Real Simple.

About 2 weeks ago our beautiful friends Jen and Kyle gave us a gift. It was wrapped in the most elegantly simple package. I was almost sad to break it open for fear of losing part of its beauty. When I finally opened it and uncovered the contents I nearly cried. Partly because I’m pregnant and my hormones can jump from 0 to 60 in like half a second and partly because of the sweet relief and comfort that the 15 children’s blocks laid on my heart.

The blocks were colorful and natural, familiar and brand new, ornate and simple.

The idea of receiving this gift for Jangie, a small person presently morphing into full-sized-baby life in my abdomen, sends me to the brink of a mommy-to-be meltdown. Here is a sample of what this meltdown may look like in my world:

Hello?!? There is a sucking, kicking, peeing, eyebrow-having, nipple-clad, teeny, tiny person somersaulting somewhere just south of my belly button. In 4.5 months I suppose I’ll have no choice but to let the little sprout join us here in the real world. I haven’t read this far ahead but I’m pretty sure freaking out about this is not completely irrational. It makes me want to cuss Eve up one side and down the other. It was a flipping apple, Eve, not a piece of turtle cheesecake - temptation, shemptation. How long will Jason coach me through labor before he eventually passes out? We will have to name it something besides Jangie, or anything that may rhyme with a body part or cuss word (because other people’s kids are mean heads). Then we’ll have to feed it, cloth it, bathe it, repeat, repeat, repeat. All of which seems simple enough in theory but we didn’t practice with a dog – we’re going straight to the real deal. We should have gotten a dog. To be frank, just the word ‘engorged’ makes my stomach turn. Will it ever sleep? Will I? How long do we let it cry in church or at a restaurant before other people will stare and hate us for procreating? Do they really poop and it oozes out of their diapers? How will we discipline Jangie? To spank or not to spank? What if it’s a girl and I have to pick out bows daily? What if she wants to be a dancer or cheerleader? I don’t know anything about the ballet or pompons. What if it’s a boy and he pees everywhere? What if he hates sports? What if he wants to be a dancer or cheerleader? I don’t know anything about the ballet :)… We’re going to have a kid. I still act like a kid. Holy cow!

Then, just like that, the meltdown is over. I flip the strands of hair out of my face, point my belly forward, hold my head high, and feel a strange but comforting sense of control.

Blocks. They are blocks. Wooden. Alphabet. Children’s. Blocks!

I didn’t even know you could still get these things. I love that you can still get these things!

In our world of Babies R Us, Wal-Mart, and Target I get overwhelmed with the 80 gajillion different bottles and pacifiers, 67 trillion stroller reviews, 13 billion moms complaining that their baby sweats in the car seat in summer, 39 million ways to prevent your baby from ever encountering a germ, 74 thousand ways to freak out when your baby bumps it’s head, and a never-ending diaper debate. It brings me sweet relief to know that somewhere in that world we can still have wooden blocks. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know that not everything has been affected by marketing, technology, research, and reviews. It’s nice to know that our favorite toys, our favorite stories, our favorite games, and our pasts can be a part of our little sprout’s life.

It just takes a big cardboard box to build a princess a proper castle. A pillow case can turn any ordinary boy into a life-saving, high-flying, superhero. Daddies are so brave and strong they can hunt down and ward off any monster that lurks under the bed or in the closet. Curious George, Ferdinand the Bull, The Cat in the Hat, and The Three Little Pigs all have fame and heart and lessons that will stand the test of time. Mommies give the warmest, snuggliest hugs ever invented. And, an empty wrapping paper roll can quickly become a telescope that helps turn an ordinary night sky into a stargazer’s paradise.

See, its not so bad after all. Simply thinking. Simply doing. Simply loving.

These blocks restored my mind and I truly believe that we can count on some pieces and advice holding true and being just as reliable and adventurous and simple as they always were.

Baby update: Jangie is awesome! Moving like crazy (I can’t feel it yet but lots of kicking and arm flailing took place during our last sonogram). This week, sweat glands are beginning to form and the skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone. From head to butt, Jangie is 5 inches long and growing. We had an appointment on July 28th and it seems everything is going as it should.

As for me, well, my belly looks somewhere in between “beer gut” and “with child”. I wish I could wear a t-shirt to clarify. People want to ask but know it’s against the rules to pose such questions to a woman. Still feeling good all around.