A lovely baby shower!

Alright, it's Holy Saturday, and I feel like it's ok to turn back to fun/frivolous topics. Like baby showers. :)

There was much debate a few months ago over whether or not I should have a baby shower. I didn't want to have one because my bridal shower was only a year ago, so it seemed too recent since I'd been the center of attention.

But Frank tipped the balance, because he felt really strongly that I should have one. "It's your first baby," he argued. "People don't throw showers for later babies. You should have a shower for this baby and enjoy it!"

When I finally agreed, we encountered a new obstacle: my mom's social calendar. She had a big trip or event planned for every single weekend. It began to look like she wouldn't have a day available until after my due date! Luckily she was able to move some things around and we finally settled on Sunday, April 13, for the party.

I think my mom was born to throw parties, because she is really, really good at it. Any hostess ability I have comes straight from her, and I can only aspire to her level.

We arrived on Sunday to find a table full of delicious hors d'oeuvres (or "snacks on snacks" as I like to say):

Mom proudly showed us her masterpiece—the "baby angel" centerpiece:

My little sister tried to put a paper-towel diaper on it, which cracked me up.

My one request for the shower was that we play a lot of games. I figure everyone loves some good competitive games, especially if you can win prizes. Plus I didn't want the only event to be me opening gifts, because I think that can get boring for everyone else. My mom and sisters did such an awesome job and totally delivered with some really fun activities!

My sister Caroline organized this hilarious game where she interviewed Frank and me before the shower about our expectations for being parents, and then read aloud the answers while everyone guessed who said what. For example, "How many diapers do you expect to change per day?" Frank said 3, I said 1. ;) "Who will be the fun parent?" We each said ourselves! (Frank: "I think you should include that 100% of your family agrees that I will be the fun parent.") "When will baby start walking?" I said 12 or 13 months, Frank said "9 months because it will be an advanced baby." "Advanced baby" cracked me up. That game was really fun and got so many laughs.

My mom passed around a tape measure and had everyone guess how big my belly is, and the winner got a prize. Vanessa (who came all the way from California!!) impressively guessed within half an inch!

There was also a timed pregnancy word search and baby-themed word scramble, again with prizes. Theresa brought these darling little cards for people to fill out notes to the baby and predictions about the gender, name, and weight and height at birth. Frank and I have really enjoyed reading through those since the shower.

I opened gifts, and was completely blown away by the thoughtfulness and generosity of our friends. I can't even begin to list all the beautiful gifts this baby received. A few friends chose gifts especially for Frank as the new dad—he was thrilled to look through those later on! We also really enjoyed the darling packaging some of our clever friends came up with, like Anna's precious "cupcake box," filled with rolled-up onesies and baby socks:

Isn't that the cutest idea? As my Grandma said, "I can tell I'm at a baby shower because every five minutes I hear someone say, 'Awwww!'"

We didn't make Frank attend the shower—instead he had a great time mini golfing with my dad and brother. Do dads/husbands usually attend showers in your family? He did make an appearance at the very end, though—just in time for us to get a photo together, and for the guys to enjoy some cake and ice cream with us.

Finally, Mum crafted these clever party favors, based off an idea she found on Pinterest. She put packages of unpopped popcorn in little boxes that said "Theresa is ready to POP!" and topped each one off with a cupcake.

Those were a huge hit! I tell you, she was born to throw parties.

Despite my initial hesitation, I'm so glad I let Frank talk me into having a shower. I think it helped that we kept the party really small (just family and close friends) and that we played a lot of games. It ended up being a wonderfully fun afternoon.