Weekend Eve

Happy Weekend Eve....sorry I didn't blog yesterday...I've been having some trouble sleeping so I was pretty dog tired yesterday.

I did, however, want to post what my sister wrote to me for the gift. Follow this text. For each word in bold there was a coordinating gift. I'll put what she got us in parentheses:

Dear Christa and Jon,

As you prepare to have your first baby, I would like to present you with some advice. As I read, please open these bags and pull from them things that will help you during the first months of parenthood (an issue of parenting magazine) bliss.

First of all, Christa and Jon, I will start with your daughter's birth. What you are about to experience is a true miracle (a picture frame with the word miracle on the bottom). The feeling of childbirth cannot be described no matter how much you have learned or how much preparation (a tube of preparation-H) you have done. Once your daughter enters the world, everything and everyone else will pail (a diaper genie) in comparison to her beauty and the love in your heart will be filled and refilled (diaper genie refills) every moment of every day from no on.

The countless hours you have spent getting ready for your baby's arrival show that the two of you are desitined (desitin diaper cream) to be great parents. As you leave the hospital with your new Michigan Fan (a Michigan cheer leading outfit) in two, you will realize that her birth wasn't the only avent (baby bottles) you have been anticipating for nine months, so is the beginning of you life as a family of three!

Now comes the hard work! She's home, now what? Well, the keys (toy keys) to raising your daughter so that she will be successful and hopefully graduate (baby food bowls) are simple:

1. Learn her cries: Her first sweet cries will be music to your ears. After a while, though, in order to keep sane, you will need to learn to pacify (pacifiers) her and keep her happy. You will soon learn her cries and what they mean. Each different sound is her way of telling you what she needs. You really only need to know the basics for no more tears: (baby shampoo) A shout-like loud cry means I'm hungry, please feed me. An annoying continuous cry means I have a wet one (travel packs of wet ones), please get me a clean pamper (a box of diapers)! A red-faced grunting cry means gas bubble, please burp me! And a soft whimpering wine (a bottle of red wine) means I'm tired, put me to bed so I can sleep and you can unwind!

2. Love, Kindness and Affection: This one is especially for Jon. You have no idea how much a daughter loves daddy hugs (a book called Daddy Hugs)! You will melt at the sight of her and you will feel like you can't possibly hug her and love her more. The hugs Christa and I received from our dad are still with us every moment of every day. Also, Jon, you are such a loving guy, you will have no problem catering to all the needs of mom and baby (an issue of mom and baby magazine)! I have such confidence in you! Girls Rock (a bib with that saying on it), don't they?

3. Keep her Clean, Healthy and Safe: You will have fun listening to her screams as you give her a first bath and brush (a baby grooming kit) her first hair and trim her first nail. Her beauty will shine through!! She will look pretty in pink (a pink outfit) and perfect in purple a purple outfit), but I can already tell that Red and Grey (an Ohio State hat) are not her colors (so you better give this to Jon). Take care of her little sniffles and keep her updated on all of her shots (mini bottles of booze for mommy and daddy)!! Believe me, they are far worse for the parents-you'll need these when you get home from well child checks. And remember, it's always Safety First (outlet covers). You will be an expert (like our mom) at crawling around at baby level to find hazards to fix.

In conclusion Jon and Christa, I am so proud of you ! Your life is about to change and we could not be more excited to become an Aunt and Uncle (more bibs) and cousins for the first time. Thank you for that gift, finally! I hope these tips (Q-tips) will help. We are always here for you and can't wait to meet our new little niece.

Guess how much we love you? (the book by the same title)

Stacey, Dave, Erin and Emily