Long Post - lots to say....with pics!

It has been a very exciting xmas vacation. Finding out that we are having a girl has been a wonderful gift. Knowing that "she" is in there and is doing well has given us the green light to start the nesting. Having never had a child before, we have a lot to do. Now, I know that we would be fine if we brought the baby home and had nothing (except breastmilk and some cloth), but we live middle-America and have access to lots and lots of choices to make our lives "easier." (??)

Christmas was wonderful. Babygirl got many gifts including:
*the softest blanket from my friend L
*a handmade sweater from M's sister
*handmade decorative diapers from M's other sister
*lots of onesies with my father's alma mater from my mother
*car organizer from my mom and little sister
*M's mother made me a stocking and a gorgeous afghan for the baby
*my older sister gave us a very generous contribution to the nursery fund which will help buy a great rocker for the room

I am sure I am forgetting a few things, but overall both of our families were so generous and giving. Babygirl is already deeply loved.

The Crib
Well, one would think that you want a crib and you go out and buy one. It could be that simple, but we chose the road less traveled. We read the crib reviews, we looked at four different stores and on the internet. We bought one and then we couldn't fit in the car, so we returned it right there. It wasn't meant for us. We finally found a great crib -- high ratings, great color, beautiful design, converts and best of all -- my mother has graciously offered to buy us the crib. Woohoo! We know babygirl will love it and grow into it for years and years. The crib will be here within the next week. We ordered the mattress online.

The Room
Babygirl's room has been empty since we bought the house, and we have always referred to the room as the nursery. Well, it is time to actually make it a nursery and not just a room with tan carpet. First, I had to remove my extra clothes from the closet (they now live in the guest room closet). Second, M used her powertools and did her magic with closet shelves. She has expanded our closet space in every single room in the house, and she does a great job. We bought great on-clearance baskets from Target to complete the organized closet. Third, we decided to paint and reuse an older dresser for babygirl, and we think that M's father, who is a master craftsman, will make a changing table top for the top of the dresser -- he is also making a toybox for babygirl. Finally, we are on to the bedding. We have fallen in love with a design from PotteryBarn, but we don't want to spend a fortune so we will be picking and choosing which items we want. We hope to focus on a valance, crib sheets, dust ruffle, and small blanket for decoration. Painting will occur when the windows can be opened....months away...maybe spring break.




Man, this has been a long post. Finally, our sweet puppy has had an adventurous xmas break. She started it by finding her present. We bought her a new toy and hid it inside a gift bag on the stairs. We were in the kitchen and realized that the dog was acting strange...excited...running around...and then totally silent. We walked around to the stairs and found her head in the gift bag reaching for the toy. She couldn't wait for xmas.

She also spent some time at the kennel, which she loves. We went to pick her up last night and they tried to give us the wrong dog - twice. They brought out every female golden in the joint and we just kept saying, "Nope, that's not her." We were panicked they lost our dog. Then M looked in the grooming room and said, "There she is.." The kennel owner wasn't happy at all. Someone had switched the collars. She did get a free bath out of it.



Have a Happy New Year!

E-