Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Baby Shower-palooza: Part 2

After a surprise filled Friday, there was more fun to be had...the very next day! That Saturday was my Pittsburgh baby shower (yes, I'm so spoiled that I have to refer to my many parties by city. And let me just say, it's not a bad problem to have!) When I found out I was pregnant, my friend Meg graciously offered to throw me a shower. I was so thankful, but a little worried about overwhelming her with my picky creative nature. I looooove (LOVE) to plan a party, so the thought of having a party that I don't get to be involved in was a tough idea to wrap my head around. And poor Meg was stressed that I had some sort of crazy expectations that she wouldn't live up to. Well she needn't have worried. The shower was perfect. I did make a few requests (striped straws...punch...) but made huge effort to stay out of it, and Meg somehow crawled into my head and made things happen I didn't know I wanted.

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But if I know Meg at all, she would want me to mention that she had help...(talented, and humble that girl. I could learn a thing or two...) Luckily, I have a gaggle of ridiculously talented friends that offered to join the fun. Rachel takes the "detail oriented" to a truly impressive level, and is a dedicated crafter to boot. And while Deb prefers to stay out of the craftiness of it all, she's an excellent hostess, and an even better cook. (I know she loves me because she made mac and cheese. Award winning mac and cheese no less.)

So it's safe to say I was in good hands. But don't take my brag-fest word for it...let me show you what these ladies whipped up:

There was a book theme (love!), and every detail was thought out.Check out the spread!

(Which I enjoyed thoroughly, thankyouverymuch.

Punch bar- yesssss.

Custom made sign (complete with an ampersand!)

Book lanterns (one of many adorable book themed crafts):


And if that wasn't enough- we had what many people heralded as the main event of the day- the gender reveal! The girls set up a board where people could vote- and show off their guess with a blue "bow tie" or pink barrette...


How cute is that? (for those of you wondering- the vote ended up tied.)
And the reveal method- Cake!

But not just any cake- a custom made creation by my friend Lindsey.

Seriously. Did I tell you I have talented friends or what? I can't believe she made that with her own hands....all for me! I mean, are you seeing this? Yellow and grey chevron stripes, tiny little decorations, a Baby Bowden bunting? Too much!

But the best part of the cake was the inside. Lindsey was the very first to know the sex of the baby (a secret she kept extremely well!) so that she could make a color coded cake to reveal the news to everyone at the shower. But of course I had to challenge her a bit more, and asked for vertical stripes. If you're not a baker (and I certainly am not!) you wouldn't know that that was a crazy request (I didn't!), but Lindsey is a true pro (seriously....she's an actual professional. As in- you should hire her!) and made my dream come true.

So with everyone watching in anticipation, I cut into the top layer....

....and of course, it was PINK!


Yay!
Everyone was so excited...Meg (and my mom) even cried. It was hard to keep the secret for so long, but it was such a fun moment to hear everyone squeal with glee at the same time.

After all that, I would have been content with all the food and fun so far, but it turns out there were more surprises to be had....not to mention I got presents too!


I got tons of baby gear...but even more fun- everyone brought their favorite children's book to build a library for Baby B. We played a game where we had to guess the books based on a quote from each of them...And lets just say I'm not as well read as I thought. It was hard!


But I got acquainted with some old favorites and was introduced to a few new titles too! (I can't wait to show you the baby's room now that all the books are on display-it's beyond awesome. But actually I can wait...and will wait. Back to the shower...!)

After the "official games" we had an impromptu activity, which could have been titled Courtney Has No Idea What She's Doing- The Babywearing Edition. One of my presents was a Moby Wrap- which for those of you as clueless as I am, is like a sling made out of a HUGE piece of fabric. The instruction booklet is approximately 17 pages, but swears it's So Easy. So we broke it out for a test drive (using a doll as to not subject a real baby to my inexperienced fumbling).

And let's just say, I'm not a natural.
But I didn't let technical issues stop me from working it.



Is it bad that my parenting strategy might be "fake it til you make it"? This baby and I will muddle through somehow...

So that's the story behind my Pittsburgh shower....To say it was an awesome day is an understatement. I'm continually in awe of how blessed I am to have such caring, giving, and utterly fabulous friends. I can't wait to introduce my little girl to this amazing group of women.

2 comments :

  1. Yay! Love that picture of all the planners + you! Loved getting to know Rachel...Thanks for the fun overview - I loved celebrating with you that day! Can't wait to meet that little girl (and cry again!)...ps - I still can't believe I was right!

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