Week 30.

Dear cabbage,

heh, cabbage-head.

Today we had our first baby shower.  It was thrown by your Oma, you Aunt Cassie, your Great Aunt Ev and your GREAT-Oma.  Your dad and I had a great time and you, little one, received an incredibly generous amount of lovely gifts.  We are so lucky to have such great family and friends.

Some things to remember:

~the invitation asked guests to bring a book instead of a card, so your library just expanded rapidly!
~baby clothes are just the cutest thing... especially when there are animals on the footsies
~your Grandma Hen got your dad and I both diaper bags--your dad told me he wouldn't carry the one I picked, so you decided on a Yellow Submarine bag for himself
~your Oma bought us a glider for the nursery...I am more than a little excited about this, so comfy for those late nights
~your cousin Tyler was so excited by some of your new toys and may have given them a test run...  the whole room laughed when he exclaimed "This is Auntie Kirstie's baby's toy!"  He also happens to think that your name should be Tyler too. 
~your Great Aunt Ev made so many adorable knit clothes and decorations for you...including the cutest little aviator hat (with ear flaps!!!!) that I'm already plotting to use for your newborn photos
~your family baked the most delicious assortment of cupcakes for dessert...I had a Boston Creme and it was so YUM!
~your Auntie Cassie and Tyler picked out several outfits for you... and then along with Great Aunt Ev, purchased your stroller!
~There were several babies in attendance also...Cousin Charley (2 months old) and Bailey (4 months old) were a big hit and much to my relief managed to take some of the spotlight off of my belly.  :)

All in all, it was a lovely event.  Your family went to a lot of trouble for us.  From the delicious brunch buffet to the cupcakes to the games to the teacup and saucer favors (because a baby is brewing!)...  Too, too generous.

For my sake, there weren't too many hands grasping the belly and too many personal questions, so I didn't even get too stressed out, which was nice!

It was an even more fun weekend because Champaign girlfriend and her little one, Bailey, came to stay with us on Saturday night.  It was a bit strange having a baby in the house for the first time!  She was such a well-mannered little girl though and slept great.  Your dad and I agreed that she was so well-behaved that she was giving us the wrong impression of babies in general.  I still think my girlfriend is incredibly brave for traveling with a 4-month old, no matter how good she is!  I'm so glad she did though.  It gave us time to catch up again.  

And your dad and I were extremely pleased to see that your doggy, Lita, was so well-behaved with Bailey in the house as well.  She was very curious of the smells and sounds, but settled quickly.  She even seemed to be a bit protective of Bailey, choosing to lay down near her when possible.  As far as we know, that was her first experience with a baby!

You are one lucky kid.  Lots more fun to come in the near future as the shower for your dad's side of the family approaches.

Keep growing, baby.