All I ever needed to know I learned in my Child Birth Prep class

Matt and I attended our first Child Birth Preparation class this past Monday. It's a four week long class with one 2 hour session every week. I'm not sure that the title is really accurate though. I mean...can one actually be "prepared" for child birth? Maybe if you've experienced it before you can anticipate what will happen and be somewhat prepared. The closer the event comes the less prepared I actually feel though.

I've researched what to take to the hospital so I have a pretty good idea what packing my bag will entail. I know what hospital I will deliver at so I know where to go and what doctor to call. I know that we will call our parents as soon as we start that lengthy labor and delivery process. Sidenote: They're in Louisiana and Texas so they've got a long way to travel to get here. But that's about it...and let's face it...even those things may change if I go into labor early or end up having to be induced.

During my entire pregnancy my motto has been "expect the unexpected." I feel like if I expect that everything will probably not turn out the way I see it in my mind then I'll be ready for anything. So far it's worked. Don't get me wrong, I've been preparing myself by reading books and taking this prep class but I am in no way expecting them to be a magic recipe for having an easy time with Gracie. All I can do now is pray that she comes into this world with all her fingers and toes in the right places and that God will help Matt and I enjoy raising her no matter what kind of a baby she turns out to be.

The Child Prep teacher recommended we talk to our little ones about the whole birthing process (no, she's not a hippie just a loving mom). So I've been having this conversation with Gracie, "I love you Gracie. I can't wait to meet you and I hope you are getting ready to come into this world. Let's work together to make sure that the labor and delivery process goes smoothly for both of us. Wouldn't that be nice? The faster it goes the faster I get to wrap you up in my arms and keep you nice and warm and start feeding your little belly." I guess we'll see if she's really listening in there in about two months. :)

Only Gracie Knows

Ben Folds' song lyrics are always a bit quirky which is probably why we like them so much. The title of our blog comes from "What you got in the box only Gracie knows".

I decided that this was absolutely perfect because as Matt and I start gearing up to raise a little girl I realize there are going to be so many moments when the only thing we really know is that we love her. In the beginning we may not know how to do the little things like change diapers and bathe her. As she grows we may not know exactly how to react in a sticky situation or how to discipline her so that she begins to learn right from wrong. We may not know how to send her off to college without being completely afraid of what the big bad world has in store for her. But, in everything, Gracie will know that we love her, unconditionally. She will know that we pray for her daily and that the God we serve loves her even more than we do.

One thing Matt and I are excited about is getting to see the world through Gracie's eyes. I think that as we grow up a lot of the simple things in life start to lose their excitement. Seeing simple things like zoo animals, flowers blooming and bubbles through Gracie's eyes will be so amazing.

Only Gracie knows what things she will cherish most in life. And only God knows what road her life will take. That makes me happy. :)

What's in a Name?

Our little girls name is Emily Grace and we plan to call her "Gracie." I've wanted to name my daughter Gracie for as long as I can remember. At first I thought that was just as far back as before Matt and I were married but a conversation with a friend from high school reminded me that I've actually wanted to name her that since high school. Man, I'm getting old.

As I was trying to find a title for our blog it was very hard to come up with something that hadn't already been used. I tried "Our Little Blessing", "The Deans", "Gracie Girl", "My Gracie Girl"and a lot more that were all taken. I'm actually glad they were though because I decided to listen to one of my favorite songs ("Gracie" by Ben Folds) as I was working on this and the perfect name popped out of the lyrics.

The fact that Ben Folds named his daughter Gracie and wrote a song about her just happens to be a coincidence. The fact that Matt and I love Ben Folds and even incorporated his music ("The Luckiest") into our wedding is just another great reason to love the song that bears our little girls name even though she wasn't named after it. Here are the lyrics:

You can't fool me, I saw you when you came out
You got your momma's taste but you got my mouth
And you will always have a part of me
Nobody else is ever going to see
Gracie girl

With your cards to your chest walking on your toes
What you got in the box only Gracie knows
And I would never try to make you be
Anything you didn't really want to be
Gracie girl

Life flies by in seconds
You're not a baby Gracie, you're my friend
You'll be a lady soon but until then
You gotta do what I say

You nodded off in my arms watching TV
I won't move you an inch even though my arm's asleep

One day you're gonna want to go
I hope we taught you everything you need to know
Gracie girl

And there will always be a part of me
Nobody else is ever gonna see but you and me
My little girl
My Gracie girl

So this is the story of our life with Gracie. I'm going to try my best to update often. The first thing I'll do is tell you a little more about the title of our blog and about how Matt and I made it to this point in our lives. Don't worry, I'll make it the abbreviated version. :) After all, we have a lot to do to get ready for Gracie's arrival in November.