Flu, colds, and baby showers

You know, initially I never gave any thought to the fact that I'll be having a baby right smack in the middle of cold and flu season--- and a terrible flu season at that. Now it's impossible for me to not think about it, as headlines scream out at me each morning about H1N1, vaccinations, pregnant women, etc.

I've taken as many precautions as possible- I wash my hands obsessively and carry hand sanitizer with me whenever I venture out into the public. I'm no longer working, so that limits some of my daily exposure, but Matt's still working so it's not like I'm entirely away from the risk. Plus, I can't really live my life in a bubble.

One of the most frustrating things for me is the H1N1 vaccination. I realize there's a lot of debate over whether or not to get it-- is it safe? Has it been tested enough? Was it thrown together sloppily? How much thimerosal does it contain? And on and on. Yes, I've asked myself these questions a couple million times too, but ultimately, based on my gut feeling (and the advice of my doctors) I have decided to get the vaccination. Which leads me to the next problem- where on earth is this shot? I know it varies from state to state, but locally, it's not currently available. My OB's office is getting the shot in, but only for staff members. A lot of pediatrician's offices have it available right now, but only in the nasal mist form, which is strictly off-limits to pregnant women. Our local health department had some last week but promptly ran out of it when thousands of people showed up to be vaccinated. It's just so frustrating to me that all we keep hearing is how pregnant women are high risk and need to be vaccinated, but we can't find the vaccine anywhere!

On a much happier note, I had two baby showers this past weekend. The first was a shower that Matt's co-workers threw for him at a restaurant on Friday night. It was very thoughtful of them and we had a great time. On Saturday, I had my baby shower which was hosted by my mom and my sister. It was a jungle-themed shower (to go along with my nursery theme) and you wouldn't believe the intricate detail that went into the planning of this shower. From the homemade tiger and monkey cupcakes to the zebra table runner and jungle animals center-piece, it was very apparent how much thought and effort they put into everything and it turned out perfect.

Unfortunately, we had a couple of last minute drop-outs (not surprisingly, due to cold/flu symptoms-ughh), but still had such a great time. A lot of my family from Richmond, VA made the road trip down here and my childhood best friend showed what a trouper she is by making the long haul from the DC area all by herself to help us celebrate.

We really, really lucked out in the gifts department too. It's almost embarrassing how much stuff we got. I was really struck by the thoughtfulness of some of the gifts (a onesie that said "I was worth the wait", a tiny, custom-made t-shirt that pictured a baseball diamond and said "Camden's Yard", and plenty of Redskins, Orioles, and Virginia Tech Hokies gear so that this child has no choice but to be a sports fan like his daddy). We also really lucked out and received a lot of the larger items on our registry and tons of the basic baby necessities. Bottom line? My friends and family are amazing.

Now, for some pictures:

The cute center-piece:



My sister-in-law made this diaper cake:



Monkey cupcakes:



Tiger cupcakes:



Some of the guests:





My wonderful hosts:



Games: