With Friends Like These...

Still homebound for voice and have the opportunity to do something I have been wanting to do for a while. The above picture is just a glimpse at the generosity of our friends. In preparation for our arrival, Jeff and Julie were so sweet to lend us a TON of Harrison's baby gear. We are talking Exersaucers, Carseats, Swings, Bouncie Seats, Bathtubs, Car mirrors, Diaper Warmers, Boppie, the list goes on and on. These would have been major purchases for us and this act of kindness will save us about $1000. Not to mention it is definitely the "green" thing to do by recycling this stuff rather than buy it all new again AND we didn't have to put it together! We appreciate it so much!

Not pictured (because I am not about to become a maternity model) are the scads of maternity clothes both Julie and my friend Lindsay have loaned me. Odds are every day I am wearing something of theirs. I've gotten many compliments on how stylish I've been while pregnant and I give all credit to them. Not fun to spend tons of money on temporary clothes. This stuff is so cute I actually look forward to wearing it.

I have also really enjoyed the useful books (Sharon) and pj's (Aime) sent which have been so handy and have spoiled me so much. These things always came about the time I realized I needed to be getting them soon. The books because we know nothing at this point and the pj's because Aaron's boxers were probably never cute on me and certainly aren't with this belly.

Speaking of spoiling, Richard and Dwayne have been making sure my cravings have been met. Dwayne bought me a huge bag of Laffy Taffy (the only candy I really, really like) and Richard made sure that I had met my calcium needs for the day by bringing 3 pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream over when they knew Aaron wasn't home. Don't worry I didn't eat all 3 - we each took one although Aaron was a little concerned when he came home to find 3 empty ice cream containers in the trash.

You guys are so great! It is so touching to have this support and love all around us. Maybe it pays to be the last one to have kids - you get all of the stuff! Love you guys!

Frog in My Throat

Some of you know this by now but I am home because I have NO VOICE!!! AT ALL!!! I've had a bad cold for several days but woke up yesterday to answer the phone and nothing came out. I've never had this happen before. Its very frustrating. If you want to irritate a sales rep to death, take away her voice. I even had to miss a big dinner program I worked really hard on last night. Sigh. This sucks. So if you are feeling bored at work email me. My emails have grown very long the last 24 hours or so because I can't do any other talking during the day.

This is the frog I picture in my throat. He looks annoying and he probably is smoking just to make sure I sound extra croaky.

Evolving Patio

Well, now that the pergola is almost finished, we are trying to get the back patio as comfortable as possible. See, from what I hear, after a baby is born, you become quite a bit more homebound. So we are trying to find ways to maximize our space and create more "destinations" in our home to enjoy. We scored the motherload this weekend!
After the dejection of finding out that outdoor furniture is INSANELY EXPENSIVE at several places or extremely ugly, we went to Target to find that they had successfully knocked off Smith and Hawken in a weather proof set that is ridiculously comfortable for cheap, cheap, cheap. Aaron is building a firepit in the center of the four chairs to prop our feet and make s'mores. We'll move the chimenea when we get that part finished.

Luckily, they had a coordinating hammock or the deal would have been off. This has really added quality to our evenings. The weather has been so nice and we have spent at least 30 minutes each night out here enjoying a fire or just gazing up at the stars. We have barely turned on the television in two weeks. So worth it.

Izzy loves it as well. She's getting older and appreciates a good cushion to nap on.

Operation: Nursery

Now that we know we're having a boy, we were able to start the nursery with a vision. Here we are putting together the dresser and crib. It was actually kind of interesting to see how this stuff is put together. Notice protruding belly.

Aaron finally pitching in. Just kidding. Obviously the bulk of construction falls on him. He's used to it. Hey, I'm busy constructing brain stems and elbows and stuff, right?

Aaron found this antique teak bench out at a cool store downtown. Its small enough to be easy for a child to lay on (we're adding a cushion) but comfortable enough for anyone to sit. We plan to put his stuffed animals on it.

Another view

Shiloh's contribution. This is what an active "Barn Cat" does on the weekend. She thinks this bouncer seat from Jeff and Julie was made for her.

Will post more finished pics of nursery later. Definitely a work in progress.

Happy Easter!

PEEP SHOW

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Work has been crazy and we have been trying to prepare some stuff around the house with any spare time. Just wanted to wish everyone a HAPPY EASTER! Will post more soon!

Also, I had to post this adorable picture from back when we surprised our neighbors with the baby's gender. Julie was sweet enough to use her mad baking skills to make 2 cakes - one for a girl (love the peeps!) and one for a boy ( M&M's with nuts, get it?). She knew they'd both get eaten! You should see the cake she made for Harrison's first birthday!