Gearing up

Lately, we've been accumulating gobs of baby gear for our little one who is due to enter the world in about three months. The nursery (which still contains a double bed we've used for guests) is jam-packed. Having these items makes the whole idea of parenting a little more real.

I was especially grateful for all the good deals God provided for us, including:

• A wooden rocking chair in a furniture store's clearance section
• A dresser my husband's parents gave us (cute childhood furniture of my husband's that happens to match the rocking chair and crib splendidly)
• A coupon we used to save on the high chair
• The exact stroller, playpen, and car seat we wanted at a discount baby store
• A fabulous deal on crib bedding online

Plus, very generous people have given us assorted gear and toys and plenty of adorable little pants, shirts, pajamas, hats, and booties (I especially love a tiny Hawaiian shirt). My sweet sister-in-law and a few kind friends are planning a shower for mid-March, so I'm sure I have a lot more ooohing and aaahing to do.

Now that we've accumulated most of the essentials, there's the hard work of carpeting and painting (OK—my husband's hard work on the carpet) before the real fun of decorating the room begins. The bedding and decor will be in a nautical theme, a thrifty move since I'm transferring many of the decorations from another room.

I can't wait to welcome our baby into his little world!

I envisioned having a traditional, wooden rocking chair.
The blanket on the back is part of the nautical bedding set.


Some of the baby gear: high chair, stroller, car seat
The book "Baby Bargains" was a lifesaver! I highly recommend it.

My husband assembling the high chair

A smile for just completing the car seat assembly

One-word fun

Becky tagged me to share this info about myself. The idea is to respond with one word that comes to mind (or a few more, depending on the question). Here are my efforts at being concise. Check at the bottom to see if you've been tagged. :-)

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your significant other? Adorable
3. Your hair? Shorter
4. Your mother? Generous
5. Your father? Warm
6. Your favorite thing(s)? Hugs, sunshine, little surprises, cozy blankets, days off
7. Your dream last night? Weird
8. Your favorite drink? Five Alive
9. Your dream/goal? Motherhood
10. The room you’re in? Office
11. Your fear? Heartbreak
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Content
13. Where were you last night? Taste of India
14. What are you not? Extroverted
15. Muffins/donuts? Muffins
16. One of your wish-list items? Seeing England
17. Where you grew up? Canada
18. The last thing you did? Work
19. What are you wearing? Maternity clothes
20. Your TV? NCIS
22. Your computer? Lifeline
23. Your life? Full
24. Your mood? Mellow
25. Missing someone? Family
26. Favorite pastime? Scrapbooking
27. Something you’re not wearing? Necklace
28. Favorite Store? Archiver's
29. Your summer? Unforgettable
30. Your favorite color? Blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? Today
32. Last time you cried? Wednesday
33. Four places you go over and over? Church, Chipotle, work, Subway
34. Four people who e-mail me? Bill, Dad, Gina, Natalee
35. Four of my favorite foods? Avocados, cheese, chocolate, eggs
36. Four places I would like to be right now? Vancouver, PEI, England, here
37. Four people I tag? Cherissa, Shawn, Tracy, Marianne

Join us for the name hunt!

My husband and I have had quite a time naming our little boy. We haven't truly, wholeheartedly agreed on a single name yet.

We've thrown several on the table, and they've all been more or less vetoed: Too common. Bad meaning. Not manly enough. Might get teased with that one. Simply horrible. Too old-fashioned.

So I'm posting a poll with some of the names we've discussed. Please vote, and share your comments about your favorites and your not-so-favorites. In fact, feel free to rank them if you have time. We'd love to hear your opinion! And our little boy will be ever-so-grateful to have a name!

By the way, you can select more than one name when you vote if you can't decide! :-)

The big belly

Lately, I feel like my belly skin has stretched about as far as it will possibly go. People around me are so encouraging on that note.

My husband, smiling and indicating with his hand several inches in front of me: "You have this far to go!" Splendid.

Ladies at church, knowingly, who have birthed several kids each: "Ahh, this is where the stretch marks come in." Lovely.

But of course, it's all for the most delightful cause, so I can't complain. I'll just watch it grow and grin at the evidence that every day our little boy is getting bigger, stronger, and more ready to be born into the world—and to hold in our arms.

Me and my baby bump

The last of the 00s

It's difficult to believe that we are now in the last year of the first decade of this millennium. It seems strange that "Party like it's 1999" is antiquated, along with fears of Y2K and musings about entering the 2000s (what will we call them—the Os?). Even my college graduation in 2002 seems so far away. At the time, it was exciting to start my official adult life just as the millennium dawned.

I think of how our little boy will never remember this decade, or the last century. He's starting out afresh as a person of this millennium, who didn't see the entrance of personal computers into society and can't remember cell phones larger than land-line sets. The only absence of the Internet he'll ever know will be when our cable is down. The Gulf War and the Y2K scare and the horror of 9-11 will be history lessons.

But there's a bright future ahead—for him, for all of us. It's exciting to imagine what adventures life will take us on as we add him to our family in 2009. In addition to the gobs of baby gear that we have yet to entirely accumulate, the changes will be dramatic. As I feel him jostle and kick inside me, I imagine tickling his toes, rocking him to sleep (no matter what the experts may say), and kissing his tiny cheeks. Then I dream of watching him grow: sharing uproarious laughter, hearing "Are we there yet?!" on road trips, watching his dad play catch with him, and seeing delight dance in his eyes during holidays.

I just can't wait to see what life beyond the first decade of the Os will bring us. The adventure has barely begun.