The male version of a baby shower....

The male version of a baby shower does not include friends getting together or a gift exchange of any sort. Heck, in Jeremy's case it didn't even include beer with his friends. It only included a day of shopping at our favorite sporting store, REI.

Amazingly, we still had giftcards from our wedding so we thought we'd use them on a hiking pack. It's something you can carry a baby or toddler in while hiking in the mountains or just around on a walk. Jeremy was rather excited about this purchase. When we found out we were expecting he saw one of these and wanted to buy it then. However, I was only 3 weeks along and thought it might be best to make it through one or two ultrasounds before we rushed out to purchase this absolute necessity of an item. (never mind the fact we don't have a carseat or crib, but heck this baby can come home from the hospital in style riding in the "hiking pack" although it would be a long walk).

Anyway, we headed downtown to REI and Jeremy tried on the 3 or 4 different styles they had. This isn't your everyday hiking pack, it includes a sun/rain cover, diaper pad for changing, a storage area for carrying diapers, etc. One pack even had a mirror so you could check on the status of your baby while hiking. I find this rather amusing......are they expecting us to be on 4-5 day hikes and carrying all the baby supplies in the pack? Anyway, I made the deal since I get to carry the baby for 9 months, Jeremy can carry the baby all he wants in his hiking pack. So we finally made our selection.....we were getting the one with all the bells and whistles on it so we were prepared for anything/everything....and then got near the front to check out and saw another man with one much simplier and what appeared to be lighter. So, we turned around and went back to begin the selection process again. This time we walked away with one half the weight of the first one and without all the bells and whistles (still has the sun/rain protector).

We were proud of our decision and then realized 1/2 the hiking pack equaled 1/2 the price, which means we were not going to use much of our giftcard......our ultimate goal since we really don't go to this store often for it's location. So Jeremy put on his hiking pack and we proceeded to walk around the entire store looking for anything else we could add to this purchase. I'm not going to kid you - Jeremy was very proud of this hiking pack and insisted on wearing it. Since it adds depth to a person I was convinced he was going to take someone or something out while turning and looking at other items. It was like watching a kid with a new pair of school shoes walk around showing them off.....rather cute. Anyway, we came upon a youth outdoors water bottle and some other random things. Finally we called it quits and left......with money still on our giftcard.

On our way out I looked at Jeremy who was still wearing his "hiking pack" and said "this must be the male version of a baby shower!" He laughed. It was fun to see him so excited about something for this baby that he could envision using on a regular basis.

*I must note, we have looked at multiple cribs and that in itself is an adventure. Whichever one is selected really should be posted here as well because we are 1) rather picky 2) safety conscious 3) price realistic 4) ultimately over protective parents-to-be of a baby who will not be able to roll over by themself at birth and we are worried about them jumping out of the bed on day one or jumping up and down and the thing falling down. ha ha

A quick update on Sadie......

She is doing much better and in the middle of last week was able to have 3 of the 4 bandages taken off. However, one paw wasn't healing as well so they rebandaged it and sent us home with instructions on Sunday to take it off....... Well, Saturday afternoon Sadie decided she was better and pulled it off by herself. We just laughed and went with it. She's doing well and still desparately wanting to play ball.....however, she's on restrictions through this week. Don't worry, Elvis and Sadie have now rejoined me for jogs in the evening so they're using energy.

Have a great week!

It all started with a ball...

Poor Sadie - she has certainly had better days.

Upon arriving home from church Sunday 5 of the cul-de-sac dogs were playing outside chasing balls. Very rarely do Jeremy and I bring Sadie and Elvis out to join in the fun; partly because Sadie is still young and we don't know if she'll stay close by or take off and Elvis.....well, he'll pee and/or poop in everyone's yard and that's no way to make friends. But yesterday I was feeling giving so I brought Sadie out and started throwing the ball for her. She was in her height of glory! I throwed the ball for nearly 15 minutes and she'd sprint past the other dogs to get it first and then bring it back, dropping it nicely at my feet. Jeremy came out to join me and that's when I noticed red spots on our driveway.....it was almost a paint I thought but then I realized what it was. So we tackled Sadie knowing the blood was certainly from her. I thought, she must have torn a pad on one of her paws. Little did we know, but she tore through all the pads on her paws. 4 Paws with blood.

I did was any logical, crazy, pet owner would do. I called the vet and asked if we should bring our dog in. Based on her "war wound" (from an innocent game of fetch) they said yes, right away. So Jeremy and I loaded Sadie in the car for a trip to the vet. Now don't forget, we're talking about a dog who hates, absolutely hates, car rides. Well, she did better than expected but I think her paws were stinging so badly the car was the least of her worries.

Jeremy carried our bleeding pooch into the vets office and they said it would be awhile so to stop back. When we did, we were greeted by Sadie with all 4 legs/paws wrapped with pink and purple bandages. At least she looked cute. However, she was rather sore and hobbling along. She's on some nice pain medication now and it's a good thing. She slept the remainder of Sunday at home after that adventure. Funny though, the one time Jeremy went upstairs Sadie tried to follow and then realized she couldn't get back down. The pressure must not have felt good on the paws, so Jeremy saved her and carried her down. (She's milking the injury for what it's worth).

This morning she was slow moving again and really was confused when we put the cone on her head. When we are gone she has to have the cone on so she doesn't pull the bandages off. She wasn't a happy camper when we left today.

Life will be slow moving for Sadie for 2 weeks. No playing ball or running.....you tell that to a young lab who lives to play ball. Also, we have plastic booties for if it rains/snows to keep her paws dry. If we thought getting the cone on was fun, I can only imagine putting booties on her. We will find out on Wednesday if she's recovering well or what they want to try next.

And to think, it all started with an innocent game of ball in our cul-de-sac!

2009 is full of surprises!

It only seems fitting after a massive delay of blog posting to educate all you readers.

I've decided to write a reflection about what I've learned in 2009.

1. I love naps! Over the past 2 months I've learned how to multi-task during my lunch break. 15 min. = eating, 45 min = reading book or sleeping.
2. I like crackers! We have them everywhere; on the night stand, in the bathroom, in the closet, in my car.
3. I can and do eat every 2 hours. I've learned if I do not that bad things happen. In light of this discovery I added 5 pounds in 2 months. (there may be another factor too) Oddly though, in gaining 5 pounds we've discovered Jeremy has lost 5 pounds. At this rate, 6 months from now he'll be a "skinny-mini" and I'll be a waddling duck. ha ha
4. I do not love steak anymore or eggs. Steak now tastes like chalk and eggs, well it's just a bad story. Good thing we bought a cow and have a freezer stocked full of IA beef!
5. Wine, coffee and bourbon are sad friends to let go of. However, Jeremy has stepped up to the plate and helped fill my shoes. Now though he gave up bourbon for Lent so the poor bottle is all by itself.
6. Waking up at least once a night allows me to perfect walking around the bedroom to the bathroom without stepping on 1 of 3 dogs. It's good training I guess.
7. Snug pants. It's allowing me to feel like a present-day teenager and experience the delight (?) of wearing their clothing style. (it also is presenting me the opportunity to buy new clothes - although I'm bound and determined to wear MY clothes another month - wish me luck)
8. Naps. Yes, I love my mid-day naps but I also enjoy my evening naps. Jeremy is good at waking me up and telling me the ending of my favorite shows since I "meditated" for a bit of it....ok, I was asleep at 7:00 PM. Evening naps are good though.
9. I have new favorite foods. The spicer the better! Bring on the Thai food. I love Strawberry ice cream! I love it so much we now have Non-fat Yogurt because I'm a regular at eating it. I love popsicles! Red is my favorite.
10. I love to snow ski and have been banned from it by my doctor. (I tried to negotiate and lost miserably, I even promised not to ski blacks or in the trees) Along with snow skiing they also banned softball, soccer, bike riding, water skiing, and any other potential sport I love. I'm allowed to jog still (for awhile) and swim.....but really, who wants to be seen in a swim suit when you're waddling like a duck? (just kidding - that may be my saving grace in the summer heat)
11. Jeremy really is supportive of these changed habits, etc. He willingly takes naps, eats all the new foods and drinks my wine for me.
12. My due date - September 12, 2009

Other things that Jeremy and I have learned is that cribs are rather expensive as are carseats and strollers and diapers and whatever gadget they think you need for a baby. Who new a baby could cost so much?! (we've been lucky though as many have offered for us to use their stuff)

To answer the #1 question we receive - No, we do not know the gender of the baby.....Yes, we might find out....and no, we're not planning on telling.....we have to have one secret. The secret of being pregnant didn't last long since I stopped drinking coffee and wine and then stopped eating steak. That and the bump in front is becoming a little giveaway.

I must confess, we did lie a bit over the past 2 months. Although I had to work in Florida, Jeremy and I flew down early to tell my parents of the new addition this year. I think they were a bit shocked. We also lied to Jeremy's parents about my "work trip" to the Cleveland area. The only agenda item we had was telling them about the family addition as well. They were shocked a bit as well and then couldn't believe I really didn't have to work. So yea, no blog updates for a reason. Now, we're back in business and you may receive updates on a regular basis.

Next week we have another ultrasound and if I'm technically inclined I'll post a photo. Wish me luck on that one!