Baby Shower Fun!

This past weekend Mike's sister, Melanie, hosted a baby shower at her home. It was so much fun to get together with family and friends to celebrate Baby Smiley. I was lucky too in that some family as well as a good friend from graduate school made the trip to St. Louis to help celebrate the day with us. We had a great time playing games, eating cake, and opening presents - all of which were so wonderful.

Mike's mom planned all of the games that we played and it was fun to learn how many different "Baby Shower" games there are out there. We started the afternoon sniffing diapers filled with melted chocolate candy; the goal was to determine what piece of candy was in each diaper. If only real diapers smelled like melted Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! We then went on to play "The Price is Right - Baby Style" in which you guess how much certain baby products cost. I lost big time which means that all the recent trips to Babies R' Us have done me no good. After a fun game of measure Lindsey's belly it was determined that my belly already measures 41.5 inches around. If it is already this big at 29 weeks I can only imagine how big it will be when I am full term in late September! Our friend Kari won the game as her piece of string was an exact match to the size of my belly. It was only appropriate to end that game by digging into the yummy vanilla and chocolate cake that we had which was graciously baked by the same lady who made our wedding, one year anniversary, and Mike's graduation from Medical school cake.

In sum it was a great afternoon and it was made very clear how excited everyone is to meet our little pal!

Duluth, Minnesota

This past weekend I had the opportunity to fly up north to Duluth, Minnesota with my mom where we visited with my 86 year-old great uncle as well as with my uncle and two cousin's who drove up from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a great opportunity to spend some quality time with my family since it has been 4 years since I last saw my uncle and cousins and 8 years since I last saw my great uncle. Additionally, it has been 20 years since I last visited my family in Duluth so it was time to make a return visit.

Many would ask why Duluth? Duluth is the childhood/early adult home to both of my maternal grandparents as well as it is the place that my great uncle and many generations of family on my mother's side were raised. It was great to drive around and see all of the places that had special meaning to my mom: 1. my grandparent's childhood homes; 2. my great-grandmother's home (where my mom spent most of her summers as a child); 3. the church where my grandparent's were married as well as the hotel at which their reception was held; 4. the family plots at Calvary Cemetery (home to many generations of family); and 5. many local haunts that my mom went to as a child.

In addition to squeezing in time driving around town and visiting familiar sights, my mom and I drove to the Glensheen Mansion, home to the Congdon family who had settled in Duluth in 1908. The home has been maintained by the University of Minnesota since it was gifted to them by the family in the 1970s. Today the interior remains decorated as it did in 1908 and little has changed. All of the original furniture remains in the home as do many of the family portraits, left as they were when the last daughter died in the home. The home is surrounded by beautiful gardens and superb lake views that are now maintained by the U of Minnesota. Until 2004 the gardens were maintained by the son of the original head gardener who moved to the home in 1908. With temperatures in the mid-70s it was an ideal day to walk around the home and gardens.

The Glensheen Mansion

Enjoying Lake Superior

Our Little 27 Week Old Pal...

Here are a few updated photo's of the baby taken this past week. During the ultrasound he/she was sticking their tongue out. You can notice in one of the pictures that his/her mouth is open (however the tongue is not visible). It was very tempting to inquire as to the baby's sex however it will be a great surprise come October 7th. The ultrasound tech offered to do a 3-D scan so as to catch a glimpse of the baby's face however he/she would not stop wiggling so I was only able to get a nice view of the calf and foot!

Photo #1 (mouth is noticeably open)

He/she is very active these days as evidenced by the kicking, rolling, and twisting that is occurring in my stomach. While having my nails done today I sat and watched in amazement as my stomach appeared to be bumping and twisting!

Photo #2 (foot in front of face)

4th of July in St. Louis

While Mike celebrated the 4th of July overseas, I had the opportunity to join some friends for music and fireworks under the St. Louis Arch at the annual Fair St. Louis. While it was quite crowded and very humid it was fun to sit under the arch and listen to music in the company of good friends. While we were there, the Goo Goo Dolls and Lifehouse performed in the open seating concert. Unfortunately for us, we did not learn that the arch served as a good noise barrier until we ventured out of the park en route to the car - we just thought everyone was talking too much to hear! As the evening wound down the skyline and the arch from below made for some great shots.