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!