Henry is at 36 weeks now which means just three days from now he’ll be be considered “full-term”. Lately when people ask us if we’re ready we just say, “We’re ready as we’ll ever be. On Tuesday we have our last ultrasound which should give us a lot of information about how and when Henry wants to come.
He's done growing, right?
Erin and I spent the weekend in Austin for a babymoon. I first heard about the concept of a babymoon from some friends of ours who took a trip to Hawaii when they found out they were pregnant. It’s a trip to hang out together before the baby comes.
I blame the fact that Erin’s not supposed to fly, since she’s 36 weeks pregnant, for not allowing us to make it to Hawaii.
Thanks to Erin’s research and a few key restaurant suggestions from Uncle Mo, we had a great time. We started Saturday with a trip to the state capital. Then we ate lunch at Katz’s Deli and explored the shops of SoCo (South Congress Avenue). Next, we drove just west of the University of Texas campus to the Cookie Lounge. The Cookie Lounge specializes in letting you pick your dough and toppings, baking your cooking and serving it to you warm. After a stop by the hotel and short nap, we headed to Bat Fest ’09. We stayed just long enough to eat some Tater Twisters and see the bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Barbecue was next on the agenda so we headed to Salt Lick Barbecue in the middle of no where Texas. It was very good but they don’t take credit cards.
On Sunday morning we slept late and then headed to Second Street to eat at Jo’s Coffee Shop. Lastly, we drove around the University of Texas campus before heading back to Dallas.
Here is a short video I took of the bats:
It’s just under a month until Henry’s projected due date so I’d like to open the predictions market for the date of Henry’s arrival.
The Contest
Leave a comment that includes the date you expect Henry to come. The person (or persons) that comes closest will get a glossy photo of Henry in his coming home from the hospital outfit signed by Henry! Predictions must be submitted by September 1.
The Facts
To help your prediction, here’s what we know so far:
My co-workers threw Erin and I a shower last week. It was great.
They took us to one of our favorite pizza restaurants, Campisis. They also decorated the tables with ballons, confetti and Hersey Kisses that all said, “It’s a boy.”
When it came time to open presents they really went overboard. I think they must have given us half the items that were on our Target registry. One of my favorites was the digital baby monitor. This is is very important because you never know which of your neighbors are listing in on your baby crying with a radio scanner. Luckily the digital versions prevent eavesdropping. I guess they’re also better at preventing interference but I think we all know which of those is most important.
It was all extremely nice. They even got Tigerman the one item he was able to sneak on the registry. I told him he needed to say thank you but as you see below, he wasn’t overly cooperative.
Pictures from the party (most photos courtesy of Katy Scott).
My co-workers are throwing Henry, Erin and me a shower. They’ve been great so far asking questions and being excited for us. Now a shower with a cool invite is just icing on the cake. I’ll let you know how it goes after the shower.
It's a limerick. Haikus and Iambic Pentameter were considered but ruled out.
Henry now has bedding. Erin’s mom, Granny, sewed it from scratch. Erin picked out the fabric and Granny did the rest. It looks great and will likely be the highest quality bedding that Henry will have in his entire life.
I was under the impression that anything made with a needle and thread was done by a robot in China, but no. Apparently, there are people out there who can take a couple of yards of fabric and turn it into a handcrafted work of art. Erin’s mom is one of those people.
Therefore, I have resolved to never help straighten Henry’s bed after he sleeps in it. Simply saying that I made Henry’s bed would be a great injustice to Erin’s mom.
Saturday was Henry’s first baby shower. Several of the girls from our church threw the party for Erin. We were amazed at both the turnout and the amount of stuff they gave us. It’s really nice that Erin has such great friends and that they don’t hold being married to me against her.
As with any proper social gathering, the refreshments were provided including petit fours that were apparently so delicious that no extras were available to bring home to me. The decorations were low key but very well done, include wooden blocks that spelled out Henry Miles VanDyke. Also, apparently diaper cakes are big these days in the baby world and we received one that was decorated with Burt’s Bees lotions and a teddy bear on top.
After socializing, the main event included the opening of a crazy amount of presents. Henry now has more clothes than I do which Erin says is good because he’ll need lots of wardrobe changes. Thanks to the generosity of our friends we are now able to bathe, stroll, diaper, entertain, clothe, lotion, pacify, provide bedding, scrapbook, and educate Henry.
Enjoy some pictures of the event courtesy of guest photographers: Angela Everhart, Toni Moden and Judith Hinderer.
Henry got a mobile but sadly it wasn’t an iPhone. Our good friends Cathalina and Jordan Dean gave it to Henry. Please enjoy this photo while I finish up the in-depth coverage of First Shower ’09.
Don't babies get dizzy watching these?
Henry now has curtains in his room. This was a difficult selection because it had to match what we’ve already done in the room. Initially we looked for dark brown curtains, but decided they would be too dark. Blue was ruled out also due to the blue walls. The complications continued when we measured the doorway of the closet, 96-inches. You don’t find many curtains that long. We purchased a whole set of rods and curtains only to decide 30 minutes later, they were completely wrong for the room.
Finally, we braved a low product rating on JCPenny.com to pick khaki color curtains and we’re pleased with the result.
Henry’s room now shares something in common with my college dorm room, they both have valances. My mom will be so proud.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, this entire post was an excuse to use the title.
It’s getting closer and closer to time for Henry to make his appearance in the world. So, naturally Erin’s stomach is growing to accommodate. She’s feeling great, with only occasional bouts of uncomfortableness.
The next big milestone will be our week 37 ultrasound. It should give us a lot of information about how ready Henry is for his arrival.
We’re getting more excited as the days count down. Now any time we have to put something on our calendar for September we wonder if Henry will be here by then.
Isn't she beautiful!
