the lafayette shower.

all i can really say at this point, one day later, is wow.  what a whirlwind, fun weekend!  i certainly didn't take enough pictures (i never do, that's jb's department), but i will try to do a little bit of justice in describing all the activities that went on.

friday, jb and i hit the road in a very empty car around noon.  the pets were sad to be staying behind on this particular adventure, but there was no way we were going to be able to manage all the festivities and them too, so we hired a housesitter.  more about that later.  the drive to lafayette was uneventful.  we stopped for some food and saw this awesome spider (we are currently a little obsessed with spiders around here, so you'll have to forgive), so i hopped out of the car to take some close-ups.

when we got into town, we unwound for a few minutes and then headed to my aunt and uncle's house for a little family gathering.  it was great - delicious food, good company, and a relaxing evening.

the next morning was shower time.  the boys headed out to play golf, and mom and i left for terri's house around 9:15.  i think my face is starting to look pregnant, but i figure there are only 9 or 10 weeks left and it had to happen sometime, right?

anyway, terri's house is just gorgeous and it was decked out with cute decorations and delicious food.  10 of my mom's (and my) friends hosted the shower, and they really went all out.  i felt like it was a scene out of southern living magazine (my pictures again do not do justice to everything).  since nibs' identity is a mystery, they went with a gender-neutral ABC theme that i loved.  everything was pink, blue, and yellow, and it was just perfect.  oh, and grits and grillades were served.  i probably could have eaten all of them by myself, but i saved a little for the other guests.....

(ABC blocks in ice sculptures on the main table)

(candy bottles and decorations around the house)

(more ice sculptures - so cool...haha puns!)

(m&ms that say 1st born on them)

(the super-hostess action team, from left: danette, miriam, karen, kakie, clo, elita, lolo, terri, elizabeth, and paula)

(my new homegirl yola kat, n's 9 week old daughter.  i wanted to steal her)

(flower arrangements with the ABC block theme)

anyway.  the whole morning was a blast.  i loved seeing so many people i don't get to see enough of, and everyone was unbelievably generous.  nibs will be very very well taken care of.  

saturday after the shower, mom and i ran around town getting a few things done.  one of the highlights was stopping at lolo's to see she and a.  amelia, a's daughter, was napping, so i didn't get to kidnap her this time, but i'm plotting to steal her away when we see them again in a couple of weeks.  such a sweet, beautiful baby (and no surprise with a mama like amy....).  

saturday night was my uncle pit's 60th birthday bash.  the party was at mazen, the same restaurant where jb and i had our rehearsal dinner before our wedding, and it was a party indeed.  my uncle is quite the icon - i felt like i was related to a kennedy while we were there.  of course, it was a blast to see several of my cousins, and even more people i haven't seen in years.  and the food was tremendous, as it always is everywhere you go in lafayette....

sunday morning we started loading everything up in the car, and man was it loaded.  mom made a phenomenal breakfast of corn grits, fresh fruit, eggs, bacon and sausage, and biscuits.  gram came over and it was a perfect way to wind the weekend down.  

we hit the road about noon, thinking we'd be home by 6 and have plenty of time to hang out with the pets, unload everything, and get to start putting stuff away and playing with all the new baby things.  not so much.  right after beaumont, we hit a traffic jam like you've never seen.  it took us almost two and a half hours to make it about ten miles.  we found out (when i rolled down the window and asked some random man) that there had been a chemical spill around 4 a.m. on I-10.  such a bummer!  we finally made it to a detour and drove around the spill to get back onto I-10, but we didn't make it home until after 8.  jb was a total champ - he drove the whole time - but it's not so fun when you realize you've averaged less than 30 mph for the first half of your trip.....

when we got home, the dogs were overwhelmed with joy.  it's so cute how much they miss us.  

our housesitter karma is just not great, so we were dismayed to see that the girl we'd hired (who had references and whom we'd met and everything) in all likelihood had blown our pets off on sunday.  etta had peed in the kitchen twice, they had no food or water in their bowls, and etta had also started to get into a couch cushion.  fortunately, nothing that was irreparable, just disappointing.  i checked on pippa's bowls, and she had tons of food and water, which was the first sign that something might be amiss.  that cat doesn't miss a meal for anything.  we started searching around the house for her, to no avail.  i guess she got out at some point when the housesitter was over on saturday.  long story short, the housesitter claimed she had seen pippa inside on sunday morning, so we put food on the front and back porches and called her and then just hoped she'd show up at some point in the night or morning.  she's not good with being outside - it makes her crazy - so we figured we would just have to wait it out and pray.  at around 2:30 this morning, we heard her yowling at the front door.  jb tried to let her in, but i guess another neighborhood cat was around, so she scampered off and we were unsuccessful, but glad to see she hadn't ventured too far away.  the whole night was pretty sleepless despite our big weekend and our long drive.  this morning, jb went outside and found pippa crouching in a bush, so she is now safely back inside and has been napping all day recovering from her adventure.  i think we may be done with housesitters for good.  

so that brings us up to speed, i think.  we haven't even tipped the iceberg on getting stuff unpacked and set up, but i did go through a few things and take a few pics this morning.  everything is just soooo cute - i feel like such a girl geeking out over all of it.  i'm sure i'll post more pics as i get stuff situated, but for now, here is a little preview of some of nibs' new cool goods.  

piggy bank - very important for our college-bound baby.

bouncer - called a life-saver by many, i'm hoping it's the same for us...

the cutest cloth diapers in the world, courtesy of mom's work children.  can't wait to see that cute little tush in all these colors.  also, ABC lamp that matches the room perfectly (still not sure how that worked out but it's awesome).  

a book of all the cute stuff i'm going to sew for this kiddo - thanks amy!  

i wish i'd taken a picture of this when i unwrapped it, since this does not do it justice, but this is nibs' carseat, courtesy of my parents.  inside it are items from my childhood that are just too precious - newspapers from the day i was born, blocks my mom and i both played with as children, the outfit both my brother and i came home from the hospital in, my first baby gift, etc.  not pictured are the diary my mom kept for the first year of my life (let's just say my personality emerged very early), and the photo book of four generations of women in my family.  needless to say, unbelievably special.  

thanks so much to anyone who reads this blog who was there this weekend - y'all really know how to make a gal feel truly blessed.