Wrapping Up a Busy August

The last of our insanely busy (but fun) August was a nice weekend, starting with an Open House on Saturday and then a very relaxing Sunday. Since the majority of our friends had not yet seen our house, we had a little housewarming in the early afternoon. Literally on Friday we finished our house projects (3 windows installed) and finished the cleaning efforts Saturday morning. It was really fun to finally show it off after 90 days of hard work. Unfortunately it was about 95 degrees that day so mainly we stayed inside and didn't get to enjoy the outdoors, but that will come another day! To wind down that evening, we went out for frozen yogurt and a movie - The Time Traveler's Wife. I love Rachel McAdams but the movie was alright.

On Sunday, Ryan and I planned a little relaxing celebration day. We got massages at the local Massage Envy. I highly recommend a pregnancy massage to anyone in their 3rd trimester. I've been feeling so good lately, but I didn't know how much I needed it. It was the best! Ryan knew he needed it after all the manual house work and it certainly did him good. Then we went out for a really nice lunch at Bistro West and went window shopping.

We'll put together the stroller and car seat this week and otherwise, we're ready! I'm looking forward to a nice September (if this weather would just cool down...)!

Ultrasound Update

I had another ultrasound on Friday to make sure the baby's growth is on track. It is! She's now in the 38th percentile for growth which is a bit better than she was a month ago and and weighs 5.8 pounds. She now has 3.5 weeks to gain a pound or two and she'll be ready! Below is another profile side view picture as well as a face picture. I am feeling great. My aches and pains have subsided over the past couple weeks, but am starting to get swollen ankles and feet. It's not bad at all but that came as a surprise. Two more weeks of work!

Kara's Bachelorette Weekend

The glorious town of San Diego was the destination for Kara's final hoorah - her Bachelorette Party. We planned a fun filled weekend of relaxing, site seeing, nice dinners and dancing. Kara and I arrived in San Diego on Friday afternoon and checked into Hotel Solamar (http://www.hotelsolamar.com/index.html). Gretta, Matt's sister, met us there and we headed down to the rooftop pool for some sunshine. The pool scene was full of life and the pool was even better, just like bath water (http://www.hotelsolamar.com/hotel-pool.html).

In the evening, we went to Old Town for a great Mexican dinner and shopped around. On Saturday morning, Kara's friends, Tammy and Krisin, showed up early and the three of them headed to a local spa for massages. Gretta went shopping for some evening supplies (and by the way, had some awesome gift bags for each of us - it was so thoughtful and cute!) and I went to the hotel gym. We reconvened, then drove down to Coronado island for lunch, browsing along Orange Street and checked out Hotel del Coronado (which is a tremendous scene!).

We came back and grabbed a drink and some sun at the rooftop bar/lounge. Then, back at our room, Gretta had set up a Lingerie Party for Kara filled with food, drinks and decorations.

We watched Kara open our sexy, lacy gifts and had fun gabbing. Saturday evening, we went down to Little Italy for some great Italian food.

We hit up Jimmy Love's downtown for dancing to an 80s cover band. Considering the band was decked out in 80s gear, that was entertainment enough! Kara seemed to have a great time (especially when Melt With You was sung) and I was even out on the dance floor quite a bit! Kara has proof of the preggo girl dancing her heart out.

On Sunday we grabbed a yummy breakfast and headed home. Everyone was pooped, but had a great time. I hope this weekend was as special for Kara as the bachelorette party she planned for me 3 years ago!

Shower at the Flower's

I feel so blessed. We have been showered by all our family and friends and are so thankful that everyone is helping us with all these baby supplies and especially, giving us so much love and support for this impending baby arrival. Yesterday, Joyce hosted a shower at her house with the help of her sister, Shirley, Sharon Paisley and my mom. Once again, it exceeded my expectations with the beautiful decorations, fun games, delicious food, and generous gifts. The guests included Ryan's family (many of his grandma's siblings), Mom's friends, and Joyce's friends, whom I know. It was fun to catch up with so many of these people that I don't see very often. Thank you so much, Joyce, Shirley, Sharon and Mom. Also thanks to Nana for your help and taking all the pictures. Now, it's time to get started on the nursery...

ROTR Surprise!

It sure is tough to surprise Ryan but we did it! His company planned an "Anniversary Party" since he's been with the company 10 years, or so they told me. They asked me to be at his office at 12:30pm today to surprise him so I took the afternoon off. It was a stressful week because he kept planning things that had him working from home on Friday. I had to call some contractors to have them reschedule with him and his dad to delay the TV delivery that he was helping us with. In the end, Ryan went to work and I showed up and he was very surprised. We walked into the conference room to a big beautiful Baby Shower! So, they surprised both of us! It was the most creatively decorated room including a full Italian lunch spread, cake, gifts and lots of friendly faces. The best part was seeing how blown away Ryan was by all this. We ate lunch, chatted with everyone, opened group gifts from each department, and ate cake. Afterward, they cleared out the room because the Director of HR had some friends from Arbonne that were coming by for spa sessions. They decorated the room like a spa with candles and incense. 10 at a time, we soaked our feet, they rubbed creams and oils on our legs and lotion on our hands. We relaxed and enjoyed the 20 minutes of spa time. This was such an amazing afternoon and we so appreciate ROTR's thoughtfulness.
ALL SHOWER PICTURES ARE POSTED ON THE LINK ON THE RIGHT...

Time for a Baby Shower...8 months!

I have been to a ton of Showers and most recently, lots of Baby Showers. They are always a good time to catch up with the girls and oogle over all the cute baby clothes. Finally, it's my turn and it was everything I had wanted it to be, thanks to my mom and best friend, Lisa, for hosting. It was held at the Clubhouse in my community, Rocking Horse Ridge. The decorations were lovely - pink and green! - and the lunch and dessert was delicious. There were a few fun games, gift opening time, and ended with a 'onesies decoration' activity. My girlfriends and my family were in attendance. I couldn't have asked for more! Thanks to Mom and Lisa and everyone that was able to attend and shower this baby with lots of love and gifts!