Showered with Love

This weekend was a testament to how blessed we are with great friends. We are fortunate enough to have great friends all over the map and so lucky to have some right in our own neighborhood. Saturday Richard and Dewayne helped Aaron install hardwood floors in our guest room. Needless to say this was a time consuming project. I know how much I love my Saturdays and getting a break from work so to have 2 people donate so much of their precious free time to pitch in and help was just amazing. Aaron now has a new skill and we have lovely, clean floors. Not to mention the value they add to our house. Without their knowledge, we probably would not have gotten around to it on our own. Here are some action shots. Lucky for me I am too large to be anything but in the way at this point so I just cleaned out the fridge and freezer (nesting again).

Then Sunday night Jeff, Julie, Richard, and Dewayne threw us a neighborhood shower which was perfect in every way. The food was incredible - everyone had been cooking all weekend for it. Richard made blue cheese ranch burgers, cheddar bacon burgers, and incredible baked beans with creamy deviled eggs. Julie made her excellent guacamole (seriously good), her mom's potato salad and another one of her oh-so-professional cakes. Aaron was in charge of drinks as usual and made yummy Sunshine Punch with fresh mint, mangos, pineapple and citrus. Cucumber sandwiches and crudite?? Pulleez!! This is my idea of baby shower food! Do these people know us or what?

Aaron modeling his carrier that his mom got us (plus my childhood teddy bear). We love it. Its very modern and comfortable and Aaron has secretly always wanted a pouch. Soon he'll have something to put in one!

Harrison playing with Bourdreaux Butt Paste and a travel size bottle of vodka that he loves to carry around. The butt paste was part of Jeff and Julie's present. We probably need the bottle of vodka as well for those first few crazy weeks with the baby!

Me trying to figure out how Aaron worked the carrier. Richard about choked on his punch when I pulled Teddy Bear out by the ear. Probably what NOT to do. Those parenting classes might not have been as successful as we thought.

Harrison hitting the bottle.

Thanks again guys for everything! We are really touched by your thoughtfulness time and time again. Its so neat for us to think our little one will have such a great family unit so close to home as well as a little play mate!

New David Sedaris Book

In case you didn't know or already have a copy - "Engulfed in Flames", the new David Sedaris book is out! Yea! This was exactly what I needed to give me a break from parenting and baby care books. I am 3/4 of the way through and it is quite amusing although not the same snort-inducing stuff of "Naked" and "Barrel Fever" which is to be expected because there are only so many hilarious things that can happen in a person's life, even in a family like Sedaris'.

For anyone who isn't familiar with the author, he is actually from Raleigh but I accidentally stumbled upon him before we left Oklahoma. In fact, his book "Naked" was on the shelf at my ex-boyfriend's house and I grabbed it to read on a road trip to Colorado with Aaron! (FYI: ex and I had amicably broken up but still were trying to figure out how to share the dog so I was still popping in from time to time). Ex had never read the book. His mom had purchased it because the title "Naked" was tongue and cheek and she thought it decorated HER bathroom in HIS house well (maybe a contributor to the breakup perhaps?)

Anyhoot, I don't know what I expected from the title -maybe porn? Just kidding but the book was so funny that I am sure that Aaron was having second thoughts about his new girlfriend who was crying the ugly cry through tears she was laughing so hard all the way to Colorado. I insisted reading passages to him while he drove. Long story short, we have enjoyed every book of his since and followed his career closely. He is a regular contributor and was discovered on "This American Life" on NPR - great show. I highly recommend getting his books on audio because his voice is half the fun. We even drove to Charlotte to hear him read from his new book years ago.

His sister, Amy Sedaris was on "Strangers with Candy" and "Sex and the City" and wrote "I Like You" which was a very funny recipe and entertaining book that came out last year I think. I'll try to put some YouTube stuff of his on blog soon.

See Sedaris reading on Letterman...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBdymtyXt8Y

Random Picture to Make You Laugh -Pito the Cat

Thought this was funny. Pito is a cat in Asia who walks around with his owner wearing a kitty backpack. When they wait for the bus he sits on his owner's lap using his pack as a cushion. I thought this was hilarious odd behavior until I saw Shiloh in the pics below in other post. Still funny.

Pimp My Stroller

I cannot believe I am posting about our stroller. First, I cannot believe I now OWN a stroller but much more surprised that I am so excited about it. This was a present from my parent's and it is quite possibly the coolest stroller ever. The reason we were interested in it is that it is actually a jogging stroller so it rides like butter and is all-terrain - perfect for those botanical gardens we frequent. See, for all you newbies (like us) you usually have to buy both kinds of strollers but some genius put the two together.

I am so close to swaddling Fitzi up and taking this baby around the block to show it off. I am that proud. It didn't help that our neighbor, Jeff, just got back from Prague and told us we were very European because they were all over the place there. We puffed up even more. What have we become?

I'd like to give a "shout out" to Lindsay for finding this masterpiece and mom and dad for such a cool gift. We hope the baby gets as much out of it as his parents.

The Get-Along Gang

Here are some pictures of our furry friends. Between JoJo and Fitzi - our pups at home, Izzy - our home garden cat, Shiloh - Aaron's nursery cat at Meredith College and Lacy - Aaron's visiting work companion at Meredith, we have quite a menagerie. Funny thing is they all love each other. Take a look.

Okay, Fitzi and JoJo love Lacy but I'm pretty sure she thinks they are overly friendly rodents.

I wish I could have captured the snuggle fest that happened before Shiloh decided to sit like this. She and Fitzi were having a sleepover at our house last weekend when we realized how close they really are. They wrap up in each other's arms and Shiloh licks Fitzi's face and back and Fitzi licks Shiloh's ears inside out. If we were quick enough we'd put it on YouTube. So cute.

Shiloh was actually watching a movie this way for quite a while. If she had on pants, I'm pretty sure her paw would have been in them a la Al Bundy*.

(* have to make fun of myself here. I originally had "Ted Bundy" written down and actually posted it so for those of you who read it and were too polite not to point out that Ted was a serial killer, not a couch potato, thank you).