The various family members we’ve had for the past three weeks have left for home. We have a freezer full of food, thanks to Joy. We have clean clothes and floors, thanks to everyone who pitched in on those! We have a playset to entertain Eli, thanks to Ray and Stephen.

We are now four alone.

It’s pretty crazy that three weeks ago there were three of us and now there are four living here in our house. It’s crazy that someone so small can take up so much space, both physically and mentally. It’s crazy that I look forward to who she will be so much and am anxious for that part to be here, for the baby lump stage to be over. It’s crazy that I can actually string this many words together on less than five hours of sleep.

I know from experience with Eli that I won’t remember this part of Liza’s babyhood very well, largely due to that lack of sleep. So this is to remind myself later. She is so beautiful it makes my eyes hurt. Watching Eli kiss her goodnight every night and pat her gently on the head is the best part of the day. Watching Eli gasp and sing song out, “I hear Baby Liza! She’s awake! I think she’s hungry!” makes me laugh every time. Seeing her copy us by sticking our her tongue when we’ve done it 50 times, feels like a moment of true communication. Smelling the top of her head makes me feel a peace that I don’t get from anything else in the whole world.

Item one: When I went to get my car, I had to wait for a while until a finance guy was available to take my money. I passed the time by reading my new owner’s manual. My favorite part had to do with the radio’s security system.

Your vehicle’s audio system will disable itself if it is disconnected from electrical power for any reason. To make it work again, you must enter a specific five-digit code in the present buttons. Because there are hundreds of number combinations possible from five digits, making the system work without knowing the exact code is nearly impossible.

Item two: I’ve been looking at getting what Alabama calls a “Distinctive Plate”. It turns out Alabama has a lot of distinctive plates. North Carolina has the most flexible personalized and special plates I’ve ever seen, allowing you eight characters and accepting dashes, ampersands, equal signs, and more. But, c’mon, how can you resist Alabama’s decals? For instance, perhaps you like square (or round) dancing.

Or perhaps you have a kid and would like to take them fishing, if only you weren’t stuck behind the wheel of your car.

Decals go on generic plates. What about custom plates?

If you get a Shriners plate, can you put it on your full-sized car? Among the military plate, there’s one that caught my eye.

Yes, they have a plate for soldiers who were caught in fallout from nuclear tests. Brr. Is there any plate that’d be worse to have?