Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Garen and I went to Iowa last week to spend Thanksgiving with my family. And since we spend enough time in Iowa this trip, I was able to get together with some of my girlfriends for a baby shower. Sunday we met in Cedar Rapids and the girls from Des Moines, Minneapolis, Iowa City, and Burlington had lunch together. It was so much fun and it was great to see everyone again! They gave Baby G such wonderful gifts and such a variety! He now has a Pack n' Play, a ton of books, some new clothes, pjs, receiving and regular blankets, pacifiers, a changing table pad, toys, a teething ring, spoons, wash cloths, links, a boppy cover, and a bunch of Cheerios stuff. The Cheerios stuff came from Krista, who works for General Mills, and it is so cute. It is a little yellow onesie, blanket, and bib that say "I Love My Cheerios" and a Cheerios dispenser and the "Cheerios Kid" stuffed toy. I had such a good time at lunch visiting with my friends, I just felt bad for the poor waiter who always showed up at the end of a story (generally about birth)!

Of course after lunch several of us decided to go over to the mall and go shopping. Audrey works for Gap and had several Friends and Family Day coupons that were about to expire. We couldn't have that!!! It is a good thing Mom and I don't live near each other because we ended up buying a lot of stuff! Baby clothes are just too cute. I also found a onesie I had been looking for. It is a Family Guy onesie with Stewie on it and he says, "I've come with a gift. I'll give you a hint: It's in my diaper, and it's not a toaster." Garen loves it! They had a really funny Bob Marley onesie too (that I did not get) that had his face on it and said "B is for Bob".

A lady Mom works with, Marie, her husband Carey, and their 8 mo. old daughter Elly spent Thanksgiving Day with us. Mom thought it would be fun to show Garen what a baby is really like. Unfortunately Elly is the most well-behaved child in the world and I had to explain to Garen that this is scenario "A" and while it is ideal, it isn't likely. Elly didn't cry once all day. The only thing remotely "bad" that she did was spit out all of her food, slap her hands in it and then roll her bottle through it.

The fabric store was having great sales while we were home too, so I put Mom to work sewing receiving blankets, fleece blankets, burp cloths, and spit up rags. I also brought home the window valance that matches the sheet set Garen and I bought last week. It is 2x too long for the window in the baby room - so I made a drawing of how I want to take it apart and re-lay part of it out for a new valance with matching curtains and tie-backs. Of course there is still a bit of excess fabric which Mom will use to make a matching changing table pad and a pillow. Mom and I finished most of it, but I left her with the window project.

As of today I am 22 weeks and 0 days pregnant. Baby G has grown to the size of a Papaya and is kicking away! Below is the picture of the crib set that I couldn't post last week. I think we have everything in the picture plus a few extras, except the wall-border and curtains.