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01/07/2005
Scattered showers
For your enjoyment, I offer a view of the mountain of packages that awaited us upon arrival.
107 boxes. 25 bags. Paul counted. I cried.
I don't know where to start. I am so grateful, my friends, so touched and humbled by your generosity. Detailed and personal thanks will follow when we break out the box cutter. And that will be soon — Charlie's talons need clipping, and somewhere in that beautiful slew is a pair of teeny nail clippers, I just know it.
Now, on the subject of showers, let's talk about Tertia. Today at exactly 36 weeks, Tertia gave birth to Adam and Kate. If you'd like to celebrate with her, please visit the brand-new blog of the excellent Boulder, who's put together some great ideas on how to join the party.
I personally can't wait to salute one of blogland's favorite heroines icons assholes and her brand-new twins. Congratulations, T.
Posted by Julie at 09:35 PM in You can pick your friends... | Permalink
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Comments (48)
It's raining babies, isn't it?! Congratulations to all, you deserve it after the heartache you've all been through.
Posted by: Sarah at Jan 7, 2005 9:43:02 PM
I second what Sarah said--you deserve it. I felt like a total dork, buying a gift for someone I've never met and never will, but I just couldn't stop thinking that you've done more for me than that little gift will ever do for you. We all owe you, and we're all so happy that Charlie is finally, finally home.
Posted by: Queenie at Jan 7, 2005 9:46:22 PM
Enjoy! I hope everything is just what Charlie wanted!
Posted by: LPF at Jan 7, 2005 9:47:03 PM
Welcome back, Julie. You just brought your baby home from the hospital. What a wonderful, ordinary (okay, so your trip wasn't quite typical...) milestone after all of the anything but textbook steps it took to get this far. Warmest congratulations to your family of three.
Posted by: Jennifer at Jan 7, 2005 9:48:13 PM
happy friday
Posted by: stephanie at Jan 7, 2005 9:48:57 PM
Save all that cardboard for when Charlie wants to build a fort in the living room.
(or for when I visit... you and I can build a drive thru dacquiri hut like they have back home)
Posted by: BrendaS at Jan 7, 2005 10:03:43 PM
No personal thank yous for me, please. It will be enough that you continue to be the wonderful mother and wife that you are, and continue to make me laugh (and cry)through your stories. Write a book, how 'bout that. I'll be very upset if I get a thanks in the mail. You have enough to do!
Posted by: KatS at Jan 7, 2005 10:12:50 PM
P.S., is that a bottle of Vodka on your storage shelves? Cheers.
Posted by: KatS at Jan 7, 2005 10:14:14 PM
There are definitely some tiny nailclippers in there -- I am so VERY proud to say that I sent them. Uh, in a package with some other stuff too. Congratulations on finally bringing Charlie home!
Now the real fun starts.
Posted by: JenAtHome at Jan 7, 2005 10:14:25 PM
Congrats on bringing Charlie home and enjoy opeing all your goodies.
Posted by: Kristin at Jan 7, 2005 10:21:37 PM
Holy Fucking Crap - That is a lot of boxes!!!
Yay to the friends inside the computer!
xoxo
Posted by: Boulder at Jan 7, 2005 10:25:24 PM
One of these days soon, I'd love to see a family photo of mom, dad and Charlie. I bet the smiles would light up these dark January days.
Posted by: adelaide at Jan 7, 2005 10:45:08 PM
Santa did good.
Thank You Julie, for being you and writing about it.
Posted by: MollieBee at Jan 7, 2005 11:09:50 PM
I wish I could say I had sent something but I may still. What I want to say is wow to all the women who connect with each other and show how much they care. A big round of applause to all of you who did this for them.
Posted by: Lauren at Jan 7, 2005 11:14:20 PM
Congrats! May you peacefully hibernate at home for a while.
The heap is tremendous.
Is that a bottle of champagne in the background?
Alcohol, with proper juxtaposition time-wise, can be the friend of a pumping mom. Not that I would know or anything :)
Posted by: Cricket at Jan 7, 2005 11:24:06 PM
Talk about shock and awe :)
So you are going to be looking for clippers in the package stack? Probly no worse than that needle thing... Should be more fun, too...
Oh, and don't forget to check the PO Box *wink, wink* :)
I am a little giddy today-- Charlie came home and Kate and Adam made their appearance. Could there be a better day? Didn't think so.
Posted by: JuliaKB at Jan 7, 2005 11:35:52 PM
Welcome home! What joy. I second Kat S.
Julie, you honestly do so much for no doubt so many just by keeping this site. Write a book. I would just fucking LOVE to stand in my favorite neighborhood bookseller's shop and be able to idly, casually say I "knew" you when!
Posted by: Kimberly at Jan 7, 2005 11:45:01 PM
Welcome Home you three!
You are loved...
xxoo
Posted by: Anna H. at Jan 7, 2005 11:54:08 PM
Wow, we did a pretty impressive job didn't we! Nice heap! But please don't feel like you have to send me a thank you note (and I think I speak for many of us). Just relax (eek, that word-Iknow, I know, but TRY to relax as much as possible) and enjoy having Charlie and you and Paul all HOME!!
Posted by: Abby at Jan 8, 2005 12:27:34 AM
For a minute there, I thought you were going to cut Charlie's nails with the box-cutter, and I was going to have to give you some advice about using the proper tools for the job, but no need; the rest of your compound sentence brought clarity and relief.
Congratulations on the birth of your son, your hard-won homecoming, and being the sort of person who inspires people from all over the world to shower you and your new family with love and treasure.
Inspire you do, Julie my love. In so many ways. Enjoy.
Posted by: mollie at Jan 8, 2005 12:36:31 AM
Julie,
Welcome home to all of you. So happy for you all. What a great day.
Posted by: Janice at Jan 8, 2005 12:37:12 AM
On first sight, the arrows looked like smiley faces! If ever you feel down and you think nobody loves you, think again! Just remember all of us here in cyber world. we love you.
Posted by: Dahlia at Jan 8, 2005 1:04:13 AM
fantastic! welcome home!
Posted by: wix at Jan 8, 2005 1:52:19 AM
Oh & Julie?
I can affirm that there is definitely a package in there somewhere that has a pair of Charlie sized talon clippers.
:)
Posted by: Boulder at Jan 8, 2005 2:16:47 AM
And I was scared that I may have been the only one that liked you enough to send something...LMAO!!
Happy unboxing!
Posted by: Amber at Jan 8, 2005 7:46:08 AM
And don't worry...only half this much stuff will have to accompany you on any given outing you may take with your new baby.
Posted by: MichiganLisa at Jan 8, 2005 7:51:28 AM
So awesome!! Congratulations on having Charlie home!
Posted by: De at Jan 8, 2005 8:19:47 AM
I bet you're glad to be home! I was thrilled to see all the loot you got. I wish I could contribute more, but for now I will send you my love and best wishes!
Posted by: Sarah at Jan 8, 2005 9:23:51 AM
Woo hoo!!! What an awesome day!! So glad you are all safe and sound and HOME!!!
Posted by: Stephanie at Jan 8, 2005 10:04:22 AM
Congratulations! You're HOME with your precious SON! I'm so happy for you!
Posted by: KellyH at Jan 8, 2005 10:12:27 AM
You're home : )
Posted by: Menita at Jan 8, 2005 11:04:45 AM
Nice loot!
And I've never been so thrilled to give a baby gift to anyone, ever. Seconding (thirding?) Kat and Abby, I just want to say that writing out 125 personalized notes sounds like just about the last thing you need to worry yourself with right now. So, unless you really enjoy note-sending, feel free to count me in the "noteless" pile!
(Of course, there's the future autograph value to consider...maybe I spoke too soon!)
--Bugs
Posted by: Dead Bug at Jan 8, 2005 1:53:50 PM
Damn! I really should've had a baby shower.
Posted by: Stacey at Jan 8, 2005 2:19:21 PM
FTR, I believe one of my boxes does in fact have nail clippers. If you get a bunch, save them all. I swear those things like to hide. You'll still be finding some when he's in the first grade.
Bulb syringes and thermometers do the same thing. So stock up.
I'm SO excited for your whole family. I'm expecting to see tons and tons of that baby in his natural habitat in the next few days.
Posted by: Drama Queen at Jan 8, 2005 3:06:31 PM
Welcome home!!!
Posted by: barren mare at Jan 8, 2005 3:28:05 PM
I second? fifth? two dozenth? the Welcome Home to you and Charlie! That mountain is awesome. (I hope all those arrows don't mean "this end up", heh.)
Posted by: Shawna at Jan 8, 2005 6:01:39 PM
Until you can dig through all your loot to find the nail clippers, try the trick my mom used on all five of us kids. Wait until Charlie is a asleep and GENTLY bite his nails. They should be pretty soft anyway. My mom was always scared she would somehow cut us with the clippers. Strange but it worked.
You really don't need to send a thank-you to me, either. In fact, the thought of sending 107 thank you notes sounds a bit onerous! Enjoy your time and post a Charlie pic when you can.
Posted by: Amyesq at Jan 8, 2005 6:01:44 PM
HOLY SHIT! Hope you enjoy all of it!
Posted by: Ellen at Jan 8, 2005 7:21:59 PM
Just FYI, i read in the paper this weekend of a study that showed that a drop of vanilla on the pillow of premie babies reduces the incdence of apnea. Sounds easy enough to try...?
Posted by: hadassa at Jan 8, 2005 7:23:14 PM
I think we've got some competition for Santa here.
Posted by: juliejulie at Jan 8, 2005 9:28:34 PM
I clicked on the picture of your gifts, and literally gasped and said "Wow!" while grinning and choking on the word. And then I got goosepimples. I cant believe how extremely NICE people can be sometimes. If I was you, I would have cried too :)
Posted by: Foster at Jan 8, 2005 11:25:01 PM
Happy long-awaited homecoming, Batfamily.
Posted by: persephone at Jan 9, 2005 1:59:56 AM
After you find the talon clippers you might want to open the box from me...the diaper champ!! Welcome home Charlie.
Posted by: Tara at Jan 9, 2005 7:37:29 PM
Julie,
Home! YAY! Make sure bat knows his mommy has a fan in washington state who is wishing you ALL THE BEST right now.
Nicole
Posted by: Nicole Storlie at Jan 9, 2005 9:49:21 PM
I am so happy for you, I am having a little teary moment in you honour. Hurrah!
Posted by: jenB at Jan 9, 2005 11:40:21 PM
Charlie's home! Charlie's home! Charlie's HOME!! Oh, hurray! What a great day!
Julie, my husband and I have been following Paul and your story for so long. Long enough that we have a four month old Charlie of our own. We've never been so happy to hear that someone got pregnant, or that someone was born. Second only to our own Charlie.
Please don't send thank yous. We don't need thank yous. I'm just so happy that Charlie will have all the things he needs and mom and dad will feel all set up and baby-safe.
It's strange to care so much about someone you've only read about, but Andy and I really do care an awful lot about your family. Today is such a wonderful day. We whooped it up and danced around with Charlie to celebrate and told him all about your Charlie.
Congratulations!!
Posted by: Krissy at Jan 10, 2005 10:10:06 AM
YOU'RE HOME!
Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous.
Posted by: Jaine at Jan 10, 2005 11:28:23 AM
Anyone know where the family is registered at?
Posted by: ECS at Jan 10, 2005 11:57:11 AM
