Babies Need A Lot of Stuff!

After traveling around the country last month and getting ready to leave again this month for Thanksgiving time, I began to stress about all of the things that we don't have for baby.  Maybe I don't need to stress, but when everyone keeps asking "have you got this yet?" or "have you got that?" it gets to me. I've started worrying that instead of coming right on time or late, baby will try to come three weeks early and we will be completely unprepared.  As much as David and I have the same taste, I still don't want to send him out to buy a carseat while I am in the hospital. So far we have the following items:

1. Wipes

Okay, that's all that we have! We don't even have a thermometer, or one of those nose bulbs for baby boogers, or onesies, or diapers, or hydrogen peroxide to clean that nasty leftover from the umbilical cord! Luckily Grandma Dance bought Tiny one layette and some swaddlers, so he will have something to be wrapped up in.  I have looked at a lot of baby websites and done a lot of research, but there is a fundamental problem with my makeup: I HAVE EXPENSIVE TASTE. Usually, this isn't an issue, but when it comes to baby things, everything is expensive already and I can't just like it and leave it. I HAVE TO BUY THINGS FOR BABY.  Even worse than that, people seem to like putting their babies in horrifically printed car seats and strollers so the less money you pay, the more tragic the print. David didn't believe me when I told him this or when I would show him what I had found for a "reasonable price."  I finally found a stroller I loved that was on sale on one of those special membership only sale websites (which requires nothing to get a membership but an email address), but it still felt expensive!  I let it sit in my cart for weeks. Literally, weeks.  David even told me to buy it, but I just couldn't. I just kept letting it sit there.  Then Saturday, I determined that we needed to start going out and looking around. The internet was not cutting it. So we took a trip. We went to Babies 'R Us just to get a feel of what our options were. And to Target. We didn't buy a thing, but we did overcome one obstacle: David finally agreed that we needed to spend a little bit more money because "All of those cribs were disgusting and those strollers were dumb." Hahahahaha. So, we bought the stroller. It should be coming in the mail in the next two weeks. One thing down.  Now we need a carseat. That way no matter what happens, they will still let us bring Tiny home from the hospital. I realize that this seems to be a first-world problem, but when you have to let them inspect how your carseat is installed before you can bring your little one home, it is a legitimate problem nonetheless. Maybe in the next week I will buy a few onesies and diapers or something. That couldn't hurt anyone, I'm sure.  Also, maybe I should think about packing a bag for the hospital. Everyone seems to do that. I'm just sort of a procrastinator. Only its hard to procrastinate when you don't have a specific deadline.... wish me luck.

I have two blogs.

the other one is here: My Many Numbered Days

I update it more often. But it isn't more exciting... its just only if you were wondering. and because I don't really want to update this blog right this second. SORRRRRRY.

TINY is DANCING!

As of about an hour ago! Well, he was dancing before, but it was mostly Tina Turner style (you know, "Private Dancer"? as in, he only danced for me) but now you can feel it FROM THE OUTSIDE. (now imagine I just whispered that. something tells me its the right thing to do.) Unfortunately, David is out. Like a Rock. (Ford style).  When I was little, I thought that commercial said "Lacquer up" and even though thinking back, it never made since, I still didn't ask.  I guess that shouldn't surprise me since in the kid's church song that says "In the pretty garden the flowers are nodding" I was always singing "the flowers are naughty" and that didn't make much sense either...

The Longest Post I Eber Had.

Well, lots of things have happened and I am not as good as some other people I know at separating my posts and back-dating them, so this post will be long. That's all there is to it. 

First, David graduated. I think we discussed that briefly, but I never cared to put up pictures, so here is one.  (actually, two. We thought he looked a bit like a dementor...)

Then, we found out I'm pregnant. We also found out that it is a BOY. But we didn't find those two things out simultaneously. 

My pregnancy and accompanying sickness (now subsided) helped us decide to go home to Texas. We love it in Dallas, and since my family has relocated to London (more information HERE and HERE), it was fun to spend a few months there hanging out with them and with David's family before we made our own relocation to Palo Alto, CA. 

So, we got here and tried to move in. Luckily some brawny men helped us with the effort (Thank you, David's job!!) and it was all in our house in no time. Unfortunately, it still looked a lot like this...

So we spent the better part of a week trying to figure that all out. Also, during that week I saw this lady: 

and went to this temple: 

which was one of the most beautiful temples I have ever been to! When I was mission-ing in Oakdale, they always went to the Oakland temple and raved about it and raved about it, but I was never able to go.  After my first experience there, I completely understand why they are so in love with it. And can't wait to go back next week--for the sealing of someone I taught in Oakdale, actually! 

I also convinced David to travel to the flea market with me--which turned out to be a MASSIVE success! We needed a couple of things (desk, coffee table, and side table) and we got them all at the flea market! They look and are way nicer than anything we would have purchased at Ikea, but cost less. DEAL. The downside was that while buying things at the flea market, I conveniently forgot that my hand-me-down furniture is denim...and now our apartment looks slightly like we wish we lived on a ranch... cowhide rug, denim sofa and chair, old traveling trunk.... well, one day we will be able to afford a different sofa and then everyone can see the vision floating around in my head for our apartment.

So things look mostly like this:

 bookshelves

family room (notice ranch-like qualities? I sure do)

 mini table and outdoor pantry!

 desk. for mom stuff, I guess. (and finishing school--of course I was thinking it!)

 keepsakes.

my friends now that David is at work all day.

Then we left all of our stuff in our apartment and went to Costa Rica with the dance crew. (Imagine America's Best Dance Crew, costumes included, and you'll have the right idea). This was less nerve-wracking because David was smart enough to get renter's insurance, so even though we abandoned our fortune in assets, we were reassured by the All-State promise that if someone should swipe all of our stuff, we could try to replace it. 

I opted out of carrying our fancy camera with us across the country and then to Costa Rica, but we were all slightly disappointed when Eric forgot his fancy camera on the plane....so I found my crappy camera and by some luck, it had a few batteries...so we got a few pictures, but really not much. Being pregnant on the family trip helped to guarantee that my beach vacation remained a beach vacation. I had to opt out of the canopy tour, surfing, and the catamaran, but at least I have a great tan!

I did not, however, have to opt out of the river ride around the national park. This turned out to be where all of our pictures were taken (I think there were a few on someone's iphone, but I haven't gotten my hands on those yet).  It took a really long time to get to the boat. We drove through miles and miles of fields on this dirt road, stopped for a bathroom break, drove on some more dirt roads, saw a few howler monkeys, were attacked by vicious mosquitoes, and finally arrived on the boat. This is where things really got exciting. Our guide fed the crocodiles raw pork on a stick--bringing the crocodiles only a few feet from the tiny boat we were on! 

Then we fed the monkeys and they were jumping all over us.  

 Poppa Blair and his monkey friend

 David feeding the greediest monkey I've ever encountered

 

who then proceeded to slap David's hand away when David attempted to take a mango bit  

 and put his butt in my face

 Eric was like the captain

They especially loved Scott. 

 bff!!

They did not take an extreme liking to Andrea or Rachelle (thus lack of pictures), and as much as they wanted to like Vickie, she didn't like them enough to want them on her back.

and I almost forgot the iguanas.

we were thrilled to see them. obviously.

Otherwise, we hung out at the beach, I tried to read "Gone With the Wind" for a second time (and only got 400 pages into it), and then we came home worn out and ready to face real life. 

Unfortunately, I can't say I'm adjusting to real life as well as David. He started training in San Francisco Monday. That meant he gets up at 5am to go for a run, while I continue dreaming, and then I get up at about 7am, throw on some clothes, and take him to the CalTrain.  Monday morning came and I realized that for the first time in my married life, I would be spending the day alone not by choice, but out of necessity. Fortunately, everything I could possibly need is within 5-7 miles of my apartment. Also, people here appreciate the ma and pa shops, so there are countless discoveries to be made. 

Well, I'm getting bored with myself...so I better save some for later. Until next time.

and....

I want to make THESE hard-boiled easter eggs. Because they look awesome and they're all natural. Something about not having to use dye really appeals to me... probably the fact that I don't have to worry about it getting on my fingers and staying there for an eternity.

BLUEBONNETS.

The other day, while looking at various photography blogs in honor of our camera purchase, I ran across this fantastic photographer from TEXAS! Dallas, even! Her blog was littered with pictures of people in Blue Bonnet Fields, which made me so jealous and miss Texas so much, that even though I don't know her from Adam, I still commented on one of the posts and expressed the sentiments her gorgeous pictures in the Blue Bonnets evoked.  (see her pictures here)  Then today was such a beautiful day, I walked home from church and noticed THESE right on our little patch of nothing next to the carport!

Well, I'm not sure what they're called... I feel like I should remember, but I don't... but they REMIND me of Blue Bonnets.  SO, even though they aren't the Texas state flower, I feel like God loves me because they're growing on my patch of nothing. Not on our neighbor's patch, not anyone else's patch on our block, just OURS!! And tonight, we are going to eat dinner at someone's house from Texas (whom I love very much) with other people from Texas, whom I also love very much. Just saying. I love Texas. I'm not ashamed of it. I miss Texas. I'm still not ashamed. My boyfriend (husband in case you're confused) is from Texas, so sometimes you just get lucky on all counts.

I HATE FINALS.

The other day, I found a paper that I filled out for my sunday school teacher when I was in the 8th grade. One of the questions read as follows:


"What are some of your interests and hobbies?

I love to read, write, sing, play the piano, play guitar, do math, and learn--but I HATE homework."



Well, friends, nothing has changed.

Stop.
One thing has changed.
I now have David in the next room occasionally asking me "What are you doing? Don't you need to finish that project?" Or saying "Just work for ONE MORE HOUR and then we can go to a movie..." 

The point is, I haven't changed.

                                      some things NEVER change.