Sprout's Shower: Part II

One of my girlfriends commented to me yesterday that she checked the blog several times since the shower, and determined that it had either been a very eventful week in the Gregory home, or a very uneventful week, as I didn't post once after last Sunday. I'm happy to report that it was the latter. Nothing much happened last week; I was just too lazy to post anything creative.

But, as I sit here today, waiting for the start of the Browns vs Steelers game (this should be good!), I have no excuse not to write up the promised Part II report of Sprout's shower.

But first, a few more pictures:

I don't know how I feel about having my belly be the same size as my cake! At least I know that the cake weighs more! Jim made special arrangements to have my shower cake be one of the layers form our wedding cake: Thrush's Golden Harvest (spice cake with apples and raisins). Mmm! So good, and so rich!




Steph and Kristen, two of my closest girlfriends, did a wonderful job co-hosting my shower with Jenny. They helped me design the shower invites, and assisted Lisa with a fantastic menu. We are all very excited about venturing into the wonderful world of mommyhood together (Kristen is due with her first in early May, and we're hoping Steph follows suit soon!).






Just getting in some practice with Jenna Bach. After all, what is a baby shower without a baby? (I'm thinking the whole rock-a-bye thing will be easier without a huge belly in the way, though. I sure hope so!)






Jim and I feel so blessed by the generosity of our friends and family. We got almost everything we need for Sprout's arrival, and lots of things we don't really need, per se, but that sure make looking forward to his arrival more special, like cute fleece outfits, cozy blankets, hooded bath towels, super cute toys.....one more trip to Babies 'R Us for a couple more basic onesies and some diapers and wipes, and we'll be all set to have a baby!

I really should take a picture of my travel system (stroller and infant car seat) to do this story justice, but again, my laziness is coming into play...maybe I'll edit it in later. But anyway, here is the coolest scenario regarding our travel system:

A few months ago, my Aunt Denise commented to me that my Uncle Joe might be able to get our Graco travel system (TS) at a discounted price; he works for Rubbermaid, who owns Graco. Sure enough, a couple weeks before the shower, Aunt Denise called me to say that Uncle Joe indeed had been able to get the TS, and that I should take it off my registry. Cool thing #1 is that someone owed Uncle Joe a favor, and they provided the TS for free! So, sure enough, my TS makes an appearance at the shower. Afterwards, Jim and I were visiting with Aunt Denise and Grandma Soldano, and I wondered aloud what I should do in case there were a problem with the TS (as it had come directly from the Graco factory. Aunt Denise and Jim decided just to put it together on the spot to make sure it was okay, and as they started to pull pieces from the box, I realized that this was the stroller I registered for....this was way better!!! As near as we can figure, we got a free "upgrade" to the next level of Graco strollers, and we now own the deluxe model...this thing is like the Rolls Royce of baby buggies, and it is in the coolest pattern! So much better than the "gay purple" pattern we'd settled on (Jim's description, not mine!) So, thank you, Graco, and thank you, Uncle Joe and Aunt Denise for your legwork. =)

By Wednesday, I had our living room returned to normal and most everything in its place in the nursery. I can't say I'm 100% organized, as there is still a (neat) pile in the corner of the basement family room for "things to come" that aren't even out of the box yet: the high chair, the PackNPlay, and a box of "feeding" necessities (bibs, bottles, cleaning brushes). But the house looks like we could welcome Sprout home with no problem...well, other than parents that are starting to get a little anxious/nervous. But more about that in a separate post.

Some final highlights of my shower, and then I'll wrap this up. I was so touched by a few other things my hostesses planned. Each lady at my shower was asked to fill out a 3x5 card with "mommy" advice so that I'm not entering into this adventure completely clueless! Also, while I was opening my gifts, the ladies were given all the supplies to create beautiful scrapbook pages for me, for each major baby milestone, holiday, and season. I was so touched by this, as I know this is not my strength, and I would not have taken the time in the coming months to do this. But now, I only need to take pictures and insert them!

So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you Jenny, Lisa, Abby, Beth, Lauren, Steph, and Kristen for all the hard work you put into my special day. It was by far the best day of my crazy pregnancy adventure, and I know neither Jim nor I will ever forget it. Sprout will know, without a doubt, how much he is already loved!