Wow - Spud is one lucky little guy! Lucas, Spud and I are being spoiled with not one baby shower but four. We had the first of the showers in my hometown this weekend. Living five hours from there, it's not often I get to catch up with everyone in person. I had a ton of fun sharing this exciting time with people I've known since I was ten years old. Thank you to my mom and sister for hosting, my dad and brother for setting up and tearing down and all our wonderful friends who showered Spud with love and gifts. Like I said, he's a lucky little guy. I can't wait for everyone to meet him!
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There are a lot of formalities and etiquette to follow when it comes to throwing a party, shower or wedding. For example, you must invite guests at least six weeks in advance, you must include "+ guest" on the invitation if a guest is allowed and you must provide party favors. I can agree with most of the rules, but I just can't get behind party favors. They are unnecessary little trinkets or desserts that most guests leave behind. Still, I don't want to look ungrateful so I do follow this rule.
I was looking up ideas for travel-themed baby shower gifts when I came across one for do-it-yourself duct tape luggage tags. Anyone can use a luggage tag - and duct tape ones are sure to withstand the rigors of trains, planes, boats, and automobiles. Hell, I'm sure they could even survive a trip on a space shuttle (one day). They are super affordable and somewhat easy to make. I say somewhat because by nature duct tape is super sticky, which makes things a little challenging. The materials are simple: duct tape (with cool designs), string/yarn/ribbon, scissors, hole punch. Here's how to make them: 1) Fold a piece of duct tape in half so it's about 4 to 5 inches long. 2) Put another piece of duct tape (solid color) on top to write contact information 3) Cut the corners diagonally on one end 4) Punch a hole in the center 5) Loop the string/yarn/ribbon through the hole so it's about 4 inches long That's it! Guests at the shower said they thought they were cute. I hope they weren't lying... The good news is even if they don't use the luggage tags, they were very affordable to make (less than $15 for 20), and I still have plenty of tape left over. My first time in New Orleans was a whirlwind trip for work. I arrived late on Sunday and left late on Tuesday. I spent most of my time there in a convention center. In my bit of free time, I had dinner at Tableau in the French Quarter, beignets at Cafe du Monde and strolled down Bourbon Street. What a tease to be on Bourbon Street when 8 months pregnant. I wanted to join the crowds bar hopping, but instead just enjoyed watching them be enjoy the night and be a bit (or a lot) ridiculous. I would love to go back with Lucas (and the baby) to get to the know city a lot more, really experience the culture, take in some amazing jazz and of course, eat more! Week 32 Recap
My 32 week appointment went well. We really like the new doctor we met. Three down, two to go! She cleared me for flying, which meant I didn't have to bail on my clients at work. It also meant Spud and I got to go to New Orleans for the first time! Week 33 Preview The week is off to a rough start. Standing and walking around most of the day at a trade show in New Orleans isn't the best idea for an 8-month pregnant lady. Neither is running through the Houston airport to catch your connecting flight. That's right - imagine a pregnant lady running through the airport with suitcase in tow. The week can only go up from here, right? Baby Bump I'm sure I look bigger than I did two weeks ago, but I don't really feel bigger. That's probably a good thing. Week 31 Recap Four reasons Baby Spud's arrival feels very, very real... and imminent: 1) We finished our prenatal class at Mercy Medical Center and got a tour of the maternity and nursery area. It was comforting to see where we're going to be for delivery. 2) We received a couple baby shower gifts in the mail this week. Thank you friends! 3) I bought nursing bras. 4) The nursery is looking awesome! Lucas has done such a great job painting the walls and trim. It's come a long way since we bought the house nine months ago. He still needs to paint another coat, but he's definitely getting there! Week 32 Preview
I was afraid fatigue would hit me again in the third trimester. I'm very thankful it hasn't... yet. With only two months to go, it could still sneak up on me. I hope to get the crib put together this week and that my 32 week appointment goes well. We are meeting another doctor in the practice and hope her delivery "philosophy" is similar to ours. Baby Bump In eight months full of firsts, I just experienced one I was hoping wouldn't happen: the scale hit 170. To be honest, the scale had never hit 150 or 160 either, but I knew those were coming. I was being extremely hopeful thinking I wouldn't gain more than 25 lbs. Who wants to place their bets if I hit 180 in the next 8 weeks?! I'm not one to put a lot of pressure on Valentine's Day. My big plan for this year was a free night out. We had received gift cards for Texas Roadhouse and Carmike Cinemas a few months ago. We honestly never go to movies. I think we've been to the theater twice together in the past three years. Meanwhile, Texas Roadhouse is not my top choice for restaurants, but who cares when it's free. We got to Texas Roadhouse at 5:15 p.m. I couldn't even get in the building the line was so long. A not-so-hopeful customer came out saying it would be a two-hour wait. I would have been willing to wait 30 minutes, but not two hours. I headed back to the car where Lucas was trying to find a parking space. We drove three minutes up the street to Jethro's BBQ n' Pork Chop Grill in Johnston. Neither of us had been there before, and Lucas didn't even know there was a Johnston location. Lucky me, this was my second Jethro's visit in two months. Surprisingly, we got seated right away. Lucas ordered the Better Homes & Garden melt and I got the pork tenderloin. Holy moly, that tenderloin is a monster. I couldn't even eat half of it. Lucas enjoyed his melt and downed it in a matter of minutes. After dinner, the plan was to head to the theater. But being stuffed full of fried goodness made us reconsider. We opted for Redbox so we could relax at home. We chose American Hustle. It has a great cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence. The movie moved slower than I expected, but other than that, it was great. The ending wrapped up quickly and cleanly, which these days seems like a rarity.
Even though the evening did not go to plan, it was a wonderful night with my sweetie. Week 30 Recap
Lucas got the nursery painted! Since he won't let me paint, I'm at his mercy to get it done on his time. He removed the wallpaper two weeks ago, and I'm thankful he finally got the walls painted. Next up - the trim. I'm optimistic Lucas all tackle that this weekend. With only nine weeks to go, nothing seems to be moving fast enough. I originally thought the nursery would be around Christmas - so we're just a little behind schedule. After the trim, we can put together the crib and decorate, which is the part I'm most excited about. This past week I started experiencing indigestion. I have never had it before in my life, and it's terribly uncomfortable. Considering this is the only symptom I've had recently, I shouldn't complain. My pregnancy could be a lot harder. Week 31 Preview As part of our prenatal class at Mercy Medical Center, we will tour the maternity floor this week. We also need to figure out who's health insurance Spud is going on so I can turn in my pre-admission form to the hospital. Pre-admission forms are a great idea because that way the hospital has all of your information on file before you arrive in a world of pain ready to push out a baby. Baby Bump I don't think I've grown much since last week. I think every two weeks I have a growth spurt. Week 29 Recap
Thanks to borrowed clothing, I've put off going to the maternity store. However, I saw Motherhood Maternity was having a sale on dresses. I would like something cute to wear to my baby shower so I thought I would pop over to the shop in Valley West Mall. It was a nice store with a nice little collection of items. The associate was super friendly and super helpful. I tried on a few things, but nothing was working. I'm not used to being this size so nothing seemed very flattering. Maybe another time... Week 30 Preview I had to travel to Las Vegas for work this week. I was on my feet quite a bit. Before bed, I realized my ankles had blown up. Considering it's winter, I don't see my ankles all that often. Maybe my ankles have swelled before, but I have yet to notice. However, now I have first hand experience of cankles... not good! Baby Bump The bump is large and in charge these days. I had to take a picture in the sweet bathroom in my sweet room at the Bellagio. |