Work Shower

I was so lucky to have three great showers...spoiled!
Christine Loehr hosted the Rose Hill Elementary shower at her great house near old town. It was perfect and thank you to everyone who helped with the food and beverage (part of why people stayed so long!). This was my "five hour shower" which flew by as does time when you are having so much fun!
So many generous and nice gifts again. It was so kind of all the teachers, especially some who are new this year and hardly know me, to give the great gifts that they did (and I know firsthand what a teacher's budget is like :)). THANK YOU to everyone!
Steve was able to come by for a while in between work duties, and my mom also came up from Colorado Springs. There were about twenty people in all...some good friends from past Rose Hill years and many current work folks. Such a fun mix!
As it was my last shower, I was able to start the "organizing" process of washing and putting away items, finding the right spots in my little house for everything from big swings to little booties, and just settling in!
THANK YOU again, Rose Hill....I will miss your daily fun and faces in the next months of my maternity leave!

Colorado Springs Shower

MY WEEKEND:I was in Arizona with my great friends Kate Unger, Noel Dahlby, and Julia Crusius over this Mother's Day weekend. (Happy Mother's Day to Mama Noel... mother to my godson, the fabulous Bjorn, by the way). What a perfect weekend we had at the Ungers resort, The Hermosa Inn! I vow to keep such weekends a part of my life, post-baby, though we'll see if those are famous last words or not! :) MY HUSBAND AND ME:Some friends say that their husbands gave them Mother's Day presents when they were pregnant. In no way did I expect Steve to do this. Not because he isn't thoughtful and good about these things, but we still forget that we aren't going to Mexico anymore in six months! It just isn't totally real to us. I am thinking next Mother's Day it will more than be reality as our lives will be completely (though in a great way) changed.
THE MOMS:For an early Mom's Day gift, we went to The Broadmoor with our moms (shout out to Carol and Brenda) for an awesome brunch. We hadn't told them we were expecting, and gave them "Read to Me Grandma" books to break the news. They (some might say "over") reacted by crying and loudly exclaiming their joy. It was great. My sly dad, though I will never know how, whispered to me before they opened the books that he pretty much knew what was coming. I tried to play it off, but he insisted he knew what was up. I swear I gave no clues that would give this away, but it must be father's intuition. Pretty savvy!
Hope your weekend was a great one, too!Love, Me

What a great weekend!
"The Girls"...Noel, Kate, and Brooke flew in Thursday night for a packed few days.
On Friday morning, we 'spa-ed it' at The Garden of the Gods Club. I treated myself to a massage and mini-facial...a mom-to-be combo 31st birthday present to myself :). We ate lunch downtown, joined by Lindsey and my mom, and then Kate and Noel met up with Julia at her parents Monument home for some hard work!
The baking and slaving away in the kitchen into the wee hours of the night paid off. We snuck in a quick dinner with my parents, but most of the night was dedicated to shower prep....much, much thanks ladies!
Saturday's shower was perfect in every way. Such a classy, memorable morning with great brunch food, beautiful flowers and presentation, and sweet treats for favors to top it off.
So many people from all parts of my life were able to come...childhood friends and parents of my friends, high school buddies, family friends from years past, my in-laws and family, old neighbors, etc.! As great as it was to see everyone, like my wedding, it was hard not to be able to have the one-on-one conversations I'd wanted to have. And I still can't believe all the super generous gifts we received. It was humbling!
Saturday, post-shower, was spent mostly on the couch watching football and "Knocked Up", with the exception of getting ourselves downtown for dinner. Sunday morning we slept in a bit (yeah!), shopped a bit, ate some bar food, and then airport time. SO COLD...Sunday was the first sign of winter, too, which made baby-time seem even closer to me!
In closing to this long entry :), THANK YOU to every guest who was a part of making the day special (Brooke and Sarah extra points for flying in). EXTRA THANKS to Julia, Kate, and Noel for not only your labor, but for your special, very thoughtful gift and every little detail that made this shower unforgettable!

October so far...

BIG BELLY:
Well, I am as big as hopefully I am going to get as leaning over just isn't as easy as it once was and it is quite a task to roll over on the couch or in bed. Big belly!
CHANGES and PREPARATION:
Luckily, I am still sleeping fine through the night (this will end soon whether it is end of pregnancy or new baby that causes it, I know :)), which is a blessing with this very busy school year. I am trying to get all my "ducks in a row" at school to make the transition smooth for my sub and myself. And also at home...final nursery stages (furniture is finally in, more pictures to come), putting away goodies we have been receiving, and finishing (hopefully!) our little home-construction projects that will seemingly never end.
OUR NANNY!:
Steve and I were so lucky to find a nanny that was willing to accomodate for our odd situation...2 1/2 months starting late February and ending in May when I get out of school. Brooke offered (so nice) to fly out for the first few days I go back to work, and new-nanny Lindsay will take over thereafter. She has a lot of experience, is a mom of a 3month old, and is a former 3rd grade teacher like me...such a relief to have that in place!
STEVE:
Steve is currently in Chile and returning in a few days. So, those who were worried about the possibility of me giving birth this early, looks like we are almost in the clear. He's having a great time there and I am glad he got to experience it since I don't know how doable it would have been post-baby.
SHOWERS, BABY CLASSES, FALL FUN, BIRTH:
Over a month until our due date and we have a packed schedule until then. Almost every weekend is 'booked' with a shower or baby class, in addition to some fun festivities...Friends Thanksgiving, my 31st and Steve's 32nd birthdays and a few Oktoberfest and Halloween parties.
Busy until birth time, that's for sure!