Yes, You Are Beautiful

My husband is the best. I mean, he's really tops.

I bought a belly band that came with this little magnet in the package:

The manufacturer is smart. They clued into the fact that after one goes through the process of wiggling on a belly band, one is increasingly more aware of your widening thighs, hips and belly. So I guess this is to lighten the belly band induced blow a little.

I was planning to throw it away.

And then I had a really bummer of a morning that happened to include going through several outfit changes because things were either too small, too tight, too short on my tummy, made me look like a sack of flour with a concentrated lump, etc.

This experience was added to a really bad hair day. Not only have I not been to the salon since I found out I was pregnant, but I also haven't been able to run to the store the past two weeks and was out of shampoo. I've been using my husband's Head & Shoulders shampoo. Aside from smelling like Old Spice all day, there are other reasons this is a man's shampoo all of which translate to Homeless Hair.

To note, I would look like Sack of Flour with Homeless Hair for the rest of my life if it meant having this little baby girl. Hands down!

I was just having a low physical self-esteem day which we girls sometimes have to shake out of our systems every once and a while.

I ran across that little 'Yes, You Look Beautiful' magnet later on that morning and placed it on my mirror.

This was the day before yesterday. My husband left on a business trip yesterday and was away last night.

When I went to brush my teeth last night the magnet was gone and in its place was this:

Earthly beauty obscured my vision for the day, but my husband reminded me of the way that Christ views us. He thinks we're beautiful - the most valued of all His creation! He replaces the world's cheap statement of beauty with the real thing. How quickly I forget.

I'm sure our little girl, like all girls, will have a day(s) where she feels not so pretty. I'm hoping I can remind her that she is daughter of the King. And if she forgets this, He has given her an incredible earthly gift to help remind her of her true beauty and value:

She is my husband's daughter.

She is blessed. As am I.

White Paper Packages Taped Up With String

Look what was waiting at home for me today!

Don't you just love packages on your doorstep?

Especially when they contain fun stuff for a certain little baby girl's room.

They're the curtains for her room. Isn't that crazy? Someone else actually has a 'room' in our house! And now she has curtains! I know, it takes me a while... I still say to Joey all the time "Did you know we're married?"

The bedding is back ordered so this is the first of several packages that should be coming our way soon.

As you can guess from the curtains, the bedding is pink as well. Different pattern, but pink. I'm still deciding, never having really been a Pink Girl growing up myself, whether this is a good fit. Remember on Sleeping Beauty when fairy godmothers Flora and Merryweather keep changing Princess Aurora's dress from pink to blue? I always sided with Merryweather on the dress.

 But gosh darn it, it's so fun! As I've aged I've turned into more of a Flora.

I tried to convince Joey to go for the princess carriage theme below which everyone seems to be doing these days, but he didn't want her getting carriage sick during nap time.

Seriously. Was this on Pimp My Crib or something?

I'll be able to make a better decision once the bedding arrives. Afterall, we have four months, right? I have a feeling this is going to go by very quickly!

Now, off to the real Land of Nod!

The Good Samaritan Gas Tank Paparrazi

Yes, that's my gas tank. La Fonda the Honda's gas tank to be exact. Yes, that's a wad of paper keeping it closed.

Yes, we're classy.

La Fonda III is getting on up there in age. Along with an increase in mileage come many random issues. One being, the gas tank refusing to open while we're running on empty at a gas station in Louisiana. Joey had to pry it it open. Hence, it now will not close.

As the gas tank has been the least of her issues, it has been the last thing on our mechanic's list to fix.

This is also what has put me on the radar of The Good Samaritan Gas Tank Paparazzi. Driving around with your gas tank slightly ajar is similar to riding around town with Lindsey Lohan as a hood ornament.

Every time someone drives by I am mentally repeating "Please don't notice my gas tank. Please don't notice my gas tank."

They slow down. They speed up. They flail their arms. They yell. They do a lot of pointing. They hang out of the window. They run after me in parking lots. They sometimes ride with their seats way back and in scary cars.

You would think I was about to drive off a cliff to imminent death.

I give them the thumbs up and mouth 'thank you' and I've lifted their spirits because they believe they have performed a random act of kindness.

Meanwhile, I'm shaking off paranoia and gathering back both my roadside dignity and anonymity.

The open gas tank is the vehicular version of the untied shoe lace. I'm sure a serial killer would give a friendly alert to a driver with their gas tank open. On second thought, he might see it as an opportunity. Hmm. I'm going to choose not to think about this right now, yet mentally file it away.

What is the risk for driving around with the door to the gas tank open? As far as I can tell, there are apparently Sugar Water Pouring Predators and Siphoners all over the suburbs. We live on the edge. (An aside, I'm just waiting for someone to tell me their third cousin removed had this experience which will have me running to the mechanic.)

I have now rigged it with the wad of paper which sometimes falls out. This seems to throw the GSGT Paparrazi off their game a little. At least while driving. I'm waiting for "Hey, did you know someone stuck a wad of paper in your gas tank?" I guess I could class it up and make it blend in a little with black Magic Marker.

Between you and me? I'm concerned that the Good Samaritan Gas Tank Paparrazi is exactly why I haven't gotten it fixed yet.

I've gotten used to the notoriety. They say fame is an addiction. A few months more and I may be saying to Joey "No, dahling. We can't get the gas tank fixed. My public needs me."

Ahem.

We're thinking about trading La Fonda III in fairly soon because we need a little more space for our growing family. That's right - that's what it is.

Moral of the story? If you're ever in need of a self-esteem boost, a minor panic attack or would like an experience not too far off from Beatlemania, leave your gas tank open for extended periods of time.


I promise you, the Good Samaritan Gas Tank Paparazzi will not only come out of the woodwork, they'll make you feel loved.

And I love her

Well, we're just a few months away from meeting HER!

That's right, the P in the Pod is a girl! We are so excited!

One question is answered and in its place have come so many more.

Will she be a tom-boy or a girly-girl?

What will her name be?

Will she be outgoing or kinda shy?

All I know is that she will be very well-protected. Joey immediately declared that he was going back to gym to become the Gladiator.

And loved. This I know most soundly. She will be very loved.

Here's what we know so far about our little girl:

She has a healthy heart and brain.

She's already an Aggie. We're pretty sure this is her gig'em.

She may be fairly expressive. We deny that she's doing the Raider's Guns Up sign below and would much rather believe that she's throwing gang signs.

She's a big girl; measuring six days ahead of schedule.

She also may be a chatty. Her little mouth was moving a lot - which of course, we loved.

These are her first outfits:

I'm not sure if she'll be a pink kind of a girl, but we might as well have fun with it now!

We've loved this baby since the first day we were aware of her existence and we're thrilled to know all these little details about her.

One impatience has led to another. We now know we have a little girl coming our way, but now we're just oh-so-ready to meet her!