Are we there yet…

I always knew some preparation would be involved with having a kid. I just had no idea how much. Well, as of last night, we’re ready…we think. The last month has been a blur as we moved into a different house and tried to get ready for Mary Reese at the same time. Slowly checking things off of various lists as we got settled. It would have been easier if Carly wasn’t adding to the lists twice as fast as I could knock things out. But after a month, I’ve managed to catch up. We actually have time on the weekends to sit on the porch or go for a walk through campus.

One of the reasons that we moved was so that Mary Reese could have her own room and any of y’all could still have a place to crash when you’re up this way. Well, thanks to family and friends, the nursery looks great and is fully equipped. You’ll also be happy to know that Mary Reese can easily wear a different outfit every day for the first 3 months thanks to everyone’s generosity. Never mind the fact that she must endure her first winter in the nude after outgrowing all the 1-3 month clothes. In all seriousness, we have been fortunate and have pretty much everything we need and more to take care of her.

In addition to getting the house situated, we’ve got the car ready as well. I performed my first act in the interest of child safety yesterday, installing the car seat. This is when a little of my OCD kicks in and I must admit I read both the car seat and the car’s instructions 3 times each to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I’m sure most of you know, you either use the LATCH system if your car is equipped or you just put the seat belt across it. That’s it. It’s not rocket science. One to two clicks and you’re done. I averaged about 30 minutes per click. So you can rest assured that car seat isn’t going anywhere.

We’re now 1 week away from the due date, which basically means she could show up anytime. We appreciate everyone’s thoughtfulness and generosity during the last few months. We can’t wait for Mary Reese to get here and to share her with all of you. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures.

c & g

“Why yes, I am…”

I understand that it’s a potentially dangerous question, but if you’re going to ask, then ask. Twice within the last week, someone has awkwardly attempted to find out if Car is in fact pregnant, or if she just has a tapeworm.

Car and I took Sadie for a walk the other night and ended up at a junior high baseball game. Sadie helped retrieve a foul ball and I returned it to a man standing next to the dugout. He tried to pet Sadie, who as you know wasn’t having any of it. I told him she was just worried about her mother standing off at a distance and we walked away.

As the three of us walked away, he hollered, “Hey! Is she…?”. I think he could sense my perplexed look from 100 feet away in the dark, so he repeated himself, “Is she…?” and put his hands out in front of his belly like he was carrying an invisible load of laundry… Having recognized the international symbol for pregnancy, I hollered back, “Yeah, she is…”. “She’s going to need some extra attention,” he said pointing at Sadie. “It’s going to be tough at first, just be sure to spend a lot of time with her. I had to do the same when my first kid was born.” I guess he redeemed himself in the end by offering up a little wisdom. Too bad we can’t say the same for our second inquirer.

She was our waitress at the Outback, and it was obvious from the get-go that she was mentally wondering around in the bush, even as she took our order. A few minutes after bringing our drinks, she came back with the bread and popped the question. “Are you…?” Car and I just stared back at her. “Are you…you know…?” I could see the wheels turning in Car’s head: “Am I…beautiful? Yes.” “Am I…charming? Yes.” “Am I…brilliant? Yes.” “Am I pregnant…why yes, I am.” The girl then went on to acknowledge what a dangerous question it is and how bad it would be to offend a customer that was in fact, not pregnant. I’m sitting there wondering why that didn’t stop her from asking, but I soon realized she was without shame.

Car asked her how many kids she had, “three.” “Did you pick up your older kid while you were pregnant?” “Honey, I did it all…” We knew we were in trouble. “I picked up my kid, carried the groceries, moved furniture, had sex…we did it all the time. My husband said ‘it was like poking a bag of puppies with a stick’, we didn’t let it slow us down any.” The barrage of words that came after that statement were lost on me as I sat there trying to figure out what the hell she meant. A week later, I still don’t have a clue…

g