Category Archives: Life

Thankful Thursday #122: a year of happiness

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Veronica

On New Year’s Eve, Dennis and I celebrated quietly at home, going through our memory jar. We started this last year and I think it will be something we do every year. Throughout the year, we fill a jar with paper memories, then go through them at the end of the year. It’s a fun way to remember all that happened in the last year.

If you’ve been reading my blog for at least a year, you might remember the bittersweet post about 2012’s memory jar. I have copied it below this one for you to read if you have the time or interest – it’s so awesome to read that already having what we prayed for in our arms.

Anyway, while going through 2013’s jar, we ran across this fortune:

Today I’m thankful that this fortune came true. Thank God for our little miracle! :)

* * *

Thankful Thursday #97: a fresh start – originally posted January 3, 2013

Our Memory Jar, filled with paper memories from 2012. The pictures included in this post are all things found within the jar.

Despite not doing a recipes “best of” to recap for 2012, I am a little introspective on the year. In one way, it was a hard year. Really hard. In all other ways, it was great. When I think back on this year, all I feel is happy, so I’m thankful for that. But I’m also thankful for a fresh start.

Regular readers know that 2012 was the year we really tried to have a baby–and I mean gave it our all. And did not succeed. We finally got ourselves checked out after eight years of casually trying and nearly a year of gung-ho trying (you know, with all the charting and timing and hooplah), and the urologist said it is “very unlikely” that we will ever have a baby together naturally. That was really tough to hear.

Right now our future is uncertain as far as children are concerned. We are doing what we can, including praying and taking natural supplements (there’s nothing doctors can do to help besides IVF, which we are not interested in), but our window of opportunity is fairly well shut. Haus is on the older side to become a first-time Dad (45) and knowing what it’s like for a child to be raised by older parents (my Dad was a surprise, born to my grandparents when they were in their late 40s) and how it can make them constantly afraid that their parents will die while they are still growing up, I feel it’s not right to keep trying. And yet it’s also something hard for me to give up.

I have been thinking about fostering to adopt for almost as long as we’ve been trying, and while this is something Dennis and I will have to decided between us, it is definitely one avenue of opportunity for us to raise a child if we do not have one of our own. I am finding it terribly hard to totally give up on the hope of having one of our own right now, so I don’t think 2013 will be the year for us to go into the foster program. 2013 is more likely going to be a year of transition into parenthood, Lord willing, one way or another.

Anyway, besides the trial of trying to conceive and month after month of disappointment, and the weight gain brought on by my emotional eating, this has been a wonderful year. While the photos in this post are showing our paper memories, there were many more wonderful memories made that you won’t find on paper. Lots of laughter, lots of hugs and kisses, lots of celebrations, long walks & talks, lots of love. We are happy, we are healthy, and I am thankful.

While I do yearn for children, I’m also desperately thankful for the “alone time” Dennis and I have had with each other for fourteen years. I know being a parent is really hard, and we are so totally spoiled without them, and I do count that as a blessing. I’m sure I will miss the freedom I have now if I ever lose it, so I do try to appreciate it while it is mine.

That said, I’m dreaming of what 2013 will bring. While I’m hoping and praying that it includes a child, something that I do have control over is my diet and I’m getting that back under control. No more, “This baby stuff is so harrrrrrd, whiney whine whine whine,” while shoveling in chips and sour cream dips, and squirting pastry bags full of leftover icing in my mouth. OK, so I don’t really whine like that, and don’t really squirt pastry bags full of icing into my mouth (though I have been known to do so in the past), but you get the idea. I’m not going to milk the baby stress excuse to eat whatever I want in huge quantities. Not any more. I’m ready to “give birth” to the food baby I’ve created from overeating. Especially since he’s decided to take up precious pants space and I really don’t want to buy bigger pants (I’ve already done that too many times). Food baby be gone!

That is all I have to say (finally, right?), so get ready for it. The epic ending to my blog:

Still makes me laugh. Check out the blog Den’s cartoon is featured in here if you missed it last January. Peace to you all, may 2013 bring you much happiness.

Love, Veronica

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Baybay videos

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Veronica

I so miss blogging, and am going to try to ease my way back into it. I was calculating the time I spend doing my new job and I have spent up to 16 hours in a day just pumping and feeding him (we can’t do direct breast feeding solely yet – long story) so it’s no wonder that the only thing I seem to get done besides the part of life that revolves around my boobs is the dishes and the laundry and the dinner. But another reason my free time has been lacking is that I keep taking videos of him and then I watch those videos (over and over and over) while he’s sleeping, when I could be doing something more productive. I think I need a baby intervention. I’m so in love with him!

So here are the videos I’ve taken so far. I’ve already shared the video of him at one week here, so these start at two weeks. I know it’s a lot of videos (seriously – intervention needed!) so if you just want to see the shortest and most entertaining one and what he looks like currently, watch the last one – I love watching my husband taking care of his son. :)

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Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Veronica

This year, God gave us a son, the second greatest gift we have received, with his own son being the greatest. Having a son of my own has given me an even deeper appreciation for Christ’s birth, life, and sacrifice. Watching Joshua while he sleeps, it’s hard to imagine sending him to die for a world of sinful people so that they could be saved. How that must have broken God’s heart, and how it breaks mine without even having witnessed it or having to do it. It’s amazing that God loves us that much. Perhaps even more than I love my little boy, which is hard to imagine.

Although I don’t recognize Christmas as the day of Christ’s birth since, well, he wasn’t born on December 25th, I do celebrate it secularly and I’m hugely thankful for my Christmas gift this year. I have so much to tell you guys about Joshua’s first month, but for now I want to wish you a very happy holiday and hope that your heart is filled with love and joy and your time is spent with family and friends. May God bless you in the coming year!

Love,
Veronica

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Joshua’s First Week

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Veronica

I wanted to post this Monday to replace my weekly pregnancy updates, but…yeah. First time Mom who got four hours sleep the first week after her son was born…I think you understand. And thank you to those whose blogs I’ve neglected and who continue to visit mine – I will return as soon as I get a routine established that allows a bit of time for blog reading.

Joshua’s first week was such an emotional roller coaster. My water broke two weeks , two days early and after the initial shock wore off, it’s been huge highs and huge lows.

As I was falling deeper and deeper in love with this new little man in my life, he was getting sicker and sicker without me realizing it. Joshua was not doing well with breast feeding and was losing weight so I went into the lactation clinic across from Wesley, which was free for me since I delivered there. The nurses were alarmed at his glow worm coloring (we knew he had jaundice but couldn’t tell how bad until we were outside our home with different lighting). When they weighed him he had lost a pound and an ounce in the four days since his birth, which was another red flag that our little boy was not doing well at all.

We went immediately to our doctor to get his bilirubin tested and it came back at 33, which is critically high. We had to return to the hospital and admit our precious newborn to the NICU, and they told us he may have to have his blood replaced several times if they couldn’t lower his level quickly. I was devastated and assumed responsibility since he might not have gotten to this point if I had been willing to supplement with formula. I thought I had been doing what was best for him, and almost killed him instead.

The NICU isn’t set up for parents to stay there, unless you want to sit in a chair all night, and it was so awful to leave our son after only having him for four days. He received the best of care, but that didn’t help the longing in my heart to have him home.

After two days under UV lights, we finally got to hold him again when his bilirubin was low enough and the lights were removed. Saturday night we got to move into a family room with him and it was pure bliss having our baby with us again, even if it wasn’t at home. And Sunday we got to take home a much fatter and healthier baby! I took this video at the hospital while Dennis was gone to take Jessie for a walk.

I wasn’t the typical weepy pregnant woman, but I’ve made up for it in spades this week. Even though my tears have been mostly justified, I cry at anything that makes me happy or upset in any way. Now I know how my Dad feels – after his stroke, everything makes him cry.

But now that we have our little one home, what makes me cry the most is how wonderful my husband has been. He has changed so much since Joshua was born. I didn’t think he could improve, because he was as close to perfect in my book than anyone has a right to be, but he’s become even more perfect than I could have imagined. He has been my rock, always leading us to prayer during the hard times last week, holding and comforting me when I had to ~~cry~~ sob, and loving our son so much it hurts me in a good way. I didn’t know how he would be after having a kid he took 45 years to feel ready for, and I have to say he’s surprised me in the best way.

He was beside me during the delivery, pushing one of my legs back (knee towards my head) while a nurse did the other with every contraction, giving me leverage to push against. He said it was amazing to watch another human come out of me and it just makes me weep to think about how he talks about our son with pride, describing how cute he is when he did something, etc. Dennis never thought any other kid was cute, so this is a huge deal. He actually loves to hold him! I know that seems like it would be a given, but this seems very profound for a guy who has only held babies a couple times in his life (his nephews, and probably because Joan made him – lol). He even thanked me for Joshua, because if it weren’t for me, he never would have had children, and now he’s so glad I changed his mind over the years. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.

Yesterday was a big day for me, because it was my first day alone with Joshua. Dennis, the baby-whisperer who I have totally relied on as a partner in figuring out parenthood, had to return to work because he’s already a week behind for his supervisor training. I was so nervous. I have been feeling really inadequate and inept as a mother, and this also left me in tears, but I prayed to God through them Sunday night as I fed Joshua, asking for help as I faced motherhood alone.

Well, I only had to be alone at home, because God sent me Mom to go to Joshua’s doctor appointment with me and to mail a package, and Dennis took part of his lunch to meet me at the lactation clinic (and no, I didn’t ask him to. He has been so supportive of me trying to breast feed, and supportive of our family in general, I just have to cry!). Everything went so smoothly, it helped boost my confidence immensely, especially how well it went at home without my rock. (Although of course I was leaning on God, an even bigger rock than my husband.) Joshua ate and slept well, and I managed to get the dishes and several loads of laundry done. I’m gaining ground! :)

Maybe I won’t be so terrible at this motherhood thing after all.

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Thankful Thursday #121: happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Veronica

Happy thanksgiving! I hope you’re enjoying your holiday with family and/or friends and that there’s lots of delicious food in your future.

Since time is scarce these days, I have a short and sweet Thankful Thursday today. Something special happened on Tuesday – all my Moms showed up at our house at the same time without even planning it! Phyllis came to spend a couple days with us and help around the house, bless her, Momma Donna stopped in on her way to work to meet her newest “grand-baby”, and my own mother, who just arrived in Wichita on Saturday and just in time to meet baby Joshua, came over to spend some more time with him (she also came to the hospital. And for the record, the excitement finally kicked in – she is so in love with him! So happy for that. :) )And the craziest thing is, even my foodie Mama joined us from California without knowing it, calling me to congratulate me on Joshua’s birth. I’ve said it before, but God has such great timing. How wonderful for him to orchestrate this special day. :)

I know you’d have rather seen Joshua than the nursing cover over my chest, but I wasn’t about to break his latch when we’ve been working on it so hard. And you’re welcome for me not flashing my boob! lol

Happy thanksgiving! May you find many things to be thankful for this year.

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Meet Joshua Isaac

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Veronica

Surprise! My water broke before work last Friday and although my labor started a few hours later, it was slow-progressing and I was induced later at midnight. Joshua Isaac was born happy and healthy on November 23, 2013 at 4:30 pm, weighing 6 lb. 14 oz and 18 1/2 inches long.

Praise the Lord! I’m so in love with this little man that I can’t stand it. I’m just so so thankful for this precious miracle. I have so many pictures but will share a few for now. I’ve discovered that new parents sleep on average 1 hour a day (or at least, that’s my average since my water broke), and the rest of the time is taken up with caring for baby and figuring out how to do this parenting thing. It’s overwhelming and wonderful at the same time.

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Iron-Woman Ginger Cake

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Veronica

I don’t usually post on Saturdays, but I’ve had the honor of being a guest contributor for whattoexpect.com, a site I go to every week to see my baby’s progress! I really hope you will visit to check out my recipe for Iron Woman Ginger Cake. It’s so nice to have healthier options (especially ones that taste good) during the holidays, and this cake definitely fits the bill!

XOXO,

Veronica

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Posted in Cake & Frosting, Lighter Fare, Pregnancy and tagged cake, ginger, gingerbread, iron, Pregnancy, vitamin A. Bookmark the permalink.

Thankful Thursday #120: God’s perfect timing

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Veronica

I’m quickly closing in on three years of Thankful Thursdays, having started them after Thanksgiving 2010. Hard to believe! If you ever wondered how it got started, you can read the first one here.

Today I’m really excited to announce that my husband was temporarily promoted to a Team Leader (TL) position at his work place. And yes, this means a pay raise! (If you ever wondered what he does, he works at an inbound call center selling life insurance. Now, instead of being on the phones, he will be supervisor over a group of other insurance salesman). The timing of this is really uncanny, or perhaps I should say divine, because it so perfectly coincides with me taking unpaid maternity leave. He starts training on Monday, and his first higher paycheck will come the week Joshua is due. *shiver*

I have not shared much about my plans for working after baby comes, and that’s because my plans aren’t set in stone. I will be taking unpaid leave, and during that time we will be able to see if we can handle living on one income with a baby. If so, I will be resigning rather than returning to work.

Though Den isn’t getting a staggering raise, it will help a lot! And since the promotion is temporary, he will be able to see if being a TL is something he could do/would want to do permanently. We’re both hoping and praying that opportunity presents itself, which it very well could from what he’s heard, because the raise would be much higher and help compensate for the income we’d be losing without me working outside the home.

When you’re waiting and hoping for something, it can be hard to appreciate God’s perfect timing. Before we got pregnant, I felt almost panicked because it felt like it was already too late and I thought maybe children weren’t part of the plan for us at all. But then my workplace announced it was closing and almost exactly a month later, I was pregnant for the first time in my life. One of my first thoughts was that with the REC closing, this was the perfect opportunity to stay home with a baby (my hearts’ desire–I want to be there for all his firsts!), if we could swing it financially. I also couldn’t help reflect on how there was never another time when things were so perfect for us to have a baby.

For one, Dennis wasn’t ready to be a father until this year. He was willing for my sake, but not ready. He told me he was ready just three months before we got pregnant. Two, we didn’t have insurance when we were younger, and our income was even more pitiful. Three, I had some health issues that didn’t completely resolve until about 2011 and would have made having a baby more complicated. This year, we both have jobs, both have insurance, both were ready (OK, so I was over-ready! lol!). Perfect timing!

But me not working is so scary. I could possibly keep my job for up to another year, and voluntarily resigning before I actually have to is a scary thing. I have the higher income, so to see it completely disappear is intimidating since we’ve relied on it for so many years. Add a baby into the mix, and it borders on the impossible. So it just really seems like a God-thing to have Dennis get a promotion right in the nick of time! And I’m just so grateful.

It can be hard to take a leap of faith, but these examples of how God provides helps a lot. I honestly feel like we’re going to make it, no matter what. Thank God for his perfect timing.

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37 weeks: he mooned us!

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Veronica

Joshua mooned us last Monday!

How cute is that tooshie?! :) He’s weighing in at 6 lbs 12 oz (an estimation based on the sonogram), which is in the 80th percentile for his gestation, but otherwise measuring right on schedule. My doctor was happy with how normal everything is, as he was expecting a larger baby (can they really get larger than this at 36 weeks? Yipes!) with more fluid because of my diabetes but everything pretty much looks like it would if I wasn’t diabetic, though he might not be as large. He’s not pushing me to induce early, at least not yet. I really would prefer to let this baby come in his own time if possible (I think God knew what he was doing when he gave women a 40 week pregnancy-lol), so I’m OK with that, but the good news is that I’m finally feeling (almost) ready for him if something happens or I have to be induced.

Speaking of my diabetes, I had another A1C test (a test that determines your average blood sugar for the past 3 months) and it was 5.6, which translates to an average blood sugar of about 111 (90-100 is normal) and last time it was 5.5, so I’m still rockin’ it! Before pregnancy, my lowest A1C was 6 but usually closer to 7, so I’ve really stepped it up for baby’s sake. I really didn’t think I could lower my A1C like I have because I hate the low blood sugars that come with trying to keep them at a normal level, so I’m pretty proud of myself! It hasn’t been easy, though, because you need so much more insulin when pregnant and I have to adjust it and increase it almost constantly. I know this won’t mean much to non-diabetics, but if you’re familiar with insulin, it might shock you to know I have gone from 48 units (long and short acting combined) to 140 units a day now. Yipes!

After last Monday’s post about my worries, this week has been a balm to my soul. Not only because of your comments and my Mother-in-law’s reassurance (bless her!), but mostly because of Joshua himself. It’s hard to explain, I just feel like I’ve bonded even more with him the last week (I think it really helped to see a brief glimpse of his face during the sonogram – it was so fat and sweet I just can’t wait to kiss those fat cheeks now!), to the point that I’m looking forward to meeting him more than I want to keep him inside. Not that I’m eager for labor and delivery, just more ready for it.

And a cute thing I have to tell you about Jessie! This girl hasn’t wanted to let me out of her sight the last couple weeks. Remember the way she was looking at me in my week 36 photo? I think she knows it’s getting close to the end. She will not let Daddy take her on a walk without Mama now, although she used to without a problem. She doesn’t want to leave me at home alone! Too bad she doesn’t realize that when I try to stay home, it’s because I really need to rest. And I can’t go on a full hour-long walk any more (too painful in the hips/pelvis and back), but if I try to go turn around without her noticing, about five minutes later she’ll catch up, pulling her Daddy behind her. And then yesterday she sniffed all over my belly, which she has never done before, and I looked at Dennis and said, “She better not be sensing impending labor. You’re not allowed to sense that for at least another week, Jessie.” I haven’t packed my hospital bag yet! #1 on my to-do list for this week.

The nursery has been modified a bit with some of the wonderful gifts we’ve received from my showers. We hung the Joshua letters that Andrea painted, along with two picture frames we got from Jill through Joan’s Aunt Shower. Do you love it? Oh and the thing on the crib is a sound machine (lullabies, ocean, heartbeat, etc.) that also projects images onto the ceiling that go round in a circle for the baby to watch – it’s so rad.

Momma D had to come over to help me situate all the decals after Dennis and I removed them to make room for the letters. I just couldn’t do it – I knew it would just be all wrong if I did because they were so perfect before! So she came and saved the day. And brought something else with her…

Check out the red rug on the floor! Really helps tie the room together to have the splash of red down there. I’d been planning to buy one myself, so that’s one less thing. Wahoo!

You can see more changes in this corner, with the second picture frame (the frames were gifts from the Aunt Shower from Joan’s friend, Jill), a diaper cake also from the aunt shower (I can’t bear to take it apart, but do plan to use the diapers–check out the aunt shower post to get a better look at it in all its glory), cloth baskets to organize the changing table from Phyllis, my MIL, a toy bag we’ve already filled (though some of them are my toys-lol), and a block box (also filled with toys & teethers). You might recognize the truffula trees on the bookshelf from my Dr. Seuss shower!

Having the nursery almost completely finished helps me feel a lot more ready for Joshua. I didn’t realize it, but knowing there was so much to be done in there was actually stressful and it wasn’t until the decals were up again that I felt relief. Dennis still needs to fix the bookshelves and we have one more picture to hang, but it’s at a point where it feels done enough that I won’t freak out about it if I have to put a baby in the room with only those things left to do. The room being ready helps me feel ready too.

Now to get the rest of the house ready. As my friend Stephanie said she felt about her own home when she brought her new baby into it, it suddenly feels like a baby death trap! LOL! It’s actually not too bad, just as long as we confront it we can have it ready in a week. But there’s so much to do! I gotta mail my cookie swap cookies, make friendship fruit cakes (my fruit was ready yesterday after the month-long process, but I didn’t have the time or ingredients yet) and freeze them so I have some Christmas goodies even if I don’t have time to bake after Joshua comes, update my pregnancy journal (because I know I won’t have time once Joshua’s here and I don’t want to forget my pregnancy before I have the chance to record everything for him…and me), make cupcakes for an order I have this week (I don’t talk about my cupcaking any more, but I’ve been doing it all along), and let’s not forget that all important hospital bag. Plus I want make these and have them in the freezer for when I get home from the hospital, and I don’t even have aloe vera or witch hazel yet. Or even groceries – I gotta go grocery shopping. And get gas. Oh yeah, and work 40 hours and go to two doctor appointments.

OK, not feeling quite so ready now!! LOL! I’ll be fine, but please pray for me. :D

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Dr. Seuss Shower #2

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Veronica

With my hostesses, Teri and Sharon.

When we found out we were pregnant, we told our church family before anyone else because we needed their prayers and support the most while we were waiting for a safer time to announce to family and friends. God surely has answered those prayers, bringing us this far! Teri, our preacher’s wife and my good friend (I kind of think of her as yet another mother on my long list of mothers-lol), was the first who asked if she could throw me a baby shower. Sharon, another sister, was second! While I knew I’d have to have one in Wichita (Teri initially wanted to do it at her house in El Dorado), I though a smaller shower with my sisters in Christ would be so nice and happily agreed.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/282150_214901588558042_1643949_n.jpg

Me and Teri after a long day of pie baking!

We actually ended up having the shower in Wichita after all, at Sharon’s house, so that everyone could make it, but I was actually grateful to have this separate, more intimate shower. We could have easily fit everyone into my Lil’ Pumpkin Shower, but that one was fairly large as it was, and it’s just a lot harder to connect with guests when there are so many. With this smaller one, it was so fun, so relaxing, and my face literally hurt afterward because I laughed and smiled so hard the whole time.

As you can see, this was my second (well, third if you count Joan’s aunt shower) Dr. Seuss baby shower! I guess everyone knew our nursery theme. :)

Teri made the punch and Sharon had a co-worker make the cute cake. Are you eying that decadent punch like I did?

Chocolate Mocha Punch, people! That’s what I’m talkin’ bout. And while I do have a cup of coffee at least once a week (my doctor approved one cup a day), I didn’t have to worry about caffeine because Teri used decaf coffee. I couldn’t even tell! Soooo delish. Definitely sharing this recipe next week!

Sharon started us off with games, and I know the picture’s fuzzy, but the yellow thing hanging from her hands is a tape measure. She measured my waist and everyone had to write down their guesses as to how many inches my waist is. Usually people cut off pieces of yarn or lengths of toilet paper as long as they think will fit around the mother-to-be’s waist, but this way was faster and actually a lot more fun, because Sharon read the answers aloud. The answers ranged from 24″ (Awwww, my sweet girl Tara guessed that one and Teri rightly said, “We’re not talking about her ankles!” HA!), all the way up to 150″. YIPES! We were laughing so hard! Of course you wouldn’t want to play the game this way if the mother-to-be is the sensitive type. I’m not at all, or at least not with my sisters. We have so much fun joking around. And if you’re wondering, my waist is a honkin’ 54″. Wow!

See what I mean about the laughs? They were just nonstop. :)

This is me and my girl, Tara (the kind soul who guessed my waist was 24″…which actually got more laughs than the one who guessed 150 – ha!). I’ve mentioned her a lot on my blog because she is a great self-taught artist and I’ve shown off some of her work, including how she pimped my stained jeans, won a ribbon for her artwork on Den’s guitar, and most recently, made me a “Cupcake in the Oven” shirt. She also took most of these pictures for me, and also the pictures in the video I made about our “Happy Ending” of us announcing at church and the subsequent hugs and tears that followed. This girl would do anything I asked her to – she is just the sweetest. And it just so happened that I opened her gift first.

I took my time studying the picture before I showed everyone else. Once what I was looking at sunk in, the tears started. Take your time and really look at the images from left to right in the second photo below.

My son’s life…seeing him grow up and grow old with his wife in a single picture frame…was just so touching. It also made me realize that wow, we’re bringing another life into this world that can bring more life and one day, he’ll be old with someone (we hope) like we are today. :) It’s a beautiful keepsake that will always be on our walls, and some day his.

Again, gift-opening photos are so boring, so here are some collages. I got a lot of wonderful, useful gifts. Yay for more diapers and a flexible plastic bib that catches food!

This quilt was from Judy (Tara’s Grandma, who managed to escape the camera), and all her Granddaughters helped by putting the ties on each square. This quilt is just like the ones my Grandma Davis used to make and the kind we grew up with, so it really takes me back.

I got a rag quilt from Teri with a musical theme since Dennis plays guitar and I sing, a “dog gone handsome” sleeper with dogs on it from my Mother-in-law (she sent it with me from the last shower since she couldn’t make it, and Joan sent a gift too because they’re the best EVER), some cash from Susan and on the card she wrote “I didn’t know what you needed, but cash is always useful. Rex and I use it to this day.” LOL!) and a sweater wrap that Marissa knitted for Joshua when he gets a little older. Dennis says it looks like something Anakin Skywalker would wear so he appoves. LOL! I got a lot more gifts but I think you get the idea. It was a wonderful shower and a wonderful closing to all my showers. God has blessed us so much through the people he’s brought into our lives and I just couldn’t be more thankful.