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My dear friends Erin and Lisa hosted a super-fun shower for me here in Tucson last weekend. They did a fantastic job planning fun games (no "guess her girth"!) such as, "Name the Baby Animal" (my years of Wild America watching with Dad paid off here!) and "Guess the Baby Food" (applesauce - yum, squash - yuck!). We also received all the baby socks we could possibly need thanks to the "Guess how many socks are in the Jar" game!

Jenny and Lisa testing baby food

My favorite activity of the afternoon was when each of the girls decorated a little onesie for the baby. I have some very creative friends and they all came out beautifully! Erin even made a little "Obama-Biden '08" onesie that I'm sure will have our conservative family members voting democratic in no time!

The onesie artists hard at work...

Lindsay, Erin, Lisa, Kara, Nikki, Jenny

As if the games and time visiting wasn't enough, we also had wonderful food, and my favorite treat...ICE CREAM! The party was very relaxing and exactly what I would have wished for! I'm so grateful to have such wonderful, supportive friends here in Tucson!

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Wednesday at work, I was headed to what I thought was yet another intense meeting when to my shock I was met with a surprise shower thrown by my co-workers. The mastermind behind the party was Lisa (yes, the same Lisa mentioned above) along with my friends Katie, and Lindsay. About 15 people came, including Ben, for a fun and delicious Mexican lunch. A pool was started to guess the baby's gender, birthday and weight. The consensus seems to be boy, born 10/7 (Mom's birthday!), and weighing around 7 lbs. We were showered with sweet gifts, and even got "Baby's First Calculator"!

Thanks to the generosity of so many, we have all the big "must-haves" for Baby Hoffman. This weekend I'm looking forward to organizing all our loot, washing some baby clothes and getting things ready for the big day. I can't believe how soon it's coming!

Showered

The past couple weeks have been filled with fun and family. We traveled to Erie, PA (our last trip pre-baby!) for a beautiful shower thrown by my Mom and sister. It was an amazingly beautiful, elegant, and classy event. I loved every minute of it! The best part was spending time with fantastic women in my life - many who I don't see often and live as far away as Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and even Florida! It was amazing to feel so loved and supported as motherhood is rapidly approaching!

The rest of our time at home was filled with visiting family, talking long walks in the woods, bonfires (with marshmallows, of course), kayaking and enjoying the beautiful Erie beach.

Ben and I both had an especially hard time leaving the peaceful sanctuary of family time. But it is good to be back in Tucson and crossing off those final pre-baby to do's. It's also exciting to know the next time we are in PA there will be 3 of us!

Cabo San Fabulous!

In an attempt to squeeze in one final getaway pre-baby, Ben and I jetted off to Cabo for a glorious week of sun, relaxation, reading and escape from our never-ending to do lists. It was a wonderful time for us to focus on each other and prepare (as much as possible) for the huge change coming our way in October. We talked a lot about the baby, what kind of parents we want to be, and reflected on how grateful we are to have had the last five years together, just the two of us. Oh, and we may have discussed (and we think finalized) names for the little guy/girl... Ben is committed (and I'm going along with him) to keeping this information top secret until the big day arrives, so there will be no sneak preview here!

The best part of our trip was simply time together...time away from the business of life and preparations, away from the endless renovations on the house, away from the pressures of work and school. Time to just be together and appreciate this season of "just the two of us" that is rapidly coming to an end.

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Celebrating Natalie

How do I even begin to describe all the amazing things about my beautiful sister? Her love of life, food, music, running, nature, and her family are just a few.

She has inspired me in so many ways...running multiple races and marathons (she's amazingly fast!), using her amazing musical talent, moving alone to a foreign country, carving out a beautiful live for herself in Princeton, and living life boldly and fully. She is my running guru, my source of unending advice and support, my favorite "last call of the day".

I truly believe one of the greatest blessings of my life is having a sister who is also my best friend. Happy Birthday, Natalie!

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