Coming Together

Preparations for the arrival of baby Audrey are coming together.  This weekend, we crossed one big item off of the list...the crib!  Bill and Lana got Audrey a beautiful new crib that they came down Friday night to help us put together.  The mattress hasn't come in yet, but I have already the crib skirt in and the cute baby quilt lying inside of the crib. 

In addition to the crib, we are starting to get many of the other necessities as well.  At times, I think that we could have her tomorrow, and we would be prepared enough.  Other times, I look at the list of baby items we still need and preparations we still need to complete, and I wonder if 39 days is enough time (yes, I know that is only an estimate).  I am sure we will feel better after our upcoming baby showers, as we get more of the baby necessities crossed off of the list. 

Wow...39 days!  The hardest part is the uncertainty about exactly when she'll arrive.  I am pretty convinced, based on statistics for first time pregnancies and my progress so far, that Audrey is going to be a little bit stubborn and will wait until after April 1 to greet us.  The planner in me, however, wants to have everything in place by mid-March just in case she does decide she wants a March birthday.  I guess this is God's first parenting lesson on flexibility!

Dogs and Babies

As the time for Audrey's arrival gets closer and we accumulate more baby "stuff," I think our dogs are starting to catch on to the fact that something is happening.  As we get a new big baby item, we set it up and leave it out for a bit so that the dogs can acclimate.  This week, we got the pack'n'play (a.k.a. play-yard, hi-tech playpen, etc).  As we put it together, Stella found the place in the house that put the most space between her and this new item.  Even Jack was a bit freaked out by it, but I think that had more to do with the fact that Billy tried to put him inside of it.  Jack then discovered the mobile of plush teddy bears that came with the pack'n'play, which he just assumed were his.  He grabbed one of the bears in his mouth and proceeded to try to drag the entire mobile across the floor.  And so begins the game of "no, that is the baby's toy." 
 
It will definitely be interesting to see how the dogs do when the baby actually arrives.  Jack is so laid back after his experience living at the KA house, that after the initial meet'n'greet, I don't think he'll be phased at all.  Stella, on the other hand, will be much more interesting to watch.  She is extremely frightened by anything new or noisy.  She also gets jealous any time any person or dog is getting more attention than she is.  I just wonder how long it will take her to move from being scared of the baby to being put out by the amount of attention the baby gets.  The dogs will be fun to watch, and I am sure we'll enjoy seeing of our predictions are realized or whether the dogs completely surprise us with their reactions!

Our Very Audrey Shower

This past Saturday, my friends from high school threw a baby shower for me with a Breakfast at Tiffany's theme.  Everyone was dressed in black and white, and we had lunch at the most adorable tea room.  I believe we drank 8 or 9 pots of tea (decaf for Audrey and I), and we snacked on a tiered tray full of finger sandwiches, scones, and tasty desserts.  As you can see from the pictures, we even found time to glam it up with some pearls and diamonds for the camera. 

The most exciting part for baby Audrey was all of the goodies that she got.  Amongst them, Audrey received:

• Her first Old Navy fleece,
• Diaper disposal bags that I thought were doggie poop bags at first,
• Her first Dr. Suess book,
• A Willow Tree figurine to remind her of her mom (ok, maybe that's more for me),
• A froggie sleeper for the little Tadpole,
• And, her first gift from Tiffany's (a white and pink piggy bank). 

It was great to spend time with my friends and celebrate little Audrey's arrival.  Thank you to my friends for planning the shower!