Spoiled Rotten- Part Deux

Phew! Today was the fourth of four total baby showers. My office hosted a luncheon for BD and me and showed us some major love. Just in case we were tempted to think we had every baby thing in the world, I got dozens more things I didn't even know about. A couple of highlights: a gift certificate to a home cooked meal delivery company and a onesie that says "Don't wake me; I'll wake you."



On Sunday, my women's group (PEO) hosted a baby shower too. Not only did Cletus get some great loot (including a "Born to Read" shirt and diaper covers--finally!), I got a lot of great advice from moms who've "been there, done that."



Oh, and here's my belly now. Behold!

Scenes from a Shower

Spoiled Rotten

BD, Cletus the Fetus, and I are all spoiled rotten by our friends and family. My DC girlfriends--the aunties--threw us a banging baby shower/cocktail party last night. There was yummy food, cocktails and mocktails, a fun mix of music, and good times all around. We left after midnight. It ruled. Pictures of the party are soon to follow.



Unkie Matt's girflfriend, Joy, had her own nesting instinct today, so she helped us put away all of the gifties and folded and organized all of the adorable baby clothes into our new changing table/dresser. So friggin cute! Thank you, everybody.

Quick Updates

-The "maternity leave plan" letter has been submitted to my bosses. More details to come.

-I'm so ridiculously excited about the baby shower/ cocktail party on Saturday night.

-I'm loving the contest entries, though I'm paranoid about how many of you think I'm going to deliver earlier than my due date! Don't you know I'm banking on a late baby (so I can finish my semester at school)?!

-I'm starting the really tired phase again...very reminiscent of the first trimester. Good thing I have a couch in my office!

Thank You!

I have always loved baby showers, and mine was no exception. Despite my best attempts not to start the traditional chorus of "ahhhhs" for every item I opened, I couldn't help it: baby stuff is just too dang cute. I double-dog dare you not to marvel at a three tier "cake" made out of cloth diapers, onesies, and bibs (topped with a rubber ducky).

Since we did all of our registering online, it was also fun seeing some of the stuff we had picked up close and in person.

So thank you to all: those who attended, those who couldn't make, those who gave great suggestions about what to include on the registry, and to those who won't make fun of me for being a sucker for cute baby socks and homemade blankeys!

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

I had been ignoring Cletus the Fetus for a while (see previous posts), and so, by popular demand, this post is all about baby.

Kidlet, by all counts, is doing just fine. It's flipping and kicking a bunch. The doctor (who we visited on Friday) seems to be happy with the progress--size, heart rate, movement, etc. Since we're at 29 weeks now, we'll start doing doctor visits every two weeks instead of four. The baby demands a steady stream of baked goods and chocolate, but the scale and iron test suggest I replace some of the cookies and brownies with spinach and high-fiber muffins or something. We'll see who wins.

Other than the new-to-us car, I haven't personally bought anything yet for the baby. But, as I've mentioned, the supplies are flooding in! And we're all really looking forward to two upcoming baby showers (in Florida on February 10 and in DC on March 3). After the showers, I'll have a much better idea of what, if anything, kidlet still needs.

We have our childbirth education class lined up for March 11. I'll keep practicing "breath for birth" from yoga classes until then.

Unkey Matt spotted some interesting articles on breast-feeding: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16773635/ and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16773617/. Enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing...you know how I know that I'll be having a baby sooner rather than later? Because people are starting to show up at my doctor's office and yoga class talking about their July and August due dates. Weird.

Shower Power

Now that the thrill of Christmas gift-giving and gift-receiving has passed, why, I guess it's time to think about planning a baby shower! Hooray for shopping!

My mother has been a champion in helping me plan a great little get-together for friends and family. We're looking at a February 10 lunch in Safety Harbor. Though the date has been the source of some turmoil, I think we've finally gotten it settled. So, for all of you Floridians (or Floridians at heart)--save the date!

To me, the components of a successful baby shower are: yummy food and desserts (check!) and friends and family who are in good spirits (hopefully, check!). Everything else is gravy. Good weather is a bonus, but as someone who planned an outdoor wedding ceremony in Florida in February--only to have it drowned by a thunderstorm--can testify, it's not that important.

Shortly after the shower, BD and I are heading south for our final "February vacation" (an annual tradition) before the kidlet arrives. We will be chilling in a Polynesian themed family-owned "resort" in Sanibel Island for a few days, so I'm really excited about that. I know it's not a full week in Hawaii, Mexico, Turk & Caicos, or Belize (our past February destinations), but it should be great anyhow. Because I won't be at work. And I won't be in the "up north" weather. So I'm excited!