Showers and such...

Wow! I have had quite a week... it all kicked off Saturday morning, when I went to a baby shower for my friend Tiffany. She is due about 3 weeks after me. It was fun and nice to get out for a bit! After that, I had a little bit of time to run some errands before going to my baby shower! It was hosted by Randy's sister, Diana, and their sister-in-law, Kathy. I had a great time! The slide show below are pictures from my mother-in-law's camera. I do have others, but I don't have the energy to sort through and organize them all right now, and hers were pretty simple and to the point. Not exactly very flattering pictures, mind you, but you get the point! Since I had already had a busy day, and this shower didn't start until 3, I was pretty swollen which makes me look even big than I am, and the pressure makes my skin red. Pregnancy is fun!!




After the shower, we had dinner out with Randy's family to celebrate his upcoming birthday, his dad's birthday that just passed, and our impending arrival. Dinner was at The Brasserie, which I love! It's a little pricey, and we probably won't ever go there on our own, but when we're being treated to dinner, we certainly won't turn it down! I had a Beef Tenderloin Salad. So yummy! It had mixed greens, tenderloin, grapes, apples, Gorgonzola cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Mmm... I'm just making myself hungry thinking about it! And since everyone else was drinking wine, I asked the bartender to make me something fruity (no peach) and alcohol free. I'm not exactly sure what I got, but it was a pomegranate something or other. Also very yummy!

Anyway, I basically left home at 10am on Saturday, and didn't get home until midnight. It was a very long day, and it made Sunday even harder! We got up and went to church (at this point, if we don't show up, people will assume I'm in the hospital and we don't want any rumours floating around!). After that, I headed over to Coach Kathy's house for my running group shower!! Talk about knowing how to throw a party... Chicken Cordon-Blue, stuffed mushrooms, cake, pie, more cake, punch. The food was all incredible! It was so nice to just sit around and catch up on every one's recent and upcoming races!! It sounds like everyone is doing so well with their training! And then, of course, the gifts... that part is always fun too! I don't have pictures yet from that shower but I'm working on it. It's nice to have such awesome friends! I do love all of my gifts, but I have to send a special shout-out to Lisa and Chrissy and for giving me a gift for me and not so much for the baby - they are treating me to a spa treatment of my choice after the baby comes. I thought it was very sweet and thoughtful! My guess it that I will use it for a massage after my first attempt back at running - I have a feeling I'm gonna need it!

The rest of the week has been pretty normal. I'm just feeling more tired than I have been, so by the time I get home from work, I'm ready for dinner, a nap, and then off to bed. Yesterday, I had an appointment with my doctor and she confirmed that things are starting to progress. I have started dilating, and I'm almost at 2cm, and she can feel the baby's head. Now I understand why I have to pee every time I stand up! My weight gain is up to 157. Not too happy about that, but as long as the baby and I are both healthy, I'm not going to stress about it. I know it will come off pretty easily, so it's okay! She is a little concerned though, because my blood pressure is a little higher than it has been. Still in the "normal" range as far as that goes - 122/68, but higher than usual. The blood pressure, combined with the swelling that I've having, are early warning signs of pre-eclampsia. I haven't actually been diagnosed yet, but she wants to keep an eye on it, so I'm going back Monday for a blood pressure check. I guess that is, assuming I make it to Monday! Since we're expecting a big snowstorm this weekend, and Randy's birthday is this weekend, it would be our luck to end up in the hospital! We're hoping he/she holds off until April 2, which was Randy's grandma's b-day (and she lived to be 96!). But we'll take whatever we get and just be thankful for a healthy baby!

Okay, now that I've written a short novel, I should probably get off here. If anything happens, I'll keep y'all updated! For now, I'm just resting as much as can, and taking it easy. But I'm ready to get this pregnancy thing over with and meet my baby!!