Preparing for Hope's Homecoming

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town... he's making a list, he's checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming to town...

Since I have developed a reputation of getting jingles stuck in our readers' heads (note blog entries that have included the Jeffersons and Laverne and Shirley theme songs), here's an out of season Christmas tune for you (sung by one of my favorite artists, Bruce Springsteen).

For some reason the past three days have made me think of this little jingle, as I feel like we're gearing up for Christmas. In many ways each day has felt like opening up one of those little cardboard doors in an advent calendar and eagerly looking at what chocolate surprise would be waiting for you inside. Each day of preparation brought with it its very own sense of joy (and sometimes frustration).

Monday: Monday's "advent calendar chocolate" would be shaped like a garbage can. Our saga began with the hauling of the trash. For the past three springs I have done some volunteer work with a group called Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers and have lead students and adults on river clean up expeditions to beautify neighborhood parks. I have also helped institute this same idea as a service learning project for the fifth graders at my school. With this in mind, I've seen some mammoth piles of garbage and recyclables being hauled out of parks and river banks. However, the "mound o' muck" takes on a whole new meaning when it is your own stuff. What we left out to be taken down to "trashy town" was nothing short of a gargantuan heap. It made me feel bad to throw out so much damaged stuff, but at least we were able to separate the recyclables.

In the afternoon we also made a run to Baby's 'R Us and bought a TON of stuff, including nearly 900 diapers! Jeni and I played "Price Is Right Showcase Showdown" (be closest to the actual price without going over) to guess the bill and determine which one of us would have to go to the grocery store. Jeni underbid, but I overbid by $50, so I was off to the Pick 'N Save Monday afternoon.

Tuesday: Tuesday's "advent calendar chocolate" would have to be a butterfly (wrapped in shiny pink foil). Jeni put the finishing touches on the baby's room. While I have done my best to be the supportive husband, I quickly realized that decorating a nursery for two little girls put me way out of my element. Jeni, however, had a vision and was able to make everything look very special for the girls.


Hope's bed along with the book case and dresser. Note: Jeni labeled some of the drawers so that Dad can find items easily.







Gracie's crib set up.









Pretty butterflies hang down from the ceiling.






A closet filled with little girls clothes. Being an only child, I never had a sister growing up, so Jeni is helping me learn how to put together matching outfits for little girls.



Well, with Jeni working on the nursery, and us getting everything else set to go, that gave Dad a few hours off in the evening. Hmmmm. Anyone want to guess what I did? I went to the Brewers/Blue Jays game with my buddy Jon. The crew won 7-0 and it was a real home run fest (with shots by Fielder, Branyon, Council and two from Ryan Braun). During the game, Jon and I took a walk around the stadium and we found ourselves standing against the far fence underneath Bernie's slide behind left field. The cool summer breeze drifted in and I looked over the stadium, which was surprisingly crowded for a Tuesday night. Families scurried up and down the aisles with hot pretzels and nachos. Leaning back against the fence I took a deep breath and just felt a wonderful sense of peace and tranquility, like for once, everything would be ok.

Wednesday: Today's "advent calendar chocolate" would be a stork, as this afternoon Hope will be coming home. The house is in good shape. If we had a dollar for every person who has told us to "get ready to get no sleep" we would easily be able to buy another humongous heap of diapers! The reality is, like with preparing for Christmas, when the event actually arrives, all bets are off and things just happen. You learn to go with the flow. We have prepared as best we can for Hope's homecoming (and Grace's soon to follow). We've made our lists, checked them twice, and taught Dad how to coordinate a girl's outfit with onesie, pants, and even pink socks. For now, we just have to take a step back, a deep breath in, and enjoy the gift of the beautiful day that God has given to us.



Our home ready for its newest member to arrive on a beautiful sunny summer morning.