Happy Memorial Day!
While I should be bummed that it’s cold and drizzly outside, I’m not. A day inside relaxing on the couch, watching Newsroom (a fabulous HBO show), grading research papers, and writing a couple blog posts is just what I need. Okay, I could do without the grading part, but it can’t be all rest and relaxation.
I’ve been procrastinating on this post but am excited to share the day with you all and also get everything documented before I forget all of the details. I’ve heard mommy brain is way worse than pregnancy brain.
The first weekend in May, my sister and mom threw me a baby shower. Luckily people (besides me) took pictures using Brody and my new camera: Canon PowerShot XS260 HS. They turned out great and will help me remember this fun day.
My mom and sister, Laura, kept me in the dark about most things, which I was perfectly fine with. They had a pale yellow and pink theme – very pretty.
My mom works at a bakery up in the Appleton area, and the owner made this beautiful cake. I loved the book idea! As I’ve mentioned, reading to our baby is something Brody and I are very excited to do, and we have TONS of books already.
But back to this cake. It was not only gorgeous but also delicious: vanilla cake, strawberry filling, and the most perfect, fluffy, not overly sweet frosting.
Sadly, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law do not live close by, and instead of booking flights to come to the shower, they’re waiting to come visit until the baby is born. Makes sense – this baby is going to be much more interesting outside of my belly. They were both at the shower in spirit, though, and I thought of them every time I looked at the beautiful flowers they sent.
I loved looking at this huge bouquet on my kitchen table for the next week!
Originally, I believe my mom and sister were considering hosting the shower at a restaurant, but Kelly and Owen graciously opened up their house for this shindig. Their house is an open-concept layout with a patio right off the kitchen – it was seriously perfect, so thank you to them!
Owen loved being the only male at the party, and as always, he was such a happy baby.
In case you were wondering, the other boys, Barret (Kelly’s husband, Owen’s dad, and Brody’s law school buddy and now coworker) and Brody, took the dogs up to the Dodgeville area where Barret’s parents have a house and lots of land – like 300+ acres. They all spent the afternoon hiking, and the dogs went swimming in a pond.
After mingling for a bit, my sister had everyone sit and we did the first game and round of gifts. Using pink string, guests had to guess my belly’s circumference – I believe my godmother, Linda, won.
Every guest was asked to bring a book that either they or their child enjoyed. It was so fun getting more books! Surprisingly, with this shower and my one at school (where people were also asked to each bring a book), I didn’t end up with too many duplicates. Plus, I’ve been told, it’s good to have more than one for putting in various places: nursery, first floor, car, diaper bag, etc.
After book opening, it was time to eat. We had quite the buffet: pulled pork and ham sandwiches, fruit salad, pasta salad, veggies and dip, taco salad, and pita and hummus. Of course we also had cake.
And we had cookies made by my sister’s coworker.
It was so nice outside that a handful of guests and myself ate on the patio. Wisconsin had been having such a craptastic spring, so this sunshine and warm weather felt amazing. 
After eating, we all came back inside to play a couple more games. My sister did a great job of picking games that were fun but not too cheesy or time consuming. Good work Laura!
Next, it was time to open gifts. While I love getting these gifts for Baby and so appreciate everyone’s generosity, this is my least favorite part of showers. I tried to find a balance between not going too slow, but also taking my time with each person’s gift to show how thankful I am. I also recognize it’s not the most entertaining part of the day for my guests, so I don’t want them to be bored.
By the end of the gift opening, I was a little sweaty, not gonna lie.
People started to head out after the gifts had been opened. The shower started at 11am, and it was around 2pm by this time.
I had so much fun seeing everyone, and there were lots of different groups of friends who came: high school friends, college friends, Wine and Recipe friends, Brody’s female coworkers/friends, and family friends. It was a wonderful day, and I was reminded how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life.
I can’t wait for Baby to meet all of these fantastic people, including the two people who made this day possible: my mom and sister.
pintofgoals.wordpress.com 