Baby Shower!

Saturday Christi hosted a baby shower for me. It was held at my house, which was really too small for the number of people we had, but it worked out well anyway. Matt and I were very blessed to have so many people come and celebrate with us. Everyone was so generous and we were given many gifts that will be much needed once Odin arrives.

The adorable banner my sister and mom made.

I admit I wasn't as prepared for the shower as I should've been since it was held at my house; I forgot about all sorts of things I should've taken care of before the day of the shower - like washing my dusty wine glasses (I obviously haven't used them in a while, so it didn't even occur to me) and a number of other things that just slipped my scattered mind. I blame pregnancy (I'm told you can randomly blame pregnancy for stuff like that, so I'm taking full advantage while I can). Thankfully I had wonderful family on hand who made all the problems disappear. They were awesome and made the day less stressful for me.

Christi did a wonderful job planning everything; I know she put a lot of time, effort, and worry (not to mention money) into it and I'm so grateful for all her hard work. It was great to have everyone together, but we even received gifts from friends and family who couldn't make it to the shower, either because they live far away or because their schedules didn't allow them to attend. It was so thoughtful of them to send gifts along even though they couldn't join us.

My friend Tammy made an awesome football-themed diaper cake (check out the football rubber duckie on top!), which was cleverly stuffed with bath toys, a hooded towel, and washcloths.

Diaper cake, Brittany & Christi, and Mom!

Matt and I received everything from baby clothes, blankets, toys, bottles, diapers, and books to a pack-and-play, travel system, rocking sleeper, high chair, baby monitor, and breast pump. And lots in between, too! Most importantly, it was just another instance of our friends and family showing us support and encouragement, and being excited for us. People have babies every day; most of our friends and family have had the experience themselves. So for everyone to still be excited for us (and with us) is awesome - it makes the experience so much more fun for us, whereas if everyone was all, "been there, done that, no big deal" it wouldn't be as much fun to share the experience with everybody.

Truth.

Here's a look at my 7-month belly (yes, I'm getting good mileage out of that dress) - sorry I don't have a better one at the moment:

The trifecta: 7-month belly, pale legs, and giant blue Santa sack.

Delicious cake, pretty ladies, and wee favor plants.

I had a great time at the shower, and I thank everyone who attended, helped out, brought food, etc. Thanks again to Christi, who put so much into it so that it would be special for me. It was a fun day for us, and it only got us more excited about meeting baby Odin!

Thoughtfulness, Blessings, & Generosity

Last week hurricane/superstorm Sandy rolled through. Matt and I were very lucky that we didn't experience any damage to our house; in fact, we never even lost power, which was not typical. We had only a small amount of water leak into our basement, so we're very grateful that things weren't worse, especially when not too far away there was much more damage. Due to the storm, Matt and I were home from work last Monday and Tuesday, and one of those days we got a surprise in the mail. Actually, it was two surprises, in the form of gifts for baby Odin. We weren't expecting anything in the mail, so getting to open the two packages was sort of like Christmas (I mean, who doesn't like opening presents?)!

The first package we opened was from Kate and Alex, Matt's sister-in-law and brother, who live in Portland, Oregon, and have an adorable 17-month-old son named Mac. They randomly sent us this little outfit at which I can't stop "aww-ing." (The onesie says "Cuddle" on it in red letters.)



The ears! The feet! So much cuteness!

What a sweet and thoughtful thing to do to surprise us and provide an adorable little outfit for baby Odin. Since he'll be born in the winter, I'm sure he'll get to wear this a number of times, and I can't wait to take pictures of him in it.

Our next package was from an entirely unexpected source. A coworker of mine sent us a gift box (which contains an assortment of small baby items) from Citrus Lane, along with a 3-month gift subscription, which means we'll also be getting boxes in November and December! This coworker isn't someone who works directly with me - she doesn't even work in the same area as I do - but she is a real sweetheart; obviously she was under no obligation to think of us and do something so kind and generous, but she did and for that we are so appreciative. Here's what was in box number one:

It included a swaddle blanket, little lamb rattle, Bathtime Baby wash, gripe water, and a kit for making a hand/footprint keepsake. The fun part is that since we'll get a box monthly for the next two months, we'll get to be surprised twice more by what we find in the boxes. What a great way to try out different baby products! Hooray for having such generous and thoughtful people in our lives - we are very blessed!

Wee Little Things

Christi surprised me at work a few weeks ago with some gifts for the baby (and one for me). She's ready and excited to be an aunt, and couldn't wait to buy some baby things, which was incredibly sweet of her. So the first baby things I received were very appropriate in that they are all Washington Capitals items. Anybody who knows me is well aware of my love for the Caps, and since Matt and I have been married he has become just as big a fanatic as I am. Here's a shot of what Christi got for the baby - newborn onesie, bib, and fuzzy slippers:

Little baby things are always so darn cute, aren't they? Christi also got me a Caps maternity shirt, which I will surely wear a lot this fall and winter.

We also got a onesie from Matt's parents, Bob and Pat, that they picked up for the Peanut while they were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in beautiful Hawaii.

So the little one will have a very cute keepsake from their trip. Oh, and see the fish on the onesie? That's the Hawaii state fish, which is called Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (I know, I can't pronounce it either). I figure Humuhumunukunukuapua'a is bound to be the baby's first word. If so, then he/she can teach me how to say it.