The monsoon

Saturday was an exciting day for Baby Girl and I--my baby "shower!" I say "shower" because it came on a bit like a tsunami--lots of wonderful people, lots of beautiful gifts, and lots of fun! All in the span of about 3 hours, although I got to see some of you before or after as well. Shout-out to Nancy, who planned the whole thing (with excellent help!)! Thanks!! :) It was truly amazing! I think you're well qualified to be an awesome aunt!

Here's a run-down of our adventure so far:

Catch flight. Against all odds (long story short), arrive in Illinois really close to on-time. Baby either loves or hates flying, because my stomach was moving almost the entire time we were in the air. Exhausted, she finally got to sleep in the middle of the night.

Greet Nancy, who miraculously got out of work early after an extremely busy week. Greet Dad, who amazingly made it in from Germany with only about a 30-minute layover in O'Hare. Greet Poky the dog, who incredibly managed to be cuter than ever before, fresh from the groomer. During one of my middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks, greet Angela and Tom, who astoundingly made it in despite a late flight and a donut stop.

Have lunch with Matt's mom and aunts, who ______ (running out of words!) made it to the shower despite the week-long fever suffered by Matt's mom! (She started feeling better just in time!)

Attend the shower! Eat lots of delicious food, hear wonderful advice, play fun games, chat with great people, open adorable gifts. Watch the guys file in at exactly 5:00 with deer-in-the-headlights looks on their faces.

Spend time with relatives and friends for the next couple days, getting great opportunities to catch up, eat a lot, tour John Deere, watch children be rocketed into the air in a swimming pool, eat some more, etc. All have left by Monday afternoon.

Catch up with work, wrangle my pulse back to a resting rate. Enjoy some nice time with Dad and Nancy.

Baby Girl wakes up after hardly stirring for two days. Poky finally wakes up a few days later. Both were utterly exhausted.

Work, eat, hang out with Poky and the fam.

And that pretty much catches you up! Baby Girl and I are here until Friday, when we'll hopefully fly back. Matt's already assured me that the weather looks bad and we'll both likely be spending the night in random connection cities (him in Cincinnati, me in Atlanta). Personally, I think Baby's had enough adventure, so here's hoping we all make it home!