A quick note to my daughter

I can't wait for you to get here.  I can't wait to see you for the first time.  I can't wait to see the first time that Mommy holds you (you are extra special to Mommy, you will learn why in time).  I can't wait to bring you home.  I can't wait to change your diaper (at 10 pm, 12 am, 2 am, 4 am, 6 am, and so on...).  I can't wait to watch you sleep.  I can't wait to show you off.  I can't wait to see your little personality.  I can't wait to see you smile.  I can't wait to hear you laugh.  I can't wait to tickle you so much that you laugh uncontrollably.  I can't wait to be called Daddy.  I can't wait to be overtaken by pink.  I can't wait to protect you when you are scared.  I can't wait to read you your favorite book.  I can't wait to see you dance.  I can't wait to have tea parties with you.  I can't wait to watch the Rangers with you.  I can't wait for you to fall asleep on me.  I can't wait to carry you to your bed.  I can't wait to teach you all kinds of cool things.  I can't wait to play fun games together.  I can't wait to teach you about all the different sports.  I can't wait to take you to church.  I can't wait to tell you about Jesus.  I can't wait to go on "daddy dates" with you.  I can't wait to teach you to ride a bike.  I can't wait to hold you.  I can't wait to hug you.  I can't wait to kiss you.  But most of all...  I can't wait for you to get here.  Did I mention why?

I love you so much!

Love,

Daddy

MVP

Most Valuable Pregnant Person.  I keep telling Jennie she is the MVP because she has been incredible during this pregnancy.  I have heard horror stories about emotions, bedrest, cravings, etc. and she has done an awesome job.  Of course she asks for her feet to be rubbed, she has talked me into picking up dinner, and there have been some emotional times, (she's not a robot) but I guess I was expecting worse.  She is still working, today is her last day, and yesterday she was planting flowers!  I just want to let everyone know how proud I am of her and what an awesome job she has done.  I know she is going to carry this over into labor and motherhood and win the Most Valuable Triple Crown (Pregnancy, Labor and Delivery, and Mommy).  Below is my beautiful wife and mother-to-be before our date night.  And yes, she looks that good at 38 weeks.  I love you!

We did get to go on our last pre-parenthood date night last night (even though the threat of rain and me getting called into work had us a little nervous).  We had a really fun day, we got donuts for breakfast, came home and did yard work, hit the pool, got all cleaned up and then went on our date.  We went to Olive Garden and then went to see Wall-E.  It was a great day.  

Alas.... The 26th has come and gone...

Well, if you remember a few posts back we were hoping for the 26th to be the day that Elliot came. That didn't happen, but in a funny way, we are kind of glad. We are very structured, so we like to have a plan and having her induction date helps that. And we are really taking advantage of our last pre-parenthood days together. We will both be sleeping in this weekend, we will probably hit the pool on Saturday, and that night we are going to go on our final "date night" without a little one. So it is kind of nice that we can enjoy these things together as we get ready for the next chapter of our lives. Thanks for praying, but as a great song writer once said, "Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers."

And, yes, I just quoted Garth Brooks...

That Must Be A Family Name...

We are inside of a week!  Elliot could come at anytime, but if she doesn't come on her own, we will get the process started on July 2nd.  A week from today!  

We are naming our daughter Elliot Grace and we have gotten some very interesting reactions to say the least.  Elliot means 'the Lord is my God' and it is Jennie's mom's maiden name.  It is also the name of a girl character on our favorite TV show "Scrubs", but we aren't naming her after that.  We liked the name and watching Scrubs did give us the guts to pull the trigger.  We had it picked out before we knew what we were having and we just knew that we were going to have a boy and we wouldn't get to use that name.  We want her to have a unique name and we realize that people are going to think that she is a boy.  We weighed these challenges and figured that she will have no problem overcoming them.

Now, on to the reactions of some people...

We get two basic reactions.  

1) "Do you have a name picked out?"

"Elliot Grace"

"So, you are going to call her Elli."

Thank you for not coming right out and saying that you dislike it so much that we will obviously call her something else!  When we first started telling people, we would proactively say, "Her name is Elliot, but we will probably call her Elli."  We were afraid that people wouldn't like it since it was so different.  But after a while we realized that we needed to stand behind the name if we believed in it.  And we do.  So now we answer back, "No, I think we will call her Elliot."  Which as we just told you, is her name...

2) "Do you have a name picked out?"

"Elliot Grace"

"Oh, is that a family name?"

Now, our answer is yes because that is the truth, but after so many people asked that question I realized what they were saying.  You obviously are being forced to name her Elliot because it has been passed down through the family because no one would pick that name on their own.  

Is this a little overly dramatic?  Yes.  I guess I am already in protective Dad mode.  Not everyone is going to like it (I wish they would hide it better), that is what makes it unique.  We recently spoke with two separate people that told us that they knew female Elliots and that gave us peace and confirmation.  We love her name and we are so in love with her.  We can't wait to hold her!  

And if you are having trouble with her name, go watch a couple episodes of Scrubs! 

Seven days!  (or less...)

Happy Birthday Uncle Ry Ry

I thought I would give some birthday props to my little brother.  He is always posting birthday messages on his blog, so I thought I would return the favor (even though it is a day late!).  I know you were hoping that Elliot would come on your birthday, but it looks like she wants to have a day all to herself!

Happy 24th Birthday!  We love you!  You are going to be an awesome uncle.

Greatest Hits

I am sitting at the computer listening to the new Coldplay album, and contemplating the big change that is about to happen (less than two weeks out, but that isn't what this blog is about).  So far (about halfway in) it is really good and I definitely recommend it if you are into that sort of thing.  It is called Viva la Vida, check it out...

Listening to music and thinking about becoming a parent has caused me to reflect on some of my childhood memories.  I don't have many memories of watching TV (besides some cartoons), a lot of my favorite memories revolve around listening to music.  I can remember sitting in our living room and Dad playing Huey Lewis and the News and Simon & Garfunkel on the record player.  Yes, I am old enough to remember record players.  I loved looking at the album cases and singing and dancing along to the songs.  I can also remember when CD's came out and the Tears for Fears CD that Dad brought home.  Sowing the Seeds of Love is still a jam!  This is definitely something that I am going to carry on.  I can't wait to introduce Elliot to Dave Matthews Band and Coldplay along with the Beatles, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, etc. (sorry Dad, I think I'll leave out Huey Lewis, though I will teach her that it is 'Hip to be Square'!)  Thanks Mom and Dad!  I am eternally grateful!

These are the kinds of things I think about as the nervousness builds.  The Waiting is the Hardest Part....  Oh yeah, add Tom Petty to the list too!

Get out your calendars

After talking with Dr. Livingston, we have picked an induction date.  Elliot will come no later than July 2nd!  However, she can come earlier, and that is what we are hoping for.  We want her to surprise us and we have been giving her pep talks that echo that.  We would like her to come on June 26th for a number of selfish reasons so be praying that she obeys her parents.

We also want to give a quick shout out to Jennie's sister Elizabeth who just got engaged this weekend.  We are so happy for you and Wesley!  We love you guys!

Stay tuned, as news is sure to come fast and furious now...

Update....as the time draws near...

I am starting this post with a quick note about blogging... I think that most of you know that I, Jordan, write the blogs. However, reading all of our friends blogs it seems that blogging is VERY housewife intensive. That puts me in interesting company. I feel like I should be writing about sports or something, or that I should turn over the blogging to Jennie. But, as anyone that has e-mailed her knows, this would not be in the best interest of all of you that long for information about us. Jennie and computers aren't really a match made in heaven, she can surf the internet, but that is about as far as her interest goes. She should have been born decades earlier b/c she doesn't need computers and her life is much simpler for it! It was my idea to start the blog, but at the time I didn't realize that I would have to turn in my "Man" card at the same time. Maybe it is helping me get ready for all of the "girly" things that are about to be a stable of my life. Oh well, I enjoy it, even if that places me squarely in the housewife club! Now, on to the rest of the blog...

Here we go... It is starting to get real. Her room is ready, all the necessities are bought, everything is assembled, all we need is a baby. And that is where reality sets in... It is hard to believe that we might not get out of June as just a couple. It has been a few weeks since the last update, so I thought I would bring everyone up to speed on what we have been doing.

Jennie goes to the doctor once a week now. Everything looks good, so there isn't a lot of new news on that front, we are just waiting for something to happen. She also had a work shower last week. Thanks to all of her work friends, we pretty much got everything else that we needed and yesterday we went and used our gift cards to get everything else. So, her room is ready, complete with video monitor, the Pack'n Play is set up next to our bed, bottles are washed and in the cabinet, so we are ready.

Jennie is healthy, she is just tired of being pregnant. She thinks that Elliot is coming in June, I think it will be July, so we will see. Anyone else have any guesses?

On Monday night we went to an Infant Care class. It was very interesting and beneficial, as I am now able to swaddle, bathe, change a diaper, and many other things, at least on a doll. I assume the degree of difficulty will sharply increase with a real baby, but for now I like to think that I am an expert (and yes, I fully expect to be humbled).

So, that is what is going on in our lives! Since time is short we will try to update more often, especially with nursery pictures.