April Showers: Part 2

In preparation for flight, my doctor advised me to take the Dramamine.  Note to self: next time, listen to him and take it.  What a bumpy ride landing in Denver!  The good news: I made it to the bathroom in time upon exiting the plane.  Just barely though.  I have never ever (ever) been so excited to see a toilet in all my life.  After the second leg of the trip, I arrived safely in Chicago, and was greeted by my sister Christy.  The weekend had commenced. 

To my sisters, aunts, mom, and friends--dearly generous and amazingly thoughtful do not even begin to describe what you all did for me.  This baby shower made me the happiest mama in all the world, and I am so lucky to have all of you in my life.  It was absolutely perfect.

Here are some highlights of the weekend's events... 

I'd like to thank my Aunt Sue and my dear friend Ruthie for taking pictures so I'll always remember this day.   

Thank you to Aunt Sue, Aunt Donna, Aunt Michelle, Bobby, Christy, Mom, Suzy, Alli, Katie, and Heather for all of the hard work, food preparation, set-up and take-down, and making it a glorious day. 

Thank you to my amazing friends, Tara, Ruthie, Julie, and Katie--who traveled great lengths to be there from Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois.  You made me feel so special.  Tara, thank you also for my El Salto quesadilla!

Thank you to my niece Kiera for providing exceptional baby-shower-game and gift- opening assistance.  I see a future in show business for you!  And thank you for loaning me your bed all weekend. ;)  Thank you little Jadyn for the round-the-clock entertainment.

Christy, thank you for my pedicure, all the meals, the laughs, the late night trip to Town and Country, and the obligatory "No, you don't look fat, you're just pregnant" responses of reassurance.  

Thank you to EVERYONE, I loved every minute of my time in your company!

I hope you all enjoyed the day as much as I did. xo 

BJ and JJ

Later on after the shower, my Mom and Mark continued the celebration mode by ordering pizza and having an early birthday party for me (I swear, I have never felt so loved).  We had a great time, and were all exhausted afterward from the long day of partying.  I didn't get pictures of the all the exhaustion, but trust me...

we were T-I-R-E-D!

Monday was memorable for different reasons.  During the afternoon, I was feeling an intense kind of pressure in my belly and especially in my ribs which made me physically uncomfortable.  I told my mom and sister it felt like the baby was squeezing my insides.  Then when I had my doctor's appointment today, the doctor did an exam and felt that the baby's head had moved positions from breech to head down.  Thinking back to those unfamiliar feelings from earlier in the week, I can only assume that I had felt him turning inside.  Crazy and awesome at the same time.  I hope he stays like this so that I can expect a natural delivery.  The rest of the appointment went well, and the doctor and nurse Liz both felt him kick while they were listening for the heartbeat.  His heartbeat was 145 and all was well with both of us.  In fact, my blood pressure was the lowest it has been throughout the entire pregnancy.  With the reading of 117 over 74, I will go ahead and surmise that all of the cupcakes, party food, fun times with family and friends, and general R&R over the weekend helped to make me super relaxed.  Thank you, everyone!  I am so blessed.