Shopping With My Girl

So my first clothing purchase for Baby Girl Madzar came from Baby GAP/Old Navy.

They had a heck of a deal online that included FREE shipping.

How could Baby Girl & I resist?!

I opted for something practical and something for funsies.

The pink onesies with matching socks are obviously my something practical.

I'm sure we'll go through all three in one day.

And then my something for funsies is Babe's 1rst 2-piece beachwear.

I'm sure Papa would've preferred a pink rash guard with matching hula girl baggies.

But maybe next shopping trip.

21 Weeks

21 weeks and over halfway there!
(Applause.)

This past week was very momentous for Baby Madzar.
Our weather in Southeastern North Carolina consisted of tornadoes, an earthquake, and Hurricane Irene.
Little Girl's first series of catastrophic weather events.
Something for the baby book.

One other noteworthy occurrence also happened that was much bigger than the 5.8 earthquake or the Category 3 hurricane.
Ms. Heather Smartt came into town for a visit, posh baby clothes in hand.
Here's a sneak peak of just the beginnings of Baby Girl's wardrobe.

Update on Mama Madzar.
I'm doing FAN-TABULOUS these days.
I'm slowly putting together colors for the nursery.
My nails are super strong from the prenatal vitamins.  Joe calls them my talons.
It's harder to paint my toes, shave my legs, and tie my shoes these days.
Luckily I have a very helpful husband.

Update on Papa Madzar.
His fatherly strut is starting to take shape and he loves talking about the baby.
He gets his 'kicks' these days from feeling for baby thumps while we lounge on the couch.
He still helps with cooking and cleaning.
He searches endlessly for nursery designs ... and little girl names.
Did I mention he is the awesome-est husband and dad?!

Update on Baby Girl Madzar.
She is 12 ounces.  A whole can of Coke.
She's not so much a morning person but a 10am kind of girl.  She's usually kicking up a storm by then.
After lunch she slips into a food coma and likes to curl up on my right side.
(This makes me look lop-sided.)
Then she wakes back up in the evening just in time to say hi to Dad.
She loves to listen to music in the car or GLEE on the television.  Pretty sure she's a ROCK STAR.

Tickled Pink

'It's a girl!' said the ultrasound technician, Kate.  I immediately welled up with tears.  I had only just laid down on the bed, roller camera in Kate's hand, Joe nestled on a stool with perfect view of the big screen television ahead and we already knew.  Our little girl had no secrets and was quick to share.

Up until that point I had really tried to stay neutral.  At times I even leaned toward the 'boy' side.  But when Kate said the 'G' word, I felt so alive.  Had I been secretly wishing for a girl this whole time?  Had I been saying 'boy' just to prepare myself if it wasn't a girl?  Who knows.  The important part was that I finally had a sex to put with all those belly bumps I had been getting from inside.  And we could now finally say the words 'she' and 'her'.  We have a daughter and those pronouns have never rolled so smoothly off of our tongue.

The ultrasound went perfectly.  All of Baby Girl Madzar's body parts measured right on par.  Her head was perfect, her face was perfect, her arms and organs ... perfect.  The tech said her legs measured long.  That must be from her Croatian counterparts.  Lucky girl.

All throughout the ultrasound the technician kept chuckling when she would attempt to measure an appendage or an organ or the blood flow because Baby Girl would move or twist or block so that the measurement couldn't be done.  Babe must have done it a dozen times.  Kate continuing to giggle says, 'She's trying to be funny, I think.'  Looks like our girl is definitely her mother's daughter ... always trying to get a laugh.

I 'measured' on par too.  Blood pressure was good.  Weight was good ... I've gained 11 pounds.  Us two girls are just chugging away getting this thing done.  It's such a magical feeling to have a happy and healthy family.

New thoughts entered my ever-wandering mind today: hair bows, frills, daddy's girl.  Knowing the sex has opened up all kinds of new doors.  And we're just tickled pink.

Baby Girl Madzar's profile, smile and all.

THUMP

It was midnight this past Sunday.  Baby Madzar & I's 18 Week Anniversary.  Joe had just finished the final touches on the nursery walls.  I was laying in bed relieved that the first nursery project was done.  I leaned back on a heap of pillows and began my nightly ritual of poking Baby Madzar and hoping for some sort of kick/head butt/elbow jab back.  With a mix of sleepiness and idleness I started to drift off when something caught my attention.

THUMP.

A sudden tap on the palm of my right hand.  My eyes darted to the convex surface that is my new midsection.  Was that what I thought it was?

THUMP.

It was.
JOE!  JOE, COME HERE! 
He dashed into the room with panicked curiosity.
PUT YOUR HAND RIGHT HERE! 
Before he could interpret my demands I jerked his left hand toward me and pressed it firmly on my lower stomach.

THUMP.

DID YOU FEEL THAT?

No, I don't think so.

COME ON, JOE!

THUMP.

WHAT ABOUT THAT TIME?!
No response from Joe because it was simply unnecessary.  I could see it in his face.

THUMP.

We felt it again.  A HUGE smile stretched across Joe's face so far that it leaped onto mine.  We just smiled at one another for the longest time.

Babe's telling you they're ready to go to bed.  You need to hit the hay.

I laughed.  And cried, as most pregnant women do.   I was thinking Babe was telling their dad what a great job he had done on the nursery.  Either way it was sort of like our first family conversation.  And it was a good one.

With all that thumping, Babe might just be a soccer player like their Dad & Dida.

The Walls That Dad Built

Dear Baby Madzar,

Hi-Ho.  Your mom here.

I know we talk every day.  But some things are better in writing.  Which is a lot of the reason why I write a blog.  To keep memories in a safe place so that you and your children and their children can have them.  This letter is no different.

You know, you are everywhere for me.  And not just because we are literally connected at the hip.  There's about a million things that run through my head a day. Most of them centered around you.  Yesterday as I was looking around your nursery I realized I wanted to tell you one very important thing about your dad.

He has loved you from the start.  And that love is right there in your room, in the walls that he has built.

I can remember before you were even conceived your dad used to talk about all of the thoughts he had for the nursery.  He used to rummage through woodworking books and endlessly search for ideas online.  When we first found out you were on the way, he was already so prepared.  He flipped through his sketch book and instantly knew what he wanted to do.  I think I may have even seen a light bulb go off above his head.

He scavenged the town for the best deal on the best wood.  I came home from work one day and it was stacked high in our living room.  It took him one weekend to clear your future nursery out.  He sold the futon and desk and sacrificed his clothes closet in our bedroom to make room for all of his sports equipment.  He then filled the empty bedroom with the carpentry tools he needed and soon got to work.

It was a very toasty July in Southeastern North Carolina and the average temperature was close to 100 degrees every day.  No matter the weather though, every evening when I came home from work I heard some sort of power tool blazing.  He was either cutting wood out back or sanding down putty holes.  He worked a full eight hour work day as a carpenter and then came home to work another 5 hours in the same dirty clothes.

And it was all for you.  Yes, he asked my opinion about design.  I helped determine the spacing between vertical slats and the upper shelving ledge.  But I can assure you none of it was for me.  None of it was for him.  I can't count the number of times he looked at me in all sincerity and said, 'I hope Baby Madzar likes this.'  Every nail, every wood cut, every drop of paint was all for you.

The upper shelving ledge is my favorite part.  I will most likely prop up some baby-friendly neatly-framed pictures that will impeccably match your baby quilt.  Your dad and I often joke about you one day swiping those frames and replacing them with your favorite toys.  If you're a boy, we see little toy cars lined up front bumper to back bumper making their way around the circumference of your room. If a girl, I'm sure there will be Barbie dolls perfectly perched.  Either way, your dad has made it very clear to me that it is your room and you can decorate it how you want.  After all, those are the walls that your dad built ... just for you.

And I will take those toys down only to dust and then put them right back where I found them,

Mom