Go Sox!

Another exciting part of last weekend was that my friends Mary and Matt flew in to visit, and brought their adorable daughter. I was extremely honored that they would come all this way to attend Myles's baby shower, and we had a lot of fun together.

I had only had the chance to see Mary and Matt at weddings in recent years, and typically one or the other of us was involved in the wedding, so it had always been difficult to spend any quality time together. This trip was spent with much talking, playing with the baby, laughing, catching up, and playing with the baby (did I mention that she is adorable?).

We got to try some of our newly acquired baby stuff out during their trip, and I'm happy to say that everything seemed to work as promised (aside from a playset that was simply too assembly-intensive to actually complete).

On Sunday night, we walked the mall and caught some of the Red Sox/Yankees game, where Matt informed me about the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between being a Red Sox fan and a Yankees fan. I'll see the people in those "NY" baseball caps a little differently from here on out, I must say.

But also, seeing how my friends are taking parenthood was a reassurance that raising an infant doesn't have to be all stress and exhaustion. It is still possible to travel and enjoy life quite comfortably, as long as you can keep things in perspective and maintain a thoughtful, loving relationship.

Thank you, Mary and Matt, for helping me feel all the more prepared and excited for the arrival of Myles.

Baby Shower

Saturday Melissa threw us an amazing baby shower/open house. I knew that I really wanted to have a chance to be with friends and family who have been our support over the long journey towards parenthood. As the final month (weeks?) of pregnancy awaits us, I am really in a space of reflection and appreciation. Mason and I have really precious friends. Saturday just reinforced how lucky we are!



We were spoiled rotten. No doubt all the gifts (including the crib sheets, swaddling clothes, and even a much wanted wipe warmer) really will help us be ready for Myles. Clearly, there is a material demand that would be hard to absorb if people weren't so generous with gifts (new and hand me downs). But right now, what I REALLY needed was to know that I was bringing this beautiful baby into a world where it was loved.



People have shown up to say and to show that they love us, they love Myles, and they will be here to help us in our road to parenthood. We have had friends from 3 different states come and visit in just the last few weeks--each family having babies in various stages of development. They have shown us how to use Myles' gear, shared their own parenting stories, and given us lessons on what they have learned. It has been a beautiful ceremony--a very rich ritual that will guide us into our next transformation. Those friends closer to home have woven the celebration of our Myles into our lives with frequent visits, constant support, and promises to help us when Myles is actually born and the fanfare fades. The day in and day out care and attention has been really valued.



I feel like I am ready. The baby shower was the last piece I needed to feel ready for my baby to come. Whether he comes in 2 weeks or in 6 weeks, I feel like what is left to be done is the details that keep us busy but don't loom over us.

Birth plans

So we spent a half day with our doula, Jacee, this weekend. Originally, I wondered what we would do with so much time, but we actually ended up running late because there was so much to talk about.

We left the meeting with lots of little homeworks to get ready for the birth. All of it is fun (except the new way I am supposed to sit so the baby is anterior) and puts us in the celebratory mood. We now have to finish our birth plan and actually figure out what kinds of things to throw in our bags.


We have started to make a music mix for the birth. We started with a relaxation mix that is likely to put Mason into the insane asylum. I find lots of 70s easy listening rather soothing. We will make several playlists so his suffering is not complete and prolonged. Who knows what--if any--role music will play in the delivery.

We sure have fun playing around with the songs, sounds, and lyrics.

Labor Day Weekend

For us, last weekend was "Labor Date Weekend". Allyson and I didn't have any pressing plans, and had a wonderful time together. On Saturday, we took a wonderful bike ride downtown, where we visited an impromptu fair and proceeded to do a historical walking tour of the historical areas. Then, later that night, we went through cookbooks and found dishes that we were interested in cooking together, bought the ingredients and had a good ol' time cooking!

As I type this, I'm eating the last of the chocolate bread pudding that was the nightcap of the evening. Mmmm boy!

Allyson is getting bigger, as you can see, and today when I came home she informed me that she had had a very pregnant day. My response was, "What're the ODDS? Did you have that scheduled?"

Anyway. A trip to the Midwife last week revealed that Myles is on perfect schedule for his growth, and seems to be healthy and strong.

Down to the last seven weeks! Hooo Baby! (literally.)