The long-awaited update on Jen Lancaster!!

So I saw her nearly two months ago, for shame. But I swear I've been super busy. Reading her book, changing our picture to my cover photo on Facebook...and you know, work and the plague. But in a nutshell, she. was. AWESOME.

I headed to Charlotte on a cold afternoon after work and met up with my little sister Leighton for coffee at Starbucks. It was so good to see her face! We have both been busy and hadn't been able to catch up since her wedding, so it was great to see her.

After a quick coffee I headed the long way through Charlotte *I hate being a tourist* to the Barnes & Noble. I'd brought along with me six copies of her new book (for me and my wine club) and seven of her other books. Thinking that might be a bit much, I agonized and picked three of my faves because nine isn't too many, right?

I got it and got our three seats and our tickets and sat down impatiently. My friend Amanda joined me soon after, and then Jen walked in!! It was like seeing someone famous because, well, she is. But she was so laid back and fun, and maybe even a little nervous? She started by saying she didn't want to being the program early, but it was cool if we just wanted to chat. So we got to ask her about Fletch, Barbie, the Thundercats, her house, etc. And it wasn't at all like talking to someone famous.

Admittedly, I was nervous that with all these best-sellers and fame, she'd forgotten the little people. But she mentioned that her readers didn't like her fiction work, that it was too similar to her real life. So her new fiction book? No resemblance to her real life. Her readers didn't like paying for a book that they'd read 75% of online. So her next new book? None of the stories are on the blog. I loved that she admitted her negative feedback, and did something about it. Faith restored!

She read a chapter out of her new book, Here I Go Again, and then took questions. She was so funny, and not at all pretentious or snotty. Sassy maybe, but not snotty. But that's what her readers loved about her. I loved the chance to meet her in person because while she's exactly the same as she is in her books and on her blog, she's also totally different. She's a person. Who gets spray tan.

We were among the last to get our books signed, and when I mentioned I thought 13 too many to sign, she insisted that I go out to the car to get them. "I'm here, you paid for them, why not??" was her response. So my sweet friend Stephanie went out to the car so I wouldn't miss a minute with my fave author (and new bestie).

I was so excited to finally meet her! I missed her for four years while we were in Germany, and she hasn't been back to NC since I moved back (for shame). But you can bet if she's within 4 (okay, 6) hours of me in June for The Tao of Martha, I'm totally going to see her again!

Learning is fun!

What a great week for learning more about our baby! I started a new book, The Happiest Baby on the Block, and so far it's one of my favorite baby books! It's very logical, and since I'm a "why?" person, it's answering a lot of my questions. Reading more about babies makes me more and more excited to meet our little boy!

I also went to a class at ACS (Army Community Service) on post yesterday, the "OB Orientation". I thought I'd never get to it! They recommend this class at the clinic when they tell you you're pregnant and start making your appointments. It's basically an overview of your pregnancy and the German hospital system, as well as a look into all the paperwork you'll need to submit once the baby is born. I found out I was pregnant in March, and the class had already taken place. In April, I was in the states; in June, I had morning sickness. I was all set to go in July, and Jay came home early...the day before the class! In August we were on leave, so FINALLY it worked out this month. And boy am I glad it did! Much of the second half of the class was repetitive from the classes I've already done and books I've read, but the paperwork section was most helpful (and overwhelming!). There's so much we have to do once Hayden is born to get his birth registered in Germany and the United States, to get his passports, to get his health insurance taken care of, his social security card and to make sure all our ducks are in a row to move back to the states...all in three months! But now that we know exactly what we have to do, it's nice to be able to start getting it organized! I also discovered today that the German government can actually reject our baby's name on his birth certificate! They have a book of names, and if it's not in there we actually have to contact the consulate (via the Army) to get a memorandum to have the name we want put on his birth certificate. We can actually "consult the book" before he's born, so at least we can figure out if they're going to tell us no. Can you imagine such a thing in the states? What would celebrities DO??

I discovered yesterday that if we want to tour the hospital, we can do so with the Army's program for newcomers (even though we've been here two years!) or with our own doctor. One of the girls in my class has the same doctor I do, and said if we make our appointment his last appointment on a Thursday, he goes to the hospital to check on his Friday surgeries, and would be able to show us around. We're excited to see where all the magic will happen, and to pre-register to speed up the process when it's go time!

Finally, Susan sent me a great article about kids and nutrition from the NY Times. I highly recommend it for my gestating and parenting friends!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/15eat.html?em

I'm looking forward to finishing up my book this weekend, and starting a new one! I also made homemade chocolate chip cookies last night for my grateful husband, and they turned out great. Fall is in the air in Germany with cool temperatures and very chilly mornings for Jay to get up to at 5:30. Luckily, Oscar and I don't venture outside until much later, when it's warmed up a bit. Looks like we're in for a cold winter, so I'm getting ready to start stocking up on cold weather gear for Hayden. It gets more exciting all the time!