PSA for organizing tax documents, or the most boring post ever

Does this look like your mail after it's come through the front door?

Or this?

Lucky me, I have both! So what would any sane person do to try and sort out this mess that feels like the Great Wall of China, seemingly never ending in its amount of paperwork....

Organize! First things first: stock up on manila folders and hanging file folders. Better yet, invest in a good filing cabinet. And if you're really going to go all out: don't forget the colored "flags" by 3M to mark files within a file within a folder within the hanging file folder within the cabinet. You can do it! I promise, there is fun to be had here!

Second, with Uncle Sam knocking on the door, it's time to get those tax documents in order! What started out as only one folder--

quickly turned into 4 folders. The older you get, the more complicated taxes become!

 So do you organizing now, folks--and be ready when the tax person calls!

All bundled and ready to go!

 Up next: actually tackling the problem of where to put incoming mail. Another day, though, another day.

Adela's First Christmas

Adela's first Christmas--a momentous milestone in her life that was filled with everything I would want for her--family, love, good food (okay, for me not her!), and lots of joy. The only thing missing, and it's debatable whether or not this was a good thing--snow. It was a brown Christmas alas. But that didn't stop us from enjoying all of our time home! Here's just a bit of what we did:

The day before we left for MN, Jake, Adela, and I checked out the winter flower show at Phipps. This year's theme was "The Nutcracker," and I had been doing some education programming there with the Ballet. It was Adela's first trip to the Conservatory, and I'd say she enjoyed it (probably because of all the fun, lighted Christmas trees and shiny ornaments!). 

Smelling--and trying to grab--an orchid.

Adela and Mama in front of the "Waltz of the Flowers" tree.

She's so happy it made me feel like I was Santa Claus.

Adela...Mouse Soldier...which is which?

We made it safely home to MN bright and early on Christmas Eve. Adela was such a trooper on the plane and the ride out to the Melby farm--hardly a peep out of her! That night we went to Church (at least for a little while before the kids had meltdowns) and found out some fantastic news from Ben and Britt--Jake and I will have a new niece or nephew in June! After getting her exhausted little tush to bed, she woke up refreshed the following morning for her very first Christmas!!

Adela opening some awesome pajamas from Grandma Mary and Grandpa Curt.

Adela snuggling with her Great-Grandma Roth.

Cousin Isla wearing ALL the dress up clothes she got from her Aunt Alyssa.

"So much excitement...I'm ready for a nap!"

"Ah Roxie! You're squishing me!"

The cousins having fun during bathtime.

We had a lovely time out on the farm and were so fortunate to have seen so many of Jake's family while we were out there, particularly Ben, Britt, and Isla since it may be another year or more before we see them again. On our way from the Farm to Grandma Karen's house, we made a quick day-stop in New Ulm where most of my family lives. 

Adela and my godmother, Auntie Barb.

I don't know who's expression is bigger--Adela's or her Great-Grandma Marion's!

"Giggle, giggle, giggle!"

After seeing many of my family in New Ulm, which was such a treat (and I'm not just talking about the Taco Pizza from Happy Joe's), we made it to my Mom's house in Montgomery. Adela seized the moment and mastered her new favorite skill: finding her feet!

"Almost, almost..."

"I gotcha sock!"

Tummy time!

Grandma Karen cuddling with her favorite granddaughter :-)

Jake and I also got to hang with many of our friends back home. Jake went pheasant hunting and smoked cigars with Justin and Devin while I got to meet Justin and Kacie's little gal, Nikayda. We got coffee with Chelsea by her new apartment in St. Paul, then hopped down the road to see my Morris gals, Sara, Laurel, and Megan at my new favorite restaurant, Chatterbox Pub (why you might ask? One word: games!). And of course, Jake and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary with a night out on the town with my cousin Derek, his fiance Molly, and two of D's friends from high school. I hadn't played darts nor danced on a club floor in years, so it was a night well spent :-)

All in all, baby girl came back with quite the toy and book collection, but you won't hear her complaining (only her Mama and Daddy who have to find somewhere to put it all! Just kidding--we're very grateful!). And while there was no snow or sugar cookies for her, she lit up every room she went in. Her smiles and first giggles were the best Christmas present we could ever ask for.

We love you, Adela! Merry First Christmas!

To cry or not to cry...

No subject in my new role as mother has gotten me so worked up, so stressed out, so frazzled as the subject of sleep. How does one get a baby to sleep and stay asleep? It is one of those subjects that I dread bringing up with other mothers and fathers because everyone--and I mean everyone--has their opinion about it. To cry or not to "cry it out"--that is the (BIG) question.

Since the rise of the "educated parent" (said with a sardonic grin...I sometimes think all these books have done more harm than good, pandering to many new parent's overanxious tendencies), particularly in the later half of the 20th century, sleep has been talked about, written about, and mulled over to the point of sheer confusion. There exists this long spectrum of techniques, theories, and practical ideas that range from Dr. Richard Ferber and Dr. Marc Weissbluth clearly on the "cry-it-out" end to the middle ground of the "no-cry" advocates such as Elizabeth Pantley to the attachment parenting,co-sleeping, absolutely no cry likes of Dr. Sears on the other end. And then there are countless others with their own special stamp, including sleep schedules, the 5 "S's" of Dr. Karp, etc.etc.

Adela during the first step of her bedtime ritual. She loves bathtime!

What oh what to do? Like most things with this whole parenting thing, I first and foremost tried to follow my instinct. Because more often than not, it leads me in the right direction. But with this subject, with such heated debate on all sides of the issue...how could I be so sure? I then turned to my many friends' experience, but they too run the gamut. And now I'm admittedly throwing my two cents into the mix of internet discussion...

To cry or not to cry?

I can't tell you how long I agonized over this. In many ways, Jake and I practice attachment parenting techniques, such as breastfeeding, babywearing, and co-sleeping (oh I so hope our pediatrician isn't reading this!). We try and remain as relaxed and calm as possible because we've noticed how we are feeling does affect how she feels and behaves. We work on bonding with our daughter every day because we want her to know she is safe, secure, and loved. But it was becoming clear to us with the sleep situation that not everyone was so happy anymore. Adela had become much more mobile in her sleep, slapping us in the face at all hours of the morning. Furthermore, trying to lay her down by herself awake--as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends--was next to impossible. Even if we'd painstakingly rock her to sleep, if we even tried to set her down, she was wide awake--and the cycle began again. She was beginning to need us to fall asleep. And I'd be lying if I said that we didn't want our bedroom back to ourselves.

I finally dug deep into my still-burgeoning beliefs of parenting, my internal compass and discovered a few things, with the caveat that the items below are not solely based on the subject of sleep, but on other thoughts that had been swirling in my head lately as well:
1. I believe we learn habits from a very early age. I don't want to establish what might become bad habits because it makes things easier now.
2. I believe that my child's immediate happiness is subservient to the larger end goal of raising this child into a responsible, ethical, and resilient human being.
3. I believe that we show our child that she is loved in numerous ways through copious amounts of cuddles, kisses, hugs, smiles, giggles, and songs.
4. I believe that if we, as parents, are not well-rested, happy, and healthy individuals, we cannot be the best parents we can be to our child.

Why are we so happy?

Because we are baking cookies!

So I bet you can guess where this is going. We bit the Machiavellian bullet, and, after we returned home from MN when she had just turned 5 months old, we let her cry (Ferber style with timed intervals where we'd go in an comfort her...surprisingly against the advice of our pediatrician, who advocates for complete cry-it-out from the get-go...oh let's really hope she's not reading this!). It was hard--oh so hard--and I'd be lying if I said that I don't feel guilty. Because I do. I made my child cry on purpose. That is hard to swallow. I recognize that this method is not for everyone--not every parent, not every child.

But she now falls asleep without a wimper, has begun sleeping in longer stretches at night (4-5 hours before her first feeding because we're still breastfeeding, and I do not expect her to sleep from 7-7 right now!), wants to nurse and be cuddle during the day, and still beams her great big toothless smile to me in the mornings. You won't find me complaining. Or apologizing. We let her cry--and now we all sleep a whole lot better.

E-bills--helpful or no?

With the rise of internet banking and, well, internet everything, we've switched most of our utility and personal bills to "e-bills." And because it helps the environment :-) But here's the thing: I'm the type of person who reallllly likes to write things down. It's a habit I learned from my mother who writes the date she pays the bill, check number, and amount on every bill she has. I do that to now. I like paper. Even though it's NOT good for the environment, I really like paper. I like how organized it makes me feel. So now that I don't have hard copies of bills anymore in case the IRS wants to see them makes me nervous. I should also point out that our credit union just got online banking 6 months ago. I hadn't had that since my Wells Fargo days back in Minnesota. I had become accustomed to hand writing transactions into my account ledger, and even now, when I can pull up my accounts at the click of a button, what am I doing? Still writing down my transactions in a ledger, even if it's just copying it down from the computer screen. Why? Because I feel better about life when I've done so.

What to do now though with the advent of e-bills? We have not taken the leap to automatic bill pay for our utilities, which just seems way to out of control for me. We do have it for our insurance and my student loans, but my heart is palpitating a bit just from thinking about everything being so automated. I still log in to all of our accounts every month to hit the "pay now" button. I have developed a pretty good system for that based on our mortgage due date (the first of the month) which I feel is the most important bill we have to pay right now! On the last day of every month, I make sure both Jake and I have transferred our respective shares over to our house account, and then, within a matter of 15 minutes, watch most of that money go out the window to our mortgage company, Sprint, Verizon, and the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. I enter in any automatic payments that will come up into the register at that time to make sure there'll be enough money. Balance the ledger, and call it a day. Other bills pop up during the month which I pay for at that time. That's the general flow of things.

But what about the e-bills? How do I keep track--in another place, just for good measure--that I have paid my bills???

Solution: download the bills at the same time I pay them to my computer. I can then make a note on the .pdf of when I paid the bill and for how much (which I still do even though I always pay the full amount, even on my credit cards). So simple. So easy. I am breathing better already :-)

Tonight I started to do just this (although you will note this is not the last day of the month. Strokes of genius can't always come when needed). And I'm really glad I did. Most companies only have a 6 month history of your e-bills, even though you should keep your bills for one year then shred them or delete them. Or so the financial gods say.

What do you think--e-bills? Helpful in the long run or more trouble than they are worth?

P.S. Resolution to take photos every day = colossal failure. Will just have to take more on the weekends to compensate.

Well if the world's going to end...

2012. The year the world is supposed to end. Well, if that's the case, I better get crackin'!

Seriously, though, I typically hate new year's resolutions. Why make the commitment to start some new habit on an arbitrary day in the dead of winter when the gloom and doom of the weather is enough to make you stop before you begin? But here I am, thinking about things I'd like to change about myself, both at home and at work, and I am drawn to this idea of making some improvements. Recently, a friend on Facebook posted about some changes she'll be making herself, and someone reminded her (and thereby me) that it takes 3 weeks to establish a habit. With that in mind, here we go...

Resolution #1: Take at least 2 photos a day and blog 2 times a week (probably going to be on Friday and Sunday).
Action: already doing it! Woo hoo! Please--hold me accountable to this. I fully welcome being accosted by friends and family on Facebook, via email, etc.

Resolution #2: Monthly projects to get myself organized and ready...for what? (insert sarcastic voice) Obviously, the end of the world. If we're all gonna die, I'm gonna make sure things are squared away so I can leave this world footloose and fancy free ;-) (in serious tone) Honestly, organizing makes me feel at ease, probably because I'm a bit of a control freak. And although each project will last a month, I'm hoping that some of the habits established in them will continue long after.
Action: List monthly projects and possible tasks. Begin January's project.

• January: Finances
• Organize financial documents
• Create filing system for downloading e-bills, bank statements, etc.
• Revisit budget
• Prepare for taxes
• Create savings plan--retirement, college, emergency fund, etc.
• February: Get moving!
• Increasing weekly goals
• Morning yoga
• March: Eat in month
• Menu planning
• Freezer meals
• Quick lunches
• April: Spiritual Renewal
• Visit different UU congregations each Sunday
• Schedule dedication ceremony for Adela
• May: Reducing energy usage
• New strategies
• Unplugging
• June: Downsizing and reusing
• Going through closets and items
• Only shopping for needed items at reuse places (garage sales, thrift stores, etc.)
• July: Reducing water usage
• August: Christmas gifts
• No new resource use
• Make make make!
• Budget
• September: Eat local month
• October: Credit card free month
• November: Month of Gratitude
• Thank you note, email, or phone call every day
• 1-minute daily reflection every day
• 4 volunteer projects
• December: ???

Since the world is supposed to end in December, I figured I'd wait and see! No, really, I just can't come up with another goal. Suggestions are welcome!

Are these resolutions ambitious? Absolutely. But you know what they say--go big or go home!

Hello 2012. I'm excited to see what we can accomplish this year!

Mama's little _____________

Monkey

Pumpkin

Bathtime buddy

Sleeping Angel

Why so long?

It's hard for me to say why it's been so long, dear Blog, since you and I last spoke. So much has changed since then. So much has not. But let me try to explain:

1. I've been busy doing this thing called "being a mother."

2. Having a baby makes one a complete mess for a while. Seriously. I had no idea what I was in for. Add on top of the instantaneous drop in hormones the traumatic birth experience Adela and I had and then the weeks upon weeks of horrendous breastfeeding trials and tribulations, and I was not doing so well. If it's any indication what a hot mess I was, I started--but couldn't bear to finish--a post entitled "Bathing my baby in breastmilk and tears." I think you get the picture.

3. Plus, when you have a baby, you don't get much time to yourself. Showering (let alone shaving your legs) can sometimes feel like the best feat in the world.

4. But even after things started to get better and settle down a bit--say when Adela was around 9 weeks old--I thought of you and contemplated becoming reacquainted with you again, but didn't want to give up any precious moments with my little one. Ok, really I was ashamed that I had hardly taken any photos with which to post to you (and in fact still haven't. Jake and I aren't picture people. Let's face it. At least future children of ours won't be upset when there's no pics of them either.) Our lack of documentation of this whole process is ridiculous, given the fact that we bought an incredibly nice camera for this occasion.

5. And did I mention yet that when you have a baby you don't get much "mama time?"

6. I've gone back to work. Adela's in daycare. I also contemplated writing to you then to report of this new change in our life, but how to put all those emotions into words? Perhaps you'll help me work through it someday later, but right now it's too raw to explain.

Now, though, I find myself with just this: a short span of "mama time" and I'm not entirely sure what to do with it. I am experiencing a rare night of sleepiness from my little girl. She's all swaddled up in her crib. I've just completed my various chores for the evening, including making scrumptious stuffed green bell peppers and doing laundry for the umpteenth time this week. And I thought, "Hey! What the heck? Why don't you write a little. Say hello to your online presence. Put a few words to paper so to speak."

So dear blog, it's good to be back. My life--while crazy--is so very much worth every bit of chaos.

Precious moments

No, not the figurines, silly! Those precious moments of the first week...

Your "going home" outfit

Snuggling with Mama

Snuggling with Papa

First sponge bath at home (she's a bit camera shy here!)

Tummy time on the beautiful quilt your Grandma Mary made for you

Cloth diapering adventures begin! Adela modeling the wool soaker made for her by Mama's friend, Victoria

Wearing the onesie Courtney gave us. Adela and Maddie must have a matching onesie party asap!

Playtime with Mama

And then there's all those times that I don't have the camera for, like when she's finished nursing and she purses her lips and sighs contentedly, when she coos in her sleep and makes the funniest facial expressions, when she stares at me with her big beautiful eyes as if pondering the meaning of life. Those are the moments I hold in my heart because they're the most precious of all.

Adela Marie's Birth Story

Adela Marie Melby
Born Friday, August 5, 2011 at 3:17 pm
UPMC Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
7 pounds, 8 ounces
21 inches long

Here is your birth story, as real as they get down to every last detail, not necessarily for you (at least until you're well older), but more for me as I want to remember all that happened and begin the healing process:

9 days overdue. You were just as snug as a bug in a rug. We were scheduled for the biophysical profile ultrasound at 7 am that morning. The night before I added lots of pepper flakes to my dinner and went for a walk. Just like I had done for the previous 3 nights. But something must have changed...

I realize now that as we were driving to the hospital for the ultrasound I was starting to have contractions. They continued through the ultrasound, about every 5-6 minutes. Hhmm...I thought.

The ultrasound did not go as well as hoped. The technician noticed particularly low levels of fluid, not uncommon for a baby that overdue, but it was worrisome nonetheless. She paged the Midwife Center, and the technician cautioned us that we may not want to leave the hospital. Luckily we had our bags in the trunk if we needed to stay. And so the waiting began.

Promptly after the ultrasound, though, I had to use the bathroom, and had the "bloody show" that accompanies early labor. Woo hoo, I thought! Only it was a lot bloodier than I thought it probably should be, and I started to get nervous, and so I too paged the Midwife. I then called our doula, Courtney, to let her know the scoop and that labor had likely started.

And we waited some more for her to call us back. The contractions kept coming, close and furious. We went to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat (because once you're admitted all you get is ice chips!), and we finally heard from the midwife on call, Theresa. She had been waiting to hear from the Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor that they consult with to see if we could perhaps attempt a birth center birth, even though fluid levels were so low. But she couldn't get a hold of him, and she said she knew what her back-up Doctor would say--stay at the hospital. So about 2 hours after the ultrasound began, Courtney met us at the hospital and we made our way up to labor and delivery.

Last picture pregnant! 41 weeks, 2 days.

 Because the fluid levels were so low, Theresa explained that I would have to be on continuous monitoring throughout the labor. If baby's heart rate remained steady and didn't decelerate during contractions, I would be able to have the wireless telemetry monitor so I could get up and move around. They hooked me up and we waited some more as they monitored me through contractions, which at this point were running 3-4 minutes apart. Another hour later and about 3 centimeters dilated, I was given the all clear--baby was handling contractions just fine. So they strapped me into the telemetry device and a walking we went.

Getting ready to go a-walking!

 And it wasn't long, between the walking and the squatting during contractions, that my water broke.

Right before my water broke.

 It was just like everyone describes--an internal "pop." Now, I didn't have a lot of water in there anyway, but it made all the difference in the world. Those contractions kicked into high gear instantaneously. The next few hours are a blur. All I know is that I found my rhythm--a rocking rhythm accompanied by low moans--and tried to go with the waves. I sat on the toilet quite a bit and leaned over the birthing ball on the bed. Those were the positions that seemed to work best for me. I also was very hot during labor, and they all kept me bathed in ice cold wash clothes during the entire time. It was genius! The contractions got stronger and closer together. I was making lots of progress, which Theresa was very happy to see. I went from 3-5 centimeters in an few hours, and dilated the rest of the way by about 2:30 pm. I didn't ask for pain meds, and there was only one time where I said "I don't think I can do this." And Jake and Courtney both reminded me--numerous times after that--that I was in fact doing it.

What was sort of abnormal was that I started having signs of transition at 5 centimeters, complete with puking, shaking, and yes, even pooping. I didn't know before I got pregnant how common pooping was during labor, so I didn't feel that bad despite it being a tad bit awkward! I also had a strong urge to push from 5 centimeters on. Theresa was great and just let me roll with it, which I appreciated because I don't know if I could've stopped it even if I wanted to. Apparently the low fluid levels could be blamed for that, but because of the puking and pushing, I dilated completely by 2:30. All told--a pretty quick labor.

So things were looking good. I was all set to have the unmedicated birth I had wanted. And then I did a few big pushes. And baby's heart rate plummeted. We tried another position, but it plummeted again during the pushes. It came back up during the resting period, but always dipped low. So within what seemed like 30 seconds, all of a sudden I had an oxygen mask strapped to my face, 5 new people in the room, the OB telling me that they were going to try a vacuum extraction, and I was wheeled off to the OR. They kept telling me not to push--which is the hardest thing in the world--and as they wheeled me into the OR, I knew things were not looking good. But funny, at the time, I was never scared. I was still just rolling with it. Perhaps I was delirious from the pain, too.

In the OR, there was such hustle and bustle, it was incredible compared to the relative calm of my labor when it was just me, Jake, Courtney, and Theresa in the dimly lit room, all whispering words of encouragement. And here's where things get even blurrier. I remember them getting prepped for the vacuum extraction, and the OB just yelling in my face to push harder than I've ever pushed in my life. And I did. I tried. The vacuum popped off once, and they reattached it. I could feel as they gave me an episiotomy. I thought I was so close during my last two pushes. But then I just felt the OB push the baby's head back in my body, Jake was ushered out ("Dad needs to leave!"), and the prep began for the cesarean. I first received a drug that stopped contractions, then the spinal anesthesia, and they brought Jake in just as the screen came up. And a few minutes later, the cries could be heard of our little girl. Jake looked over at me and said "That's our little girl," (or something like that), and I could see her just out of the corner of my eye as they got her cleaned up. Jake was invited over there to watch, and as they finished stitching me up, Jake brought her over for me to see. All I wanted to do was hold her, but had to wait until they finished with everything. Mom does all the work, and she's the last one to hold her in this scenario. So be it, though. It wasn't long before they put my little girl in my arms and we made our way back to our room.

On top of being late, thus leading to the low fluids, you were also posterior (sunny side up) and as you were trying to come out, you decided to tilt your chin back instead of down. Apparently, as I found out later, the OB on call that day happened to be more anxious than others and wasn't as willing to let things play out as others might have been. So all of these things combined to eventually lead to the pretty traumatic birth that happened.

And while I am of course grateful that you are healthy, as my midwifes and Courtney keep telling me, it's okay to grieve about how the process went. We had done such preparation to try to bring you gently in the world, but as is always the case, our best laid plans went awry. I am taking great pride in the fact that at least part of our plan--an unmedicated labor--was achieved, especially with the fact that you were posterior. And my midwives keep telling me I'm an excellent candidate for a VBAC, so I may get a chance to have a vaginal birth yet. Especially if I have a doula as great as Courtney was (seriously, she was amazing! Jake and I couldn't have done it without her!).

But that, in sum, is the beginning of your life, my sweet Adela. Now, we're soaking you up. Your papa is mesmerized by you and is already proving to be much better at this job than he thought he was going to be. Because of my healing process from the cesarean, he was thrown in head first into diaper changing with zero experience, and he lives to tell about, first meconium diaper and all.  Nursing is going, albeit not all that well. We haven't quite found our groove as far as latching goes (let's just say I'm sore all over these days), but I know we'll get it. We're both too stubborn to give up that easily. You already make the cutest noises and faces while you sleep, and if I could, I would give you kisses all day long. You are just that kissable :-)

I also want you to know that your name carries with it the legacies of many strong women who all love you very much. My great-grandmother "Dale" lived until she was 104; may you have as long and as a fulfilling life as that Adela had. Marie is my middle name, my mom's (Grandma Karen's) middle name, a variation of your Grandma Mary and Great-Grandma Marion's name, and as I later found out after we had already decided on it, was also the first Adela's middle name. Know that you will always carry with you the love and support of family, no matter where you go and what you do. We will always be behind you.

We are all so excited to see the person you are going to become!

Love,
Mama

The Relativity of "Due-ness"

Dear Baby Girl,

You were due to arrive on this grand planet 4 days ago. Where are you? Comfy cozy inside my belly, as my little bud Aiden would say. Comfy cozy.

It's hard to describe the anticipation that comes and goes when thinking about your due date. I tried to be as non-chalant about it's inevitable passing. I started out my day with an intellectually-discussion at the Opera on TAP workshop, went to the Ballet to do some paperwork and a meeting, then off to dinner with some colleagues and one of our major donors, then lastly, the light at the end of my tunnel for July 27th (outside of you potentially arriving)--a pedicure at Salon Booth. It was worth every penny as the massage chair was the best massage chair I have EVER sat in. And my technician, Tom, when I told him I was due that day, said, "Uh uh. Not in my tub honey!" He was delightful to talk with and made my toes as pretty as can be. I'll definitely be going back to him in the future! But at the end of the day, I'm not gonna lie--there were twinges of disappointment.

So that's what I did on the day you were supposed to arrive because, well, you didn't. And so now, four days later, each day drags on a little more. Each pain and contraction I have I wonder "is this it?" And then I try and relax and remember that you'll come whenever you're ready and whenever you feel "due." Due-ness is, after all, quite relative to the wealth of factors that make one ready for labor and delivery.

Yet, as frustrated and impatient as I am to meet you, I really am proud that already you have a mind of your own. But I implore you, Baby Girl--please come sooner rather than later. It is summer after all :-)

Love,
Mama

Busy as a Bee

Been busy as a bee lately!  Growing a baby...

Week 38

Week 39

Making gifts for friends...

Making more things for baby...

• Tag Blankie

•  Pacifier clips

• Swaddling blanket

Modeled by our current baby of the house.

Working out in the garden...

The abundant amount of garlic that Jake dug up...only to have a large portion of it chomped on by Beau! But isn't it pretty?

And starting to get very impatient for Baby Girl to arrive. I'm getting so unbelievably excited to meet her, hold her, and love her at the same time that I'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable amidst the heat and humidity. I know I should take it one day at a time (and I'm trying), but the thought of having to be pregnant for another two weeks is a daunting prospect. So please--help take my mind off it! I know in my head I won't be pregnant forever, but still...the days are really long when the heat index is above 100 degrees!

Oh, and I suppose for those of you have read all the way through, wondering if there would be a clue on the name, all I will say is "High FIVE! We're almost there!"