Holy Labor and Delivery!

There's a reason medical professionals recommend that you wait until after week 25 to take the Childbirth Education class. If you took the class (and watched the videos) before you got pregnant you might think twice!! We started our 6 week long Wednesday night class last night. Oh my! I know billions of women have gone through labor and delivery but it still freaks me out. So many things need to happen: the process of the baby's decent is almost like a jigsaw puzzle and it's an absolute miracle when it all goes according to plan. Our nurse warned us that rarely does everything go according to plan so the point of the course is to educate you on all possibilities. Guess it's better to be prepared, but in some sense I am really liking the saying, "Ignorance is bliss"!

The Registry

Diaper Champ, check. Stroller, yep. Bottles, got it covered. Play Mat, you betcha. We recently completed the adventure of registering for baby at Target. Whew! How are first time parents really supposed to have any clue what type of gear we're going to need for this baby? I don't want to fill our house up with unnecessary junk (I know....all of you parents are laughing out loud at me right now) so we tried to keep the list manageable. Some things I learned: Apparently you buy different sized nipples for bottles as the baby grows, it takes a 12 page manual to understand how to operate a high chair and after 2 hours in Target your husband starts scanning items without discussion because he's sick of debating over strollers.

What products do you consider a must have (Yes, I know we'll need diapers)? Which ones made your life easier? I want to make sure we have all of the bases covered.

Shades of Pink

How many shades of pink paint are there? If you answered approximately 2.5 million I think you're close. We want to paint the nursery pink. Sounds like a simple goal. But, after visiting our local paint store we have discovered that it's not quite that easy. The first trip to the paint store resulted in 3 samples purchased and put on the wall. I didn't love any of the three so after another trip to the paint store we have 6 samples painted on our wall. No clear winner yet. The contenders are: Panache Pink, Merry Pink, Impatients Petal, Irresistible, Lighthearted Pink and Childlike.

RAGBRAI

RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) came through Eastern Iowa this week with stops in North Liberty and Tipton. Thursday night Scott's dad and sister spent the night with us as they made their way on the ride. We decided to check out the festivities in town and since I couldn't partake in the fun in the beer tent I made sure to "test" a wide variety of food vendors. Gyros...not so good. Homemade ice cream and cherry pie from the Amish stand...A+.

Pictured above: we're in the beer tent in North Liberty with our neighbors and Scott's dad.

What's in a Name?

I'm quickly learning that there is a mandatory list of questions* that every person is required to ask of a pregnant woman. Also, there is a mandatory order in which these mandatory questions must be asked. My initial analysis has found that the list goes something like this:

Q1: When are you due?
Q2: Do you know what you're having?
Q3: Do you have a name picked out?

I have previously answered both Q1 and Q2 on the blog.
A1: October 18
A2: Girl

But, I haven't yet answered Q3 on the blog so I thought I would go ahead and clear the air by coming forth today with that answer. We have not yet decided on a name, although we have a short list of contenders. That short list includes (in no particular order):
-Evelyn (Evy)
-Emerson
-Madelyn
-Lilian
-Addison

For those of you who are predisposed to smart alec remarks the following names have already been suggested and denied:
Candace (Candy)
Cornelia (Corny)
To get the full impact of these names make sure to add our last name. These names are sure to guarantee our daughter a job in adult entertainment.

So, from our list of 5 which one is your favorite? Or, do you have another name you think we should consider?


*I am not at all annoyed by these questions I just find it very interesting/curious that it's always the same questions in the same order.

Trip Home

As my mother will quickly point out: I hadn't been home since Christmas. So, this past weekend we headed south to the bustling metropolis of Keosauqua to visit my parents and celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday. On Saturday we visited the Dutchman's Store which offered organic goods before eating organic was cool. The store is operated by a Mennonite family and they have a wide variety of bulk candy, which we stocked up on just to show our support :-) Saturday night we went for a walk around a trail near my parents house. It was so humid that evening and 20 minutes into the walk I experienced my first pregnancy hot flash. WHEW! It took me about 2 hours to cool down.

Most importantly: my brother and his wife announced that they are expecting their first child in January. Just 3 months after I'm due. My mom is so excited that she is going to have "twin" grandchildren.

85 Years Young

Happy 85th Birthday Grandma Maxine!