Survival of The Thickest

Brandi went in and got her a summer hair cut today. Throughout the process, the stylist just couldn't stop repeating just how much hair Brandi had. This wasn't news. Just a reminder. Brandi has been blessed with a luscious, thick head of hair. As was Tim. When considering the whole Darwinian aspect of pregnancy it's easy to focus on the positives like height and ear lobe attachments. But tonight, just before dinner it occurred to us that hair could become a major issue. Tim actually has a ridge down his forearms that could give the Appalachians a run for their money. Surely we are mammals through and through. It really makes Tim's obsession with monkeys almost not too crazy. The only thing that makes things worse is that we live in Las Vegas, and it's getting hot. We've been molting.

Don't believe us? You're more than welcome to come vacuum. Anyway, the point is that it's finally occurred to us that we could very well be the facilitators of introducing the world to a very tall, hairy, and mysterious (you'd have to know our personalities) being. We both have a very clear picture of what such a creature might look like, but that could be a result of where we'll be next weekend. This could very well just be hyperbole, but just in case, we've been training with a prototype:

Rockabye Baby!

We've been reading several different pieces trying to prepare ourselves for the pregnancy and the next 18 years. According to the literature, babies like classical music AND it's even supposed to make them smarter. (Tim really supports this concept, but mostly to defend himself when Brandi makes fun of him for being in the high school band. Which is apparently different than being in a band during high school.) We've searched high and low for some Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven without much luck. Which is not to say that we didn't find anything else. We came across these gems and have made many purchases. What's cooler than laying your baby down to a little Radiohead? Everything in its Right Place gives baby the security she needs, even though it's missing Thom Yorke's voice. I guess the lack of lyrics is a good thing for Zeppelin's Baby I'm Gonna Leave You. Milk before meat.

It's almost enough to justify this:

Pimp My Snug Ride?

As Xzibit says, "You've officially been pimped." Even though the result isn't as exciting as a plasma screen on the gas pedal or a new set of chrome rims worth more than the car, earlier this week we brought home the latest and greatest upgrade on the market. The Graco Easy Ride Travel System. Or something "catchy" like that to try and distract you from the fact that your vehicle will never be the same. Unlike the show, the baby induced "pimping" comes in phases. First the car seat and stroller. Then eventually the baby, i.e., the new stereo system, and finally once the stereo has graduated to solids, the new upholstery of Cheerios and fruit snacks.

Just the latest reminder of the fun we get to look forward to. We just heard Paisley say, "Thanks Grandma Ricks."

Barefoot and Pregnant

Here are a couple of disadvantages of pregnancy:

Your tummy grows significantly and as it does, your feet begin to shrink. Or at least, disappear. By the third trimester, they're gone. About the only time they come out of hiding are walking up stairs and driving. The biggest problem concerning this development is that they also take a vacation from consciousness and as a result, can take a turn for the worse. Another issue is that even when the occasional glance reminds us of our duties, trying to negotiate around the mid girth with something as unforgiving as nail polish, is as effective as something else that isn't very effective. To make matters worse, all of the muscles in the lower body speak Chinese or something because they no longer obey simple commands like "stretch."

Here are a couple of advantages of being impregnated by a metrosexual:

It's just nice to know that there is someone out there watching out for you. For Mother's Day (this year's was just dress rehearsal), Tim was kind enough to treat Brandi to a full pedicure. At a world famous spa in the Bellagio you wonder? No, anyone can just pick up a tab. (Actually Tim wouldn't be able to pick up that tab.) Tim scrubbed until his arms hurt. Luckily he had had plenty of practice earlier that day with an old dresser and some sand paper. The gift was wrapped in a couple coats of "I'm Not Really a Waitress" red and a back massage.

Happy Mother's Day for all those out there that are and are soon to be.

Forever in blue genes

Considering our given fields of study, we have a pretty solid understanding of genetics. Knowing this, there's going to be a strong propensity for young Paisley being too cool for school. What we have worried about is how quickly she'll pick up on the music snobbishness that we take so much pride in. Luckily, her 16 week ultrasound picture resembled the cover art work on one of the greatest albums of all time, that we can't help but beam with pride. What do you think?

What's in a name?

A question as old as Shakespeare. Well fair Juliet, the answer is - a lot. On second thought, considering her question was directed towards the boy Romeo. Boy names really don't matter much as we see people getting away with such silliness as Gage, Tucker, and Jaxson. But girls have to come with that "Ahhh" factor. THIS is pressure. With names like Tim and Brandi, the two of us didn't exactly come from the originality farm. Which is fine. Those were different times. These days we have handy web sites and books dedicated to baby names around the universe. They had genealogy records and The Bible.

A little background: the two of us have a hard enough time when it comes to important cooperative efforts such as trying to decide on a dining establishment. De Beers may have come up with "A diamond is forever," but so are names. You don't want to send a new soul into the world with nothing more than an apology. Nor do you want to avoid responsibility altogether. This very blog is titled after a good friend of ours whose 16th birthday present was discovering that her legal name was "Baby Girl." Have we used the word "pressure" yet?

Our goal was to find something that was unique in nature, not just spelling. A name that would stand out from all the others, because let's face it, this child is going to be tall enough to be standing out from all the others anyway. We thumbed through the books, checked out cool websites like this, we even looked at street signs for inspiration. In the end, after much discussion, we just went with our gut. We'd officially like to introduce the world to the soon to be, newest member of the human family: Dorothy LeAnn Ricks. Just kidding. Paisley Sage Ricks. All together now..."Ahh."

MTV Cribs

Preparing for the baby requires a lot of hardware. With such a convenient excuse to go shopping, Tim would have considered fatherhood earlier.

The crib in this picture will soon be making its debut into the new nursery. It's actually been there for a few weeks, it just hasn't made its way out of the box yet. It gets all fancy and converts to a toddler bed and then some day, a big girl bed. We'd like to thank Grandma Sherry for the generous gift. Let the spoiling begin! She's a lucky girl/fetus.

The crib was only step one. The hard choices were reserved for the art of bedding. And directly related, financing. Who ever thought that little people linens could cost so much? The nice thing about being with child immediately after getting married, there are a few Pottery Barn gift card leftovers to help absorb the cost. This picture is what we ended up going with. You have to admit, this stuff is REALLY cute.