Monday, January 12, 2009

Getting Back to "Normal"

I want to start by thanking each of you that took the time to leave me a comment with your condolences and prayers after the death of my Grandmother. Grandma was an absolute amazing woman and I already miss her dearly. I think I cried after reading each and every comment and I really appreciate the support from my sweet readers. I truly believe God has a plan and although I may not understand his plan and his timing, I know it is perfect. At this point, it looks like baby J and I will get to attend my Grandmother's funeral and he will get to meet his 5 great uncles and aunts and some of his 2nd cousins. The service is set for the first week of April in Palm Springs, CA. While it is strange to not have a service right now, it is what worked for my Mom's large family and I know it is going to be a perfect service. Grandma planned it all out--down to the each song and prayer, so how could it not be perfect? She did a lot of other planning as well. She set aside money for her Priest and her good friend Sister Eileen to each go on special surprise trips. They don't even know this yet, but Father will be sent to Assisi and Sister will be sent to Ireland complements of my Grandmother. She also requested her home in Palm Springs not be sold for two years (good thing with the market), but she wants her family to be able to gather there for a few more vacations if they chose. She truly left no stone unturned. I am so lucky to have had her in my life.

In other news....as of yesterday, I am 9 months pregnant!!! I feel like a whale about 1/2 the time and I'm amazed at my body the other 1/2. Who knew it could do this? I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty uncomfortable. I'm VERY ready for baby J to make his big entrance. I start my weekly appointments on Wednesday. I'm really looking forward to our appointment this week, maybe the doc will have an update for me!

The nursery is almost done, I'm waiting on some boxes my Mom is shipping and I promise I will post pictures. I'm trying to get all of my last minute errands done and checking things off my list left and right. I feel like I'm getting close. A and I went to a nice dinner here on Friday night. It was a fabulous date with my wonderful husband after a long week! The chocolate souffle we shared was to die for! We picked out baby announcements from The Paper Cafe. I'll share soon. We put together the baby swing this weekend. A's had two failed attempts at installing the chandelier, but insists "he can do it." I'm just going to let that one slide for now. We are ordering our Bugaboo tonight. (It only takes a couple days to get here so we held out until the last minute.) Our rug came in and looks really cute! I haven't packed my bags yet because I feel like that might jinx me and I'll have to be pregnant longer. But, I'm going to start laying out the things I'm going to pack. Any suggestions of things I should not forget?

On Saturday, a few of my NYC friends hosted a baby shower for me. It was absolutely perfect and I had a blast visiting with the girls! I broke down on Friday night and went to Destination Maternity for a new dress. I promised myself since I would probably only wear it once, I would buy something cheap...but something that actually fit and flattered my large bump. I lucked out and found this brown dress from Motherhood. I wore some brown maternity tights (yuck) and then dressed it up with my gold Tory Burch flats and some gold pearls. Solid colors really do look best at 9 months. =) Baby J and I were spoiled with generous gifts. I will post some pictures as soon as my friend sends them to me. We had great food including red velvet cupcakes and yummy spinach/artichoke dip. It was a really fun day. Tomorrow, at lunch, my coworkers are having a small shower for me as well. I am overwhelmed with the love and support of all my new NYC friends. I can't wait to share baby J with them.

I hope each of you is doing well and had a great weekend.

14 comments:

Rachel Ann said...

That is unbelievably sweet of your grandmother to provide for trips for her priest and friend. What a wonderful idea.

Congrats on reaching the 9 month mark!

The Major's Wife said...

saw your comment about a baby bath that would be good in a small NYC apt. I loved using these cheap yellow foam pads. You put them under that baby actually in the tub. You can get them at walmart or target for like $5. you just place them on the bottom of the tub, lay the baby on it. and ring it out when done and set aside to dry. worked for me. I actually had a tub with my daughter and tossed it and got this with #2

Andy said...

Just a little hint. Buy the cup holder to go with your Bugaboo. They finally make one! I was without it for the first year. And buying it changed my life. Good luck!

Lulu said...

I'm so happy to hear of all the neat things your grandmother thought of! What a delightful idea. And I can't believe it has been 9 months already!?! It has been so fun to read from the very beginning of the process :) So glad to hear the shower went so well! Can't wait to see photos. And you know that I'm *always* available for babysitting, I'm just a crosstown bus away! Anything a blogger friend can do to help! ;)
Happy Monday!
xoxo,
Lulu

Wila (aka Ali) said...

Oh my dear, I didn't realize how far along you are! Hang in there! You sound soo busy!!! Keep your spirits up, you are a role model to us out here!! :-)

Elizabeth said...

your grandmother sounded like such an awesome woman. i love that she wanted to look out for her family and friends

i can't believe you are 9 months already! pregnancy goes by so fast!

i can't wait to see pics of your nursery.

which bugaboo are you getting? i was thinking about getting the frog

Sweet Simplicity said...

Your grandmother sounds like such a great, delightful woman! Can't wait to see pics of the completed nursery.

Sandra said...

Can't wait to see Nursery Pics. What an exciting time for you and hubby.

Mrs. Wife said...

Just found your blog through Nina's blog{I'm a new blogger} and I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. I will be praying for you and your family.
Congrats on your baby on the way! I love your blog and will def be back!

icing on the cake said...

Your grandmother sounds like she was wonderful! I'm glad you had a nice shower and are almost done with the nursery...take it easy and stay warm!

all i need is love... said...

Your grandmother is such a wonderful woman to have left behind a family legacy!

And WOW, you're 9 months! Almost there!! Stay strong!

Midwest Prep said...

Yay! We have reached 9 months! Everyone keeps saying that I will go early which I am sure will mean the opposite. I can see myself 10 days late and miserable delivering a huge baby. Also- I mentioned to some people that your doctors said that Baby J is measuring large and many of them said that their doctors had estimated incorrectly when they went through all of this stuff- so baby J could be right on track and not big- the only reason I mention this is because everyone keeps telling me what a big baby I am going to have and it freaks me out! Anyway, I packed my bag mostly- still need to add some last minute things. Make sure to include your phone charger and maybe find out if you are allowed to use your cell phone in the hospital. Sometimes you can't and then you'll need quarters to call people. Those are some of the tips people are giving me, so I thought I would pass them on. Also, bring snacks for A- otherwise he will have to keep ducking out to grab food- I told big guy he can't leave- we got him granola bars. I am so excited to see pictures of your nursery and to see how your experience happens- Good Luck! only a few weeks left!

Kristin said...

I am so glad that it worked out and you will be able to attend your grandmother's service to celebrate her life. I can't imagine not being able to go if I were in your shoes. Many blessings to you and your family throughout this time, and especially to you for a safe and painless (is that possible? ;) ) delivery!!!

Well I Do Declare said...

What amazing foresight your Grandmother had! Sounds like she was a terrific matriarch of your family :) You are so very lucky!

Can't wait to see more pics from the shower and nursery!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin