Home Stretch

Here we are with only one more day left in September and only 24 more days left of this pregnancy if all goes as planned! I am on the schedule for induction of labor on Thursday, October 23rd. I will be 38 weeks at that time and judging from last week's ultrasound, the baby should be in the 8+ pound range by then. I am hoping to keep working through October 19th, but in all honesty it is getting VERY difficult to be on my feet for 12 hours despite the fact that I fancy myself a "tough girl". I plan to return to work in mid-January. Patrick is taking a little bit of time off as well and my parents and my sister Susan will be arriving here on October 22nd. While I was in Michigan this past weekend for my baby shower, Patrick made a lot of headway on the things that he needed to do to get the nursery and the guestroom in order. I have been teasing him that he just NOW realized we are having a baby! :-) All of the furniture is in place and now it is just a matter of doing some serious organization and finishing touches.

Baby Shower II: Lansing, MI

Tera, me & Sarah

Yesterday was my second baby shower hosted by my very dear friend, Sarah. It was a classy little ladies luncheon held at Christie's Bistro/Sheraton Hotel in Lansing, MI. As I did at my first shower a few weeks ago, I again had a wonderful time! Sarah knows me well and she put extra special effort in attention to details. The food was delicious, the setting pristene and the ladies in attendance were fabulous company! I received so many beautiful gifts...I loved everything! I feel incredibly thankful to have family and friends that are already so welcoming of our baby girl.

Mom's Special Touch

My mom gave me a lot of beautiful gifts, but the most special were the ones she made herself, a crocheted blanket and a quilt. I thought it was so neat that she found my very first pair of shoes and attached them to the package.

Baby Shower #1

Yes indeed, a baby IS brewing!
Me & Trina...she is hot and I have fat pregnant face going on!
Heather, me & Bex
Diaper cake made by my sister Susan.
One of the teapot cookie favors.

This past Saturday, September 13th was my first of three baby showers. My three awesome sisters Ruth, Susan and Laura hosted this tea party/brunch for me at home in northern Michigan and it was so nice. The food was yummy and the decorations and small details were really pretty. I received so many amazing gifts from my loved ones and it was great to visit with everyone. Like the total airhead that I have been lately, I completely forgot to get a picture with my sisters! :-( I will be sure to snap some shots of them with the little miss at Christmas time!

Labor Day '08!

The hutch ready for transformation.
Sanding.
Almost finished! (The doors for the bottom are with my sister Ruth being outfitted with curtain closures to replace the original glass.)
My fella! ;-)
57th Street Beach.

All in all, a really great holiday weekend! We put in some hard work, but it feels good to have accomplished what we set out to do. We are really pleased with our Craig's List furniture finds...Pottery Barn ain't got nothin' on us! So today was strictly play! We headed down to 57th Street beach across from the Museum of Science & Industry and enjoyed a relaxing day in the sun. (I was not feeling like rocking my Liz Lange maternity tankini down at say, North Ave. beach, with the Lincoln Park Trixies running around in their itty-bitty bikinis!) I really like the Hyde Park scene...nice mix of people and the water was REALLY warm with an entirely sandy bottom. I absolutely do not want to go to work tomorrow. I wish life was nothing but a neverending "beach day"!