Baby showers have new meaning

Hello Bleeps.  Even with the new year and the holidays ending, our activities still have us finding little time for ourselves.  The nursery furniture sits in there, in boxes, un-put-together.  We'll get there as soon as a couple things get handled.  

Yesterday, was my first baby shower since we found out we are pregnant.  And it was a completely different experience than ever before.  Besides the fact that I had an excuse not to be in the best shape of my life amongst the beautiful girls, I was all ears for advice and products that would make pregnancy and child rearing a little easier.  Before we were pregnant, baby showers could be a bit disarming and depressing.  Every woman was talking about their children, their children's achievements, their pregnancies, etc.  I didn't have any stories to share, except trial and failure.  Not the brightest star to talk to at the shower.  Especially in showers where I randomly knew the honoree, I was sometimes left by myself to the side to watch and wait for the end of the shower when I could dash out and breathe a sigh of relief.

Yesterday's shower was for a friend of mine.  She is a gorgeous lady, especially 7 months pregnant.  She and I shared the same doctor and while we when through IVF, she suceeded in her second or third attempt of IUI (which we had tried 3 times as well in 2009).  We had lost touch a bit over the years and randomly run into one-another at my gym when she bought a Groupon to participate in a special Trainer was running. She is in the medical industry and was asking me who my docs were and if I liked them, then Dr. H's name popped up and she said that he was her doc too, but not for sales.  Thus began the Infertility conversation and our friendship got stronger.  It was awesome having the face of someone with Infertility that I could touch (not that you Bleeps aren't my salvation), but it's so different when you have someone in front of you that can "share your shoes."  Ever since, we've compared notes and kept up with each other to see where we stood on progress, etc. 

Her shower was yesterday and was a whole different ballgame.  Besides learning new tricks and products, I got awed over.  And this wasn't even my shower. There were other women we'd gone to high school with there who are Facebook friends of mine or read the blog that I haven't seen in forever, who were excited to see ME and rub MY belly.  Strangers at the shower would ask me questions about when I was due and how I was feeling, offer advice for different aspects (I took notes!), and as the honoree opened her mountain of presents, I took notes of what she got that I didn't register for and heard what other mother's said as she opened those, and decided to register for them or not.  Probably my favorite thing that she opened (and I registered for the minute I got home) were Rock-a-Bye Baby CDs.  They are CDs of music by artists that the parents like (U2, Metallica, The Beach Boys, etc....and there are a lot) toned down to "baby-lullaby mode."  The raves about them are out of site, but parents can listen to them instead of children's music and they still calm or relax the baby.  LOVE THIS IDEA! I had made my friend a blanket (my 36th! - I had to look it up).  It was the only handmade present and she loved it to pieces.  Always makes my day there too!

Plus, I wasn't the only other preggo at the shower.  There were probably 7 of us and there was a photo taken of all of our bellies.  We stood in order of most-pregnant to least and I'm hoping the picture will go up on Facebook soon so I can share it.  So there were others to oooh and aaaah over and get advice or compare notes with.  All in all, after a bit of a slow start as people got there and I knew more and more guests, it was great.  But now I am really looking forward to the two showers I have coming up because they'll be honoring ME for once.  Something I have dreamed of for so very long.

Before the shower I had my first stranger touch my belly.  We're trying to sell some lamps we have on Craigslist and I was meeting with someone to sell her one.  I had told her I could meet her a before a baby shower I was going to.  When we found each other (in the Blockbuster parking lot), I popped out of the car and her first words were "Is it your shower you are going to?!"  I smiled and said no, and before anything else was said her hand popped out and rubbed my belly.  She was very sweet and surprisingly enough, it didn't bother me one bit.  She wasn't completely random as we'd been texting over the last two days to figure out where to meet to get the lamps, but it still was great.  I guess I'm just so excited to be pregnant, that I don't care who rubs my belly and I'm very happy that they now know I am pregnant and not just "hefty." 

On an entirely different note, J said something the other night that I need to document.  We were sitting and I asked him if he still found me attractive now that I have my "great big fat belly".  He said the greatest thing back.  He said, "Of course.  And it's not a fat belly, it's a beautiful little girl."  He may not be a romantic in the movie-type sense of the word, but boy does he say the right thing...and a lot. 

Alright folks, will update with 26 week progress Tuesday.  Have a wonderful Sunday!

PS: One year ago today in Tucson was a very tragic day.  Here's the post I did last year.  However, today we are remembering those who survived and persevered that day, and the heroes that were born.  Please take a minute to thank God that there were people brave enough to take down the crazy monster that started the shooting, that many of the people who were wounded were too strong to be taken down by an insane man's bullets, and that justice will be served to him very soon!