Couples Shower Part 1- Food and Decorations

This weekend my sweet friends threw Mikey and I a couples baby shower. The shower was held in the evening and they served desserts and adult beverages. The theme of the shower was "Great Thinkers". When Mikey was thinking of ideas for the nursery he threw around the idea, mostly joking, of having something to do with some of the great thinkers like Socrates, Confucious, Aristotle etc... When I mentioned this to my friends they ran with the idea and they came up with what I think is the most creative and clever baby shower theme I have seen yet! The shower had a very sophisticated and mature feel to it. It was perfect!

The invitation

The guests signed the inside of this bible for Connor. The sign in table was complete with owl bookmarks and cigars for the guys.

Book garland

Close up of the book marks

Beautiful wreath for the front door made by Jenny

Books to add to the other classics already on the shelf in Connor's room

The girls did such a good job at integrating the theme throughout the entire shower.

They served desserts and drinks at the shower with clever titles.

Every detail of the shower was just perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better shower. Thank you Tana, Amy, Jenny, and Rebekah for all the hard work you put into making it such a special night for us.

(See the next two posts from the shower and the rest of the weekend)

Couples Shower Part 2-Friends

We are so blessed to have such amazing friends! I am so grateful that they all got babysitters and came out to our shower.

Since we wanted to keep our shower small we just invited a few of our closest friends, all of which know each other. It was very low key and intimate. I felt like I really got to spend some quality time with our friends without the awkwardness of shower games and opening a ton of presents in front of everyone.

Christy, Jenny, and Benjamin

Megan, Tana, Alli

Amy, Vaune, Rebekah

The girls

I asked Mikey to figure out what he thought this little thing was. He guessed it pretty quickly. A pee pee tee pee! Oh, one of the many things we get to look forward to with a little boy. Ha!

I got this cute outfit from Christy

An Ergo baby carrier from the hostesses and Megan (I am super excited about this!)

Alli and Greg gave us this cute shirt along with a few other goodies

Since the theme of the shower was "great thinkers" these two great thinkers, Mikey and Zack, dressed up for the part with the stick on mustaches, pipe, glasses, and books that were part of the decorations.

The guys and their staches

Group shot (minus Vaune and Ryan)

My bestest friends (modeling their hostess gifts) who put the whole thing together. Love these girls so much!

Playing at the park and The Burkharts

Before the shower we, along with the Burkharts, met the Louis' and McAdams' at a nearby park so that we could get the kids together to play.

This was the first time for Rebekah and Tom to meet Benjamin (Jenny and Zack's baby) and for Jenny and Zack to meet Simon (Rebekah and Tom's baby).

Brinley and the other kids helping baby Simon open his present from the Burkharts

Zack and Mikey pushing their girls on the swings

We failed to get a good group picture of the kids together but here they are gathering around Bekah like little birds because she had a bag of trail mix...with m&m's.

Sweet Jenny playing ring-a-round-the-rosie with the girls

Precious Benjamin enjoying a good nap

The Burkharts stayed with us and Ava and Bekah had the best time playing dress up together and watching Tangled.

The Burkharts are always so thoughtful! They brought Ava a Big Sister gift.

They gave her a book about being a Big Sister and a picture of the last time her and Bekah played together (last April! Way too long!)

Benjamin got in on the dress-up action too

It was so good to have the Burkharts stay with us and give us a glimpse into what life with two children is like. Zack and Jenny are such a good team and make it look so easy!

Ava couldn't get enough of little Benjamin. She loved making him smile.

Thank you Burkharts for traveling so far, with two kids, to be make our weekend so special!! We enjoyed every minute!

36 weeks

(I just updated the blog so be sure and check out the other 3 posts after this one)

I am 36 1/2 weeks!! Baby Connor is growing like a champ and making his mommy more uncomfortable these days. I now feel the need to sit down more often and be off my feet. Holding Ava is becoming more challenging and afterwards I usually feel aches. I had my first dr. appointment last week where they check to see if I am dialated any and I am already 2 cm dialated, 50% effaced, and Connor's head is very low. Things are on their way and that is so exciting to me! I do hope and pray however that he doesn't come too early. My dr. said that it is common with second pregnancies to already be dialated to a 2 at this point and that it is very likely that things will stay the way they are for awhile. Maybe it is just mental but ever since the dr. visit it seems like I have been feeling more pressure and experiencing more Braxton Hicks contractions. Mikey and I have decided, for many reasons, to induce this time around. Our induction date, although not officially in the books until this Thursday's dr. appt, is set for Saturday March 10th! My doctor usually doesn't work on Saturdays but since she will be out of town a few days leading up to my due date she said that she would come in so that she could be the one deliver Connor. She has seen me go through so much with this pregnancy and my last one where I miscarried that I would be so sad if she wasn't right there by my side to deliver Connor. She is one of the sweetest and most compassionate doctors I have come across. It just feels right to induce so that I can guarantee she will be there, I will have someone to watch Ava, and that the granparents will have some time to meet and spend time with their grandson before they have to leave town and go back to work. Of course he could come before the scheduled induction date but we are hoping not! Either way we are excited to meet our little guy! He will be here so soon!

Here are a few pictures of Ava and I for comparison sake.

16 weeks

36 weeks

We took the rest of the baby equipment out of the attic and as expected Ava has had fun testing them out and putting her babies or herself in them.

A lot has changed since the first time I put her in the baby carrier.....

and now..... (tear)

She is going to be the sweetest big sister. I love this little girl to pieces!!!!!!