Almost Here

Happy Thanksgiving! I know Tom and I are thankful for many blessings in our lives, especially our family, friends, and health. We hope you enjoy the holiday with loved ones. Here's a poem of thanks from our upcoming arrival:

I have ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes
With my kicks, I remind my parents how I grow
I am learning how to taste, hear, smell, touch and see
Thank you, mom, for carrying me

I anticipate the world with wonder and delight
With God's grace, my future is bright
Until we meet, please pray for my health
Your love and generosity are my wealth
- Baby VanDeGrift

Jack Sprat (yet again)

My sister-in-law, Anca, threw me a wonderful baby shower where several family members and friends showered our boy with gifts. Apparently, my nursery rhyme knowledge did not improve in the past two weeks. My score this time? 11 / 15. Again, Jack Sprat was a tough one for me. By this point, I knew that he ate no fat, but I had no idea what his wife could not eat... Oh, well. Chanda took the prize for the nursery rhyme game (not too surprising, since she has a 15-month-old daughter). Luckily, my cousin, Lisa, gave me a set of nursery rhyme cards as a baby gift (so at least I now have some study aids).

We had a great time with the games. We tried to guess baby food (I got a low-score of .5 of 7 correct - the only food I recognized was peas, and it accounted for half the mixture.) We tried to guess items in a diaper bag (I think I got 9 items correct, which was about half the items Anca packed into the bag). My friends and family also wrote down words about the baby and here's a sample of what I can remember: blessed, beloved, beautiful, boy, bouncy, youthful, vision, vivacious, adorable, active, athletic, angelic, new, darling, delightful, devoted, energetic, exhausting, gift, great, generous, giggle, rich, restless, intelligent, innocent, first, faith, fun, thankful, and treat. [Note: the words start with letters BABY VANDEGRIFT]

A nice treat was the set of recipes compiled by the shower guests. We now have several options for quick meals for us and quick meals for the baby once he can eat solids. Thanks for all the cooking advice.

Our baby is one lucky kid. The car was packed with gifts from my generous family and friends. We are almost stocked in terms of baby gear and supplies, so thank you to everyone who gave gifts to our baby. We can't wait for the day when our son gets to meet you.

I appreciate everyone who came to the shower, both from near and far-away places. Your love and friendship are the true gifts for Tom, myself, and our upcoming arrival. I want to express a huge thank you to Anca for hosting the shower, planning the food, entertaining us with games and prizes, and for all her organization. A huge thank you to my brother, Jim, for spontaneously becoming a babysitter for the children who came.

And now, some photos from the shower for you to see...

6 to 8, 3 to 5

We started our baby and birth classes. Here's what I have learned so far...

6-8 pees, 3-5 poops per day for healthy newborn
baby origami for swaddling/burritos
birthing videos are scary
doulas are hyper
confirmed that we will get no sleep

Overall, classes so far have been helpful (so far 2 birth classes and a day-long baby/breastfeeding workshop). We are gaining a better idea of what to expect. We enjoy our birth classmates and boy babies seem to be popular.

42 inches

Nope.. not my height. Try again...

Nope.. not my bust size (even though I am pregnant!)

That's the circumference around my belly, as measured by Bridget during a game at my baby shower last weekend. Two people exactly guessed my belly size! My wonderful high school friends threw our baby a shower of kindness (and many gifts). We have one lucky baby.

I have to say that I felt like my students during the shower... Bridget quizzed us about nursery rhymes and I think I scored 11 / 16. I suppose that's a passing grade, but I have some studying to do before the baby comes! For example, I have not heard of Jack Spat (Sprat) ... see, I can't even remember the name of the character. I quizzed Tom when I returned home and he got 15 /16!! I now know who the nursery rhyme expert in the family is. It's no surprise that the winners of this game, with 16 / 16, were Tricia (a kindergarten teacher) and Audrey (a kindergarten student).

Here are my wonderful friends (some have brought me close to 30 years of absolute joy). Thanks to everyone who helped with organizing the shower! Thank you, Carol, for entertaining us in your home. Thank you, Kristin, for being the point person. Thank you, Bridget, for the great games and prizes. Thank you, Rachy and Jamie, for the yummy baked goods. And I thank everyone else for your love, generosity, and kindness.


Here are our baby's future playmates (Benjamin - 4.5 months, Sophia - 6 weeks, Jacob - 8.5 months with mothers Bridget, Rachy, and Lori):


And, I can't forget Jamie's cupcakes:

Life's a Beach

Tom's brother, Doug, visited us for Tom's birthday (you can guess the year...). We spent the weekend in Oceanside, OR. Along the way we visited a sakery (where sake is made) and the winery where our neighbor, Kristin, works.

Here's Tom and Doug at the beach.



Below are some pictures overlooking the beach from the lighthouse at Cape Mears.