Shower, Surgery, & Childcare

This past week I got the chance to meet up with my aunt and two cousins that live in Tampa to have dinner and celebrate the upcoming arrival of Natalie. She got several cool toys from the Jones women. I know she will really love them, and it will be fun to watch her play and discover. Thanks LaLa, Krystle, and Loren!

On Saturday, my friends at St. Paul threw a little shower for her, too. It was just great - low key with yummy food and good conversation. We had about 15 people all together.
Pictures will be forthcoming....

After the shower, I finally let myself do some shopping on Sunday. I haven't let myself buy one single thing until now. You just never know what people are going to get, and I didn't want to have any duplicate things on account of me. The funny thing was that we didn't get many clothes, and to me, that is one of the most fun things to pick out. So, I had lots of fun choosing a few "necessity" items for her. I mostly got onesies and little pants since I figure those are the necessities and what she'll go through the most, but I did allow myself one little splurge. Though, is it truly a splurge if you get it for 60% off? :)It's a little dress with a matching hat, and I have been eying it for months (Mom, it's one of the dresses we saw in Kohl's when you were down)! I figure she needs at least one "nice" thing to dress her up in and show her off, right? :) We actually have been given a few hand-me-downs which are AWESOME and super cute, but they are mostly 12mo and larger. I will definitely enjoy that next year as she grows and grows.
So, after the shopping, I came home and washed and organized everything. I also put our little bookshelf together that the church and school staff got us. It looks great! Although we still have several "big" things to find and purchase, I am feeling much better about the readiness of the room and her upcoming arrival. (I can't believe there's only six weeks left.)You know me and my prior planning! Anal I am...

Anyway, the surgery portion of the title refers to Miss Bella Boo. Nick took her to the vet this morning for her spaying and de-clawing. :( I bet she is scared and I know she will be in pain for a few days. I hope everything goes smoothly, she forgives us, and she's back to her normal self in no time at all!

The last thing noteworthy as of now is our quest for childcare. We have really been hitting roadblocks in this arena, and I'm starting to get nervous. I have been praying for the Lord to lead us to the right place for Natalie, and am doing my best to let it go and leave it in God's hands. That's a really hard thing for me to do sometimes. So here's our dilemma: there are very few places in town that take "infants" (under 12mo), and the few places that do we haven't gotten a good response or any reply from. It is really important to us that she has Christian childcare, so that further limits our options. One place doesn't have availability until May of 2009, and the other two places won't return our calls, so that's probably not a good indicator. I was talking with one of my friends who had a baby this past February. She referred me to a lady (she actually happens to be a member at St. Paul and has been doing private daycare for over 20 years) named Ms. King. My friend ended up not using her because her house was really out of the way for her. It's out of the way from our home a little, too, but really close to the church, so it would be convenient for Nick to drop her off each morning. I called her right away, and she returned my call the same afternoon. She seems like a VERY sweet and lovely lady. She told me that she had a girl lined up that was supposed to start this month, but she hasn't heard from her. She has left two messages with her, and told me that if she doesn't return the calls by Wednesday, we could have the spot! So I am selfishly keeping my fingers crossed - it was what I originally wanted in the first place - and praying that this is not only my will, but God's as well. So now I guess I have two more days of nervous waiting and prayer. Prayers from you would also be much appreciated! We'll keep you posted.