Baby Shower Histeria

Well, it was a night to remember (to say the very LEAST) My fabulous friends Trinette, Whitney and her mom (my other mother growing up) Vickie threw me an incredible baby shower with some hilarious and awesome unconventional twists. 

Beautiful flowers & gift boxes filled with chocolate & mints - SHHHH  I stole about 12 of these bad boys and ate them  all the next day.

Diaper Station - Everyone wrote adorable notes left in these diapers for me and Joe to read later as a way to help us through the late night changes. Brilliant.

Onesie/Bib Decorating Station

Bibs! Please note Whitney & Mel's contribution on the bottom left "2! We can't arrways be #1" LOL

So far pretty normal stuff  for a baby shower, right? WELL, let's get to some of the twists...

The shower was held on a Friday night, so cocktails were a welcome treat for the guests. And what's a cocktail babyshower without jello shots? lol. No, I did not partake in the drinking or jello, which I'm kind of happy about cause those smelled like some STRONG jigglers!

As for the BEST part of the shower... everyone wore a balloon belly bump to look pregnant! This was a complete surprise to me and I almost peed my pants when I showed up to this, and not just because I now have a bladder the size of a grape. The bumps were a nod to my mom's baby shower when she was pregnant with me, where her friends all dressed up pregnant as well.

Victoria & Kendall took a little "warming up" before fully embracing their balloon bumps lol

Whitney very quickly learned the art of using your bump as a drink holder

Heather & Michelle Rocking their bumps at the Nacho Bar! (Note to self, need more nacho bars in life)

Even with an awkward bump, Joan looks adorable. 

Elin, me & Mel! 

My Beautiful Momma & Whitney

Sharon, Mom & Aunt Pat

Andie & Whitney

Andie, Brianna & Me - LOVE this shot because Andie is the only one with a balloon belly... my sorority sister Brianna was about 38 weeks pregnant here, what a trooper!!!

Trinette & me

Surprise visit from the hubs to say hi to the girls... He didn't know they'd make him wear a ballon bump too, hahahah!

Fabulous Chevron blanket knitted by Andie 

Me: "Wait, the baby's going to be THIS big when she's born?!?! .... OH it's  for a 6 month old PHEW"

My mom finished knitting the baby hat my grandma had started years ago before passing away. I was a little choked up about this one...

Yep, there's the tears!

Completely amazing quilt made by my aunt Pat. So cute!!!

So much fun!!!

Joan's mom knit a beautiful baby blanket for Baby Girl and added a matching baby hat... unfortunately it might be a TAD big for baby girl (it fits my huge head here) or at least I'm HOPING it's too big for her when she's born. Ouch. I couldn't stop laughing. Thanks Nell!!

Lots of gals got me baby books in lieu of cards, so now we have a TON of great books to read to Baby Girl

Hard to see here but a bunch of my girlfriends pitched in and got us our Citi Mini GT stroller. I LOVE this thing!!!

LOVE these ladies SOOOO MUCH!!!

This is just the book haul... SUCH great reads!!! And yes, this is what happens when i take a picture looking down, belly bump photo bomb.

And all the baby loot... Seriously, everyone was way too generous.  Joey and I are so grateful! 

What a phenomenal baby shower. These ladies know me better than I do, I swear. Thanks to everyone who was able to come out and thanks to EVERYONE for all of the support Joe and I have gotten and keep getting. It's pretty amazing to have such great family and friends to help us raise this baby girl.

38 Weeks - Full Term!

How far along? 38 weeks, Baby is fully cooked!

37 Weeks - At the RWC Blues Fest BBQ competition with the guys
(Yes, Mike is trying to share his beer with my belly)

Baby size? Baby Girl has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19 1/2 inches long. 

What's going on with the baby? She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Total weight gain/loss: One bajillion pounds gained. Or at least that's how my feet feel.

Maternity clothes? Big time. Pun intended.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: I'm up 3-4 times a night to pee, adjust my aching hips, narrowly avoid spasming leg cramps, shift all seventeen pillows I need to support the gigantic mass that is my torso, oh and to stare at the wall because I just can't sleep. I paint a pretty picture don't I? Thank goodness for day time naps. If this is my body's preparation for post-pardum, I'm pretty sure Baby Girl will sleep more than I will at night once she finally arrives.

Best moment this week: Maternity Leave!!!!!! It's been 2 weeks going so far and in case you're wondering: no, I'm not bored one bit. I fill every day with errands, cleaning, laundry, cooking, organizing, and NAPS. I raided the kitchen cabinets and threw out about 3 trash bags of food that was stale and/or expired. The nursery is looking more and more adorable and her clothes are all pre washed and ready to be spit up on...  oh and the hospital bags are packed! I should go on maternity leave more often.

Best moment #2: Another Ultrasound! After my stomach measured on the "large" size a couple of appointments in a row, the doctor ordered us an ultrasound to get a better idea of her size, which would be helpful information come time for my ability to... umm... push her out. SO off to the ultrasound facility we went! And the results were fantastic! Mind you, ultrasound size estimates are exactly that... estimates, not final results. Baby Girl did NOT measure off-the-charts huge! Hooray!!! Although she was estimated to be 7 lbs, 3 oz at the time which was a bit bigger than average for me only being 37 weeks along. Part of this was because of her loooong femur length. Her legs were measuring a couple weeks ahead so we're now researching which college she'll be accepting a full ride basketball scholarship from. 

Baby Girl - Profile - would NOT stop sucking her thumb!

Awkward moment this week: Baby laundry. More specifically FOLDING baby laundry. I already have a supreme hatred for folding socks. Like, normal grown adult socks. And now, someone has taken all of those socks, dyed them pink and shrunk them one million times smaller! I need tweezers to fold these things!

Mini human clothes!!!

So when I'm about to pull my hair out in frustration, I just start looking at everything and laugh. How can you be aggravated by pink baby clothes?!?!! They're too cute!!!

Baby Girl clothes dryer lint

 I mean, even her DRYER LINT is adorable!!!!

Miss anything? Work. Oh wait no. No I don't.

Movement: Her position hasn't changed much (head down) so I mostly feel her kicks up in my right torso. Luckily she's kind enough to stay just under my ribs, so she's not kicking bone.

Food cravings: Too many to list. Basically everything. I mean, I only have 2 more weeks that I get to use the excuse that I'm eating for two right?

Anything making you queasy or sick? Acidic foods... my personal heart burn nausea hell.

Have you started to show yet? Rhetorical question.

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Light cramping and some heavier pressure from her position lowering, but no contractions. 

Belly button in or out? Out. Still gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Cankle Watch 2013: What used to be my toes, feet and ankles are now swollen Flinstone cartoon caricatures by the evening.

Wedding rings on or off? Off, but replaced with a larger place-holder for the time being.

Happy or moody most of the time? This one's a mixed bag. Plenty happy for the anticipation of Baby Girls' arrival, but definitely grouchy when I'm too tired or uncomfortable to so much as walk down the street. And now we play the waiting game for her... which will probably start driving me crazy once I run out of closets to re-organize.

Looking forward to: Holding Baby Girl in my arms!!! The agonizing labor part? Not so much.