The mailman has been busy

Aside: Some of you will have to put up with a few baby bits from now on. These are for the family, but you are more than welcome to enjoy!

It's the southern way to show your love often not with words, but with gifts and actions. My family tends not to get overly emotional and say mushy things to each other. Instead, they do things like cook and give gifts. We aren't close enough to get food, unfortunately, but only days after the baby news broke, we started getting gifts.

The first care package came, fittingly, from the baby's only surviving set of great-grandparents. My grandmother always sends the best care packages. My first winter in Minnesota she sent me a box of grits with my birthday gift. Not just any grits. Microwave grits. Instant grits. Old fashioned grits. Flavored grits. She wasn't sure what kind I would like, so she just cleaned out the aisle. And 3 years later, I'm still eating on them. Grandmother and Pop sent the baby a package containing sleepers (with a sports theme for Dave, of course), bottle washers, socks, and picture frames. All that mail comes as it always does, addressed to "Mrs. Dave Schwartz" (top picture)

The baby's grandmother in Florida sent sleepers, baby blankets, diapers, and a toy. That has come addressed to "Baby Schwartz" (yellow sleeper picture)

One of my moms, my best friend's mother, made a quilt and called to inform me on the phone yesterday that she had a birthday present for me and she wanted to tell me what it was BEFORE I got it. An ABC quilt, and she's piecing another one too. (below)

My other best friend has texted me saying a package is on the way she just couldn't get in the mail because she kept putting stuff in it.

And my future sister-in-law and brother sent me a maternity package that included among other things "chocolate for baby."

There's already a discussion brewing over who gets to give the shower and just where it will be held in the big D. Apparently there is much noise over how I can get the stuff to Minnesota and how in the world is it proper manners to put 'bring money' or 'buy off a registry online' on a shower invitation? Kudos to my cousin for thinking of these things. I am just tickled the shower committee will have heck deciding what color the punch must be. That's very important, you know.

With stuff coming from Arkansas, Florida, and New York... pretty obvious this baby is already loved.