31 Weeks- Here is your belly shot!

Ok- so this is what 31 weeks pregnant looks like. I am not really a big fan of the belly shot- so take it while you can, there may not be more. Baby is getting big- and most of all HEAVY. It is tiring to carry her around like that all day, I cannot imagine what another 2 months will bring.

7th Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. It seems unreal that it has been 7 whole years, but if I think back is seems like more than a lifetime ago since Jeff and I first met. The lovely warm weather this weekend reminded me of that lovely day 7 years ago when we joined our lives- a perfect day all around! I looked on the internet to see what the 7th wedding anniversary symbolizes:

7th Anniversary Traditional Gift:
Copper or Wool.
Copper has long had a traditional meaning of prosperity, good luck, and good
fortune. Couples who celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary can indeed
celebrate their good fortune in finding one another.
The gift of wool
represents the comfort, durability, security, and warmth that couples married
this long give one another. Roman brides touched their the threshold of their
new home with wool.

I think both off these items fit- i think that Jeff and I have been blessed with good luck and good fortune. We are lucky to have found each other. And are now doubly lucky to have a new family member on the way. As unromantic as it sounds, I do think wool fits our relationship- warm and secure and comforting. Jeff is a big fan of wool, so I think he will like this analogy as well.

Well, tonight we are celebrating our anniversary by going out to dinner together, and we might catch a movie. We are going to dinner at the Ship Tavern in the Brown Palace Hotel. This is where we got engaged in 2001, and where we had a magical awesome date when we came to denver for my residency interview 8 1/2 years ago.

Good-bye fishing season- Hello Ski season

Today we went fishing at William's Fork reservoir, likely our last fishing trip this year. It was lovely and peaceful- the leaves on the aspens are brightly colored, and it was so warm and sunny. What a nice way to say good-bye to summer. We have to work next weekend, so by the time we make it back to Winter Park it will likely be snowing and starting to feel like ski season.

So, the last few weeks I have been feeling sad about my missed ski season this year- I had decided to not by a ski pass, concerned that I wont get in much snowboarding this year anyway. Well, many people have been asking me about skiing- and it makes me sad to say I wont have a pass. If I have to buy single day tickets, I bet I wont go very much. So, today Jeff and I talked and decided I should buy a pass (jeff knew this all along). So, we will likely just take turns getting in a few runs- and with a season pass I wont feel so wasteful if I just snowboard for an hour or two while Jeff takes a break with the baby. Maybe we can even arrange a sitter for a day. :) Yeah!!!!

New London Baby Shower

Wow! Our family is very blessed with wonderful friends and family, and the Diva baby is flat-out spoiled already. We had a shower this weekend in New London with family and friends. It was hosted by my mom and her best friend Sue (who is like my other mom). It was at the renowned Bean City Ballroom, and was so nice. The room was decorated in pink with great decorations, flowers on the tables, baloons and the cutest cupcakes on a tiered stand. I had a blinged-out tiera (LOVE IT!) and a corsage with baby sock roses. There were many guests dressed in pink- and people whom I love and have not seen in years. We played fun games, chatted and had my mom's awesome fruity punch while snacking on Susie's home-made soups and ham sandwiches.

We were showered in many lovely useful gifts- and I was made to cry on several occasions. So many of the gifts were home-made treasures- several gorgeous hand-made blankets and a scrapbook that was made by my crafty cousin Theresa- the pages are finished except for the photographs. Being a mom herself, I guess she knows how I wont have time to put all of that work in right away (although it only took her a short time- would've taken me months!!). Susie made a huge box of thank you cards/ birth announcements with stamps and pretty pink paper- coming to a mailbox near you! The most memorable (tear-jerking) gifts were made with love by my grandma sawall who is no longer with us. My grandma and grandpa gave Diva baby a set of raggedy anne and andy dolls which my grandma made before she died (6 years ago). My Aunt Cari and cousin Taya gave me some beautiful sweaters and booties that my grandma had lovingly made for Taya when Cari was expecting. Its making me cry right now to think of what a meaningful gift that is... and I promise to return the favor when Taya has a baby shower and keep the tears coming for everyone.

The best part of the whole weekend was all of the love and support that we have in our lives- Jeff and I couldn't and wouldn't want to do this without our great family and friends. Although many miles separate us, we still feel the love from you all. My friend Andrea came all the way from Austin, and Anne drove up from Chicago with her gorgeous 3 month-old baby Belle. It was a memorable weekend, and a memory I will cherish forever.

What a great weekend!

Updated Pictures

I got a few more photos of our shower in north dakota- a nice one with Jeff's mom and dad. Check below in the ND shower post for a peak at the new shots!

Plastic Shirt?

This request is from Jeff. He wants a plastic shirt for when the baby is born. He has been talking about this for months- he thinks a plastic shirt is ideal for when she spits up on him- it will run right off. It sounds like such a comforting fabric to wear when snuggling the baby...

Anyway today he told me I should put a request on my blog about his plastic shirt to see if anyone has any ideas/ leads on a plastic shirt for him- he would like you to email him some advice (or leave a comment here and it will forward to our email). Just to put it in perspective- this plastic shirt idea is the follow-up to his obsession with the need for clothes-pins to put on his nose when he changes baby's diapers. To those of you who know Jeff- none of these ideas really come as a surprise, but if you are not lucky enough to know my goof-ball husband well- he isn't really crazy- just creative.

OK, Jeff thanks you for the feedback- google wasn't much help- so maybe someone else can give him an idea. :)

Baby Shower!

Saturday was my baby shower with friends from Children's. It was an amazing party- I was so overwhelmed by everything. Amy, Carla, and Darci planned a very elegant affair- and so many people showed up. The only thing outnumbering the people were the gifts! Baby is off to a great start, she has beautiful clothes and toys and bedding- so many things you just cannot imagine.

The cake was one of the highlights of the party- it is a two tiered cake decorated to match the baby's bedding. It is so beautiful, i almost didn't want to eat it! (but we did and it was delicious!).

We filled the car with all of the many gifts, some even sent from friends who were unable to attend the shower. I brought them back up to winter park with me, and showed them all to Jeff and Casey.

It was such a great party- and I felt so special and loved. It was a wonderful ady that I will remember and cherish always. Thank you to the ladies for hosting such a fabulous soiree, and many thanks to all of the friends who attended and helped shower diva baby with gifts of love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!

Happy Birthday Honey! Today is Jeff's birthday, just wanted to give him a big shout-out. Not that he is really one to read my blog anyway. But, big happy birthday to him! Tonight we are going up to winter park for the weekend, and we are likely going to dinner at the Gausthaus Eichler german restaurant to celebrate. Drop him a congratulatory email (work email) or phone call today if you think of it! I will post pictures later- I made him pose with his cookie-cake.

Diva Baby!

So, she is officially a Diva now! Check out Miss Diva Baby's fancy new outfit. It is a fabulous gift from Debbie, a friend at work. No Diva's wardrobe is complete without a Juicy Couture lounge outfit. So cute and soft- I think she is going to be the envy of all the babies! This is officially her "first airplane ride" outfit. What a lucky, lucky little girl to have so many wonderful outfits already. Thanks Debbie!

ND Shower

Party Time! We spent Labor day weekend in North Dakota with Jeff's family. It was great to see everyone, and they had family and friends over for a BBQ/ baby shower party on saturday night. It was a great, although quick, trip. Our nephews Jacob and Alex are as cute as ever, and just seem to get bigger every day.

Thank you to everyone for the lovely gifts! Diva baby is off to a great start already!

Go Packers!

So, the results are in- I can actually cheer on the packers without my beloved Bret Favre on the team. Last night we had Geoff, Trina and Ben over for the Viking's v Packers game, and I was able to get over my hurt from the loss of Favre and still cheer on my team. I am not saying I like Aaron Rodgers at this point- but he is an innocent bystander in this drama, so I will give him a break. However, the sports commentators are really ticking me off by putting up little charts comparing stats between Favre and Rodgers. Come on- isn't that like comparing Dom Perignon to Mad Dog 20/20?

Anyway- the beloved pack beat the purple vikes- 24-19. Yeah Pack, bring on Detroit!!