29 weeks - Baby Shower!

This week I had my first baby shower!  My Mom and best friend Sam Thompson threw a shower for me in Virginia so that all of my friends and family could attend there.  We had a great time playing games, eating, and opening gifts.  This little girl is so loved and so spoiled already!  Scotty and I are in trouble!  It was so wonderful to see all my friends and family that I do not get to see very often.  I think it was weird for them to see the little girl that they knew or their middle school friend with a big baby belly!  It was just as weird for me too as I sat and open diapers, wipes, baby clothes, etc. - seems so unreal still.  I can't believe that I will be needing those items, and pretty soon too!!  My Mom worked very hard putting together the shower and all the items that went with it.  She hand made a lot of the items such as the invitations, decorated the gift bags, a motorcycle "diaper cake", and lots of other things that she put a lot of time and effort into.  It showed and it was beautiful - so thanks Mom!  Charlotte and I had a great time!  Dad was not to be forgotten either - he had a whole trailer full of stuff that he and Scotty loaded and unloaded and loaded again - thanks Dad, it is only the beginning of all the baby stuff you will be handling!

We have received a few books so far as gifts and Scotty has been reading them to the baby.  She loves it!  She starts bumping all around in there while he reads to her.  I am sure that by all his reading he is doing she will for sure know her Daddy's voice - and come to expect nightly bedtime stories from him : )  She will be a smart girl with listening to all that reading.

I had a first this week - a stranger rubbed my belly.  I do not mind when people rub my belly at all.  I love it!  It's little Charlotte getting some baby love, but I have to say a complete stranger took me off guard a little.  I was in the Taco Bell picking up a dinner order for work and one of the women who worked there walked past me and kind of rubbed, lightly scratched her nails on my baby belly.  I kinda didn't know what to say!  I just said "I know!  She's a big girl!"  Then all of the women in the Taco Bell started asking me a million baby questions.  So that was interesting....

Along with the baby belly rubs, now that I look quite pregnant, people are starting to be protective of me.  I have strangers in the grocery store offer to help me, people at work offer to help me, Scotty and my parents offer to help me/won't let me do certain things.  I don't mind it.  I know they are looking after us : )

I also had another first this week - I attended a funeral for a Deputy from our Sheriff's Dept.  When we attend funerals for work, we stand in a formation.  This particular day it was very hot and sunny and I was wearing black.  We had to stand in formation for about 20 minutes while we waited on the family to arrive.  After the funeral, one of the older deputies came up to me and told me that I was his inspiration. He said, "I just want you to know that you were my inspiration for standing out there in the heat.  I saw you and I said to myself - if she can do it, I can do it."  I thought that was very sweet of him to say. 

Well, one thing that I learned about the baby this week is that most of her senses are developed and she is doing a lot of normal movements such as grasping, turning her head from side to side, opening and closing her mouth, etc.  However, I also learned that she is doing "not so normal movements" such as "walking" where she puts her feet on the uterine walls and kinda of walks along them.  Another thing she maybe doing to my uterine walls is licking them!  What?!  When I read that I almost fell out.  She better not be in there doing that!  I told her that too!  That's just plain weird - but that is what "What to Expect" told me.  Yuck.    

Scotty went and got his childhood stuffed animal "Love the Lion"  from his parents house this week and brought it home for Charlotte.  He was so excited about it and sent me a picture of Love sitting in the glider in her room.  I told him he would be waiting a while before Charlotte could play with him but he didn't care.  Just as long as Love was in her room to bring her comfort.  Such a sweet Daddy. 

So that was all of the excitement that we experienced this week.  Here are a bunch of pictures to show for it:

Scotty's Mom and Aunt Sandy playing games

Bonnie, Debra, and Linda posing for a picture

Missy, Emily, Carole, and Grandma Ann guessing my belly size with toilet paper



Me with Charlotte's grandmothers and great-grandmothers



Me and my Baby Daddy

Me and all the wonderful gifts



Mom, the party planner and me



Me and my Grandma Ann



Me and all of my friends from school.  Some from elementary, middle, and high school.




Dottie and I




Granny Jane and I



Me cutting the beautiful cake



Another picture of the gifts



Sam, my oldest friend, and I




It's a Girl! Kisses

The cake and Charlotte's 3D/4D Ultrasound Video

Food table



Letters made by Judy Bryant and the gift bags decorated by Mom




The Harley Diaper Motorcycle



Pictures of Scotty and I as babies, my coming home outfit, and my baby books



Strawberry Lemonade and Sweet Tea



Charlotte's cradle - it was my great-grandfather's



Favors



Guess Charlotte's Birthday!



Opening gifts



Laura and Kelly playing games



 

Emily, Aunt Steph, and pregnant Michelle (she is due 2 weeks after me with her third baby)

Scotty's childhood stuffed animal - Love the Lion