Baby Showers Galore

SB and I have really been fortunate that we have had many family members and friends throw us baby showers.  Seeing as how we don't live remotely close to our hometowns, it also meant that we traveled a lot for these showers -- but that was definitely fun!!

My first shower was thrown by my colleagues in DC.  It was a total surprise.  Our HR manager convinced me we needed to chat about health insurance, so I came up to the board room while I was in town for training -- and there everyone was!  It was such a fun surprise.  I was totally and completely speechless.  It was just so incredibly thoughtful of them to think of little ol' me -- who now works remotely and they only see once in a blue moon these days.  They very generously gifted us with our infant carrier/car seat, a set of towels, and a Duke-themed outfit.  (plus they served Georgetown Cupcakes....another fave!!)

The second shower took place in Athens, GA (SB's hometown) and was thrown by our SIL and a good friend.  They literally only had 2 weeks to plan because we had to wait to see when we could travel based on the way that the Rams finished their season (ie: playoffs or no playoffs...that was the big question).  It was so fun to see everyone in one place -- and we actually had 55 people in attendance!!  I couldn't believe it!! 

The third shower was thrown by my high school girlfriends, and took place in Madison, WI.  They really thought of every little detail - and it was so fun to be surrounded by people I've known for most of my life.  (I still drool thinking of the amazing chicken salad on croissants and key lime pie dessert....)  Fortunately I finally started taking pictures at this shower -- so here are a few:

 

Me with my high school friends.  Random factoid...each of us captained our own sports teams our senior year of high school.  We were all athletes, but all played our own sports (basketball, gymnastics, tennis (me), cross country/track, and volleyball/softball).

My Niece, Mom, me, Sister

The last shower took place here last weekend and was thrown by one of my sweet Junior League friends who just had a baby last November!  My parents and sister and niece all came into town for it, which was lots of fun.  It's not often that they get to meet my friends in these new cities -- so it was extra special for them to be here.  Lots of the girls in this group either have had babies recently, or are expecting now -- so we will have a good number of new mommy friends!! (thank goodness -- because the advice that other moms give is priceless, in my opinion!)

All in all, we are very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family, and this little guy is already feeling lots of love!! 

MORE!! Birth Announcements, Part 2

I just found a bunch more cute boy birth announcements on Etsy.com that I think I like even better than the original batch.  I just adore Etsy!!  Here are some of my new faves....

  

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Maternity Clothing: I'm over you!!

Typically around this time of the year I start to feel a certain pull towards spring clothing.  Yes, the high today may only be 45 - but I'm so tired of my winter wardrobe!  This year that feeling is amplified because my wardrobe is waaaaay smaller, and only includes elastic-waist pants (ugh - I crave an actual button these days!!), and anything that will actually fit over my ginormous belly!!  I'm leery of ordering anything just yet because I want to make sure I'll be my pre-pregnancy size.....but there are lots of cute things out there!! (most of these are from Boden and Land's End Canvas -- plus a few from Title Nine)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proudly announcing...

....our current selection of birth announcements!!  I've been searching high and low for cute boy announcements.  I will tell you that while there are certainly cute ones out there, the girl selection is a million times better!!  Here are a few that are in the running -- most are from tinyprints.com, plus one from shutterfly.com.  To the moms out there -- where did you all end up selecting your birth announcements??

A St. Louis Tradition

Did you know that the largest Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans (in the US) takes place in St. Louis?  I had no idea either -- till we moved here!  The festivities kicked off today with the Purina Pet Parade.  SB and I brought Daisy and Lilly down to the Soulard neighborhood to take part in the action.  We had no idea what we were in for!  I had heard that lots of dogs wear costumes, but that is an enormous understatement.  (fortunately there were a few "non-costumed" dogs so our two didn't feel totally underdressed......we actually met a really sweet family with a dog that looked just like Lilly.  We got to talking with them, and it turns out we share an obstetrician -- he delivered all 3 of their babies!  What a small world :) -- and thank goodness, she had nothing but glowing comments about him during delivery!) 

I took a few pics of some of the most outrageous dogs I saw.  Here are just a few (plus a few of our own thrown in for fun!):

 A peacock poodle!

 Arrgggghhh!!

 Dogs of all sizes....Great danes amaze me!!

 Matchy matchy

 Banana split (rear shot -- sorry so unflattering ;)

 Husby with Daisy

 Fairy puppy

 LOVED this one.  This pup seemed to totally dig his outfit.

 Bob Marley dog...

 Arrgghh! (2)

 Lots 'o spots!

 Down on the farm 3-some

The Lillinator!

After the parade we went to a nearby cafe for lunch, and it was delicious!!  If you're in the area, I highly recommend the Benton Park Cafe.  They have an amazing breakfast (and I usually get the eggs benedict, but unfortunately that's a no-no when you're preggers....boooo), but the chicken salad croissant sandwich today was scrumptious.  After that I took a two-hour nap.  Have I mentioned that the third-trimester tiredness is fully settling in?  Naps on the weekends are a requirement!!  :)  We had a terrific weekend overall.  I'll have to recap further -- my family came into town for our last baby shower and it was so fun to spend time with them.  More to come!