Picture Perfect.

Our first baby shower was absolutely picture perfect. That's why I haven't updated yet, it seems so wrong to post about the shower without pictures. But I can't wait any longer! Aunt Patti, Carolyn/Grandma Real Soon To Be, and KC put on a perfect party for Baby Cute and me.

Highlights:
-The food--breakfast casserole, cream puffs, bagels with delectable spreads, fresh orange juice. Mmmm.
-The cake--not only was it delicious and strawberry-filled, there was the most adorable sugar paste sleeping baby in a cabbage patch on top of it. SO cute! I'm hording the last piece at home, but haven't been able to bring myself to eat it yet.
-The games--The Price is Right (how much are these baby products without going over?) and a baby name game. I won't brag about who won both games, but it was the only pregnant woman in the room.
-The advice--KC has two little boys and Michele has one. Aunt Patti raised her Michael, Carolyn raised David. They passed around a neat little book that everyone wrote in and it had the most touching notes in it.
-The company--Not only did I get to see most of David's family, my sister Meredith drove from Chicago to share in the day with us. It was SO good to see her, and she finally got to feel Baby Cute kick.
-The gifts. Baby Cute needs to stay put for another 9 weeks, but whenever he arrives, we are ready for him. The family cradle, wipes, car seat, blankets, onesies, high chair, bottles, baby wash, toys, diaper champ and a very important book--Walter the Farting Dog. It was a small and intimate affair, so I got to open gifts my favorite way--slowly and taking time to open things and play with them right away. Everyone was so considerate.

Speaking of picture perfect, our nursery is really coming together. Dave and David installed and painted the trim, touched up the paint and moved the changing table upstairs. We are ready for action! David put together the cradle and it is ready for Baby Cute's first night at home. Right now, it is holding all of his cute little stuffed toys and the most adorable pair of blue booties. I got to play in the nursery last night and finally unearthed all of my baby purchases from two years of working at the Baby Store. I'm sure I'll change the way things are arranged three dozen more times before and after Baby Cute's arrival, but for right now in his changing table dresser I have a toy/misc. drawer, a folded clothing/hats/booties drawer, a bedding/blankets drawer and diapers/wipes/creams in the cabinet part. I decided I am going to use the other dresser and his health/safety stuff is all in one drawer, his bath stuff in another and anything feeding-related in one for now. His new piggy bank, framed "cute" picture, and "thank heaven for little boys" sign is on top of the dresser.


I feel like a little kid; it's so exciting setting things up for our little boy.


We had an OB appointment yesterday and everything is going well. I gained 3 pounds, my blood pressure is "a little high," no protein in my pee and Baby Cute's heartrate was 148. We met Dr. Fleming and while she wasn't wearing Birkenstocks, she was soft-spoken, opinionated, intelligent and interesting to talk to. We talked about the kind of environment they strive for in the birthing room (dim, calm, relaxed if at all possible) and the latest research comparing episiotomies to tearing naturally. I know, it gets me excited for birth too. There's no turning back now!


Because my blood pressure is so consistently high, she told us to be on the lookout for signs of pre-eclampsia. Basically I would puff up, get nauseous and see spots. Check, we will be on the lookout. From my research, there isn't anything I can do to prevent it, so we just enjoy the pregnancy and keep doing what we're doing. If I do develop pre-eclampsia it would likely happen when Baby Cute is full term and the "cure" is to induce labor. It's not what I want, but what I want more than anything is a healthy baby boy in my arms.


Still no definitive decisions on names, but we have widdled our list down to 7. David has his favorite, I have mine, but we're sticking with our plan to meet our little man.


My latest realization is that Baby Cute is running out of room. I have been able to physically SEE my stomach move when he's busy. When I was finishing up Harry Potter last week, the book jumped more than a few times as it rested on my belly. I'm having more and more "wow, I'm pregnant" moments these days. Yeah, I know, I've been pregnant for several months now, but it's all VERY real when your book jumps on your belly.


Ladies and gentlemen, Baby Cute is like his Daddy. David is a pretty scheduled guy, and it looks like his son will take after him. Baby Cute is still on his 7, 10, 1, 3, 7, 9 schedule--to the point where I know what time it is without looking at a clock. Carolyn told me over the weekend that David decided he did not want to go to 2nd grade because the 2nd graders had math in the afternoon, and he was accustomed to having it in the morning. Start praying for me now.


Two other highly amusing Baby David stories. First, David was an escape artist and able to climb out of his crib at 9 months old. Carolyn said she was never so shocked than to see his little head pop up on the side of her bed one morning. OH goodness. Second, David's love for cookies has a long and sordid past. Apparently, Carolyn (like any good mother) kept the cookies in a cupboard high above David's reach, above the refrigerator. Well, David figured out how to open drawers to climb up onto the counter to get into the cupboard to get to the cookies. Yowzers.


Just one more thing... My absolute favorite part of the day lately is waking up. Baby Cute wakes up pretty soon after I do and starts his morning stretching routine. David and I get to cuddle in bed and feel our son moving around. We laugh when he really gets going. And we talk to him, telling him how much we already love him and how excited we are to meet him. Life is good.

Shower, nursery and belly pics coming soon!