Baby Shower

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends! As most of you know, I meet monthly with a regular group of ladies for book club. It's a wonderful social time, and exposes me to lots of interesting books I might not have otherwise chosen on my own. I especially love going since working at home since it is some interaction with real people! Some of the girls in book club offered to throw me a baby shower. I was so surprised and feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends! Almost everyone from book club could make it, as well as many of my friends from my old workplace, Knape & Vogt and some other friends including Maria, Terri, Jill and Mom V. It was so nice to see everyone again! I am so thankful to have you all in my life.

A special thanks goes out to Sherrie who was a fabulous host! Her home is always so inviting, and she is a wonderful cook!

Baby G---I've told you this before, but you are so loved by so many already! Everyone is so excited to meet you and cannot wait for your arrival---although we are all in agreement that you need to wait a few weeks to make your appearance:)

You gave us a little scare on Friday before my shower by giving us multiple episodes of Braxton-Hicks contractions. Thankfully, nothing was consistent and you settled down before the shower. Thanks for reminding your Mommy she needs to remember to take it easy;)

We had a wonderful time playing games and socializing and got sooooooo many gifts! We recieved a ton of cloth diapers and wipes, butt cream and a wet bag to get us started on our cloth diaper journey from Mom and Dad V as well as a diaper sprayer from Grandma S.

We also received a baby bather, adorable frog Humidifier and monkey baby activity gym. As well as some things baby G can use a bit later, which will be so nice! Like a Bumbo, an umbrella stoller, sand pail, and shopping cart cover. Some really unique boutique items including some little argyle socks with the letter "G" all over them for baby G :) Bowls, spoons, lotions, toys, burp cloths, blankets, bottles, pacifiers, etc.! Too much to list!

There were even some handmade items!! Including the tiniest knitted booties you have ever seen from my friend Jennifer as well as a handmade hooded towel and a "magic" hanky that is a bonnet but turns into a wedding hanky for the baby (if it's a girl) or his bride (if it's a boy) from my friend Stephanie.

Mama G even got her own special gift from Terri--a gift certificate for a pedicure! Ahh...this will be fantastic time of relaxation and a much-needed outing after baby G arrives!! I plan on making it an event to remember:)

I'm sure I forgot some things, so please forgive me:)
So, without further ado...here are some photos from the event:

Here is my 30 week belly pic before the shower---new haircut this week too:)

Here are some general snapshots from the evening:

Oh, and here is a photo that would have been so cute (pretend my eyes are open! LOL.)

Thanks again everyone!!

Lots of love,

Jen, Ron and baby G

Double Digits and a Baby Night Owl

That's right! For those of you watching the little ticker at the bottom of this blog...we are officially in double digits! Eeek!! No one is more excited or more nervous than I:) I remember thinking "How many days?!" when I first loaded the ticker, because let's face it, when you are not feeling well you really don't want to be reminded that there are "only" 240-some-odd days left. Yet, here we are in double digits, essentially this means that time is running out! Suddenly I feel I have so much to do and feel as though there will never enough time to get it done.

The "nesting" instinct has taken over. (Hence why it has been a while since I have posted!) I had Ron put shelving in both the nursery and office closets and have been organizing like a mad woman. Ron really doesn't understand the need to have every closet in the house organized for arrival of the baby, but he is understanding that if it is what I need to do to feel more "prepared" (as if one could ever truly be prepared)--he humors me:) I cleaned the office last week and dumped two huge bags of paper off at the Paper Gator, (if you have never used this before, they are awesome) as well as made...er...helped Ron clean out his closet and have a whole bag of things to donate to Goodwill.

The office is already a mess again, but only because I have a work in progress:) Mom V. has been over this week working on the nursery. We got the crib skirt and curtains made as well as a liner of the clothes hamper. We also got my vinyl wall phrase in the mail from Old Barn Rescue Company on Etsy. Their stuff is so beautiful and we had a custom quote made just for our nursery! It looks like Adonna (the artist) came to my house and handpainted it just for baby G!

Yes...I know...you want to see! Well, pictures will be posted, but I want to wait until everything is finished to give you the full effect...but, we are getting close, I promise! I am so blessed to have a creative Mother who can sew anything! The nursery is going to be fantastic! Love you, Mom!!

As for the baby night owl we have on our hands....

Baby G has decided his/her favorite time of day is at about 11:30 p.m. That's when things really start moving. Usually it is just a short jig, probably just attempting to get comfortable for the night, but about 3 a.m. is when the real dance party begins!! We aren't talking little kicks and jabs, but a full-on gold-medal-worth gymnastics routine that makes me feel as if Baby G is trying to escape right through the side of my stomach. While I am so blessed to have a healthy, kicking baby and have high hopes that this means our child will have more rhythm than his/her father (hehe), it's exhausting! The past two weeks I've been wide awake for multiple hours a night, and the other day gave up on sleep altogether. Thank goodness I have a job that allows me to start work at 4 a.m.--at least I could do something productive!

We are hoping that Baby G gets this all out of his/her system since Mommy cannot go another 13 weeks on only a few hours of sleep a night. Trust me, Baby G, it is in your best interest to let me sleep now so I'm joyful and refreshed when you arrive:) Plus, don't you need your beauty sleep? I feel you all day and all night, and if you are anything like your Mommy, lack of sleep does not suit you darling, as you will be a crabby monster!
Let's hope this message hits home soon...

Last but not least...here are the latest belly photos

Looking rather tired at 25 weeks...

A little better at 26 weeks...

P.S. while my belly button has become rather flat, it is the button of my pants you can see in this photo--I am still an "innie".....for now:)