Is this cute or what?

Baby Stuff!

What exactly does "Gehrghest exh Berherger en Aserrpt Aelph" mean?

I still cannot believe there is a little one on its way.  Soon there will be cooing, crying, screaming and GOD AWFUL smells coming from this little changing/bassinet/playpen thingy.  All I can think about is how awesome and how much of a gift from God this is.  I am still having alot of trouble wrapping my head around this idea.  There are so many things that I already want to teach Emily.  I just hope that she is interested in them and that she doesn't roll her eyes too much when I try to teach her.  (I don't want to be the "Oh you have that kind of dad" dad.)

Pretty Little Shiny Girl

This baby is going to be born covered with glitter.

Between now and the time she's expected...is Christmas at Pier 1.

Baby Food

One thing I'm thankful for with Emily is that she hasn't really affected what I can or can't eat. I've heard stories of expectant mothers who couldn't keep anything down except popsicles, for nine months - Ken's mom could hardly eat anything with him except fish, and his sister couldn't eat meat the whole time she was carrying her son. And the kids seemed to pick up on the mother's habits: Ken now loves fish, and Kathi's little boy doesn't eat very much meat.

When I first found out I was expecting, I was sick for about three weeks - that's what tipped me off and caused me to go get a pregnancy test (I'm hardly ever sick!) During that time I couldn't keep much down except fresh fruit. But since the sickness has passed, I'm eating the same stuff I've always loved, more or less. My appetite is much better now than it had been for about a year before I got pregnant, but I do find that if I eat anything very heavy or greasy it leaves me feeling yucky soon afterward.

The cravings haven't really kicked in yet. Every once in awhile I'll get what we call a "hankering" for something, but nothing strange, and nothing that just can't be put off. I didn't have much of a sweet tooth for a long time after I got pregnant; it's starting to come back now, but it's still not very strong.

On the theory that the child picks up likes & dislikes from the mother, I'm trying to teach Emmie early-on to enjoy the foods and flavors that Ken & I love: horseradish, vinegar, hot & spicy foods, cranberry juice, and lots of vegetables. So far she hasn't objected to any of that.

(Since I found out I was expecting, I have not eaten at McDonald's - I refuse to give my child her first taste before she's even born, and the longer we can go after that, in my opinion, the better. But I did grab breakfast there a few times before I knew...I can only hope she won't remember!)

Emily

This is Emily.

Her full name is Emily Cassandra Brown, and she's expected to arrive on 1 February, 2007.

Emily was a surprise - Ken wasn't supposed to be able to have kids, and I wasn't sure if I wanted any. If we had thought about having children, we would certainly have said that this was not the time - we were in the middle of planning our wedding when we found out about her. But, expected or not, she is very welcome, and we are both excited.

Like most expectant parents I'm sure, we are full of plans and theories - what we are & aren't going to teach our daughter; how we want to raise her and with what standards and values; things we've seen other parents do that we are determined not to do. I have to stand back and chuckle at myself every now and then - how in the world can we really know what to expect, and how many of those ideal plans will fly out the window once they come in contact with a real, live, self-willed child?

In addition to all our well-laid plans, we also have a lot of hopes and dreams for Emily. I hope that she'll have my changeable blue eyes with Ken's dark complexion - but the odds are strongly in favor of a little red-haired girl. We hope, of course, that she'll be intelligent and talented, that she'll like to read, and that she'll learn not to follow the crowd but to be her own person. Ken hopes she inherits his obedient disposition and my bubbly personality. I hope she won't be a picky eater, but also that I won't have to eat at McDonald's three times a month.

All we really know so far is that she's an active little girl - she's constantly moving and turning and shifting positions. She seems to get a rush from chocolate, and she likes warm drinks. And she's a healthy baby...and we're very thankful for that.