Birmingham Baby Shower for Alice

Alice and I were showered with love and great gifts on Saturday. My mom and Mark's, sisters, aunts, cousins, grandmothers and a few special friends had a great time together.

the Holmes family (above)

Mary Beth, Laura (who has a 1 week old daughter), and me

The Stegall sisters and Mama

This quilt is such a sweet treasure from my days in the nursery 30 years ago. Mama's friends each made a piece to celebrate my birth. It was touching to realize that the same folks who celebrated MY birth are here to celebrate my daughter--Leigh Ann, Mama Ann, Randa, Renee, Mudder, Marjean, Jan, Deborah and more.

niece Elle and cousin Hillary, also expecting a girl this summer

Birmingham weekend

Mark and I got to spend a long weekend in Birmingham. It was so fun to be with family and enjoy springtime, warmth and sunshine. We saw the Elys in the afternoon and had dinner with Bert & Leigh Ann, Mama Ann, my parents, and the Squires family.

Mark's family was so kind to drive and see us in Birmingham on Saturday. We celebrated my birthday with lunch at The Club. It's even more beautiful there since the renovation! The last time we were all there was over four years ago at our wedding rehearsal dinner.

Mark and I took a drive to Huntsville to explore a little after a fun lunch date together at Bottega. It's a cool town with some great looking houses.

One month and everything changed

Our friends the Birds welcomed their son a little early last Thursday. Isn't he sweet?

This was at her baby shower February 27th. She was 31 weeks and I was almost 24 weeks. Baby Bird is Alice's first boyfriend.

Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard Times building

I had an appointment today at Martha's Vineyard Hospital. I'm definitely going to give myself more time to explore the island for follow up meetings! My coworker Steve--he's an encourager when times are rough (much like our friend/coworker John). Dave was taking the picture on the ferry today. Steve's been in Radiology for decades. He was the drummer for Sonny & Cher back in the day.

beautiful views, charming homes

clever bird houses made of old books

MV Bank in great old building

Mark and I should go back when more than 25% of the stores are open. Tourist season is still 4-6 weeks from starting so it was a little quiet on the island.

It has rained and poured

It's Monday afternoon and we've had non-stop rain since late Friday night. I just checked and March has had 5.3" of rain with 1.97" on Sunday alone. Yesterday our apartment had 6 distinct spots where water was coming in. . .the french doors and skylight turned into gushers. Today we're only dealing with the back doors and our landlord is on the way with caulk and plastic tarps. Maybe that'll save me from drying towels to rotate in front of the doors to sop it up. Jackson is antsy as can be because he hates going out in the rain. (Mark's a little antsy too. Thank goodness for our gym membership!)

There's a little silver lining: I did some fun quilting Saturday during the storm. This was a true Nor'easter but it wasn't snow. We had friends over for brunch on Sunday. Maybe this wet weather will make Spring come a little faster.

I live in a metro area devoid of Christian radio. Sometimes I need the encouragement while I'm cruising highways in an attempt to sell x-ray equipment. I've heard John Hiatt's Have a Little Faith In Me lately on the radio and it's been just what I needed. I've made the title a link to the song so you can listen. This song, coupled with today's Daily Bread from Romans 8:31-39 remind me that God's on our side in all circumstances. I need to hear that today (and probably tomorrow).

The big 3-0

Thirty doesn't actually feel any different that 29 but it sure sounds a lot older. There are a few things I didn't get to in my 20s, like a printmaking class and hang-gliding that I hope to accomplish in my early 30s. Alice's arrival this year means we're in for big changes and I'm looking forward to the new path. There are some questions still looming (like childcare) but I think Mark and I will really enjoy ourselves as our lives change this decade.

I got to have two fun birthday dinners this week. We had some new friends over Wednesday night and enjoyed the conversation even more than the homemade cheesecake! Mahmood Karzai's younger brother turned down a position at the family restaurant in Cambridge to remain in Afghanistan. He's now that country's president -- a job apparently much more suited to his skills. The Helmand restaurant was where Mark and I celebrated my 30th birthday with friends on Thursday.

Appetizer: Naan and Kaddo (above) Pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce, topped with ground beef sauce.

Entreee: Lamb Lawand Leg of Lamb sauteed with onion, tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, fresh cilantro, yogurt and spices served with sauteed spinach and challow rice

Dessert: Cake (below) Homemade cardamom and pineapple cake served with ice cream on pomegranate sauce.

Anna & Nate, Em & M, Jon & Katie

Mark the Designer

My Husband the Seamstress sound like a funny title, so I attributed him with another well-deserved adjective that somehow seems more masculine: Designer. He's already a talented architect, furniture maker, vegetable gardener, and now he's added sewing to his repertoire. I drug him to the fabric store this Fall and he picked out this great-looking plaid. He created a pattern with newspaper, made a model pullover out of cheap fabric to learn the tricks of inserting sleeves, and finally started with his original idea. I didn't sew a stitch for him and he did such a good job. He matched the plaids and created an interesting side closure for extra detail. I'm so impressed!

Little Girl has a name!

Little Girl Holmes already has a name and we love it!

Alice Katherine Holmes

Alice means "noble" and Katherine means "pure"

I can regularly hear many of Mama's saying in my ear: "task completion", "If you say one mean thing a person you have to say two kinds things about the person--and it can't be about their physical appearance.", "Choose to obey", and the biggest one "Your wants are many but your needs are few."

The last one has been ringing in brain as we prepare for our girl's arrival. I've registered at Babies R Us, Pottery Barn Kids and Target. They have cute, wonderful, and useful things. My concern is deciphering wants and needs for myself and Alice as we approach this new phase in life. Sure, I adore the bedding at PBK. The stroller we picked has awesome features. She's got to wear clothes. Cuddly blankets are precious and necessary for the Northeastern climate. I'd love to have them all.

I don't want to step into the trap of thinking some things are needs when they really aren't. We don't have room for a changing table or rocker so we're making what we have work. Some people say a rocker is a need, but for now we're treating it as if it isn't. Our baby will have clothing, food, a place to sleep, and some wonderful hand-me-downs from family. Do we need more? I find myself wandering through these baby stores and saying "i want, i want, i want." I really want Alice to know that God loves her, we love her, and things aren't what make us happy. I know we'll have toys as time goes by. I hope they're ones that will encourage her to learn, explore her environment, teach her focus and independence, and grow her imagination. I pray we'll start off well and continue the journey with love and care for this great blessing in our life. These days I don't know what all of our needs are, or which are wants, because we've never been down this path.