Because Everything In Life Deserves a Soundtrack....Except Maybe Labor

Dear Baby Pitzer,
Your dad and I love music! You will find that music of all genres is usually being played through multiple speakers all connected wirelessly throughout our home on a regular basis. We are notorious for creating playlists for various life events. Your birth is no exception.
Now I have to be honest, there is a part of me that wishes birth/labor was more like an athletic event, like a marathon or something-something that makes me want to get all amped and motivated with some great tunes, but alas, it is not. From all of my classes, reading, and education it seems to me that relaxation is key. (I probably should have used my yoga video more- and never on 2x speed). What can I say? I like high energy. I've even read that getting all worked up and excited can delay labor and slow it down. Bummer.
So will I have a playlist for labor? No. I will have some music handy if I feel the urge, but I'm betting this girl won't be into music at all for this event.
However, I still created a playlist for you!!! We can consider it kind of like a "pre-party" playlist because I am 100% I won't want to hear "Push It"when it's business time. In the meantime, I am enjoying the excitement and anticipation of your impending arrival with the following songs (with links for your visual and auditory pleasure):

1. Baby- Justin Bieber
2. Baby Love- The Supremes
3. Push It- Salt n' Pepa
4. Can't Take My Eyes off of You- Frankie Valli
5. Let's Get It Started- Black Eyed Peas
6. Here Comes the Sun- George Harrison
7. Baby Baby Baby- TLC
8. You Are the Sunshine of My Life- Stevie Wonder
9. Haven't Met You Yet- Michael Buble
10. Sweet Child of Mine- Guns n' Roses
11. Beautiful Boy- John Lennon
12. Stronger - Kanye West
13. Baby Mine from Dumbo
14. La La Lu- form Lady and the Tramp
15. Let's Hear it for the Boy- Deniece Williams
16. I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas
17. Hey Baby- No Doubt
18. Doing it all for My Baby- Huey Lewis and the News
19. Oh Boy - Buddy Holly
20. The Final Countdown-Europe
21. I'm Coming Out- Diana Ross

Can't wait to meet you buddy!
Love,
Mummy

For All Who Sleep In This Happy Place, Welcome!

Dear Baby Pitzer,
Let me begin by saying that your father and I are huge advocates of thinking for one's self and making one's own decisions. As you grow, and it is appropriate, we plan on providing you the freedom and the room to do so, trusting that we have done our part.
But for now, we are pretty sure that you don't care about the decor of your room- so we decorated it for us, all of us really. We hope that you love Disney as much as we do someday.
It was supposed to be just a few accent pieces to add to the room to begin with, but I think it's safe to say you have a full on classic Mickey themed nursery.

The inspiration behind the room! We bought this Mickey back in February when we were in Disney World. If you look closely, he is all knitted. So cute! Also, you will notice a hand-knitted blanket given to you by Mike and Norma Smith (Georgia grandparents!) The rocker was used by your Aunt Jocelyn with your cousins Brenna and Keira. I'm so thankful to have it, but would love to find an cozy upholstered chair someday so we can snuggle up and read together :)

 This is your crib! I love it because it converts into a twin sized bed! Most cribs convert to a full sized bed, but if your dad and I can sleep in a twin bed into our twenties so  can you! Plus you will have more space in your room. We framed a reproduction of a vintage Steamboat Willie poster for you. It is giant- but pretty awesome. In your crib is an incredible handmade mobile by Nancy and Karen. We still have to get that hung up.

 A couple of knick-knacks for the walls: my original Disney ears from my first visit to Disneyland, cute little vintage Mickey and Donald figures, empty picture frames (for now), and blocks that someday soon will reveal your name! (Whenever we know what your name is!!!)

 We have a couple more reproductions of vintage Mickey cartoon posters on the other wall (not giant sized)

 This is a collector's item I scored on ebay- a 1958 map of Disneyland. I LOVE maps!

 Your dresser :) You can see you already have quite the collection of books. At one shower, instead of giving cards everyone gave you a book! How fun! If you look closely, you will see your awesome lamp! It was another ebay score! Mickey talks when you turn the lamp on and off. Your dad and I love it and play with it a lot. It also has a switch to turn the sound off. Brilliant.

I went a little crazy on ebay. I also found these adorable bookends. Love them!

So that's your room! I hope you like it! You're probably not going to sleep in there for quite a while, but it was so much fun decorating it! 

Love,

Your Disney-crazed mum

I HATE SPIDERS!

Dear Baby Pitzer,
The post from yesterday will be delayed, but it's a good one. I just need to upload some pictures to go with it.
Anyway, this post is going to be a sort of therapy session for me. First of all, it's my birthday. I woke up in a great mood, ready for the day. I was going to go worship Jesus, see all my friends, head to Burt's Pumpkin Patch, go to the outlet mall, and have a lovely dinner with your dad. And- it even feels like fall today. A day of perfection, joy and happiness awaited me.
But then-
I walked out of the bathroom and saw a fairly large spider on your dad's pillow. Spiders creep me out. Especially when I see one in my personal space, such as my bed. I was determined not to let this get me  down on my birthday though. Your dad had already left for church so I was on my own. To include him in the morning's events, I thought about sending him a picture of the spider. In doing so, I would probably gain lots of sympathy from him especially because I am nearly 39 weeks pregnant AND it was my birthday. No girl should ever have to be in this situation. I tried to take a photo, but just couldn't muster up the strength to get close enough to it to send a decent image.
I decided that I needed to focus on killing the arachnid. What would my murder weapon be? As you already know from my earlier post, your dad and I sleep in a waterbed so I had to choose my tool carefully. I am a total wimp when it comes to killing bugs so I can't just grab a kleenex. I needed something to distance myself from the evil beast. I considered using bug killer spray, but concluded that it was not safe for a pregnant gal to use and even after washing our sheets I may still feel the need to purchase new ones. Eventually, I settled on a tennis shoe. It was large, I could get a good grip on it, and I felt confident it had enough surface area for me to kill the spider without a chance of it touching me.
Deep breaths... Lots of prayer and self-talk...the wind-up and the SMASH!!!
Wait. What are those tiny little....omg...baby spiders everywhere! Some were moving- some were not -and Mama Spidey hobbled away.
I was completely paralyzed.
I focused on killing Mama because the babes weren't scattering too far at this point. Then- rather than using the shoe on the babies, I made the decision that pouring a glass of water over them would be wise. (??!?!??)
I got your dad on the phone- he may have thought for one second that I was in labor (I was in minor hysteria) but then I broke the news to him. He coached me through smashing the baby spiders and cleaning up the aftermath.
Traumatic.
The sheets are in the washer as we speak, but I think I want a new bed for my birthday.

Son, please grow up to be brave, strong, and fearless in the face of spiders. Your mum needs you!

Love you, little man! I hope I didn't shake you up too much in there this morning! You can stay in a little while longer :)
Love,
Mum

About Your Mum

Dear Baby Pitzer,
Here are some things you should know about me. I'm sure it will benefit you in the future if you keep this list handy.
1. I am slightly obsessed with Disney World. We are going to try and hold out awhile for the next trip, but I haven't made it longer than 2 years without visiting a Disney park since my first visit in 2003.
2. I can't get enough of polka dots. If you would have been a girl, I probably would have polka dot everything. Instead your nursery is Mickey themed. Go figure.
3. It's really hard for me to not put up a Christmas tree right now. Your dad and I love love love Christmas. We would probably have a tree now except that we like to get a real one-and Christmas trees don't last for 3 months (unless I buy one of those potted ones...hmmm) Christmas music will begin on November 1 in our home. I hope you like it.
4. I don't like to repeat meals that I cook. I am thinking this may come to an end soon, but we will see. There's just so many recipes to try....
5. I create spreadsheets with outfit plans for weeks at a time in order to be a good steward of all my clothes. I thought I would end up repeating a lot of outfits once I headed back to work this fall, but I have managed to have a fresh outfit everyday for nine weeks. Maybe I can make one for you someday.
6. I enjoy most all pizza toppings except for mushrooms and olives.
7. I hold my bladder for way too long and I've done it since I've been a kid. Don't do this. Just go to the bathroom. It's silly and most likely unhealthy.
8. I am madly in love with your father and I have been for nearly half of my life. Believe in happily ever after. I do. I hope we can be an example for you.
9. I am married to 2 men: Jesus and your father. It may be confusing at first, but I'm sure you will get it soon enough. Bonus for you! 2 Dads!
10. When I get to retirement age, I will most likely be A. Working some old lady job at Disney World B. Working/Volunteering at a National Park or C. Traveling the U.S. in an RV visiting National Parks with my Golden Age Pass. Feel free to come visit.

That should do us for now.
Sleep tight Snickerdoodle!
Love,
Mum

Top 10 Reasons October is the Best Month Ever

Dear Baby Pitzer,
I am sure it will be abundantly obvious to you as you grow that October is the most excellent month of the year, but here are a few reasons to start you off:

10. Camping season! S'mores! Hikes! Campfires!

9. Soup time! You better believe the first pot of chili will be made this month! And most likely tomato soup and cheese toasties will be on the menu :) P.S. Don't listen to anyone who calls a cheese toastie grilled cheese. Cheese toastie is WAY more fun to say and it sounds happier.

8. Football season is in full swing.

7. Turtleneck season begins. (It's pushing it here in GA, but still acceptable).

6. Heck...all fall clothes. Bring out the scarves, blue jeans, hoodies, and all the fun cozy clothes :)

5. Disney releases a new DVD every October. This year it's the Cinderella Platinum edition. (Having a collection of the classic Disney movies is essential to happiness in life).

4. Pumpkin flavored everything.

3. Glorious, majestic, breathtaking landscapes to soak in as the leaves turn....Your dad and I sometimes will even break out in applause telling God what a good job He is doing.

2. The masses say so: I was on Facebook on October 1st and at least 50 people talked about how glad they were that it was October...maybe even more. Go look on their timelines.

1. I get to meet you this month and then celebrate it with you for the rest of my life! Wooohoo!

Love to you, my little pumpkin!
Mum
President of October is the Best Month Coalition

On the Topic of Pregnancy....

Dear Baby Pitzer, So I must take the time to celebrate how incredibly amazing you already are. You are making this pregnancy thing a piece of cake!! Let's take a minute to review some highlights: 1st Trimester: Tired? No way! Morning sickness? Not an ounce! How considerate of you so early on in your life! In fact, you and I champed it out in Disney World for a few days back in February...and you know how we do Disney (maybe you don't)...we're talking 12+ hours in the park- open to close style. Your dad and I can't wait to take you to Disney World again! Another fun first trimester trip was camping/hiking/biking at Cumberland Island. I'd say we did 15-20 miles of biking and several hikes within a 2 day period. Cumberland is now one of my favorite places in Georgia. You'll have to get back there someday, too. Pure gorgeousness. Food Cravings/Aversions/Smell Sensitivity Stuff: No negative experiences with food or smell at all. The only thing I have experienced during the last nine months is a desperate need to drink water and lots of it. John and I have decided it's because your his son. Your dad ALWAYS carries his water bottle with him-and he drinks excessive quantities of water (quite a healthy habit, I'd say). Weight gain: Textbook. Praise God! (Let's face it...all women have to be a little fearful of what this looks like). I think I've managed to balance healthy weight gain and form a cute belly at the same time. Bless you child! As we are wrapping up the last few weeks of this journey, let's discuss the issue of sleep. Thank you, dear child, for continuing to make it comfortable and easy to sleep each night. This may be because of your amazingness, it could be a gift from the Lord, perhaps it's the fact that your dad and I are part of the .05% of people who still sleep in a waterbed (king sized! Holla!) or some combination of all three, but it is glorious. Perhaps you will be just like me- an excellent sleeper, no matter the circumstance. (Please God. Amen.) Overall, being pregnant with you has been a dream come true. Even if I would had all those yucky pregnancy symptoms, I'm sure I still would have been overjoyed, but the ease of this experience has been the icing on the cake. Now keep up the good work and let's have labor be just as uncomplicated and manageable as your gestation. Love you to pieces already, Mummy (I've already got my Halloween costume figured out...can you guess?)

Let Birthday Month Begin!

Dear Baby Pitzer, You don’t know it yet, but today is the first day of your birthday month- October- the best month ever. Birthday month began a couple of years ago when I realized there are just too many amazing things to do throughout the month of my birthday, and so birthday month was born. Thanks to your impending arrival, birthday month is basically etched in stone now, and I am overjoyed to share it with you. No need to worry about claiming a day (although I am quite curious as to when you will arrive), you’ve got the whole month boy! This year I have decided to write to you (every day if I can- at least until you make an appearance) and share with you the life that I celebrate, my infinite parental wisdom, and probably just a few random anecdotes along the way. So Happy Birthday Month!!! Let the celebration begin! Love, Mum (we’ll see if this name sticks- I’m kind of an anglophile)