Assembling Baby's stuff is AWESOME...

This past weekend, Geoff and I took advantage of some sales and got Baby Howard's pack-n-play and swing. The swing, as with most of Baby Howard's things, was no problem to assemble, but the pack-n-play was a different story. Geoff and I consider ourselves relatively intelligent and not completely without handy bones in our bodies, but the pack-n-play was a challenge.

We began earnestly and excitedly, pulling things out of the box and arranging parts in a logical order. But things went downhill quickly. Graco provided a lovely little paper book of "directions." However, the directions were not directions at all. The directions were statements such as "Tubes should appear exactly as shown" placed next to a monochrome illustration that showed tubes sticking out of fabric and offering no guidance on how to insert the tubes. So, we inserted tubes the wrong way, put things on upside down, and took a break for Geoff to grab a beer. Then we realized we needed a screwdriver and some batteries, so we had to take a break to hunt for those (and for Geoff to get a beer--ha, just kidding!). We eventually gave up on using the "directions" and figured out the pack-n-play ourselves after a good 45 minutes of fiddling. Now Baby Howard has a place to rest and be changed in the basement (only our pack-n-play is green and brown). We ended up laughing and having a good time with this frustration, thinking ahead to the days of assembling Barbie dream houses or Star Wars "Geonosian solar sailers" late on Christmas Eves. We look forward to those challenges as well!

Love to all!

An online scrapbook

For a tiny assignment for my last grad class, I was asked to research alternatives to the PowerPoint presentation. There are so many multimedia presentation applications, but one I found that I enjoyed playing with was "Scrapblog", an online scrapbook! It was easy to learn, and I had fun creating a short sample to share with my professor and classmates. I created a "Ready for Baby Howard" scrapbook, so I thought I would share it with you as well!

Click on the link below, then click on "View in full screen". If the scrapbook is advancing too quickly, look for the bar in the lower right hand corner that has a rabbit icon at one end, and a turtle at the other. Move the bar towards the turtle to slow down the transitions between pages. Enjoy!

Ready for Baby Howard

Baby update and fun with stroller!

I visited the doctor today, and she thinks everything looks "textbook." While I am happy to hear that, I sure hope she's not jinxing me! The baby's head is down, and I have "dropped", so we're looking somewhere in the vicinity of 4-6 weeks to meet Baby Howard and finally call him/her by name! I gained another 6 pounds, which puts me at having gained 25 pounds overall, and I can really feel the immense tummy weight in my back now. (I sure do wish Steph were closer so she could constantly remind me how to sit, stand, and walk to help alleviate some of the discomfort!)

On the homefront, the nursery is coming along. Geoff is almost finished installing the crown molding, we're waiting on our ottoman to be delivered, and I need to decide where to hang my "literary lunar" decor (a la Goodnight, Moon and 'Hey, Diddle, Diddle"). Then I think we're set as far as baby needs go! I will post photos once the room is complete.

In the meantime, here are 2 photos to tide you over. One is of Geoff assembling our totally awesome City Mini stroller, and one is of me testing it out with the carseat attached! Love to all!

The master at work--MUST DESTROY THE BUBBLETAPE!

I look a tad pale and tired, but I promise I am super excited about this awesome stroller. It folds with the pull of one tab with one hand, collapses flat, weighs just 17 pounds, and we can use it until the kid weighs 50 pounds! Totally worth the money--seriously, view the demo! City Mini Review and Demo

Virginia Baby Shower

These were the shower favors Steph created--aren't they fantastic?

What can I even say about my baby shower on Saturday, August 8, 2009? It was truly amazing! Steph and Cassie worked so hard to create a "high tea" for all the guests. We had mimosas (I had cranberry juice) and mingling upon our arrival; then we sat for tea. Steph served a delicious salad along with our choice of various teas, and then we had finger sandwiches, fruit, scones, shortbread, cupcakes...the list could go on forever! After the tea, we played some baby shower games, and then it was time for presents! I certainly have very generous friends and family, and I am so grateful to everyone! Here are some pics from the big event!

Here's a pic of the tea food! Yummy!

Here are SOME of the guests--top row--part of Gretchen and Meghan; 3rd row--Janet, Julie, and Cass; 2nd row--Steph, Mom (who is red in the face due to dermatological treatment), and me; bottom row--Robin; not pictured--Fran and Mary Kay! Well, part of Fran's arm made it, and MK is taking the photo!

Here is the quilt Janet (G.G. for Grandma Gallagher) made for Baby Howard--that square in the middle is Bella!

Here is a gift from my mom (Mims)--that's the outfit I wore home from the hospital as a newborn!

Reflections on 4 years of marriage

I was inspired to post this after reading my friend Ann's similar post on her 4th anniversary. 4 years have come and gone so fast, and I know time will not slow down, especially once Baby Howard arrives. I am looking forward to all the years to come with our growing family!


I wanted to take this opportunity (albeit 2 weeks late) to honor my 4th wedding anniversary by giving the top 10 reasons I love Geoff so much. Some are funny, some are poignant, all are true. Happy "last anniversary with just the two of us", Geoff!

Top 10 Reasons I love Geoff Howard

10. He whistles, hums, or sings while he works, just like my dad.

9. He is an awesome cook!

8. He is not afraid to try new things, be it installing tile flooring or eating scary cuisine in foreign lands.

7. He loves his country, his God, and his family, and he proves that every day.

6. He has a great laugh that always makes me laugh too!

5. He reads product reviews on baby equipment.

4. He can make an excellent homemade margarita without any mix!

3. He is well-educated, well-read, and articulate when it comes to History, culture, and current events.

2. He humors my "Leslie-isms" such as list-making and young adult fiction mania.

1. He is going to make an excellent father.

trips to AL and MD

As Bilbo Baggins said in The Fellowship of the Ring, "It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life." That is just what Geoff and I did on our 10 day excursion to Pell City, AL, and to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Aside from the slight hiccups in travel, such as my big suitcase for shower gifts getting lost on the flight down and Geoff and I forgetting to take the air mattress to Salisbury, Geoff and I truly relaxed. In Alabama, Geoff, Connor, and Dad did some fishing. I failed to get ANY pictures of that, but trust me, they were out in the boat A LOT. I even got to take a couple of boat rides myself! We had a lovely birthday breakfast for my 82-year-old Memaw, and I enjoyed my lovely baby shower given by my Godmother and dear friends. However, my favorite part of the trip to Alabama was doing a whole lot of nothing--sitting in the shade with a book or picking fresh green beans from my grandfather's garden (and later that day cooking them Southern style).

The Watson/Glenn/Robey/Jones/Howard clan (minus Emmi and Wes)

Me opening a memorable gift--this was MY dress as a toddler; Aunt Susan saved it for me!

Geoff's clearly very excited about all the poopy diapers to come!

Granddaddy watching me pick his green beans while in my bathing suit--hey, I was in Alabama after all!

In Maryland, Geoff and I enjoyed some beach time and Maryland crabcakes with Jim and Janet. We were only there two days, but I find that the smell and sound of the ocean, even for a little while, is enough to calm and relax any weary soul. After the beach, we headed to Salisbury to hang out with Steph and Colin over the 4th. Again, we celebrated the small-town life. We went to a local carnival hosted by a volunteer fire department, visited a small craft brewery, and shot our own fireworks. (Sadly enough, all of the beach pics are on Jim's camera, and the really funny pics of blueberry picking and the carnival are on Steph's camera.)

The gang visited Evolution Craft Brewery. Everyone enjoyed the yummy suds but me--just look at me pouting!

This shot was taken at Furnace Town, where I was mistaken for a local gal and Steph as the one from DC due to her camera.

Although Geoff and I truly enjoy our home and all the opportunities that come with where we live, each trip to Pell City and the Eastern Shore reminds us what we're missing. We long for the days when we can find a nice home on a nice sized piece of waterfront property and fish and garden to our hearts' content. We realize this dream is a long time coming, so we are grateful to have family that live in such areas. We LOVE visiting you!

New nickname for Baby Howard

So...most of you know the story of how Baby Howard came to be called Pierpont. If not--it's from my mom. There's an I Love Lucy episode when Lucy is trying to think of names for Little Ricky, and she keeps changing her mind every 5 seconds. Each new name gets more and more ridiculous, and Pierpont is one of her choices. Pierpont was Baby Howard's nickname until Monday's ultrasound. My new doctor didn't like the old pics, and because I was "measuring large", she had another ultrasound scheduled.

Well folks, Baby Howard, a.k.a. Gigantor, IS indeed large. I'm not even at 29 weeks yet, and Baby Howard weighs 3 pounds (most likely). His/her head is in the 80th percentile of head sizes, and Geoff and I are shocked by all of this. We were not large babies, and neither of us have gigantic craniums, so where's this huge baby coming from? My mom's guess is my Dad. He was over 9 pounds at birth, so if I end up with a 9 pound baby in September, I am putting all the blame on the Glenn genes! Here's a pic Baby Howard's gigantic cranium. Pics and postings from the trips to Alabama and Maryland are soon to follow! Love to all!