Howdy, strangers

Yeah, I know. It's been a while since you've heard from the Breeders. The last month has been a blur. As our due date draws closer, Anna and I have been in a frenzy, working like mad to finish the house, traveling to Houston and St. Louis, and starting our birth & baby care class. The dogs have taken up residence with my folks, and their room has been turned into a functional office. We've run out of rooms to paint, unless Anna was serious about "touching up" the kitchen. Thanks to my folks and Anna's mom, Frankie's room is furnished and ready for him to move in. And thanks to our family and friends, we've got more baby clothes than we know what to do with. My mom actually pulled a box of MY baby clothes out of the attic, and after 35 years, they were still in great shape. Strange to think that my boy will be wearing the same t-shirts I wore when I was a baby. Even better, she found a pair of cowboy boots given to me by my grandpa, and they're in even better condition than the clothes. We stopped in Oklahoma City on our way to St. Louis last weekend, to have lunch with Grandma and Grandpa and to show him the boots. I can't remember the last time I saw him smile like he did when he saw them. I can't wait to introduce him to his great-grandson.

We went to St. Louis for two baby showers - one thrown by her brother, Tony, and his fiancé, Shannon, the other by Anna's cousins, her mom's nieces. I've married into a great family. They all bent over backwards to make me feel welcome, and I can't begin to thank them for their generosity. My mom is planning a shower in Oklahoma in July, and Anna's friend Sarah is throwing one in Austin. When all is said and done, Frankie will have more clothes, blankets and toys than any boy needs. We are truly blessed to have so many people looking out for us. I don't know how we'd manage if we had to do all of this by ourselves. Thankfully, we don't. I just wish St. Louis wasn't 13 hours away. Guess we're going to get to know the stretch of highway between here and there pretty well over the next few years.