Getting Ready... Take Two

After reading my previous blog, Lee informed me that Harvey had not been given adequate coverage. "Where's a picture of Harvey?!!" I said "He's right there in the corner in the picture of the crib". "You mean you didn't post a specific picture of Harvey?!" Harvey, please accept my sincerest apology. I personally think you're a little creepy, but my husband is apparently in love with you, so welcome to our family. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you... Harvey.

Getting ready...

This weekend was all about one person - Ellie. USA Baby called me on Friday to let me know that the crib we ordered had arrived so we decided that this would be our weekend to paint and put together the nursery since is was going to be a rainy indoorsy weekend anyway. We'd already purchased her nursery bedding and picked out the color we were going to paint the nursery, so on Saturday, I made my first of three trips to Home Depot. That's how it is when we do a project. There's never just one trip to Home Depot. The first trip I made, I got the paint for the room. Since our nursery bedding is mostly green, we decided to go with pink walls. After that, Lee and I went to USA Baby to pick up the crib and mattress. Then it was time to paint - Ben came over to help out with the first coat. It was at that point that Lee sent me to Home Depot for trip #2. Apparently I was making too many suggestions while he and Ben were getting ready to paint. Lee and I did the second coat later on that night.

Mom and dad came over on Sunday to drop off a chest and to help assemble the crib. The crib came in a box about 6" deep so there was "some assembly required". I had done a LOT of work the day before since I rolled on paint for 4 hours so I decided to handle the easy stuff like ironing the dust ruffle, putting the sheets on her bed and taking pictures of the activities. Here is the finished product:

Ellie will wake up to a field of flowers every morning. Lee got Ellie her first toy at USA Baby which is a stuffed green dinosaur named Harvey. We still have to get a rocker and some wall art, but I feel like we're onto a good start. The dogs like the new room and they especially like the new rug. Lucy walked right in and flopped onto her back. I think that may be her permanent resting place once Ellie gets here.

What do you think?!

December "Wrap Up"

Was that December that just happened? I can't even seem to remember all that I did, but here it is 2007. We had a lot going on so I didn't blog that much. Lee made labels and completely finished bottling the wine and distributed bottles as Christmas gifts. Doesn't it look great? I'll hit the highlights of our December:

I helped out at the Meyerson with a children's Christmas concert, called Deck The Hall, sponsored by the Dallas Symphony League. Somehow I managed to find myself in charge of "Pictures with Santa". This was not so much insight for me as to how I want or don't want my child to act - it was insight for me as a future parent as how not to act. I will never make my child wear reindeer antlers in a picture with Santa and I won't scream out from behind the photographer "ELLIE! Look over here! ELLIE! Baby, your skirt is all up in your lady business - pull your skirt down, honey. Take your finger OUT OF YOUR NOSE. NO - leave your Rudolph nose on, sweetie - don't you want to be Santa's little reindeer? Ellie, quit crying. I said QUIT CRYING or else Santa isn't going to bring you anything." I saw it child after child. I have this fear that I'm absolutely going to loose my mind once she's born and next year I'll show up at Deck The Hall with her dressed like an elf. Which seriously - how cute would that be? But just like Luke, I'm going to have to use the force and refrain from dressing her up in ridiculous costumes to take pictures that will only make her hate me later. Or maybe I won't. We'll see how nuts I get.

We also had Christmas parties to attend - my friend, Jenny, hosted one, my office had one and we also attended a deb ball at the Fairmont. Christmas is never complete without the Annual Girl's Christmas Brunch hosted by Ann and Katy every year. I can't remember when it started... maybe when we were juniors in high school? It's been going strong every year since then. I usually eat and drink way too much, but this year I only ate too much.

We celebrated Christmas twice - once in Arlington with my mom and dad the week before Christmas and then we spent Christmas day in Tyler with Lee's parents, brother, sister, aunt and grandmother from Chattanooga. Ellie got plenty of gifts considering she's not even born yet. She got a "Daddy's girl" onesie, a Mavs jersey, a silver "B" spoon, a little tee-shirt that says "E=mc2", a Ralph Lauren sweater, and "Princess Ellie" books. Apparently there's a whole series out there. I was very excited to get a camcorder (now I can post videos!) and also a new digital camera with much higher mega-pixels. I'm very excited about next Christmas we wake up and Santa has made a special delivery at our house since Ellie has arrived. It'll all be different then! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a great 2007. I know that we will! I'll leave you with a parting shot of Lee with his favorite gift... the Encyclopedia of College Football, which is something every house needs!

They got the horns

I have news to report. After the "incident" with the smokers last week, I spoke with the manager of our building about having the smoking area banished to the 6th floor of the parking garage. And you know what? He moved it. I don't have to walk through the smokers ever again! Three cheers to the power of one! There's a part of me that feels a little bad because the smoking area is moving on the day that a huge cold front is rolling through the area so all of the smokers are going to have to light up while the January wind whips them in the face, but there's another part of me that doesn't feel that bad at all because now I don't have to smell it.

Can you believe that I'm still working on my December "wrap up" post? It's going to be done this weekend.

The top 10 things I don't want to hear

I'm posting this as a public service announcement. There are several things you don't want to say to a pregnant woman. I'm sure I'll think of more, but here's a start:

1. "You're starting to show!"/"You're really getting big!"/"Your tits are huge!"
Thank you, Captain Obvious. That's the kind of thing you need to say behind my back. I came to the stark realization that my boobs were huge when the lady at Victoria's Secret told me they "don't carry bra sizes that large". The fact that I can still fit into their XL panty is of no consolation to me.

2. "How much weight have you gained?"
If pounds were made out of gold bars, I'd be excited to talk to you all day long about how much weight I've gained. But pounds are not made out of gold bars, they're made out of cellulite. For the record, I have no clue how much weight I've gained because I haven't looked at a scale since July.

3. "You look tiny!"
I don't have a waist anymore so saying that makes you a dirty, filthy liar.

4. "Are you taking pictures of your belly as you get bigger?"
Do you remember sophomore year when that guy broke up with you so you ate a pint of Cherry Garcia every night for a month? I didn't suggest that we photograph your ass.

5. "I see you're breaking out a little."
Thank you for pointing out my acne. We don't own any mirrors and I would not have seen that giant pimple were it not for you. Thank you.

6. "When I was pregnant..."
Are you pregnant now? Then I don't care.

7. "Are you supposed to eat that? I hear it causes autism/mental retardation/blindness"
Do you see me chewing on lead paint chips? No? Then I can eat it. I have read every website, every article, every book on what I can and cannot eat. I'm fine.

8. "Did you hear about the Consumer Reports study where 10 of the 12 infant car carriers failed?"
Christ Jesus, yes.

9. "My friend's friend just had a baby and it was born without hands/with it's eyes in backwards/with it's brain on the outside of it's head. "
I'm all for a good horror movie, but please don't tell me birth defect stories because it'll just make me crazy(er). I had the dream two weeks ago that I was artificially inseminated with monkey sperm and I gave birth to a hairy half-ape baby. I guess if that happened, I could just shave her ("Come here Ellie, let Mommy braid your hair and shave your arms..."), but I really need her brain to be inside her head so keep the scary stories to yourself.

10. "Who is going to be in the delivery room with you?"
Lee and the doctor. Don't even think about asking me for an admission ticket.

Let's go over an example problem. True story - I had this conversation at the gym with one of the members last night:
Girl: Hi Tiffany! Oh my gosh - you are just getting bigger by the second!
Me: Heh heh - yeah, I sure am.
Girl: How much weight have you gained?
Me: I'm not keeping track.
Girl: That's good. I have to go to a baby shower this weekend for a good friend. I'm super excited for her because her first baby died. She had it and then it just died right there in the hospital.

She didn't ask to be in the delivery room with us so I'll cut her some slack. Seriously, a conversation like that happens every day with me. Is everyone getting the picture here?

I'm glad we had this talk.