Wendell is a very good amateur designer. He's designed birth announcements for all sorts of people including friends of friends at no charge. When I was pregnant with Beck, we would talk about what we wanted for Beck's birth announcement, but after he was born, getting Wendell to design something was impossible.
This wasn't new territory. After Annika was born, Wendell promised that he could design a better birth announcement for cheap so, after I had already bought some at Target, I went back and canceled. Weeks went by. Friends who had their babies after Annika sent out announcements before we did. The end result was beautiful, but the wait was horrendous.
Like with Annika, I got tired of waiting for birth announcements for Beck. I begged, I cajoled, I waited and finally I set an ultimatum. Get Beck's birth announcements done by day X or I'm just getting a candid picture and doing it through Costco. Wendell's response was something like, I don't care, just do it at Costco. It's easier that way and they come with envelopes.
Day X came and went with no birth announcements. So a few days later I went on line to Costco to make my own announcements. Unfortunately, Costco's website wouldn't let me do what I wanted with the pictures and ultimately, Wendell helped me create a collage.
The only way to put the pictures together required chopping the top of Beck's head off on the main picture. But it was better than nothing. After we down loaded it into the pre-done form, the blues in many of the pictures clashed badly with the blue of the announcement. So what, I thought, at least I can get something out.
So I ordered them. Only after I sent them out did I realize a third problem with them. The only name on the announcement was Beck's. It read, "Announcing our little boy.... Cohen Beck Wood." Then it included his birthdate, weight and length. We didn't have a 4th line. There was nothing that said Wendell's and my name. Once I started looking at that I thought, I bet there are friends of ours who got this announcement and wondered who the heck sent it to them. But it was too late. What's done is done.
Fast forward to tonight. My sister-in-law calls wanting a Baptism announcement for her daughter. "No problem," Wendell tells her, "I'll get right on it. Why don't you bring your stuff over tonight."
Um... excuse me. You are not serious. We sent out a crappy, mismatched Costco birth announcement with Beck's chopped off head and now you are going to spend several hours to create an announcement for your niece when wouldn't even do it for your own son!!! NO FREAKING WAY!
This is the part where I blew a fuse. Wendell claimed I didn't give him enough time (6 weeks) or express strongly enough that I wanted him to design an announcement. I argued that I did everything in my power to get announcements out in a timely fashion.
I haven't been this hurt or mad in a long time.
I may have pointed a finger at him and said, "You're going to make me a birth announcement right now, before you do anything for anyone else," then spent the next several hours in utter despair that I hadn't pushed harder sooner.
So he did it. Between my sobs and pouring tears we worked together on an announcement that I love. One problem. Who do I send it to? Doesn't it look weird to send a birth announcement out, then send an other two months later for the same kid? Beck is four months old. This is so ridiculously late. What do I do?
We have a few friends internationally that we never sent announcements to and an uncle of mine who's announcement was returned because I mailed it to an old address. I'm sure I didn't send announcements to all of Wendell's aunts and uncles and I could get addresses and send it to them.
Part of me feels petty for wanting this beautiful birth announcement. And part of me is fuming mad because this is our last child. It's not like he can make it up to me on the next one.
So, if you want one of Beck's new beautiful birth announcements please email me your address and I'll send you one. Otherwise, I'll post it in a couple weeks and you'll be blown away. It's really awesome.
P.S. It may be awhile before you see any 10 reasons I love Wendell posts. He's in the doghouse for the foreseeable future. He'll have to do a whole lot more than this to make it up to me.
12 comments:
I wouls end it with a little note that this one is better and you wnated Beck to have a great birth announcement for such a great kid. Better late than never!!
MEN!!! They just don't get it! When I need something done I ask nicely and nothing happens. I ask again, nothing happens. I beg. Nothing happens. Finally I start screaming and yelling. Add some waterworks and an ultimatum. Finally he gets around to doing what I ask. He wonders why I scream at him. Umm, maybe because that's what works!
Oh, and I would LOVE a birth announcement. You could always include a humorous little note with the announcement about how the wrong one was sent out previously and this was the REAL birth announcement. People would get a kick out of it.
Please send me one.
tanyetta at hotmail
OR
If you're in the mailing out card mood, my address is on the LDS friends and family mailing list at Paige's site.
Either way, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to receive a copy of the birth announcement.
As far as Wendell, he's the sweetest guy on this planet. I'm sure he's trying to figure out a way to get out of the dog house. Make him sweat a little before you let him out though :)
Um, I want one!
um. I'm sorry but I am glad to see that he's not TOTALLY perfect, I mean three top ten lists? At the rate that I get frustrated with MY DH, I can barely come up with ten while I'm seething.
Seriously, He's a great guy. You know that. The key word, though, is he is a 'guy', so that basically entitles him to flub-ups, right? :)
Hope I didn't offend. But I would like one also. dkhiatt at hotmail and if you wanna spend 42 cents, I'll even email you my physical address.
Hugs. Just think of what you're gonna get out of him being in the doghouse. Maybe its some new shoes!
I don't think it is too late at all to send it out. I made an annoc for a friend's baby and she did not send it out until her little girl was 4 or 5 months. And if you love it - show it off!
I want to see it!!
Jenna I want one... I still have eliza's and Beck's up and to tell you the truth Wendell did that one for me and Livvy and I love it and Glen's family talked me out of printing them and sending them out because "Everyone knew I had her and mostley everyone had seen her, so why spend the money" I regret it and I may just have some printed just for me!
I want one, mostly as a remembrance that someone was finally brave enough to write a post about a marital spat. We're all having them, so thanks for being our voice.
I love that you are so real.
Thanks you guys! I feel so much better knowing that I hopefully won't be mocked (too much) for sending another birth announcement.
I getting out my address now, so be ready!
You know that saying about the cobbler's children having no shoes? yeah, the designer's children have crappy birth announcements. Sorry. It's a man thing, they can't help themselves.
Paige, That is soooo true. And the builder's house is always under construction. We'll have to ask Denae if the accountant lags on getting his taxes done...
I would have been pretty steamed too! Though I have to agree with what others have said, it's totally a guy thing! They just come hard wired so differently than women do and we're just as frustrating to them...on rare occasions. : ) And yet, somehow on most days we still love them, right?
I would LOVE a beautiful birth announcement! Do you need our street address? Let me know and I'll email it to you.
By the way, just out of curiosity...will he be out of the doghouse by the end of August? We never did birth announcemnts for M or J and with a little girl on the way, I'd really like to have a nice announcemnt done with the three kids...maybe where the boys announce the arrival of their sister. Just wondering if you feel like lending his services out long distance. : )
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