This
Sunday was my first (almost) Mother’s Day . . . actually, as Aaron pointed out,
it was the only “almost Mother’s Day” we will ever have. :)
To
celebrate Mother’s Day, my parents drove up bright and early from San Diego. My mom and I got massages at Burke Williams
in Sherman Oaks. Omg - those massages
were so worth the money! We arrived at
the spa and were greeted with champagne and cupcakes. My mom sipped on some of the champagne; I
decided to wait on the cupcakes until after my massage. For Mother’s Day, Burke Williams turned the
spa into a women’s only location. The
Jacuzzi was full of women chatting and laughing – it looked like a lot of fun. With the pre-natal massage, they give you a
free herbal bath, since pregnant people can’t use the Jacuzzi, sauna or steam
rooms (as the girl who booked the appointment said, “Don’t want to cook the
baby”). Honestly, I didn’t feel left out
of the Jacuzzi love at all because the bath was so amazing! It was ready and waiting for me as soon as I
finished changing. It smelled like
eucalyptus and there were slices of cucumber waiting to be placed on my eyes
(though I will admit I never have luck getting them to stay on my eyes, so I
gave up after a while). After I got into
the tub, an attendant brought me some frozen grapes to eat, and a glass of
water to sip.
I
will admit I have been looking forward to this massage since I conceived of the
idea of a mom/daughter spa day a couple months ago. It certainly did not let me down! As I think I’ve said in previous posts, this
really has been a relatively easy pregnancy. I never really got any morning
sickness, and I haven’t had to deal with a lot of the symptoms that other
pregnant women seem to complain of. One
of my few recurring complaints, though, has been back pain. And it’s weird because my back pain is not in
the lower back area like a lot of other women seem to experience. Mine is more in the mid-back/shoulder area,
but only on the left hand side. I told
this to the masseuse, and he told me that he would be able to focus on that
area. Not only did he do that, but he
also managed to alleviate stress in my hips that I didn’t even know I had! I definitely would recommend pre-natal massage
to every pregnant woman (assuming she can afford the time and expense).
My
mom and I returned to the lounge after our massages at the same time. She ended up getting a hybrid relaxation/deep
tissue massage. I have never seen my mom
look so relaxed! I’m thinking maybe we
should make this a yearly tradition.
After our massages, we ate some cupcakes and then relaxed in the quiet
room – which is a room with very comfortable chairs you can curl up on. Everyone is silent in the quiet room, and the
only sound is that of a recording of birds chirping.
When
we were done at the spa, my mom and I went back to my house and Aaron and my
dad grilled up some burgers for us. We
ate lunch on the patio in our backyard.
It was such a gorgeous day! At
one point we had considered going out to eat, but this worked out so much
better. We got to eat outside enjoying
each other’s company, and we managed to avoid the inevitable Mother’s Day
crowds.
After
lunch, we went for a walk around Lake Balboa, which is a man-made lake near our
house. I love walking around this
lake! Aaron and I come here often, and
I’m really looking forward to bringing our little one for walks there. At the lake, there were tons of families
enjoying picnics and spending quality family time together. My parents enjoy bird watching. Apparently there are several types of birds
that flock to Lake Balboa. I can
identify about 3: swans, coots, and mallard ducks. My parents are much better at identifying all
the other types of birds. My mom likes
to stop and take pictures of everything – as though she’s never been there
before, and never taken pictures of those birds before. Sometimes I love that my mom still views the
world with a certain child-like wonder.
It’s one of the things that makes her so uniquely wonderful.
My mom and I on Mother's Day. :) |
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