long weekend
My shower was Saturday afternoon, and despite work schedules, soccer games, and "I'm having contractions" reducing the guest list quite a bit, we still had loads of fun. Since the shower ended up being all family, Bear & boys stayed and made it a co-ed event, with Beartaking pics (which he hasn't uploaded yet to flickr). Panda really outdid herself with decorations, food, and games, and it was a sweet moment when my MIL pointed out to her that the flower seeds she'd picked out for the souveneir gifts were April's birth flower (she didn't know, so she has fantastic good luck/taste).
I'd never been to a shower that had games before, and Panda did great on picking out fun ones. My sister forgot how ice would affect her dental work and had to spit her frozen ice cube baby in the "birth the baby" game out into her cup, which earned her a cute lecture from my 4-year-old niece that it was mean to leave the baby frozen like that (she had to fish the baby out, get it out of the ice, and give it to my niece so she could "take care of it". ;-)
Hubby's stepmom made a snide remark about how she didn't like anything on our registry, so she got something else instead. That was the only not-fun moment of the shower, although I was a little wary of my MIL and stepMIL sitting side by side for the festivities.
We now have more fleece blankets and packs of onesies than any baby will ever need, but also plenty of other things as well. My sister arrived from Louisiana with a car packed with baby things from her friend who sent a bunch of her "overflow" from her two-year-old girl, who had so many things still in the package that never got used - including a Medela PIS breastpump! There are a few parts missing (primarily the breast shields) but other than that, the pump is pristine and unused. We will have to get more Playtex supplies for when I return to work for pumped milk (and no Walmart in our area seems to carry the Playtex kit for breast pumps despite swearing it's an "instore" product), but I can improvise if I don't find one, and I've plenty of the rest of the nursing supplies except a tube of Lanisinoh creme. We've got a lot of sorting to do, though, as right now we have baby items in gift bags/boxes taking up a lot of floorspace in our room and the office.
We went out to eat at Olive Garden after the shower - the four of us, my MIL, my sister & niece, and Panda. It was great food, but we had a long wait for a table for 8, then the waiter messed up J1's order so he didn't get his food until almost everyone else was finished (his meal ended up being free). I don't think J1 minded too much because he got to try some of everyone else's food in the meantime.
My comfort levels willing, we go to visit my family this coming weekend (3-hour drive), which is the last window of opportunity until after the baby is born. Hopefully I will get to see my other sister, who couldn't make the shower because she had to work.
Baby is firmly decided to keep mom on permanent heartburn lately and likes to curl her feet into my ribs and relocate them when she stretches. 6 weeks to go til baby Lenae arrives.
My MIL and sister/niece stayed Saturday night with us as well. MIL had to leave before lunchtime to catch her flight home, but R. stayed and we ferried her around town to drop off her mac laptop for repairs (she was so funny, carrying her power cord and looking like she'd lost her puppy when they told her it would be a week) and then various shopping outlets. She wanted the "nurse in training" outfit we'd seen at the mall for the niecelet, but ended up splurging on a complete Razorback outfit for Lenae as well - all in pink. We had a good visit and the niecelet is as "Uncle Bear" obsessed as ever. ;-)