Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Well, Hi There.



The above picture is when Jake and I were young, childless, and much, much thinner (at least, I was).  

The below picture is me two weeks ago, totally pregnant.  I'm even bigger now.  I'll have to post an updated shot so you can enjoy the expanding tummy as well.  



I have so enjoyed reading my friends' baby blogs (and the blogs of their friends as well) that I decided to abandon my pop culture blog in favor of a baby blog.  Well, "abandon" is probably too strong a word -- there is no way I can write about any subject for any period of time without working in a few opinions about what is going in the world of television, movies, and celebrity -- but maybe it's time for a slight change of focus. 

When the baby is born -- when she is born, I should say, because we know she is a girl -- I will probably move this to a password-protected site and maybe something a little more sophisticated than Blogger.  I don't mind putting myself out there, but I am well aware that there are a lot of different kinds of people on the internet and while most of them are harmless, some of them are crazy, and some of them are just plain mean.  I don't want those people to see pictures of our sweet girl (she'll be sweet, right?) or, frankly, even know her name.  So.  If you start reading this and think maybe you will want to continue reading, at some point drop me a comment or an email so I will know to include you on the private site after her birth.  I don't care if I know you or not, if you just tell me how you got here (chances are if you have a baby blog and know one of my friends, I already stalk -- I mean, read -- your blog anyway)... but we have 18 weeks until that time comes anyway, so I am really getting ahead of myself.

Oh!  And the blog title.  Well, it's a little misleading.  We're not exactly expatriates.  We're Americans, and, in fact, we live in our own nation's capital.  But, even though we have been here almost three years now and even though we absolutely love it (we really, really do), I'm a South Carolinian and it's a little bittersweet for me to realize that I am having a baby who probably won't grow up in South Carolina, or even in the south.  I am eminently grateful for all the opportunities this city will afford the baby girl (and me as a stay-at-home mom, which I will be), but there will be some differences.  We eschewed a double-name because we didn't think D.C. folks would call a baby by two names; we have to start worrying about applying to pre-schools at a distressingly early age; we almost assuredly will not be able to send our child to public middle or high school if we want her to feel safe and get educated, at least not unless things drastically change in the next ten years; and there is a woeful lack of smocking in D.C. baby clothes.  

3 comments:

Hannah said...

There is a woeful lack of smocking in DC baby clothes NOW. I fully intend to learn to smock just to dress Miss Jackson.

Stephanie S said...

Congrats on the new blog. I love it! I can help provide many smocked items: Atlanta has lots and Marietta has even more. Have no fear!

I'm so excited for you and Jake!!

Elizabeth Harm said...

I am so, so excited for you. There is nothing more amazing than a precious baby girl...mine is almost 5 months old now. (Email me your email - harm0617@bellsouth.net and I will send you an invite as I too went private when she was born.) You look amazing...I can't wait to read all about your pregnancy. CONGRATULATIONS!

Elizabeth Reece Harm