Abundance and Gratitude (With miscellaneous heavy metal lyrics thrown in for fun)

Yo! Zoey's inna crib homies!

Every day for the past month or so, I have written out in longhand: Anwen will be a healthy, happy baby. That's my affirmation and my spell that I am trying to cast. We'll see how it turns out. Of course, I've also been listening to Metallica's cover of Mercyful Fate:

They're walking by the night
The moon has frozen blue
Long black coats a shelter for the rain
Their load must get through
Now bats are leaving their trees
They're joining the call
Seven satanic Hell preachers
Heading for the hall
Bringing the blood of a newborn child...Yeaaaaaah!

That's my kind of nursery rhyme. The kind with the traditional happy ending. I have to remember to add that to the music mix for when Laura is in labor.

Just for clarification since I am a practicing Witch: we do not do baby sacrifice. Not under any circumstances. In fact one of the two written documents that kind of states a loose creed for us to follow, The Charge Of The Goddess says this about sacrifice:

Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things and My love is poured out upon the earth.

So, Wiccans do not do sacrifice. I can't speak to Satanists, I'm not one and the few I have met appeared to me to be either truly, deeply antisocial personalities or active psychotics, so I avoid them. They are sick people and they need help. I pray for them, but I also pray they stay away from me and those I love.

I actually wanted to blog about the gifts we have been given for the baby. I was very worried about needing expensive necessities and lots of clothes when we started out. Well, our friends and family were tremendously generous at our baby shower. I was stunned at the things we got. That one event provided well over half of what I'd thought we'd need. As I wrote the thank you cards, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

But I was still worried about the rest of our list.

I should have had more faith. Yesterday, Laura's work friends threw her a surprise shower and, well, wow. I mean wow. I think that the only thing on our registry we have not gotten is the jogging stroller. I am blown away by the outpouring of generousity. Laura's coworkers really, really like her and boy did they show it. That's the stunning part, the affection they must have for her to have done so much.

Seriously, I think that if we put Anwen in a new outfit with every single diaper change, it would be a couple of weeks before we go through all of the outfits we have gotten as gifts for her. She hasn't even been born and she has more clothing that I do.

My coworkers have not given me my shower or gift yet. Because I feel like such and outsider there I'm tempted to say some smartass thing about they'll give me a quarter, but that is not true. They are decent humans and I think they genuinely wish Laura and I well. I will get a nice, moderate gift certificate. That's fine, that is more than I deserve probably.

I'm overwhelmed by this love expressed in gifts. I'm grateful and I humbled. Thank you all.