I didn't get the invite to the convention

I thought that I was so cool and unique about deciding to spend my babymoon in Vegas. That would be very very foolish of me. I have never seen so many growing bellies in one place in my life. Okay, I'll count the men too ;-) The first full day we had in Vegas, we hopped on a tour bus to the Grand Canyon via the Hoover Dam. I figure I should see the Grand Canyon at some point in my life (along with Vegas) and I checked those two off my list. At our stopover at Hoover Dam, we got out to "take our dam photos, and get our dam souvenirs" (as per our very hilarious bus driver/ tour guide, Denise.) I went in to the gift shop to look at the chotch on display and found mini license plates that had girls and boys names on them. I found one for Olivia and all of a sudden reality hit me and I had to have it. Baby's first chotch. (that's chotchky or tacky knick knacks for those of you who don't have mothers or grandmothers). I felt so close to Olivia at that moment my eyes got teary.
Then we hopped back on the bus for the Grand Canyon. After many photos and staring in wonderment at the vast expanse I realized it was a metaphor for what is about to happen to me as far as staring to a brave new world of parenthood. Deep.







Then, back to Vegas. John and I have dinner at Bouchon at the Venetian. I just had to go since it's a Thomas Keller restaurant and he's supposedly the best chef in America. His famous French Laundry restaurant in San Fran is THE mecca for foodies. It was good and I had WAY too many frites with my steak frites. Anyway, to my point... on our way back to the hotel, we passed some drunk, underage group of girls calling to their friend on the other side of the street. Guess what HER name was? Yes, Olivia. I then had another bonding moment with my baby...I freaked out that she will be a teenager one day. John even pointed out that we may want to rethink the name. Well, our other option was Siena. A lovely name and where John and I got married, but that damn actress/homewrecker kinda ruined that for me.
The next day in Vegas, John went running on the strip and I went to Spa Bellagio for my Prenatal Massage. It was a sad 50 minutes, but definitely a great experience and one that I'd recommend for any pregnant woman. The best part is the contraption you have to lie in. There is a depression for your belly. It is as amusing as you would think it would be. The only downside, besides the paltry 50 minutes was that I could not go in the steam room or Jacuzzis that looked oh so decadent and wonderfully relaxing. So, I took a long relaxing shower instead. Nope, not the same.
So, I AM definitely feeling movement down there. It currently feels like little muscle spasms in my belly. It definitely reminds me of how small Olivia still is because you can't say for sure it's a kick of just gas. Since I am not gassy, I am assuming it's the babe.
This brings me to my other story that John and I were at a tapas restaurant on Saturday night and they were playing Gypsyland (for those of you who were at my wedding, this is the music my dad and I danced to...for those of you not at the wedding, the band is like Gypsy Kings, but better (IMO). Well, the baby definitely was groovin' to the music. It makes me a proud mama to know that Olivia definitely has got some Cuban blood flowing through her veins.
Sunday night we went to see O (Cirque du Soleil). ...but it is definitely something to add to your list of things to do in your lifetime. It was amazing! I went to the bathroom as much as I could before the show. As you may or may not know, there is a pool of water involved and I just had a sinking feeling that my weak bladder would not be able to stand a whole show. Fortunately, I was fine and was able to enjoy the show from beginning to end. If you plan on going to this show, I recommend taking the aforementioned precaution if with child. Also, be warned that as you walk from this spectacular, awesome production into the casino...it really does things to one's brain so don't make any sudden movements or make any major decisions and definitely have some down time before you gamble!
All in all, Vegas was worth every overpriced-$4-cuppa-coffee-loss-of-$$-at-blackjack-ate amazing-food-saw amazing-shows-Grand Canyon and Red rocks babymoon. I realized that Vegas is also a metaphor for being a parent. Your money seems to evaporate, but in the end, if you forget how much you spent, you realize what a wonderful, exciting experience it was.