Baby shower fun

Random shots from the baby shower at our house...

Notice the melon ball baby carriage my mom carved :)

Mom's cupcakes, which she should really patent some day

Eating out on the deck

All the girlfriends from AFS (+ their babies): Sibylle, Signe, Ingrid, Courtney, Jocelyn, & Erin

Gift time!

More intros: Kristi (we met in 6th grade) - she's due in November!

Richelle (we met in 8th grade), minus her 3 little girls

Carly & her sweet little girl Aurelia spent the night before heading back to Seattle.

It was so good to spend time with all my girls!

Working on the nursery

Since tomorrow is Gavin's baby shower, Paul and I stayed up tonight assembling the crib and arranging the other baby furniture. We were lucky enough to inherit Pat and Shelley's baby furniture, and it just needed a little paint after getting scuffed in the shipping process to Oregon from Arizona. We're quite proud of the fact that we were able to put the crib together correctly the first time. (Actually, we found directions on the web, so that helped, but we're also pretty smart. :) Another exciting feature is the recliner, which lays back all the way. We expect there to be a few all-nighters in that chair so it might as well be luxurious!

Get away from me, Crazy!

What is it about having a pregnant belly that gives any stranger on the street permission to say inappropriate things? Maybe it's just that I work downtown and there are more "interesting" folks down here, but I really feel like it's nobody's business unless they just want to say "congratulations". But does anyone do that? No. First it was the male passerby on the street who muttered something like, "dang, wish you was my baby mama". Then it was the strange guy on the crowded train yelling from 2 rows away all of his questions about the baby, and telling me about all of his cousins' babies and when they had birthdays, etc. Immediately grabbing my phone and pretending to text people didn't even stop him. Neither did the guy next to him telling him to shut up. (Thanks, dude.) I had to get off a stop early and walk because I was so annoyed. So now, I don't sit on the train, I stand. It seems to communicate to these folks that I'm not staying long and really don't welcome their questions.

Yesterday's incident was probably harmless enough, but it almost put me over the edge. I was at a very crowded Starbucks w/my little brother when a middle-aged lady with crazy hair and a St. Bernard asked when I'm due. Innocent enough question right? It never is. When I answered, she launched into a story about her 2 kids and how low she carried them during pregnancy (she demonstrated this with dramatic gestures), and how miserable she had been, but what wonderful gifts they are, and how her dog is her baby now. As she talked, she kept inching closer and closer to me and I knew what was coming and thought, "lady, if you even think about touching me..." So, I put my shoulder bag over my belly and crossed my arms. Thankfully, my iced latte was ready a moment later and Derek and I grabbed it and left, noticing a few sympathetic smiles from some other customers on the way out.

Maybe I'm being too sensitive. Or maybe I'm just sick of crazy people. But why can't they just keep their thoughts and their hands to themselves? And why am I the one who ends up feeling embarrassed? My family and friends are of course exceptions to all of this. I know I sound angry, but I just don't get it. I would NEVER do this to someone I didn't know. It'll probably get even worse when the baby's born and we go out in public and everyone wants to touch him. I may have to get violent. :)