Birthing class, Colts Playoff wins, and 1st Baby Shower

On January 9th, Chris and I attended an all day birthing and preparation class at the Family Center where we will be delivering our little boy. We were there along with 10 other couples, most of whom were further along in their pregnancies than we were! Our nurse/presenter, Cindy, was fully of energy and very helpful with all her information. She took us on a tour of the different rooms that we would be in throughout our stay in the Family Center. The check in room, the labor and delivery room, and of course, the room where the majority of our stay will be spent with the baby. With a normal delivery, we will be in the Family Center for 48 hours after he is born and 4 days if I have to have a C-section. They do not have a nursery as they want to encourage rooming in. We got to have lunch at there, and it was pretty decent. Afterwards, we watched some videos (not as grossed out as I expected to be) and learned how to do some breathing and massages. It was a lot of information thrown at us, but I feel more prepared and ready for what is going to happen very soon!

On January 16th, Chris and I prepared for the first Colts' playoff game against the Ravens. Chris made hot wings and seasoned potato wedges for the occasion. He even let me wear his Manning jersey, since my Marvin Harrison jersey is too small currently! We were glad for the win and even more happy for the amazing food that Chris made!

The next day, we were busy cleaning and getting ready for our baby shower hosted by Christine and Erin. It was an international baby theme with the word "baby" written in several different languages decorated around the house. Our new kitchen color matched all of the decorations that Erin and Christine had as well! We started off by eating (of course!). Christine and her husband, Bruce, made hummus with pita rounds from Turkey, brie with mushrooms from France, tomato basil bruschetta from Italy, chicken tostadas from Mexico, spicy Asian wings from China, teriyaki spareribs from Japan, and tabbouleh salad from Lebanon. Marvin got a lick of the spareribs, and Chris got to eat a few things before they took off to play at the park while the girls enjoyed the shower festivaties. Christine and Erin had planned all sorts of fun games! We played a game where everyone had to guess how big my belly was. Most seemed to go too small! We also smelled (some even tasted) some melted chocolate in diapers to determine what type of candy bar it was. Another game was for all the guests to make a baby out of Play Doh, and I had to guess who had made it and say who had done the best. Finally, there were some questions on a napkin about me and the baby, and my guests had to try and guess what my answers were. Then we ate cake--YUM! After cake, I opened all the baby's gifts. He got a lot of great stuff! I was very thankful for my hostesses and all my guests for coming and making my baby shower so much fun! After the shower was over, Bruce came over and took some pictures of Chris and I goofing around! It was a great day! We had leftovers for over a week from the shower!

Today was the Colts' second playoff game against the Jets. Although I spent most of the game on my laptop preparing for a presentation I am giving tomorrow, it was an exciting game! It was a big day for Pierre Garcon! Chris made chili for this occasion, and it was delicious! We cannot wait until the Super Bowl!

Tomorrow marks 36 weeks of pregnancy for me. We go back to the doctor. Our last visit on January 15th (at 7 a.m.!) was pretty routine. The doctor told us everything seemed to be going well and that the baby will probably be average sized. Everything seems to be right on track!