Baby Shower

My sister-in-law, Elisabeth, and my mother-in-law, Patsy, hosted my shower this afternoon.

 

It was a beautiful day, and I had fun seeing some family and friends I haven't seen in quite some time!

I was thankful that there were no "cheesy" games, but we did play one cute 'educational' quiz game where we had to try to figure out what different baby animals were called, for example a baby kangaroo is a joey etc.. I got 7 out of about 20 correct. Apparently, I do NOT know my baby animals. (Does this mean that I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader? Hmmmm...)

There was a basket set up with "advice for the Mom-to-be" cards where family and friends wrote some really sweet advice such as, "Enjoy every stage. Each one is better than the one before it. Don't fret over what the experts think. You will adapt and know what you need to do!"

We also had a frame set up with Nora's 3D u/s in it with a "signature" matte where people could write messages to us and/or baby.



So far as gifts are concerned, we got our high chair, jumperoo, monitors, bathtub, baby's 1st year record book, 2 handmade blankets, several other blankets, outfits, hooded towels, wash cloths, crib pads/covers, Sophie the teether (score!), "cloth diapers" (the Gerber ones, so burp cloths), and some other small accessories like pacifiers, bath stuff etc..

We didn't get too many pictures, but here are a couple of me.

Brad and I are so thankful for our very generous family and friends!

A Mother's Conversation With Her Unborn Child and Daddy's Promise

These come from the Hypnobirthing Institute, but I don't think we could have said any of it better ourselves.

From Mommy:

"Dear Little Baby, I want you to know that my life combines with yours in love.I'm carrying you with such loving pride. I look forward to your birth with such joy. I'm elated at the thought of your coming to me."

From Daddy:

"I promise to love you unconditionally. I promise to protect you, for your pain hurts me more than my own. I promise to be a pillar of courage and a pillow of comfort. I promise to explore the world with you, explain the world to you, and expect the world of you. I promise to be a fortress in which youc an hide, a friend in whom you can confide, and a father in whose heart you'll find love and in whose eyes you'll find pride."

It's been so hard to put into our own words what it is we want to say to our sweet baby girl. As we sit here watching sweet Nora wiggle around, moving my big, round belly back and forth, these excerpts express only a very small part of what we are feeling.

Survey: 31 weeks 2 days

Yes, my head is cut off. On purpose. I'm looking a little rough right now. :)

How far along? 31w2d
Weight gain/loss: Yep, still gaining lol.
Maternity clothes? Yes, except for a few shirts. I'm starting to think I'm going to need some new shirts, but I'm trying to hold out.
Stretch marks? Unfortunately, I had some show up about 2 weeks ago. They're pink and thin and below my belly button. ::Sad face::
Sleep? Decidedly more difficult these days. It is almost impossible to get comfortable. I wake up often with sore or tingly limbs.
Best moment this week? Shower invitations going out and noticing a few things bought from my registry. Getting the kitchen renovation underway. It should be done this week!
Food cravings: Nothing specific. I'm just hungry all the time.
Gender: It's a girl!
Belly button in or out? Still in.
Movement? Lots and often. She's a wiggle worm. A gymnast in the making.
What I miss? Comfortable sleep.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting my kitchen back and the rest of my house back in order.
Milestones: Passing my glucose tolerance test a couple of weeks ago. :)