April shower

I was blessed to have my two dear friends Nicole and Ann throw a baby shower for me last weekend at our church, Aldersgate UMC.







The girls put together such a thoughtful, wonderful shower. Their little details showed all of the time and planning they put into the event. I loved the blue punch, pictured above, with a rubber ducky floating in it. The ducky is a nifty baby product that will indicate when bathwater is too warm for baby. I'll put that little guy to good use.

They also had a table set up with a bouquet of cheerful tulips, scrapbook pages for my guests to sign and baby pictures of Brian and me:


I received so many thoughtful gifts, including some adorable handmade bibs, a beautiful white crocheted baby blanket (at left) and a quilt certain to become a family heirloom:






Brian's grandmother embroidered the blocks in this quilt in the 1940s. Janice, my mother-in-law, pieced the top and had it professionally quilted. I love how it links generations -- and the women's creativity -- together.

I also received books, baby necessities and a few more Classic Pooh items for the nursery. My friend Lyn found this Classic Pooh Christmas blanket. It'll be fun to make it part of baby's first Christmas:


My friend Crystal gave a creative gift: She borrowed the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" wedding tradition for her gift. Among the items she gave me was a loaner on her baby car seat base, which is a great help to us. Brian and I plan install those soon and have them checked at a hospital safety inspection.












My Aunt Terry and Uncle Joey surprised me by driving into town from Columbia, Mo., to visit. Terry joined friends and family at the shower, and it was so great to have her there. Brian's cousin Joni and her two sweet daughters, Audrey (pictured with me below) and Caroline, drove down from the Kansas City area. It made the day even more special to have them there.


My co-worker and fellow preggo Lindsey had the honor of guessing to the exact dimension how big my baby bump was in the cut-a-piece-of-yarn-to-guess-how-big-mama-to-be-is-around-the-middle game. She admitted that she used her own preggo belly as a guide of sorts. We teased her for cheating but agreed that she was just being resourceful.
















Also in attendance were Brian's Grandmother, who soon will meet her first great-grandchild, and "Grandma Foos", a special woman in our lives. Her daughter has been friends with my mother-in-law since they were in high school. (Don't these ladies look stunning? Their color coordination was completely accidental, but looked fabulous.)

The best part part of the day was looking around the room and realizing all of the strong, loving women in my life who offer their advice and support to my growing family.

Thank you, ladies, for everything.

See additional photos from the shower in my Facebook photo album.