I have been told several times throughout my pregnancy that I have the “glow”. I am very lucky to have had a healthy pregnancy and actually felt pretty amazing for the majority of it, so this helps produce a healthy, happy appearance. And I am also pleased to know that the excitement I feel inside over becoming a mother for the first time is showing on the outside too. Like most people, I don’t always know how to properly take the compliment, and instead of just saying thank you, I usually give credit to a quality shimmer or the benefits of an Organic Tan (thank you Andrea in Moose Jaw for helping to give this momma-to-be a natural looking tan over her very pale skin!). But besides the shimmer and tan, I should remember to attribute my glow in part to a certain British beau and baby-daddy<3

I ❤ this guy!

Jon won’t love me dedicating a long blog post just to him, so I will try to make this one as short as possible ( but for anyone who knows me, limiting my words has never been my strong suit!). I need to give credit where it’s due:  I am the happiest Bree I have ever been, and that is in very large part because of Jon and the amazing little life we have created in the relatively short time we’ve been dating. Making the move from my hometown to live with him in Estevan was the best decision I have ever made:  we have since been able to make our shared dreams reality by purchasing our first home and getting pregnant…not quite in that order;)

Like most supportive partners, Jon has never missed accompanying me to a doctor’s appointment, has held my hand reassuringly or squeezed my foot excitedly during ultrasounds, and read books geared towards preparing expectant fathers (I think he was finished his first one before I had even cracked the first in my pile of pregnancy books!). Ever the responsible one, Jon was reading car seat and stroller reviews while I was busy picking out the chicest diaper bag online. And he has dedicated his time to excitedly preparing for our baby girl’s arrival:  when I spent a week of vacation at my mother’s in Moose Jaw, Jon spent several nights after work putting together all the baby room furniture on his own, hoping to surprise me!

Love!!

And from the start of this pregnancy, he has shouldered the majority of the housework; while the control freak in me has yet to hand over the cooking duties (I couldn’t even let him prepare Kraft Dinner for me the other night…being the Canadian in the relationship, I felt I must be the only one qualified to make it right!), Jon is the one to make coffee, breakfast and prepare our lunches every weekday morning. This comes from him being a morning person, me SO not being one, but also from watching his own dad bring his mum coffee each morning for years. Jon takes care of the dishes every night, does our laundry rather than have me climb the steep stairs down to our unfinished basement to get the job done, and usually tidies the bathroom so I don’t have to worry about using possibly dangerous cleaners.

Thank you Jon!!!

While all this makes me a happy and rested preggo, it is more the way he takes time every morning and every night to make sure I feel loved and appreciated, and to reassure me that I am not in fact fat, just pregnant…even gorgeous in his eyes;) This guy can make me smile even in my moodiest moments! And it is his calming nature, his chill demeanor, in the face of my growing anxiety over labour that has kept me from completely freaking out. I already know he will be great at encouraging me when we actually get to the whole labour and delivery part!!

I am so thankful to have Jon to navigate this sometimes scary, often emotional journey with.  And I look forward to our daughter witnessing how great her father is to both his girls. I want her to know that she too deserves this kind of love from her future match:  someone who makes her laugh and shows her how to enjoy the little things in life, who appreciates her independence but can be her rock when she needs it, who celebrates what makes her beautiful and loves her just for being herself. Someone who makes her feel brave enough to tackle anything life throws at her, because she has the love and support of a true partner behind her.

I’ve been to a million showers. Ok, not a million…but a lot! When you have a large group of friends, are part of a big family, and are of a certain age, you get a lot of experience attending wedding and baby showers. I have never been annoyed that I was attending yet another shower for a friend or family member, but had yet to have one myself; I was just excited to celebrate them and their major life event. I love a good party, no matter the occasion. I like helping any way I can, whether it be making cupcakes to enjoy at these events, or just attending to help shower my friends and family with gifts. At every shower I have attended, I  got to enjoy the yummy food, partake in fun visits with friends, and view the decorations and personal touches that made each one unique and memorable.  But no matter how happy I have been to attend others’ showers, there is something to be said for finally getting the chance to be the guest of honour at your own:  at last it was my turn to make favourite food requests, be celebrated and showered with love and gifts.

I was lucky to have not one, but two, baby showers this summer (more on the second one and the best group of girlfriends in a future post). The first was my family shower, organized by my amazing mother, beautifully decorated and graciously hosted by my dear aunt Michelle and sweet cousin Diane. I have a big family:  my mom is the youngest of nine, and my father is the second of four, so I have plenty of relatives both near and far. And I am extremely lucky to count many of my cousins as my closest friends, and lots of my aunts as second mothers.

My mom met with my aunt and cousin several times to organize the event, and then they ran with the theme of pink, with lilies and roses (in honour of our baby girl’s name, Lily Rose). Seriously, these ladies should run their own party planning business! I walked into the most perfectly decorated, pretty in pink baby shower…it was beyond anything I could have imagined, from the decorations to the food!! My aunt Michelle said the look on my face when I walked in was worth all the planning:  I was amazed at the work they had put into the event in my, and Lily Rose’s, honour. And everyone commented that I was in my glory, surrounded by so much pink:)

The deliciously pink decorations and treats!!!

There were gorgeous lilies and roses in vases on the table, a tiered dessert tray of beautiful cupcakes that my cousin Dakota helped my aunt Michelle bake and decorate expertly as roses (half of which were made using my mom’s, originally my grandmother’s, white cake recipe…truly the most delicious cake in the world!) and there were even more chocolate cupcakes with Lily Rose spelled out on top in bright pink. Over my chair Michelle hung a homemade shabby-chic Lily Rose sign that now looks perfect in the nursery<3.

The gorgeous decor and yummy pink lemonade;)

Michelle and Diane dipped strawberries, rice crispy treats and pretzels in pink and white chocolate too. Diane went wild with coloured candies overflowing in bowls throughout her gorgeous home. She had pink sugar and dyed pink creamer for coffee! They even decorated martini glasses with pink jewels, for the punch…which was of course, pink lemonade;) And my mom got my favourite croissant sandwiches for the occasion (truly appreciated by this hungry preggo!)!

My mom, aunt and cousin were so generous with their time and effort, and the money they spent, to produce the most special day for me!!! My mom is not a big party planner, but she made sure to get the two women together that she knew possessed the creativity and talent to create the most lovely shower for her baby, and baby’s baby;)

Thank you Michelle!!!

Thank you Diane!!!

Thank you Mom!!!

All my family did a great job of completely spoiling Lily Rose! As I am finally getting to the thank you cards, and recording the gifts everyone got us in our baby book, I am overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity (and thank you to my soul-sister/cousin Tarren for being an amazing secretary by recording the gifts list!). Seriously this little girl is going to be one fashionable baby, with fancy dresses, chic sleepers and adorable accessories galore. And we got so many lovely pieces to make her nursery even more special, and some very necessary things to help us be as ready as possible for the journey ahead.

Just one of the beautiful little dresses we received…many of which came from my dear Aunt Lois, sent with love from Calgary<3

It meant so much to me to see so many of my aunts and cousins, and some with their own babies, in attendance. Summer is busy for everyone, and there are lots of family who live too far away, so I understood that not everyone could make it. I definitely felt all of them there in spirit none-the-less! Lily Rose is so lucky to be born into a family of such amazing women. The love and support they show one another is extraordinary, and was on full display and directed towards me and my soon-to-be-born daughter the day of our shower. It really wasn’t about the gifts, or the delicious food, or even the beautiful decorations. It was about having women I love and admire join in on a very special day for me. They all know how much I have wanted to become a mother, so for them to celebrate my dream becoming a reality is what I will always treasure.