Showered with Love

This weekend was a HUGE weekend of celebrating - it was the shower!

It all started when my Mom flew in Wednesday afternoon. She had come straight from two weeks of taking care of her older grandson and visiting her new grandson (my nephews) in New York. On top of catching a cold from her older grandson, she slept on the fold-out couch in the living room due to a lack of space in their Manhattan apartment - so Mom was in rough shape when she arrived. I am glad that we were able to give her some TLC and a private guest room with a comfortable bed and spa tub so she could recover, unwind and relax.

On Thursday, in addition to going to my Dr's office, we joined a friend for lunch and shopped for the baby shower.

My in-laws came in on Friday. They don't travel (they've only flown maybe four times in their lives) - so I was amazed when they said they were coming! They made it into the airport ok, but got lost (and frustrated) driving to the hotel. So they decided to have dinner on their own. Considering we only get to see them once a year (if that much), my DH handled his disappointment much better than I would have. There is no doubt that I would have been a spoiled brat and made a fuss. Another reason why I love my DH so much - he shows me things like that.

Saturday, Mom and I made preparations for the shower and we (ok, mostly she) cooked one of my favorite meals - my Grandma's brisket accompanied by applesauce, baked potatoes, string beans fresh off the farm and homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. I know we definitely earned brownie  points with my FIL, as he is strictly a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy. To give you a perspective, I asked my in-laws if they've ever had Chinese food and my FIL said yes - he ordered his main course and then asked "What kind of potatoes do you have to go with that?"

The shower was better than I ever could have imagined! It was brunch in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the entire Denver skyline. The weather was clear - so we could see straight out from the west, all the way to the airport. With two minor exceptions - my hairdresser who got married last Saturday and a friend's mom who was entertaining out-of-town guests, EVERYONE came! Even friends who I knew had to make special accommodations - like drive back from the mountains, fly in from doing contract work in other parts of the country, and beg their husbands to take care of their kids - came! I felt so loved!

The cake went above my expectations. They even embossed the baby blanket with rocking horses, rattles, etc.

Here are a few pictures:

Diaper Cake



Me and Mom




The Twinkiie Cake




Closeup of the Twinkie Cake

 My friends were beyond generous. I felt like I was opening gifts for at least an hour straight! Some of the gift bags were so full, I feel like they never ended! Since we didn't know the sexes yet, most of my friends stuck to stuff on my registry - feeding items, changing items, towels, bibs, etc. The very last gift was a HUGE basket with two onesies stuffed to look like babies:

Mom flew home Sunday and we took my in-laws to Golden Gate Canyon Park on Monday. The trees at the higher altitudes have already started to change colors and the views from the highest points were spectacular - green, pine covered mountains dotted with golden Aspens with snow-capped mountains in the background. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me...but if you Google "Golden Gate Canyon State Park" for pictures, you'll get the idea.

The in-laws left yesterday (Tuesday) and I was so exhausted that I took a FIVE HOUR nap. Clearly, my body needed the recovery.

All-in-all, it was the PERFECT long weekend!