I did some work this morning, broken up in the early afternoon with a little running around, picking up my paycheck and going to the bank and the like.  I picked up some paint for the nursery then a smoothie for lunch.  After work Amy Warkentien came by, Eli in tow.  He had slept past his feeding time and woke up when he got here, so Amy fed him then we all headed downtown to meet up with Amanda and look at diapers.

We caught up with Amanda at Michael’s Port City Java.  He was there and we debated basketball to the point where I told him I was going to have to call the management and complain about how awful the service was there.  Despite the fact, he made me an awesome milkshake.

Once we were all done there Amy, Amanda and I, carrying Eli, walked across the street to a baby store at the Cotton Exchange to check out cloth diapers.  Cloth diapers aren’t like they were when I was wearing them.  They’re adjustable and have cleanable inserts.  Long story short, we spent over $260 each (each being Amanda and I then Amy) on a bunch of them.  The good thing is that we shouldn’t really need to buy any other diapers from now on, saving us a few thousand dollars.  All that cost included a sprayer thing that hooks up to the toilet to help clean up messes.

Amanda and I headed home while Amy took Eli to go run some errands.  Amanda’s mom, Karen Mercer, was home when we got there, working on the nursery.  She was also there to help out with tomorrow’s baby shower, but since Ben and Jessica Lambeth were coming to stay for the weekend she was going to go stay with her sister, Anna Frazelle.  We had previously told Karen that we wouldn’t be around much at all that night.  On top of buying a crapload of diapers (no pun intended) we were going to a night of worship for the volunteers at church.  Amanda showed the diapers to Karen, who had been down on them until she saw them and how they worked.

After a little bit we headed on out to Port City Community Church for the volunteer service.  I’ve got to say, the staff really outdid themselves.  The music was great, for one thing.  You could tell everyone in the band was into what they were doing.  The crowd fed off of that I think, and was fired up as well.  They also had communion tonight, and did it in a way that I thought was reminiscent of Catholicism.  First everyone was invited down to write something they struggle with, something they try to hide from everyone, on a sticky note, sort of like a confession, then smack it onto a piece of wood on the stage before taking the communion, representing that you were baring that to God while being reminded that the purpose of Jesus was that these things, these sins of ours, were washed away by the cross.  Then then band sang another song as everyone reflected upon that and the communion while the pieces of wood with everyone’s confessions and struggles were put up on the stage in the form of a cross.  It was honestly a very touching and moving bit of symbolism and did a great job of underlining the point they were making about Jesus and forgiveness.

A few minutes before the service ended I got a text message from Ben Lambeth saying that he and Jessica were twenty minutes away.  I saw it as Amanda and I were heading to the car, exactly ten minutes after it had been sent.  I called them and told them they had timed it perfectly because we would be there in just about ten minutes, just about the same time as them.  But Jessica, who answered Ben’s phone, said that they’d probably beat us there because they were pulling into the driveway.  (Ben had apparently not been going the speed limit!)  Amanda and I showed up exactly ten minutes later.

Ben and Jessica were out back with Bruce and their dog, Mack.  I can’t remember now if they let Harvey out too or if we did, but he and Mack hit it off instantly.  They’re both about the same size and, though Mack’s about a year younger, they both have pretty much the same energy level.  We left them outside to play while we brought stuff in from their car and talked for a bit.  By the time we let the dogs in they were both covered with slobber and dirt.  Mack is a black dog, so it didn’t show up too bad on him, but Harvey is mostly white, so he got a bath, much to his chagrin.

Ben and Jessica both seem to be doing well.  Jessica’s got a little bit of a baby bump on her!  They find out on May 1 (our anniversary) what sex the baby is.  Well, theuy wil if they decide to do so anyway.

Zach Dotsey