I'm a Fan!

I have a confession:

I live in a place where palm trees grow, and while some would equate this with living in heaven, I have to admit that I don't really like it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not miserable in California - we are enjoying our time here, meeting many good friends, and enjoying wonderful educational and career opportunities. However, there's a lot here that drives me bonkers: cost of living, traffic, cost of living, crowds, cost of living ... and did I mention cost of living? I mean, yeah, the weather's great, but apparently weather costs a lot!

Anyway, I'm not here to gripe about California ... no, this is a positive blog post about the thing I like best about living here, the thing that I will totally miss when we leave California for cheaper pastures:

I'm a total fan of the Milk Pail!

The Milk Pail Market is an open-air market that sells mostly produce, but also cheeses, breads, and other bulk or specialty items. Basically it's a whole lot of fresh food packed into a small area that attracts a lot of people. This means that on any given day - but especially on Saturdays - it is likely to be very crowded! Carrying a basket as you weave your way through the bins of produce is often a tenuous process, and trying to push one of the mini shopping carts is nigh unto impossible. You are pretty much guaranteed to be running into toes and elbows, and you have to have your "excuse me's" and "I'm sorry's" ready and waiting. But, the nice thing is that even though you're guaranteed to be jabbed by others just as much as you jab, you and everyone else there know that shopping at the Milk Pail is worth the experience! You get such a great variety of quality produce (and other items) for such great prices, you're just happy to be there along with everyone else (including the employees, who, somehow despite all the crowds and craziness, are surprisingly efficient and friendly)!

For me, there is a certain thrill of pushing my way through it all and filling my basket or cart (depending on the day) to the brim with fresh produce, cheeses, etc., taking my goods up to the checkout - feeling certain that I have enough food to fill an army and that it is sure to cost me way more than I was planning on spending (as it would at any typical grocery store) - and then having it all total out to no more than $25! Knowing all the while that it is all healthy food that I can feel good about eating! It's a joyful thing!

It may sound funny, but I have to confess that shopping at the Milk Pail makes me happy and that I'm a fan!

Happy Birthdays!

Yesterday, James celebrated his 1-month birthday. He celebrated by not crying through his bath for the first time, and by giving lots of smiles while we took his picture (actually catching them quickly enough was another feat!)

His 1-month birthday gift was a new cousin - welcome John Marshall!

Baby James

Here are more pictures to enjoy of our beautiful baby boy!

Oh Baby!

Well, he's finally here! Our little William James made his debut last Friday, December 11 at 8:01 a.m. (yes, that meant labor was all night long!)

Baby James' timing was impeccable - both Jon and I had finished all of our work/school projects Wednesday, we finally found the last piece of furniture for the nursery on Thursday, and he decided to come the day before his Grandma was coming out to take care of us on Saturday.

He arrived weighing in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 20 inches long. He also came with a head full of thick dark hair, which we absolutely adore! He really is the most beautiful thing we've ever seen, and every day brings some new thing to love!

We're both cooking!

Jon's cooking a turkey for the first time - and doing a great job at it!

Me - I'm cooking a baby, and he's just about done!

Best Supporting Role

I find myself needing more and more support these days. I'm constantly looking for better physical support - in chairs, pillows, and clothing (outer and under) - for my many growing parts. But more than that I'm demanding a lot more emotional support. And though my physical support systems seem to be continually falling short - they just can't seem to keep up! - I must say that my primary emotional support keeps stepping up to the occasion in innumerable and invaluable ways. So while I'll probably keep complaining about how every chair I sit in is inadequate, or how my current bra just is not cutting it, I'll also keep reminding myself that at least where it really matters I've got the best kind of support.

Thanks to all!

I so appreciate everyone's responses to my plea for help! I've used all of your advice in one way or another as I've been registering for baby stuff, and it's definitely helped me feel more at ease that I'm on the right track (and that I at least won't be missing anything that I can't live without).

I have to admit, I'm not a person that's good at asking for help. But I'm realizing more and more that having a baby is one of those things that you can't do on your own. Whether it's husband, family, or friends, I'm relying increasingly on others to help me figure this out (and this when the baby hasn't even come yet!) And even though it's not easy for me to admit I can't do it myself, I think in the end it will be a good lesson for me to learn.