex's room and reduce the clutter in the "computer room" to a manageable level.

By that point, I politely excused myself from the garage organizing portion of the project and went upstairs to do some laundry. Thankfully, Timothy took the garage head on and our combined efforts resulted in a clean baby room and a semi-clean computer room and garage.

As you can see, Alex's room is now prepared for all of the fun baby things that he/we will need. He has acquired a single bookshelf from the computer room that will accommodate his baby monitor, a plethora of books, and a limited amount of baby-related cha-cha (as much as I can bear, which is very little...)


Look at all the room for clothes! Alex and I might be fighting for closet space before long...

After all this hard work on Saturday, we were very excited to spend some quality time with our friends. After church Sunday morning, we and the Reeves and the Primms headed up to the Shoppes at Pinnacle Hills (aka fancy outdoor mall in Rogers) and had a yummy lunch at Fish City.

It was a beautiful day, so after lunch we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and ended up doing some shopping. Although sleepy after an exciting morning, Oliver was a good sport and let us dress him up and take pictures. Here he is looking p*mp in a seersucker hat.

The big boys took the little boys to the Razorback Shop while the girls ran to look at shoes, and when we got back we found them demonstrating their Hog spirit.


Eventually, most of the gang pooped out but I managed to rope Joy into shopping with me for a bit longer. It was so much fun and very fruitful to boot, as I added several fun dresses to my itty bitty teeny tiny maternity wardrobe...

A Day in the Life: March 14-15, 2007

Wednesday, March 14

Thursday, March 15
March Madness at Buffalo Wild Wings with Nick and Brandy!!

Special Delivery

So Alex got his very first piece of mail from Grandma Boettcher the other day. Hmmm, we wondered, what might be in there? Being that Alex has not yet developed the dexterity in his appendages required to open a piece of mail, further complicated by the fact that his hands are still in utero, we decided that it was probably okay for us to act as his agents and open the package for him.



Turns out, my mom had executed our cardinal rule of clothes shopping flawlessly (for those of you who have already forgotten, the rule is if Timothy would wear it, Alex will wear it). The package contained this adorable outfit, complete with tiny camo pants, a bright orange onesie, and a matching camo hat. Totally Timothy. You nailed it mom! Way to go!!

Wish List

Now that our baby has an identified gender and a name by which to call him, it is time we start thinking about all the stuff he is going to need once he arrives.

With multiple baby showers appearing on the horizon, proper registration becomes a critical component in the "get everything the baby will need" category. Anyone who knows me at all knows that shopping is an activity - nay, a responsibility that I take very seriously. That said, we have carefully chosen the avenues by which our friends and family can contribute to Alex's well-being while simultaneously satisfying any shopping addictions that may exist.

With kinfolk spread so far and wide, we have taken the liberty of registering at several locations to ensure that everyone who would like to spoil our unborn child can do so easily, without having to travel to the ends of the earth. This past weekend, we tripped to the nearest Babies 'R' Us in Tulsa, where we played with lots of fun gadgets and somehow managed to create a pretty decent registry.

Here are some visuals of our adventure:

He really could use one of these. We registered for two - one for baby, one for Dad.

Timothy trying out the Chicco travel system that we fell in love with. Very gadgety and easy to push around. Looks cool, too.

Here I am testing the "carrier" portion of the travel system. Kinda heavy, but that's what mommy muscles are for (you should see my mom's guns...).

So the Bjorn was un peu complique. Timothy hopes to get one for Alex to hang in while he does his homework (while Alex does Timothy's homework, that is).

This is the umbrella stroller we picked. We collapsed it, which was a cinch, but took ten minutes and two sales associates to help us reopen it. So it takes some practice...

Needless to say, by the end of the day we were both beat. Timothy found a glider that he really liked, although I think anything would've sufficed at that moment.

In addition to Babies 'R' Us, we have created registries at Target, Walmart (yes Eldoradeans, that one's especially for you), and an online registry at www.findgift.com. Although Babies 'R' Us and Target stores may be difficult for some of you to patronize, many of the products we've selected can be purchased directly from their websites, for which we will be providing a permanent link in the left-hand column of this blog.

FYI, FindGift is a slightly different beast than our other registries. With a few exceptions that you will find under the "Alex Must-Have" heading, we consider this to be more of a wish list than a registry in that it contains what some might consider "wants" as opposed to "needs". The registry process has brought to our attention the extreme level of pickiness that both Timothy and I possess, and we would not burden you, our beloved friends and family, with having to determine whether what you have selected meets our criteria.

This is especially pertinent in the area of apparel. Our basic rule of thumb is, if Timothy would wear it, Alex will wear it. For you logicians out there, assume the inverse to also be true. That is, if Timothy wouldn't wear it, Alex won't wear it. If you happen to be shopping and you have a sudden moment of panic trying to decide whether the item you've selected will be acceptable per these guidelines, attempt to remain calm and complete this simple exercise:

Step 1: Examine the garment in question and make a mental list of its main features.

Step 2: Ask yourself (outloud or in your head - whatever makes you more comfortable), "Would Timothy wear fuzzy yellow footsy pajamas with a large bunny's head, including googly eyes and floppy ears, appliqued over undulating letters that read 'hippity hop, hippity hop?"

Step 3: If the answer is "no", (and FYI, the answer in this case would be "no"), then carefully return the garment to the rack from whence it came and continue your shopping, repeating this exercise as necessary. If "yes", proceed to the counter with said garment and complete the transaction.

Simple enough, right?

Anyway, we will continue to amend these registries as time goes on, so you may want to check occasionally to see if anything new has been added or removed before you decide to purchase something. We'd like to add a great big thank you in advance to anyone who intends on donating to the Baby Alex fund, regardless of whether those intentions are carried out. We are firm believers in the notion that "it's the thought that counts", and despite our myriad registries and strict criteria, we would appreciate if thoughts and prayers were the only gifts that we receive as we prepare for Alex's arrival.

Six Months: Buddha Belly

At last, I've reached the infamous six month point. And as you can see, I look to be closer to seven or eight. This new size and shape is a recent development that seems to have come out of nowhere. I went from being perfectly comfortable and able-bodied to being a little less comfortable and slightly less agile, all in the course of a week. I have finally achieved the "well-rounded" phase, whereby perfect strangers are now comfortable making pregnancy-related comments referring to what they consider to be my obviously pregnant belly. Thus far, many folks have attempted to test the theory that rubbing my belly will bring them good luck. There has been no empirical evidence presented to support this theory, but people continue to test their luck nonetheless.

Aside from the occasional and slight discomfort I am experiencing now and the anticipation of the constant and extreme discomfort I am apt to face in the coming months, I have truly enjoyed every moment of being pregnant so far. And fortunately, the onset of what could potentially become a bout of discomfort is typically thwarted by a good swift kick from Alex, as if to say "Hey lady, it'll all be worth it."

A Day in the Life: March 8, 2007

Family Fun

Vicki and Leah (aka Grammy and Auntie) came up this past weekend and we had loads of fun. They rode up in the "Grammy Mobile", Vicki's new Nissan Murano (a result of trading in her precious 350Z in lieu of a more "baby friendly" vehicle). It's no Z, but a very sweet ride, nonetheless...

We slept in Saturday morning and I had to tear myself away from the America's Next Top Model Marathon playing on MTV2 (normally I don't leave the house when an ANTM Marathon is on - thank God for Tivo) so we could go get manis and pedis. I know, how very "girlie" of us.



We met Tim for lunch (mmmm, Penguin Ed's), then began a short but fruitful shopping excursion. We made stops at Once Upon a Child, Babies and Beyond, Old Navy, and attempted to check out Three Monkeys on the square but got there just after they had closed. We had a yummy dinner at Noodles, then headed home to watch as many ANTM episodes that we could manage before passing out (btw Vicki, Danielle won after all. Little Rock, represent!!)

We met up with Seth and Joy at church Sunday morning. Alex seemed to be enjoying the service, so much so that Leah was able to feel him moving about during the last song. He must've worked up quite an appetite because he told me he needed some pancakes. So we, along with Seth, Joy, Oliver, Seth's brother Scott and his family had to go to the Cracker Barrel so Alex could get his pancake fix. Afterwards, Leah and Vicki headed back to Eldo in the Grammy Mobile, Timothy headed to the library, and I headed to the bedroom for a nap.

A Day in the Life: March 2, 2007

Preggo Shout-Out: Abigail Weems

And baby makes three! This shout-out goes to Abigail Weems of Hamilton, AL. Abbey is a buddy of ours from Eldo, a good friend whom these days we only get to see on rare occasions. Abbey is married to Steven Weems and they have two little darlings, Luke, 3, and Emma Grace, 1. They are expecting their third, another girl to be named Lauren Elizabeth, later this month.

Even back in the day, Abbey had always talked about wanting to be a mom. Obviously she has made that dream come true - three times over! - and we can see that she's completely gotten the hang of it. Way to go Abbey! Good luck with baby #3!