Blessingway

While my friend Jerri was here from out of town, I thought it would be great to be able to have my baby shower/blessingway so that she could be a part of it. A couple of my friend's had offered to plan something, so I gave them the idea of hosting it at my house. It was nice to be able to bring some of my closest friends and family together to celebrate the upcoming birth of Baby Boy Van Hee. It was kind of an overcast day, but the sun decided to make its appearance during the event so we were able to all enjoy the views of the river from the deck. The main premise behind a blessingway is to bring your main support system to your home, where labor usually begins, to take part in a few activities that will help bring strength and calm during labor.

Before the event got going, Tonia gave Meadow a very cute shirt. It says Big Sister Meadow on it. Tonia also decorated a onesy that has Van Hee on the back of it. She always does such a great job at personalizing things.
Meadow in her cute U of O outfit. She actually wanted to wear this that day. She must be gearing up to cheer for football season.

Some of my closest friends. Amy, Heidi, Liz, Jerri, Rita, Sara, and Jen.

Rita took a picture, so Tonia could be in it as well. Everyone brought a dish to share and the food really turned out amazing.

One of the activities for the day was to share a bead to add to a necklace for me to have while in labor. Everyone picked out such amazing beads and shared such thoughtful words. The necklace will help remind me of all the women supporting me in this endeavor. It was amazing how most of the beads were blue and green. I guess they know what kind of colors I like. I thought this picture of Rita was so cute. She gave me three beads. One for Meadow, one for Todd and a heart that represents the baby.

The organizers. Sara and Amy

The finished bead necklace.

Another "big" activity we did was to have everyone draw something on my belly. It turned out really cute. I may have Meadow draw on it on my due date, if he hasn't arrived sooner.

The finished belly. I will also add that this is my belly at 34 weeks and yes I know that it looks huge. But, I am measuring right on, so this is what happens when you are under five feet tall and pregnant. I have definitely noticed in the past few weeks that I cannot go anywhere without someone mentioning that I look ready to pop and how much longer do I have? Wouldn't it be nice if people said, Wow what an amazing belly you have, or, what a beautiful pregnant belly.

Opening some gifts. Tonia and Rita had fun shopping for their new little man in the family. He will definitely be dressed to impress. I got some wonderful handmade items as well. My friend Liz made a quilt and Sara is in the process of making the baby a blanket. It was fun to start making up his little wardrobe with cute outfits. I also got a great postnatal yoga video you can do with your baby from my friend Jerri. It was such a fun event and so nice to be able to have it in such a relaxed environment. I really hope that my labor can at least begin at home so I can enjoy a few views of the river before heading to the hospital.