Nesting, nesting, nesting...

Our bag is packed, we're ready to go...plus all the baby clothes have been washed, the car seats are in, the freezer is stocked with what amounts to about 20 nights of meals, the crib and bassinet are made, the cameras are charged.  Let's get on with it!  Cortney has arranged and rearranged the closets a few times, and cleaned out every cupboard in the house.  And it's not just Cortney - yesterday Jon was frantically washing the dogs' bedding, vacuuming, and organizing the instruction manuals for everything that we own.  It's an omen, we think, but not the kind that means today was the beginning of the apocalypse.  Funny that was mentioned, though...Hell sure made one heck of a profit off that omen (6/6/06) by selling T-shirts, etc., to the approximately 10,000 people who showed up there to "celebrate" the momentous occasion.  Who knew hell could be so fashionable?

April showers bring June babies

We can't believe that we are only 5 to 8 weeks away from having a baby in the house.  We're not sure that we can possibly be ready, but our friends and family are working hard to get us that way!  Today they showered both of us (really all three of us) with love and baby gifts to do just that.  It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and warm weather and we all ate really well!  The women were treated to homemade chicken, broccoli, fruit and tossed salads along with honey baked ham and devilled eggs, followed by homemade brownies and cheesecake with strawberries (mmmm!).  At the same time the men were down at Pizza House gorging themselves on stuffed pizza.

After eating Cortney opened many baby essentials, including a bathtub, swing, front carrier,  monitor, shopping cart cover, nursing pillow, video camera (so we can share Rasberry's antics with all of you!), books, blankets, burp cloths, diaper bags (small and large), and, of course, toys.  Everyone was so thoughtful, and all the gifts were wonderful and exciting, and will be very useful!  Raspberry was also spoiled with some very unique things:  A fantastic Dutch outfit and Olympic Bear straight from his aunt Kate, Cortney's cousin in the Netherlands; a blanket crocheted by his maternal grandmother;  receiving blankets made by his grandgodmother (?), each with a piece sewn in the corner from the blankets she made for Cortney over 29 years ago;  and a jacket and hat to wear home from the hospital crocheted by grandma Hoffman, a close family friend.

Meanwhile, back at Pizza House, Jon opened many daddy...er...essentials (?) that came in a diaper bag of his own.  Including household safety items, a chewable book (for the baby, not the dad), a bath hippo (again, for the baby...really), a bragbook for the wallet, earplugs, gloves and masks (for diaper changes), and...kazoos.  Yes, kazoos.  Jon also did a little gifting of his own, passing out blue bubble gum "it's a boy" cigars (hey, the men don't wait in the waiting room anymore so he had to get his fun in somehow).

We had a wonderful time and, at the end of the day, felt very loved.  Thank you so much everyone!

31 down, 6-9 to go

Weeks before the baby, that is!  At this point we are way past half way there.  We both vaguely remember a time when Cortney wished she looked more pregnant (please don't remind her of this).  We also have vague memories of the middle room being an office, not a nursery safari.  We are enjoying our final moments as a couple, fitting in lots of date nights and other moments  without the addition of the diaper bag, but we are also growing impatient in our wait to meet this hiccuping acrobat.

28 weeks - the 2/3 mile marker!

Cortney's 28 week appointment was this morning and it was all great news!  The bump that is Raspberry is measuring 28cm, which is right on, and Cortney's weight and blood pressure are right on, too.  The only "major" complaint?  Hiccups!  Several times a day, and seriously out of control.  No, it's not Cortney...it's little Raspberry!  Sometimes they are so violent that he even causes Cortney's belly to jump rhythmically, which makes Jon laugh.

So, as of today we have entered the third trimester and we have a hiccuping belly to show for it! 

March showers bring June babies!

Our loving church choir family threw us a wonderful baby shower today! Keiko hosted the brunch event in her beautiful home, serving up four different homemade breakfast casseroles plus fruit and dessert spreads better than any catering service could, including a sweet french toast mix, a meat and eggs combination, a salmon, spinach and feta blend, and a potatoes and bacon skillet! Our friends Lisa, Nora and Leah handled the game-planning, decorating, and group gift-buying. Though they were tempted by some scandalous game ideas involving diapers and chili (don't go there), they decided on a few relatively safe activities. Guess how many Sugar Babies are in the bottle! Jon's winning answer: 191 (actual total: 192). How many baby foods can Jon identify in a blindfolded taste test? 3 out of 6.  And Lisa made a fantastic storyboard of our relationship up 'til now, using candy bars as word substitutes.  And true to the board, we did receive Mounds of Good & Plenty presents from the Lifesavers in the choir! There were so many thoughtful and necessary gifts, too many to list here, but we want to let everyone know how lucky, thankful and blessed we feel to have this support. The show-stopper gift was the group-purchased stroller - complete with time and temperature gauge! Thanks to the pre-assembly done by Leah, it made an impressive entrance. It's a good thing that there were experienced mothers there who could show us how to work its various features!  And, while Jon may have won the bottle game and correctly identified three of six baby foods, his real accomplishment of the day was collapsing the stroller smoothly and correctly the first time using just one hand!