MN Recap & Other Stuff

We had a great trip to MN to see my family! I arrived last Monday, and was surprised that evening by a shower thrown by my mom's amazing friends. Many of the people at the shower have known me for a lot of years, either through the various neighborhoods we lived in or skating. Even though they are far away, I am so glad that they can be part of this time ... a number of the ladies have literally watched me grow up. In addition to the array of gifts I received that evening at the shower, some people had selected gifts off our registry and had them sent straight to the house, which means it's been like Christmas since we got home. Our house is quickly filling up with baby gear that we have no idea how to use!

Steve came up on Thursday evening and we all headed to Lake Ida for the long weekend. On Saturday my Wenck relatives came over for a visit and brought more gifts! We spent the day boating, floating, eating, laughing, and catching up. I don't get to see my Wenck relatives very often, but when I do, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many funny, down-to-earth, genuine people. I'm excited for our visit next year when I'll be able to introduce them to the first member of the next Wenck generation.

It was hard to leave on Monday evening, as always, but it was also good to get home. Higgins was especially glad to be back in his own bed! He lodged with my in-laws, and, from what I hear, spent the better part of his weekend acting as Mark's sidekick. They make a good pair.

Below is a picture of the baby's rapidly filling closet thanks to the showers and, in large part, to my mother-in-law who has been shopping since day one. We had everything stacked on the bed, and this morning I tried to make sense of all the items (it took a while). The clothes in the picture are only some of the items we have, if you can believe that. The shoes came from my Orcutt aunt, uncle, and cousin (the blanket underneath the shoes is a homemade treasure I received at my surprise shower), and the pink items get a posted picture because, well, they're just so cute and pink!

While we were in MN, our friends Jerrod and Kristi and their son, Cohen, moved into our neighborhood. We felt only a little bad that we couldn't help on moving day, but we were so excited to know they would be just down the street when we returned from our trip. Today Kristi and I went to Carter's to look for deals on baby clothes (she's pregnant, too). We found some good buys, but I discovered that buying baby clothes is no easy task. When I shop for myself, I find what I like and always select the same size. When I shop for baby, though, I have to think about size and style, and how they coincide with a particular season. For example, I couldn't buy a cute summer dress in a newborn or 12 month size because it will be winter during those periods in the baby's life. And although one item might be labeled 3 months, it can start fitting around 8 pounds, which may come well before 3 months. I realize this isn't a huge deal, and it won't kill me to use a little brain power while shopping, but it's a notable change in shopping habits nonetheless.

I need to wrap this up because you're probably getting tired (if you're still reading). But before I quit, I have one request. I'm soliciting advice on baby books. My sister and Steve both think we need one, but I was going to go the lazy route and skip it. I'm afraid I'll start the book and never revisit it to finish. So, I want to hear about what you recommend/what you used. Please refrain from promoting the all-out year-by-year scrapbook because it won't happen. Other than that, I'm totally open to your suggestions!