Caitlin and Mike's Wedding Shower

last night was caitlin and mike's wedding shower! the theme was "fiesta" and there was an endless supply of quesadillas and margaritas! while i did not partake in the margs, i DID eat two slices of amazing homemade key-lime pie. everyone seemed to have a great time, and i heard the cops even showed up after we left!

since this was probably my last time getting dolled up before the baby arrives, i asked justin to take some photos before we left the house. i went all out with hair extensions and everything!







































...and this is caitlin's bridal party!

I heart Justin!

i came home from work tonight and justin had a surprise for me! he had stayed home from work to get a few things done around the house to help me "nest" in preparation of baby. it made my day!

he cleared out and stripped down the closet to prep it for painting and the new shelves we are putting in...



he finished the laundry...



he ran the dishwasher...



he cleaned and dusted the living room, and lit candles for me...



he set up the bedside bassinet and cleaned the bedroom of all clutter.



he did an amazing job on everything. thank you, justin! love you!!!

Date with Caitlin

yesterday, caitlin picked me up in the morning and we went to Bottega Louie for brunch downtown.



the highlight of our meal was the potato pancakes with creme fraiche and applesauce.



afterwards, we walked to the jewelry district, where caitlin took me to her dad's "silver guy" so i could pick out a temporary wedding ring that would fit my swollen finger (note: last week justin had to cut off my wedding ring). it was so hard to choose, but in the end i picked three beauties!



someday Elora can have them all!

thanks to caitlin for a great afternoon!

Strike a Pose

i was browsing online at clothes to buy, daydreaming about actually fitting in regular clothes again someday, and i look down to find a VERY clear reminder from a little certain someone on exactly why i can't fit in those clothes.

lately she seems to prefer the right side...

Baby's Bed

justin assembled baby's crib today. we're both really happy with how it turned out! the blanket on the edge is a quilt that my hair stylist at Modem Salon made as a gift for baby!

Home Improvement Saturday

since baby is coming in about 12 weeks or less, we've been spending every weekend trying to finish projects around the house.

a few weeks ago we decided our tv needed to be mounted so in an earthquake it wouldn't fall and break, or fall on top of the baby. justin did a great job!

then he raised the lowest shelf in our laundry room closet so it could fit our vacuum, ironing board and broom/swiffer. now we won't have to keep the vacuum in our bedroom or the guest room!

i rewarded all his hard

work with a pizza made from a crust i bought at the ralph's bakery and some other fresh ingredients - some from our garden!

A Strange but Useful Gift

a few weeks ago, justin walked into our house with a large wooden-framed mirror. he explained it had been left in our garage with a note from our neighbor that said something like: "Justin & Betsy - I found this great find at a garage sale but don't have a place for it, so I'm hoping you can use it!" ....

normally i would cringe at bringing other people's trash into our home when we struggle with our own clutter, but for three years we've been searching for something cool to go behind our couch.

the mirror is still on probation, but i think it might just work!

Justin's New Toy

i'm not sure these photos capture how strange it looked while justin walked through the house in his new stilts. they're supposed to help him paint the crown moulding.

The Belly

here are some fun "before" and .... well, more "before" pictures of my growing belly (the "after" pictures will be posted when i fit in my favorite skinny jeans again).

this was taken after just a few weeks of being pregnant...

this was taken around week 20...

and this was taken around week 27 (tonight!)

i saw an old picture of octomom's pregnant belly the other day, so i don't feel quite so large now.

thanks to justin for taking the photos!

Welcome Team Betsy Blogger!

hello and welcome!

this is my first blog post! thank you for viewing it. i started a blog for the following reasons:

• -an attempt to try something new
• -a way to share fun stories, pictures and links with those who care to look

it won't be as fancy as some of my friends' blogs (see links list), but will hopefully hold your interest sometimes anyway!

<3,

betsy