33 Weeks - Minnesota Baby Shower

There's something comforting about "going home" - like pulling on your favorite slippers and curling up with a mug of hot cocoa for a day of nothing. Although I've never lived in Minnesota - now that my mom and my sister live there, it feels like my second home. My aunts and cousin threw me an amazing shower with really fun games (again, no weird melted mini-candy bars in sight), yummy brunch food (of course) and thoughtful gifts for Lil' Red (my sister's favorite name for baby Atkinson).

Unlike the Milwaukee shower, nearly everyone present was a mother - so the advice, questions and conversations centered around all things baby. Although I thought my head was going to explode by the end of the night, I was so thankful for the mounds of support and advice I received from all of the women in my family. Over the last few weeks I've shifted away from being scared shitless about giving birth (oh yeah, and then having to raise a person) - to gaining a false-sense of confidence that Dan and I can really do this - and we'll most likely be really great parents. 

On the way home, my girlfriend and I stopped to visit her cousin at the Mayo hospital in Rochester. She's currently overcoming her battle with Leukemia. I visited her during Thanksgiving break and was glad to see that she had her strength back and was on the path to recovery. On the way home I thought about all of the whining and bitching pregnant women groan about - present company included. We can take a nap, prop up our feet, and call it day while this girl is literally fighting for her life with minimal complaints. I had to stop and internalize the amazingness of it all - I'm literally creating a life - of course my back is going to hurt and I'm going to be hungry. My goal over the next seven weeks is to enjoy this time with the baby and Dan - to accept the swollen fingers (bye bye rings!) and feet as a part of the pregnancy process.