A Baby Party!

Sa 11.2.13

turkey's done...fully popped! 37 weeks 4 days

• so the expat community here is really pretty great...
• I should give a little background on these two little ladies you see below:

• that's Elena on my right and Carolyn on my left
• funny enough, we all three probably lived in Chicago at the same time at one point without knowing it, and ended up meeting in Buenos Aires...we also all three ran the BA Marathon last year
• I met Elena at a girl's going away party when we first moved here...when I found out she was a runner, I got her info. right away and she so graciously passed along all the links to running groups, races, etc. she also put me in touch with my first private Spanish teacher who I loved and was with for my first year
• I met Carolyn after a yoga friend came back from a class telling me, "There's a new teacher who's from Chicago!  You should meet her!" (you don't know how excited I was) So I went to one of her classes, we met, and just started hanging out more from there...did some marathon training runs together, met Elena for brunch, etc.
• basically, these girls are great, and have been wonderful friends with which to share this expat experience...
• they're the ones who thought to have a baby party for me, they planned everything, and co-hosted...see all that food there?  they prepared IT ALL!  Wow! what a spread...

• I'm still dreaming about those lemon bars and that hummus with homemade challah bread...
• of all the eight guests (one not pictured) five of us are pregnant and one, Dawn on the far left, just had a baby a little over a month ago...

• and look what bundle of a surprise she brought along with her:

• ...little baby Alex!  Let me tell you...having a sweet little baby at a baby shower with a bunch of pregnant ladies is a great idea!
• he peacefully slept most of the time, and was calm and precious when awake...putting all of us soon-to-be-new-mothers a bit more at ease with this journey we're about to embark on
• another surprise guest was Cassandra, a licensed esthetician Canadian expat who just moved to BA
• a pampering baby party...GENIUS idea!
• Cassandra offered the choice of either a manicure, pedicure, or facial to each guest, so in between snacking and chatting, we went one-by-one get our special treatment done...I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed this brilliant idea
• I chose a pedicure, then even got to sneak in a facial at the end (thanks so much Cassandra...it was all nothing short of heavenly!) 
• I wish I had pictures of the set-up because Cass brought the coolest, hottest new colors of nail polish, and she set up a massage bed for facials in Carolyn's bedroom...it was like a portable mini-spa...fabulous!
• here I am with the hostesses, cutting the delicious homemade strawberry cake, made by Carolyn

I felt weird holding the knife...I don't know

• as a gift, the ladies pitched in money for Jake and I to purchase a rocking chair...the last big thing that we really felt we needed/wanted for the baby while here in BA
• check out what we found on Mercado Libre (kinda like Argentina's Ebay):

• Jake's in the process of sanding and staining it as we speak...once we get it all polished up, and maybe add a few cushions for comfort, it'll be perfect for those late night feedings and rockings, don't you think?

• well ladies, this was my favorite way to spend an afternoon: in the company of wonderful friends, delicious food and drinks, luxurious pampering, ans always interesting and fun conversation...
• as I always say, being far away from home, family, and friends is not easy at times, but people and events like this really help us make it through...couldn't have survived here without you
• THANK YOU for making this special time in our lives even more special...it was great celebrating with you!

snapped a picture of the balloons the day after the shower...sadly they had already lost their umph...boy or girl!?!? :)