Baby Shower Time

My wonderful friends and co-worker decided to throw me a baby shower Tuesday to celebrate the impending arrival of little man Tucci. About 20 people gathered at the Founder's Club here on campus and we ate cake and opened gifts. The cake Sherry picked out was adorable- complete with a stork that looked more like a chicken made out of frosting and little pink booties on top. I told her the baby really wouldn't care that the booties weren't blue and who says boys can't like pink- okay, maybe Ross would say that.


Like usual, my friends were more than generous and the baby loaded up with gifts including cute little outfits (including the cutest firefighter onesies you've ever seen from Erin), a bloppy, a changing table pad/covers, diaper wipe warmer (because who wouldn't cry over the shock of a cold wipe on the bum), blankets, toys, a swing, as well as a million other things that I'm forgetting at the moment. Needless to say, the Expedition was pretty full on the drive home and now Ross and I get to strategically find places for all of these things in the baby's tiny room.



The baby is really going through a growth spurt right now which means mama is too. Over the last few days I can feel a hard lump (sometimes two) in my upper belly. They are the size of softballs and one can only assume that they are his precious head and bottom- although at this point, I can't tell them apart. These lumps are completely fascinating to Ross and I keep having to remind him that he can't push down on the lumps too hard- it could be his soft spot for crying out loud!!

I am feeling more and more like Lt. Ellen Ripley from the Alien movies as the days go by but am excited to hear from friends that have gone through this that soon I will be able to make out his different body parts as he begins to fill up what little space he has left. I can specifically remember seeing one of my nephew's elbows running across his mama's belly when she was nine months pregnant and think that will be a fun thing to experience.

I finally got around to signing us up for a birthing class and mom, you were right, those things do book up fast. I had to look into quite a few hospitals to find one with a class before Aug. 21 that wasn't full. With our busy schedules we are not going to be one of those couples who attend a seven-week course and bond with other expecting parents. Instead we are doing the cliff notes version- the one day, 9-5 pm crash course. A general overview works for me and to be truthful, I'm not sure I want to know every nitty-gritty detail.

Less than nine weeks to go and we are getting so excited to meet the kiddo. I bet he'll look just like his dad- not so tall but dark and handsome- just the way I like 'em. This is going to be a kick!

Pregnancy Stats
There are 60 days until my due date on August 21, 2007.
I am 220 days pregnant.
I am 7.2 months pregnant.

Future Baseball Nut

It has been forever since my last entry and I'm starting to hear the complaints from you. At least I know you're reading and enjoying these little updates.

Softball season just ended and what a whirlwind it was. The team was on the road for three of the final four weeks and ended up advancing to the semifinal at the Women's College World Series where it finished third. It was my third trip to the WCWS in five years and was a great way to finish the season.

Baby Tucci has become quite the traveler this year, visiting six states in 17 weeks, including Arizona, California, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oregon, not to mention quick layovers in Wyoming, Idaho, Illinois and Texas to name a few.

He has also been a part of some of the best collegiate championships around, including the Women's Volleyball Final Four and the WCWS and has shown his enthusiasm by doing back flips during the most intense parts of competition. I never figured out if he was responding to the roar of the crowd or my adrenaline rushes with a close play at the plate. Regardless, he knew something was going on around him and wanted to be a part of it. We will have to wait to see if he is as much a sports nut as his mom or if he'll wind up with other passions Ross and I couldn't dream of like music or art. With all of the Seattle Mariner onesies Ross registered for, however, I don't think he is going to miss catching the baseball bug like his parents.

I guess it doesn't help that I've picked out baseball themed bedding either... here is a sneak peak but I promise not to go overboard and buy every pillow, lamp shade and wall hanging. The baby's nursery is only 9' by 9' anyway.



A few wonderful people at work have decided to throw me a baby shower next week which means I had to get my butt in gear and finally register. Ross and I had gone down to pick out furniture last week and lucky we did since it takes up to 12 weeks to arrive and I was 11 weeks out.

We went out again yesterday to finish up registering at Babies R Us and boy do newborns need a lot of stuff!!! We ended up picking out about 50 items from diapers to wipe warmers to blankets to nail clippers and just when we were feeling proud of ourselves the lady working the counter told us that the national average was 145 items for first-time parents. I guess Jr. will have to be a minimalist because I can't think of 100 more things to register for. Besides, who has the space for all of that stuff?! Ross is a firm believer that if we give him a stick and a rock that he will be able to entertain himself for hours without fancy toys anyways. Maybe I should register for some eye protection and a helmet...

Pregnancy Stats
There are 68 days until my due date on August 21, 2007.
I am 212 days pregnant.
I am 7 months pregnant.