Elle's new home

The nursery is finally done! And at 38 weeks, not a moment too soon!

They say the "nesting" phase sets in towards the end of pregnancy... I've read all about women in their 8-9th month breaking out the power tools and putting together the crib, stripping wallpaper, painting 10 foot ceilings, etc in preparation for the baby. Well, although no power tools were involved, I am rather pleased with my assembly skills of the morning (this from someone who has trouble connecting her own cell phone to its charger)... check out our gorgeous Pack-N-Play (half price, of course)-- with particular attention to all its PARTS! Yep, I successfully (I think) assembled each and every one and even had to use TOOLS! It even has a console that vibrates, plays music or nature sounds, and a nightlight and timer! Granted, I'm sure Jay, who is quite possibly the handiest bear in the forest, could have done it in half the time, but nevertheless I am very pleased with myself. Makes me feel a wee (albeit VERY wee) bit better about not having the nursery ready (furniture "promised" to arrive next week)... 

I also managed to assemble and install the carseat, which was much less intuitive than it might seem (or maybe I used my lifetime allotment of handiness on the Pack-n-Play). Don't worry, I'll have someone doublecheck my work! Can't believe little Elle will be here in 4 weeks! 

Shower at the Bolick's May 17th

Slightly out-of-order pics from shower hosted by Jay's mom and sisters-- how cute is my bootie corsage?! Also check out Sandy's gorgeous new kitchen! Hmmm-- I thought I was pretty rotund then! Little did I know...

The King (Queen) of Strollers

We never thought it would be us. Those people who go crazy with all the extravagant baby items, falling prey to the clever marketing and peer pressure and desire to get the absolute BEST for OUR baby... Then it happened. Here we are, innocently perusing Rolly's (first mistake... avoid baby boutiques at all costs-- baby warehouse (think Costco) style is much safer) when we saw IT. I'd heard of the infamous Bugaboo, and may have mentioned its extravagance to Jay at some point in the past, without second thought from either of us. But one-and-a-half steps into the store, and our ability to remain practical and economical faded faster than one of those Baby On Board window stickers. There, staring us in the face, was the limited edition, 007 Bugaboo. Mind you, Jay is perhaps the world's biggest James Bond fan. Add that to the world's coolest stroller, and we really didn't have a chance. Weeks passed while we valiantly tried to convince ourselves we certainly didn't NEED this stroller, which worked for 30-45 second periods of time. Then we realized we could use the Bugaboo's bassinet as an actual bassinet for the first few weeks we have her in our room and suddenly it seemed much more fiscally wise. At last, in typical Jay and Lauren fashion, we found the coveted limited edition 007 Bugaboo stroller, complete with an extra set of red fleece fabric, the adorable parasol attachment, breezy sunshade, and much-sought-after cupholder on Ebay for quite the steal... and conveniently in nearby Lake Norman. Clearly little Elle was meant to be strolled about in this, the Queen of all Strollers.