April Showers: Part 1

Last Sunday, we gathered at the beautiful home of our good friend Sherrie Brenner.  Though the weather was HOT, it didn't deter us from having a great party.  It was a marvelous baby shower, complete with wonderful guests, amazing food, and lots of baby stuff.  I am extremely humbled at the generosity of family and friends, as everyone showered us with adorable treasures for Baby Rinella, including a children's book from each person for his collection.  We received lots of much needed baby gear.  Any first time parent would be honored, and I was in complete awe at how many people love this little boy already. 

Guests:
We had a about 25-30 people in attendance.  It was so wonderful to see everyone!

Food: We had an amazing menu of delectable delights including: chicken salad with cashews and grapes, deli meats and cheeses, croissants, rolls, pasta salad, spinach dip with bagel chips, layered bean dip, tomato and mozzarella skewers with balsamic and fresh basil, Thai shrimp orzo salad, shrimp cocktail, vegetables and dip, fruit and cream cheese dip, and devilled eggs. 
Absolutely no one left hungry.

Then, we indulged our sweet tooth a little with a delicious cake (Thank you, Aunt Mary!), and lemon blossoms and m&m cookies both made by Grandma Sue.  They were absolutely delicious!

Gifts: We were so blessed to receive so many new things for the baby and his bedroom.  We got books, toys, swaddlers, blankets, a cute pair of swim trunks, sunglasses, and a summer hat.  He got lots of cute outfits, musical and learning devices, a monitor, his first baseball glove, and so much more.  We also received a very special homemade toy box from the Hilbert's, a homemade blanket from Grandma Marie's friend Diane, and a special "Mommy Goody Bag" for my upcoming trip to the hospital complete with snacks, hair ties, shower shoes, magazines, and all sorts of toiletries for me during my stay at the hospital.  I am in awe of how much a little one can have--we truly have the best family and friends.

Dear Steve, Stacey, Peter, and Garnie--Thank you so much!  You really have a mom and dad excited when a gift inspires organization and putting things away where they belong!  Thank you!  P.S. Right now, it is currently stocked with all the diapers that we took home from the shower. :)

This mama to be was well taken care of and adorned with a white rose and blue ribbon corsage complete with blue bling.  Thank you to Sherrie and Mike for that sweet and thoughtful touch.

I also got treated to having my hair done by my lovely stepdaughter and stylist Kayleigh. 

"All this stuff is coming home with us?" --Philly, after the shower, ready to help load the truck and car. xoxo

Was very happy to find these cute shoes to match my top...but at the end of the day, my feet were tired.

This baby shower was truly a special event that created memories I will cherish always.  Thank you to all of my lovely hostesses who took care of everything, and to everyone who attended.  And a special thanks to those guests that did not attend but sent special thoughts and gifts along.  Your thoughtfulness will not be forgotten. 

P.S. At the end of the day, everyone needs a good laugh.  And here was mine...(no, this is not my shirt, but it made me chuckle).

(I am currently in Indiana, visiting family and friends, and getting excited about our other baby shower this Sunday.  Though the plane ride was a little bumpy, the baby and I are settled in for the weekend and can't wait to visit the family and friends that we don't get to see as often as we'd like.  This will be my last trip before his arrival in a few weeks.)  

Busy Little Bees

So yesterday was a busy busy day.  And busy in a good way.  And it ended on such a relaxing note, that I was too tired to post this blog.  Just wanted to share some updates of what is going on.  We had our 30 week doctor's appointment, and all was well with the baby.  He's growing nicely, and his heartbeat was 140.  An ultrasound showed that he is definitely making himself at home, taking up way more space in my belly.  Our doctor gave me permission (um, thank you since I already booked it) to fly to Chicago next week.  In fact, he will be flying and returning to and from Chicago the same days as me for a seminar that he's teaching so he told me he'd be there if I needed anything.  He advised me to drink plenty of water for the flight, and not to take my shoes off because I might not be able to get them back on.  Good to know.  He also gave us some recommendations for pediatricians so it was a very productive appointment.  The growth of the baby as compared to where I am in the pregnancy is showing that he could *possibly* be born a bit earlier than we had thought.  They still didn't change my due date, but I had always sort of felt like he had been cooking in there a little longer, so if we are early, it will not be a surprise.  He measured about 3 lbs 2 oz, and with a growth rate of about 1/2 pound per week, that would give us about a 9 lb baby--if he stays in there the whole time.  Bottom line is: these are all just numbers and predictions, and only time will tell what is in store for our little one's arrival.

After work, we took a tour of one of the hospitals that could be our baby's birthplace.  We have to choose between 2 so we're taking a look at each one and will make a decision where we feel most comfortable.

Phil, Kayleigh, and I were quite impressed with the Banner Gateway location.  The tour guide Marlene was so helpful and sweet, and she showed us all the places that we would see from checking in, to triage, to labor rooms, to recovery rooms, to courtyards, gardens, and a Japanese soaking tub.  After that, I indulged myself and enjoyed a 1 hour pre-natal massage.  It was heaven.



Japanese soaking tub--I could see myself in there. :)

After Easter weekend, we continued to work on the baby's room, and it's coming along!  As a gift to us, our awesome friend Ron took several hours out of his day to paint.  And what a marvelous job he did!  Kayleigh helped me put together the glider. 

It's looking like a nursery...

                                    Reading a story to her baby brother. :) 

And Mama got a new pair of glasses (I've had my old pair since I lived with my Mom!)  I was thinking that I needed something more durable in case little hands with strong grips get a hold of them.  Not to mention those midnight feedings and tired days ahead where putting contacts in just seems like a hassle. 

The rest of this month looks to be just as busy.  We have our Arizona baby shower on Sunday, and then I fly out to see my family and friends for a visit and another baby shower back home again in Indiana.  I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone and letting them feel the little kicks that I've been enjoying for weeks. 

Celebrations

We've been having lots of reasons to celebrate in April.  Easter, birthdays, baby showers...but we love any excuse for a party so let the good times roll.  I can't believe I am 30 weeks this week.  On Tuesday, we go in for our 3rd and final ultrasound so the doctor can check that all of the baby's organs are developing just right.  After this appointment, it's every 2 weeks from here on out until I'm a month out, and then it's once a week.  This week, the baby is the size of a butternut squash. 

Easter and Ally's 17th birthday...

PS--these are delicious!  Thanks, Aunt Mary!



My Baby's Daddy

Dear baby boy,

You will soon meet him, but before you are here,

I want to tell you about someone so dear...your daddy.

 

He has a smile that will melt your heart, 

He'll make your day happy, right from the start. 

You'll learn and find out--he's the cream of the crop, 

 

And he'll keep you laughing til you just cannot stop.

He'll teach you about loyalty and being a man,

And you'll want to be around him whenever you can.

He'll humor your ideas and be a great dad,

but please, son, watch out, if you do make him mad.

He will always be himself, you'll learn all his charms,

And he's never been more ready to hold you in his arms.



Can't wait for you to meet him! 

Hope you turn out to be just like him!

It's the 3rd Trimester!

Even though we still haven't decided on a name (sorry, everyone), we did decide on a color to paint the baby's room.  Phil really wanted a shade of blue, and since it matched our baby bedding, we both agreed it would look really sweet.  How did we pick out the baby bedding, you ask?  Well, here's what happened...Phil was leaning toward a sports themed room, and I really loved the baby animals.  To our delight, we found a very cute bedding set that had baby animals playing sports!  With a cuddly lion, an alligator, and a little giraffe holding the scoreboard around his neck, it was perfect.  Thank you, Lambs and Ivy bedding for making that decision easy.  And a sweet sweet sister of mine purchased the 9-piece bedding set so that we can start to decorate the nursery.  Thank you to Christy, Nathan, Kiera, and Jadyn for that wonderful gift!  And she also sent an ear thermometer.  Thank you guys so much!  And Happy Birthday Nathan! 

I love when things come "mom recommended"

To add my own touch into the room, I plan on incorporating the lyrics to a very special song on the walls, either hand painted or framed.  Those words will read, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey."  That song has a lot of special meaning to me--Ruthie, Jo Ellen, Tara, and I sing it together and I've always loved it.  I remember first hearing it at my Great-Grandma Brown's 80th birthday celebration in New York back in 1980-something.  My Grandpa Charlie's sisters all sang it to their mom.  And what a catchy little tune it is!  I imagine I'll be singing it again here real soon.  Once we have made more progress in the baby's room, you'll see pictures!

Another group of people that I need to thank are some of my Mom's dear friends: Jenny, Jeannie, Janie, Joyce, Rachael, Maggie, and Susie.  Also my good friend Katie Sudler--they got us our glider and ottoman for the baby's room and a pack-n-play that will be our son's bassinet/crib/play area in his "home-away-from-home."  That is one of the perks of having your own business, and I am so happy that we'll be able to have him there, with both mom and dad accessible.  Plus he needs to learn early how to help daddy sort cards and help mama with the laundry. :)

And yet another special thank you to Jennifer Madsen for the glider and ottoman that I will take with me and use at work.  This baby will be lucky enough to have the comforts of home no matter where we are.  It is truly a blessing!  Thank you to all!

We are definitely feeling like it's getting real.  Things are really starting to accelerate now.  Being in third trimester, I find myself getting a lot more winded, tired, swollen, and other things, but all of that aside, it's still such an exciting time and I couldn't be happier.  I'm really looking forward to seeing lots of good friends and family at the baby shower here in AZ and in Indiana.  I hope everyone has a very Happy Easter. 

S-t-r-e-t-c-h