Kyle, baby and I enjoyed a delightful outpouring of love and support in baby shower form in Philly in May. The family hosted the event at a favorite seafood restaurant named Gallow’s where the lobster bisque is to-die-for!

The decorations were truly out of this world and featured beautiful lilac tones, magical unicorns in various forms of sugary delight and gorgeous flowers at the table! See pics for the full splendor :).

Baby was calm for the shower and, I expect, listening in to all the voices soon to become familiar to her. Kyle and I were bowled over by the affection, care and thoughtfulness shown in every detail, throughout the day. Baby OM (as she is now affectionately called thanks to McGettigan ingenuity) is lucky to belong to this loving village!

Kyle and I are so looking forward to meeting our little one and I thought it’d be nice to create a space where we can share this journey with family. We are 19 weeks in so far.

First trimester was marked by extreme fatigue and all-the-time nausea and I’m so glad to be past that point! Kyle has been nothing short of amazing. I don’t want to imagine trying to do this without his support. With my energy  down, the baby brain take over (weird and random forgetfulness) and my emotions not as well tethered as normal, pregnancy has been an emotional rollercoaster. But, I’m beyond thankful to have had a healthy pregnancy so far. Work has been positive for both of us, though my trips to DC, NYC and Rockville take more of a toll than they used to. As someone who leans toward introversion and enjoys nesting anyway, this has been particularly true since November.

We visited Kyle’s Grandma Stella recently and she announced within moments of my arrival that I was having a girl. I learned that my Grandma Marilu and Mom had the same intuition. Myself and Kyle’s Dad were the odd men out on that prediction. Our cell free DNA testing (amazing science!) determined that our baby is a girl.

I’d planned a woodsy fairytale (think Maleficent) theme already and we are really embracing the unicorns and mermaids. Kyle already put together our carefully chosen Jenny Lind style crib and the office/nursery is taking shape!

Belle and Beast seem to be “in the know.”Belle was afraid I was sick for a couple weeks at the beginning, but now seems to understand this is just the new me. She and Beast love to cuddle my tummy.

We feel so lucky to be on this journey to becoming parents and thank our own, Kevin, Tina, Alan and Joy for setting such wonderful examples of love and support. Expecting our baby feels fantastical, terrifying and joyful – all at once. We are calmed by knowing she couldn’t be being born into a more loving environment. It is thanks to our village of family and friend support that we enter this time feeling grounded, supported and hopeful. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.