Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birth Month to Violet!

So it hit me yesterday... it's FEBRUARY. February is the month Violet is due. No longer can I say, "Oh, she's due next month..." Nope, now it's "Oh, she's due in four weeks... she's due in 25 days... she's due at the end of the month." And February is a short month, you guys. Yikes. To celebrate, I went out yesterday and bought a pack of newborn size diapers (and got a free tub of baby wipes with my purchase, thanks to the Publix Baby Club, which all new moms should sign up for). In fact, yesterday was a coupon extravaganza at Publix. On my $65 purchase, I saved 40 bucks! (PS Thanks to Lee Anne for letting me steal her Sunday paper!)

So I turned 29 this weekend. Or as my friend Renee puts it, it's not "now I'm 29," it's "next year I'll be 30". But that's okay. I think. And how did I celebrate my b-day, you ask? By having a baby shower. Because it's pretty much not about me from now on. But that's okay too, it was a great way to celebrate. This was me at my birthday last year, when it really was all about me.

Look at me... so young and carefree, still skinny, still able to enjoy a frosty cold one. One year ago, I had absolutely zero idea I'd be getting pregnant. There wasn't even an inkling of buying a house.Becoming a home-owning mommy was just a dream for the future. It's amazing how much can change in one short year.

So back to this year's birthday. It started when I came downstairs in the morning and my mom wished me happy b-day, completely catching me by surprise. I had sort of forgotten. Then she made me a birthday breakfast of pancakes with strawberries (mmm!) and took me shopping to pick out a birthday present. I chose The Happiest Baby on the Block book (see, I told you it's really not about me anymore).

 

The beautiful birthday vase I got from my darling friend Joyce. Exquisite, no? I'm so lucky to have friends with fabulous taste!

Then there was the baby shower (another update, but needless to say it was fabulous. And we made earrings!). Then my dear dad took me out to dinner. In fact, we reinstated a tradition we started long ago of double dating with my friend Jill, who shares my birthday, and her dad. This year, in honor of Jill's big 3-0, we classed it up and went to The Hil at Serenbe. It was my first visit to Serenbe and it was fabulous. The ingredients are so fresh and come from the organic farm that surrounds the restaurant. We were surprised with a scoop of birthday ice cream and let me tell you, this ice cream must have been made from the sweetest cream from the richest milk from the happiest cow, who was probably hanging out behind the restaurant contentedly star-gazing as we sat inside. So good. I'm already scheming of ways to get Matt to take me back there (and it's conveniently located to the Grandma's Free Babysitting Service of Peachtree City!)

Then I drove home. I was full and tired and ready to see Matt. We hadn't really talked about birthday plans for the two of us and I'd been gone all weekend, so I wasn't expecting anything. Just imagine my surprise when I saw what was awaiting me:

Need a hint? Here's the poem that went along with it:

My dear, my dear who's 29

Pregnant, house, all is divine!

A month from now what shall we do

On Sunday afternoons with our little bugaboo?

Who will she look like? What will she do?

Brown hair? Blond hair? Me or You?

We'll wish for Daddy's sense of direction and Mommy's style

But know she'll be a perfect girl all the while

But, at times she'll cry and sometimes wail.

At least you'll have your new chair rail!

That's right! My dear sweet husband painted the dining room chair rail for me! The dining room used to look like this (not our furniture, btw):

Note how the chair rail is the same color as the wall - you can barely even see it. It was one of the first things I wanted to change on the house, but alas, I'm not allowed to paint. So Matt did it for me as a surprise. Best birthday present ever! (And yes, I feel totally old and lame for getting so excited about a chair rail, but I don't care. That's how awesome it is!)

So that's it. Another year successfully in the books. Something tells me 29 is going to be a big one.