Ten Weeks - Ten Gifts

Ten Weeks and Ten Gifts 

I can't believe that the chalkboard will be in single digits next week! I keep telling people that I am enjoying this stage so much that I could be pregnant for another 30 weeks, despite the heartburn. The little guy is quite active, and it is fun to see arms and legs move across my belly. It has been fun to plan how to spend Mother's Day weekend with my mom and sister, but surreal to think that this time next year, I will be a momma! We are feeling physically ready, but emotionally uncertain about what to expect. Alex attended our first parenting class at Swedish Hospital called Conscious Fathering and says that now he is going to be a "Swaddle Master". With ten weeks to go, I am feeling so blessed and overwhelmed with all of the gifts we have already received for our little one.

1. Bulldog from "Baby Daddy" Alex

How can I put into words how wonderful this man is? Every day he tells me how beautiful I am and how amazing it is that I am growing "our human." He also can't help but inappropriately beam with pride that "he did that" when people comment on my growing belly.  Just days after discovering we were pregnant, he couldn't resist buying this bulldog for the baby. I think it is fitting that baby's first gift was from someone who is going to be there for so many of his other firsts.

2. Camo boots from Tia Elle and Tio Jacob

Our favorite Friday night people (think sweatpants, wine and board games), the most beautiful redheads you will ever meet, and future godparents and Spanish teachers to their nephew gave these to us long before we knew we were having a boy. Jacob and Elle are adventurers, and we couldn't be happier that they are already outfitting the little man to join us all on life's journey!

3. Books

From my favorite book as a child, Let's Talk About Shopping to the Bible stories where I first heard from my parents about my Creator, my parents have so thoughtfully invested in Alex and I as we prepare for July. Their prayers, listening ears and advice has been both invaluable and appreciated. Offering their physical space to us in their lives when we need to retreat from the city to drive a tractor (Alex) or watch TLC (me) will continue to be a blessing to us in the coming years, as they are already outfitted with a Pack n' Play and toys for their grandchild. I recall as a child thinking about what it would be like to bring my own children to the farm. I cannot express the joy Alex and I feel as we round the corner on Dodge Valley Road and see the home of future Mormor and Poppa, where our kids will get to marvel at Poppa's croquet skills, go on tractor rides and camp out in the woods just like I did as a kid.

4. Baby's First Crane and Tool Belt

It would be hard to fit all of the Grandma Gifts in one picture, but I chose these because we had so much fun picking them out together. Rarely in the last 30 weeks has she arrived from or we have left Portland without a little present from Grandma Joan. Her thoughtfulness, constant care and concern for how both Alex and I are doing, her love for her grandchild and her generosity are manifest in toy dogs, a stuffed elk, teddy bear hoodies and countless pieces of clothing.

5. Starbucks

For those of you who are not 'gold card holders,' this may not mean anything to you, but to an addict like myself, this postcard truly is gold! To have a sister who so generously handed this to me is so indicative of who she has been to me since we found out - caring and understanding. I wish that everyone had a sister like mine, who never has to ask how I am feeling or what she can do, because she already knows. From the countless nutritious meals she taught Alex to prepare to simply running stupid errands with me, I cannot imagine these last few months without her. I thank God for her return from Micronesia, and will never, ever take for granted having my best friend ten minutes away in the same city.

6. Frog Hat

Auntie Katie. The hours she has put in knitting for her adoptive nephew are ones I will never be able to make up for. To have a friend who knows me so closely and loves me in such tangible ways is a gift from God. This frog hat was one I had seen on pinterest, and charged her with. Surprisingly, she joyfully accepted, and it will be the outfit that little man comes home in. She is the friend every pregnant lady needs, for the following reasons:
-she will blow off a workout to bake lemon loaf with her baking-challenged friend when her pregnant friend is craving it
-she tells me every time she sees me how cute my bump is, even when I feel like a blimp
-she doesn't laugh when I can no longer do floor-slapping moves in Zumba each week
-she runs with me to baby consignment stores with a backpack to fill it up with clothes she thoughtfully helps pick out
-she makes me my favorite lunches and brings them to work for me
-she sweetly listens without judgement when I complain about Alex eating the last of the pizza (and withholds telling me how I am just being a crazy pregnant lady)

7. Camo Gear

Even though I still can't get over the fact that I am inevitably carrying a mini-Alex, camo and Carhartt's and all, Katherine has been so celebratory of our coming little boy, joining in Alex's excitement to make sure he has appropriate gear for father-son projects. She is so supportive of our relationship and journey, and is one of those fast friends that you thank your lucky stars for. She is one of those people you can be yourself around (including accidentally having a glass of wine in a hot tub in Hawaii with before I knew I was pregnant.)

8. Wood

What you see in this picture is a weekend of work. Dave's procurement of lumber and particular-ness in installment is evident in each panel that was thoughtfully put together by Alex and him. It is not just the fact that he gave up a whole weekend to help see my nursery vision come true, including the bookshelf molding you see here, but the dedication that he puts into everything he does that is such a gift. Alex tells me all the time how much he wants to be like his dad when our little man comes. There is little that brings Alex as much joy as doing a project with his dad, and I can't help but think that he is planning for the day when he is teaching his own son to "measure twice and cut once."

9. Afghan from Mormor

I will never forget the day that Mormor Janis gave us this amazing gift of love. It was the day before we found out we were pregnant, and Alex and I sat in the living room of Farfar and Mormor's house in Libertyville, IL discussing life and the importance of our decisions. I cried when she placed this in my lap as I listened to Farfar share with us how much work had gone into this gift.  In the car shortly after, Alex and I decided that we would save the blanket for our first child, not knowing until the next day that the little guy was already preparing for his entrance into the world in July. The afghan still smells like Alex's grandparent's house, and ended up keeping me very cozy through those first morning-sickness ridden months.

10. Phone Calls to Katie

She had looked at me with knowing eyes when she saw my reaction to her own news. She had celebrated and secretly shared our first few weeks of pregnancy together before telling the world. She had helped me lie to friends when my wine glass was full of flat ginger ale. She has joined me in the misery of heartburn and birthing decisions. She has shared with me tips and tricks and what to look forward to. She will give birth three weeks before me and will continue to help pave the way for me, making it a little easier for me knowing that she had already gone through what I am experiencing. She has done this throughout our friendship, when I was a lonely freshman in college awkwardly trying to make friends, and will continue to do this as she becomes a mom I know I will be sure to look up to!