venation olvan: Baby Showers Galore!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Baby Showers Galore! | Hand in Hand

I?ve been feeling the love lately.

Back in February, my sister Kaydee, cousin Leah, and Aunt Patty threw me a shower at my parent?s house in Savannah. ?It was lovely. ?Most of my family and a few friends from home were able to come. ?My sister did a great job with decorations:

And the food- the food! ?It was?heavenly. ?There was a yogurt parfait bar, macaroni and cheese balls, virgin sangria, cupcakes and cake, and bacon-wrapped dates! ?Have you ever had a bacon-wrapped date? ?I had never even had a date. ?Of the food type, of course. ?It sounds like a weird combination but they were totally delish. ?Check out the cute cake topper:

We really got a lot of nice and thoughtful gifts. My Grandma has spent years hand-making dozens of blankets for future great-grandchildren. ?The cross-stitched?one is from her. ?My Aunt Di hand-made the beautiful pastel blanket and my friends Lainey, Kelly, and Lisa made us the Mizzou blanket:

My parents gave us a top of the line jogging stroller that Mark can?t wait to try. ?We also got lots of cute little outfits, stuffed animals, a bathtub, lotions and soaps, etc. ?My friend Allison gave me a ?hospital kit? that had things like hair ties, snacks, slippers, and other things that will be good to have around. ?It?s currently waiting in the hospital bag!

My next shower was at work. ?My coworkers threw me a really nice adoption shower and I was very insistent that I did not want or need anything for this baby. ?One day I got back to my desk to find a meeting maker for a shower! ?We compromised on a book shower- where everyone brought me their favorite childhood books. ?I am a big-time reader so I LOVED this idea.

As we enjoyed pizza and Dairy Queen ice cream cake- they seriously know the way to my heart- everyone filled out these little sheets of paper. ?It said ?Wishes for Baby Miller? and had things like I hope you aren?t afraid_____. ?I hope you get ______. ?I hope you learn________. ?They collected all the responses and put it in a cute little album.

This was such a sweet idea, but there was just one problem. ?I am the only Mizzou fan on my team of about 20 or 30 people. ?And boy were there some haters! ?Some of the responses included:

I hope you grow feathers.
I hope you love Bill Self.
I hope you learn to make fun of Mizzou
I hope you get a full ride to kU
I hope you laugh at Tigers
I wish you weren?t in a MU family
I hope you never forget how you ruined the Big XII

We are trying to decide if we should keep those pages or burn them.

Other than that, I adore the books. ?I got Clifford and?Bernstein?Bears and Shel Silverstein, some of my favorites. ?I heard stories behind books that had made a difference in people?s lives. ?For a baby who is negative weeks old, Nugget already has quite the library- and they will definitely get used! ?Big thanks to everyone at work for that shower, especially Megan, Anne, Mary, and Lynette.

My friends also had an adoption shower for us, and I was also?insistent?with them that I did not want/need anything for baby. ?And they were also insistent on doing something. ?We compromised on a diaper shower. ?You see how this works? ?You say you don?t want anything and you get something themed!

The decorations for this shower were super-cute- things that pop!

Balloons, popcorn, Tootsie Roll Pops, Ring Pops, even Pop Rocks. ?I thought eating Pop Rocks might send me into labor, but turns out they?re safe.

We did get tons of diapers, plus some gift cards and cute little clothes. ?Here?s a picture of the whole group:

I?ve had a lot of friends come and go throughout my life, and I feel truly blessed to know these ladies. ?I?m not quite sure I?ve ever been a part of another group of girls that just get me like these girls do. ?There is no cattiness or drama. ?They are worship leaders and super moms. ?They are foster parents and interracial families. ?They are budget masters and crafty geniuses. ?They are love and they are?servants, and I?m very lucky to call them friends.

Just when I thought the showers were done, my friends Lainey, Kelly, and Lisa surprised us with a ton of adorable hand-made gifts. ?Here are just a few of the precious things they made:

Stuffed tiger riding a diaper motorcycle with Mizzou receiving blankets and Mizzou bibs.

Portable Mizzou changing pad with pocket for diapers/wipes and Mizzou shoes.

Pfhew! ?We are sure lucky to have such great family and friends. ?Seriously, we have been overwhelmed with love and?generosity. ?We are so grateful and can?t wait to introduce Nugget (and eventually our adopted kids) to all of those who have been so great to us. ?Thank you!

PS. Does anybody else look like a complete and total goofball when opening gifts?! ?Seriously, no cameras should be allowed!