Things I don't remember

I don't remember giving anyone permission to grow out of his newborn clothes.

I don't remember being this good at doing things one-handed.

I don't remember saying it was ok for anyone to pee and barf on my bed.

I don't remember what my parents were like when we were born, but I bet we got a lot of kisses.





I don't remember teaching my two-week-old how to roll over. Not cool.

I don't remember anything more entertaining than watching the faces this little baby makes while try to wake up from a nap.

I don't remember if I brushed my teeth today.

It's been less than three weeks, but I don't remember what my pregnancy-induced coffee aversion was like or how I've lived the past six months without it. I DO remember years ago when I said, "I like coffee but I will never be one of those people that has to drink it every morning," but I don't remember why I thought that was a good idea.

I don't remember how I was ever able to fit into my regular summer clothes last year.

I don't remember how many times a day this child eats. Is "a lot" a number?

I don't remember ever being less concerned about the state of my house. I am happy if it gets cleaned, but still shockingly ok with an unmade bed and dust bunnies larger than the cat.

I don't remember ever taking a picture this cute before:





I don't remember why I decided to blog instead of eat lunch, because I hear the baby waking up, and he certainly isn't going to sit around and wait for me to eat...

Brodito

Sorry Chipotle, you've been knocked out of first place. I have a new favorite burrito.





A Brody burrito. My Brodito.











Cilantro-lime rice has nothing on this. Couldn't you just gobble him up?

Happy birthday sister!

Happy 21st birthday to my sister Julie!

I am sure I have shared at some point that she is living with us in Baltimore for the summer. I had been a little concerned with my early-July due date that her birthday would be neglected this year- two first-time parents and an infant aren't always the most fun to party with. But instead, Brody showed up late, which means that my brothers and parents were all still here to celebrate! (And this means I don't have to worry about spilling cake mix on the baby or burning her birthday dinner while I change a diaper- we've got a veteran mom and dad here to do all the cooking.)

This was us one week ago today at a concert in Patterson Park.





How does that seem so long ago? Funny how much changes in a week.

Making up for lost time

Nine days after our official due date, Baby Shorty finally made an appearance.

Brody Liam Curtis was born Monday, July 12 at 10:43 pm. (Clearly I have zero motherly instincts, because I was convinced this baby was a girl who would be born early... so we're off to a great start.)

Apparently after hanging out in my belly all those extra days he decided he was done and made a ridiculously speedy entrance into the world! He's spent the past few days making up for lost time- eating like a champ, looking around in wide-eyed wonder, snuggling with grandparents and his aunt and uncles, and trying to poop through as many outfits in one day as possible.

We've already taken about a million pictures (and I think my dad is going to need a second iPhone to contain all the photos he's snapped) but I haven't had time to go through most of them. Here are a few quick shots of our little guy to hold you over... hope to be able to post more soon!

Sunday funday

Welp, we made it through the weekend. I am pretty tired so this installment of Happy Thoughts will be brief.

Cotton candy. We just returned from a lovely evening in the park. As if a cool breeze, great neighbors, picnic dinner, and a 70's Afro-funk concert weren't enough, Wes bought me a bag of fluffy pink cotton candy. This makes my heart happy. I can't adequately describe my love for puffy colored sugar. I've got lots of great pictures from our evening but I will post them another day.

Other babies. At least someone is being born around here. My friend Amanda welcomed her second little boy into the world today and I can't wait to meet him.

Buddies. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating. I don't think I would have made it through the past few days without our dear friends in town. I'm nearing the end of my emotional and physical rope, but I've laughed and smiled a lot this weekend. As much as I wish that Wes and Sara had gotten to meet our new addition, I'm so thankful for our time with them.

Countdown. Six days or less. Self-explanatory.

The beginning of the end

Here I sit, one week past my due date, and still blogging. When I first decided to blog happy things I didn't think I would have to keep up this daily update for so long! Today's post will include pictures again. Get excited! So here we go:

Finality. There is an end in sight. Today was my official last Saturday. If this baby doesn't make an entrance on its own this week, I will be induced on Friday night and deliver on Saturday. If this baby doesn't make an entrance on its own this week, I will also pull out all my hair, but that's a different story. Just don't be alarmed if I look a little bald in the hospital photos.

Rain. It hasn't rained here in weeks. For real. And I love rain. I can't tell you how happy I was to wake up on my last Saturday morning without a baby and lay in bed and listen to the rain hitting the skylight. (Also, I don't have to worry about killing my plants for a whole day. Wahoo!)

Fake shopping. Do you ever do that? Go online and fill a shopping cart full of stuff you would buy if you had money coming out your ears? It's really fun, you should try it sometime. Anyway, yesterday I made a new baby registry. Cause you know, that's what all normal people do when baby showers are long past and babies should already be born anyway. But I had just found out that Soft and Cozy Baby, my favorite local baby store, actually offers a registry, so I made one for kicks and filled it up with all kinds of goodies. It's like retail therapy without the buyer's remorse. If you live in the area and have kids you should definitely stop by and check it out (the store, not my registry). They have all kinds of great natural baby products.

I decided that I should document my last Saturday as a free human in photos, so here's how things went.

We started off with a trip to Panera and a tasty frozen mocha





The rainy afternoon was spent lying around the house napping, watching soccer, and eating pizza





The rain took a time-out so we took a walk in the park before grilling out for dinner. (I didn't even eat my chicken. I LOVE grilled corn.)








And then wrapped up the night playing games and eating cake while drinking strawberry daiquiris (non-alcoholic, of course)








Do you notice a theme for the day? There was a lot of food involved. All in all the perfect combination of laziness and fun. I think it was just what I wanted. We'll see what our final Sunday holds... unless of course we don't get one!

Mooooo.

Let's be honest- when you are 41 weeks pregnant you don't have to do too much to look like a cow. (Although I have to say, the shots below make me look deceivingly skinny! I look like I'm only six months pregnant. Don't be fooled by our clever camera angles.)

Thanks to Sara Parker for these first two images








In lieu of a "Happy Thoughts" post today, I think we can all just appreciate how awesome a free Chick-fil-A dinner is. We can also appreciate how awesome it is when this pregnant cow also got a free milkshake! (The nice Chick-fil-A lady felt sorry for me.)





Dylan and I felt a family shot with the cow and the belly was necessary, since this was supposed to be the baby's first fast-food experience. Next year, I suppose.





And one last picture of us with my sister and Wes & Sara! Thank goodness I have four happy people to keep my spirits up this weekend.

Day five comes and goes

It's odd. The later this baby is, the less I am caring. I am definitely getting more and more uncomfortable, something I didn't think was possible, but I think the disappointment of missing the "due date" has worn off. Subconsciously I think I have started to accept pregnancy as an eternal state, so giving birth should be a welcome surprise.

I wasn't feeling well yesterday and didn't get around to blogging, so today's edition of Thoughts to Keep Me Happy is a little longer.

Healthy baby. Still not sure what the slowpoke is thinking, but everything looked great at our ultrasound yesterday.

Mini-roadtrips. We drove up to visit my cousin and her kids yesterday- about an hour from home. (I figure that some people live about that far from the hospital so we'd still be safe in the unlikely event I went into labor.) It was great fun to get out of the house, catch up with Jill, and snuggle with sweet Micah again (now 11 weeks old!) while the older three climbed all over Dylan. Yes, I realize I should have taken a picture of the kids.

"I'm-sorry-you're-still-pregnant-donuts." The sister came through with presents once again!

Bikini freedom. We've all been through it. If you are wearing a two-piece bathing suit, you are constantly aware of the position you are sitting in and weather your stomach is folding or rolling oddly. Well, when your belly looks like a pumpkin, that concern goes straight out the window. We went to the pool for a few hours today, and since I am past the point where I am terribly concerned what anyone thinks, I opted to wear one of my regular bathing suits instead of my maternity tankini. Yeah that's right, I am that girl. (Thankfully, I am NOT the girl who was laying out beside us and apparently forgot that it's not appropriate to turn your bikini into a thong at a public city pool.) I am sure I was quite a sight, but I was SO much cooler and more comfortable as I floated around and read my Real Simple. And bonus points, the big white belly got a little sun!

Visitors. Tradition has it that friends and family come visit you once your little one has arrived. Well, some babies delay arrivals and kind of mess up visitation plans, so some friends are awesome and come visit you and your large belly instead. Wes and Sara are on their way to Baltimore tonight, baby or no baby, and I am SO excited to see them!

Anticipation. Ohhhh, you didn't know I was taking requests, did you? Well I didn't know I was famous enough to have reader-requests, so I guess we're even. This was suggested as a happy thought I should highlight, and I must agree, most days I am happily looking forward to the arrival of our little snugglebug. (Other days I am wondering how hard is ok to shove back when I get a foot poking through my side.)

Chikin. Tomorrow is Cow Appreciation Day, one of my most favorite days of the year. I had originally thought a newborn might get in the way of my free Chick-fil-a combo. Then I worried that a hospital stay might cause problems. Now that I know I am only 24 hours from my delicious chicken, I am starting to believe I might get to enjoy it. (And of course, we all know that as soon as I start thinking that way the baby will decide to be born.) Since I haven't posted any pictures this week, if I get to enjoy this wonderful treat I will be sure to share a photo with you.

Target on a Tuesday morning

Yup, still blogging happy things. Ultrasound in the morning to see how the little slowpoke is doing.

Baby buddies. Is my baby late? Yes. Am I slightly bitter when I feel like other people are giving birth left and right? Of course. But am I genuinely happy for my friend Amanda who is going to meet her little man this week? Definitely! Henry is coming two weeks early and I am super-excited for the possibility of a shared birthday for our little ones. We'll see how it goes!

Joey. There's nothing like a few episodes of Friends and Baby Kangaroo Tribiani to make me laugh.

Pizza! Dylan and Julie and I ditched our plans to make a casserole for dinner and headed out for pizza. We figured there won't be many more chances for the three of us to do fun things like that.

Weekday errands. We went to Target this morning for a few odds and ends. How awesome is it to wander around Target in total peace and quiet?? No screaming kids, no loud people on cell phones pushing their carts obliviously in the way of everyone, no long lines. It was heavenly.

A little puffier every day

If you are checking in today for the first time in recent weeks, you might be confused at what has happened to my photography blog. So here's a brief recap: still pregnant, no new photos to share, listing happy things each day to keep my mind off the little furnace that I am carrying around in my belly during this lovely Baltimore heat wave. (Let's hear it for 103 tomorrow!)

Today's smiles result from:

Trains and planes. Both brothers are coming to town next weekend, one by train and one by plane. How fancy does that sound? Super excited that tickets are booked and plans are made. Now all we need is a niece or nephew for them to play with!

Sun and water. We made our first visit to the pool today. It's in the park two blocks away, which is so convenient. (What is not convenient is when you think it opens at noon and it doesn't open until 1 because of the holiday and you are too slow and pregnant to return to the house so you sit and wait on a bench for 45 minutes.) And I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive of my first visit to a city pool. I wasn't totally wrong- there were lots of fascinating characters there- but we actually had a lovely afternoon sitting with our neighbors and playing in the kiddie pool with their four-year-old. The water was shockingly cool and refreshing and I felt like a new person as soon as I hopped in.

Fruity shampoo. It smells like summer and sunshine.

Trivial Pursuit. When you have a whole lot of time to kill, there is really nothing better than playing an impossibly difficult board game.

Hoping not to talk to you tomorrow,

Sausage Toes

Still going

No pictures today. And yes, I missed a day of not-so-patiently-waiting-for-baby blogging (sorry for any false alarms.) We made no real plans for the 4th of July (in hopes that we'd be at the hospital) so there's not a lot going on around here today. So we'll get right to it. Here are a few things today to keep me cheerful:

Freedom/America. I'm not one for patriotic speeches or anything, but duh, living in a free country is awesome.

Brownies. A recurring theme, probably because I have been recurringly baking them.

Unexpected lunch invitations. We got invited to lunch after church and made some new friends- a good way to spend a previously unplanned afternoon.

Knitting. I am not a knitter like my friend Kate. But for some reason all week long as I have wondered when this baby would get here, the thought of knitting and these verses from Psalms keep popping into my head. I guess there are a just a few more stitches to go.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

Toe nail polish. I have never been a nail polish girl, but recently my sweet husband has been painting my toenails for me (yeah that's right. Be jealous.) It's become a fun game for me to choose a new color every week. It's the little things.

Mayonaise. I hate mayonaise. But I almost died crying with laughter reading this entry in my friend Katherine's blog this week.

Upcoming celebrations. So it's no secret that I love hamburgers, but I've had a huge beef aversion all throughout this pregnancy. I really wanted a 4th of July cookout but how can you possibly do that without burgers?? We decided we would celebrate the Fourth sometime in the next two weeks after the baby is born and my parents are in town and I can finally enjoy the deliciousness of a burger. So while all of you are wrapping up your day of holiday fun, I am still looking forward to mine. In the meantime, I am off to cook some very patriotic stir-fry for dinner tonight.

I'll try to think of some happy thoughts to share tomorrow that don't revolve around food. But don't cross your fingers!

Today's happy thoughts

In continuing my new project from yesterday, here are some things that make me smile today.

Technology. I have a Skype date with my favorite six-month-old, and I am excited.

World Cup. Quality soccer games on TV + nowhere to be = happy husband.

Kitty photos. Oh wait, does this not look like a cat to you? Well that's CAUSE IT'S NOT. She was lying in the perfect light this morning, just waiting to be photographed, so I went to get my camera, and by the time I had gotten myself safely down on the floor she had relocated to a dark corner. Riley took this as an opportunity to sit right in front of me and give me a sleepy stare.





Ice cream and doughnuts. My sister stopped at Baskin-Robbins on her way home from work today and brought us treats! She must have looked like she had a sister who was nine-months-pregnant at home, cause they threw in a half dozen Dunkin Donuts for free. : )

Sisters that live with you. They bring yummy presents!

Getting out of the house. I told Dylan I would lose my mind if we sat around the house all day waiting for this baby, so he quickly made a fun plan for us. He organized a "photo safari," complete with an Australian accent, a ride in the pick-up truck, and a bookbag full of snacks. We spent the afternoon wandering around Fells Point and enjoying some gorgeous weather while I snapped photos of interesting objects and answered the obligatory pregnancy questions from passers-by. (Side note: Just because a girl is pregnant doesn't mean she is necessarily interested in the details of random strangers' cervical changes.)

Now I am really not so great at photographing things that don't have eyes and mouths and emotions. Part of that is that it just doesn't come naturally to me, and part of that is that I don't put much effort into it. I need to get out one day and really try to stretch my creativity. But in my current state, here's what I got. (Don't look for these in any magazines any time soon.)

A doorknob





A large crab. Basically awesome.





A few shots of the old City Pier (if you ever watched Homicide: Life on the Streets, this was the set)








And a street shot of Fells.





Punctuality. Yes, I was most definitely hoping this baby would be here a week ago. But now I am excited at the possibility of having one of the 5% of babies that actually arrive ON their due dates (which is tomorrow...!) This would be fun.

Dinner plans. We were going to have leftovers till our friends around the corner invited us over for grilled pizza and veggies. Score!

And with that, I am out the door to get some food. Peace.

Happy 1st of July

I have turned today into a holiday because I am hoping to be too busy to blog on the 4th! But at this point, little Baby Shorty does not seem terribly interested in being born, so no promises. I'm praying for patience and trying to enjoy these last few baby-free days, so to help me focus, I have compiled a small list of things that make me happy.

The return of proper Maryland weather. Life (and wardrobe options) at 9 months pregnant are drastically different when the weather is sunny, breezy, and in the high 70s.

Dylan on summer vacay. As of yesterday, he is totally done with school for two months. Yay for staying up late watching TV, sleeping in, and having him home all day!

Treats. I like it when people bring me brownies and frappuccinos.

Countdowns to visitors. Even though I don't know exactly when the baby will show up, I DO know that I can count on seeing friends and family in the next few weeks.

Krimpet. (Yes, we finally named the cat. Although she probably doesn't know that. Because besides her official name- after the Tastykake of course- we also call her Krumpels, Krumpelstiltskin, Stilts, Kitty, Baby Elephant, and Psychopath.) This cat is entertaining to no end. She is absolutely out of her mind.

Car repairs. Because even though the baby didn't ASK for a new alternator as part of its welcome-to-the-world gift basket, I know it will enjoy riding around in a vehicle that doesn't die on the side of the road.

Plants. I think only one is dying! This is good news!!

Free concerts in the park. City living is neat. Patterson Park has a free summer concert series, so while I walk this belly around in circles at night, I have music to entertain me. And once the baby shows up, a free, baby-friendly evening out is just two blocks away!

Chipotle. I heart fajita burritos and cilantro lime rice. I also heart when I think, "Man, I would love a burrito," and then I check the mail moments later and there is a coupon for a free Chipotle burrito.

Ice cream. Self explanatory.

Perhaps I will make this a daily event until the baby shows up- listing happy things. Maybe tomorrow I will even include- gasp- a picture! Stay tuned.