Birthday bliss

Yesterday was my 41st birthday. And I have to say - I think I would have been pretty depressed if I wasn't pregnant. Last year, turning 40 was difficult because we were just starting our IUIs, and realizing that things were not going as planned. But this year, I feel as if my life is on track, we are moving forward the way we want to , and it is all very exciting!

DH and I started the day with a couples massage. This was my first prenatal massage, and it was very relaxing. They used a massage table that can tilt and contour (more like a facial chair, sort of), so you're not lying flat on your back, it's more like your in a real comfy recliner. And then for your back, they flatten out the table, and give you pillows for your head, knees and stomach, and you lie on each side while she massages your back.

She said that they don't use as much pressure for a prenatal, because they don't want to increase your circulation as much. I'd say it felt more like a rub down than a massage - felt great while she was doing it, but I didn't get any lasting effects afterwards. I have another one scheduled at a different spa at the end of August, so I'm interested to compare techniques.

After the spa, we went to a Sunday brunch with live jazz. What's better than an all you can eat buffet when you're pregnant?!?! The food was really good, as was the music, so we had a lot of fun eating everything we wanted! The only thing I was disappointed in was that they didn't have any sparkling cider or "mocktails" so I could feel like I was having a drink. DH and I have stocked up on bottles of sparkling cider, and I love it! I have a glass of "champagne" every night in my wedding crystal, and I don't feel like I'm missing the wine as much. (And I have to give props to my DH - he stopped drinking alcohol along with me way back in Feb when we were prepping for our March IVF, and he hasn't had any alcohol since. Very supportive!!!).

Afterwards, we went to Babies R Us together for the first time. It was a beautiful day, so I didn't want to take the time to start registering, but I showed him the some of the furniture and gear I liked, and he did, too. It was a lot of fun walking around and looking at everything!

And then it was off to the pool, for a relaxing afternoon outside, burgers on the grill, and I finished the last season of Real Housewives of OC (boy those gals are mean and trashy!), and caught the season premiere of Entourage (love that show!).

I received a lot of birthday calls, emails and cards; flowers, candy and a stuffed animal (for the little one!) from my mom, and a very excellent present from DH. He usually goes with jewelry or some newfangled electronic gadget (two things I love a lot!), but this year I wanted something very practical. So he arranged to have someone come to the house next weekend to fully detail my car, inside and out. I have a convertible so I can't take it to the car wash, and I have to admit, I get very lazy when it comes to hand cleaning it. So this is ultra-convenient and will make driving it this summer a lot more fun!

All in all, a very relaxing and pampered birthday - just what I wanted!