I've been a bad blogger. We've been amping up for the biggest adventure of our lives, and I've barely posted about it. My 3 loyal readers are likely wondering when I will catch up, and, realizing my already minimal blogging time is about to vanish, I thought I would do that now.
We're having a baby. In roughly 17 days, our small family of three (Harper included, of course) will welcome a permanent and particularly helpless visitor who will hang out for about the next 18 years. It is a big deal, and I have a hunch I won't really accept the magnitude of this transformation until I'm holding the little guy for the first--or maybe even the five hundredth--time. For now, I'll try to catch up on the preparation efforts, and hopefully I'll do a better job going forward.
The Pregnancy
I am in awe of Megan. She has handled this pregnancy with a grace and energy that I find truly impressive. She has strength through what appears to be physical chaos, and she has deep motivation to prepare our world for our baby.
Fortunately, we've also had some funny pregnancy moments. There was the night she desperately needed yellow cake. Nothing else would suffice, and it had to happen quickly. I found a recipe for yellow cake from scratch, tossed it together, and all was well.
Other cravings were beyond my control. These included things like E.L. Fudge cookies, mushroom risotto, "dirty" enchiladas, and Nutter Butters. Like a cheesy movie, the cravings arrived with monster force and had to be dealt with. I'm still waiting on the steak craving.
Between cravings, the pregnancy has not really slowed us down. We spent Thanksgiving in Breckenridge, figuring we might as well prep the little guy for high altitude early. We enjoyed a December wedding in Atlanta, New Year's in Santa Fe, a quick weekend trip to New Orleans, and a weekend getaway to Travaasa outside of Austin. We saw concerts from artists ranging from Radiohead to Max Stalling to Little Wayne, and we've hit up some great restaurants. We've had a blast.
The House
I do not think I was prepared for the "nesting" instinct--a primal urge that drove Megan to preparing a nursery, and our house in general, for the upcoming arrival. Ever practical, Megan anticipated that our enthusiasm for household projects would wane as our nighttime sleep schedule fell apart, so we have tackled nearly every project that has been on our to-do list for nearly five years.
To summarize: we've repaired old cracks, repainted a few rooms, equipped a nursery, replaced the fence, built a laundry room, built a storage shed, and taken Harper to remedial dog training classes (believe it or not, he's now AKC certified as a canine good citizen). The house looks great, is mechanically in top form, and we are ready to handle a mountain of dirty baby clothing and cloth diapers.
Ready or not, here we come
We've done our homework. We've read a stack of baby books, and we've paid close attention to family and friends with babies. We've received more advice--some solicited, some not--than I can possible remember, and we've had very generous friends and family who outfitted us completely through a series of baby showers. We've researched everything from day cares to college saving options.
Given this preparation, we now feel comfortable. We have a few small things to pick up around the house, and we still need to figure out how the car seats work, but we're pretty confident.
Now, in 17 days, we get to find out that we weren't prepared at all. And I'm pretty darn excited for that adventure.
