A Bookish Baby Shower
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 7:30AM Part of me thinks this post should be in two or three parts but... well, here it all is. So that's your warning: it's a bit lengthy and there are pictures, but hopefully it's worth reading because I had a truly wonderful day at my shower and am so happy to share the details.
I didn't have this blog back when my sister threw me my bridal shower, but I'll put it into context with these two key facts:
1 - My bridesmaids had to argue her into agreeing to telling me when the shower was. They had to convince her that if she kept my bridal shower a total surprise, I would walk out once I got there and everyone yelled, "Surprise" because THAT is how much I hate surprises. In the end, they compromised and she told me one week ahead of time (more than enough time for me to find an outfit and semi-mentally prepare). This compromise also included the stipulation that I would absolutely know when my baby shower was.
2 - I say "semi" mentally prepare because I woke up the morning of my shower (which, by the way, was on my 33rd birthday) and started crying. "I don't wanna gooooooo!" I was feeling immensely insecure about the weight I had gained in grad school and just, in general, didn't want to spend an afternoon being the center of attention. In the end it worked out just fine, but I had a lot of anxiety about it to start.
So every time I mentioned the baby shower to my sister, I was not surprised when she would respond, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Sigh. Of course not. Well, with the knowledge of several people's schedules, I was able to figure out what day the shower was. The problem was, as of the morning of the shower, no one had yet to make "fake" plans with me for the day to get me TO the shower. It got to the point that I actually began to believe that it was all a huge fake-out and I had actually guessed the wrong day. Finally, though, my sister sent me a text saying that since she knew I knew that day was the shower, I should just go to her house at 2:30 and we'd go to the shower together.
Perfect. I didn't know where the shower would be... so imagine my surprise when the hubby and I pulled into my sister's driveway and saw this:
The shower was at my sister's house! She has a really big driveway and a big backyard and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. In short, it was perfect! Unlike my bridal shower, I had no anxiety about this. Because it felt like it was less about me and more about The Force, I didn't feel as much pressure about being the center of attention. And because my weight gain has been so mild, I actually felt good about how I looked and specifically chose a dress that made me look more pregnant than I tend to look in my work clothes.
me and my sister
In fact, my brother came up to me and said, "Wow, you actually look pregnant today!" I figured looking pregnant was appropriate for my baby shower, you know.
The color theme was white, yellow, green, and blue - totally perfect for spring and a baby boy. As I walked to a table to put down my purse and start greeting people, I noticed these little worms glued down to the tablecloths:
Bookworms! The theme of the shower was books! My "wishing well" was a big tupperware bin full of children's books; the registry note in the invitation was shaped like a bookmark; and the favors were bookmarks:
Now, I don't talk about my blog with my family. If they know it exists, and if they read it, I have no idea. But sometimes I have to wonder because this was all about books and I got several books and things with penguins on them. Hmmm... but, I do just simply love both books and penguins so it's not a stretch that it's a coincidence. I'm going to go on believing that anyway, until someone tells me otherwise.
I've always enjoyed baby showers faaaar more than bridal showers - because, really, onesies and baby bedding and snuggly toys are far cuter than a knife set, china, and sheets any day. But I recently theorized that it's also because the whole expected atmosphere is different. As a bride, people expect you to be stressed out and tense and nervous and starving yourself. As a mom-to-be, people expect you to be excited and happy and glowing (and well fed). I wasn't a particularly stressed out bride; in fact, I worked hard not to be (and I didn't diet a bit), so I always felt a bit out of step with people's expectations during my wedding planning.
But for the baby shower, it was easy because I feel so good, so happy, so excited (if still nervous), and generally positive about the whole thing - from being pregnant to soon having a son. It's also pretty easy to feel good when everyone is telling you that you look great. Even if they're stretching the truth a bit, it feels good to hear.
Plus, it was great to finally know we had some baby gear! I was bad in that I looked at our registry often to see what people were buying, so I knew a lot of what we'd be getting (of course people go off-registry, which is fine by me - I like that kind of surprise).
My absolute favorite thing that I got is the Fisher Price Rock & Play Sleeper. It was a big hit, too! People were fascinated by it since most hadn't seen it before (it's a very new product). I'm going to use this as The Force's bassinet and for when we bring him over to our parents' houses. It folds up nearly flat, so it's fantastic for traveling, and it supports babies up to 25lbs, so we'll be using it for a while! I already put it together and have it in my bedroom. (Much thanks to Brittany at MommyWords who wrote a great review of the sleeper and convinced me it was a must-have!)
My sister My sister's kids, Brooke and TJ, went off registry to buy me the Fisher Price Woodland Animals Soothe and Play Bouncer. Very sneaky, that sister of mine. I mentioned to her one day how I wished Babies R Us carried this so I could put it on the registry. I suppose she mentioned it to TJ and he loaded himself and Brooke up in his Power Wheels truck and drove on over to Target one day after daycare. *wink*
The reason I love that seat so much is because it matches our nursery bedding set.
I love this set. I love how snarky the little fox looks:
And I love the lamp, the mobile, and the wall decorations, too.
I didn't want a set that screamed "boy" - and not just because I hope to reuse it all one day, but because I don't think it's necessary to be that gender specific. I wanted something neutral and imaginative and this totally fit the bill.
We got lots of other amazing things: two strollers, a high chair, a diaper bag, diapers and wipes, an activity gym mat for the floor, lots of sheets, blankets, snuggly toys - and tons of washcloths. Seriously, moms, how many baby washcloths do I need? Because I think I have about 50. Okay, maybe 30? But it's a lot. Do I need them all??
Some of my very favorite gifts were those that were off-registry and chosen specifically because of the hubby and I. For example, 99% of the clothing we received had a guitar on it and/or something about being a rock star as a nod to the hubby's guitar obsession playing:
Several women knitted or crocheted blankets for us. A friend of my mom's made this adorable sweater jacket, complete with bear buttons:
I just love those buttons. And I love these sneakers, courtesy of my friends Maureen and Patti, who have only seen me wear one type of sneaker the entire time they've known me (which is about fifteen years now):
My cousin, who is the closest thing I ever had to an older sibling, gave us two personalized bibs and a personalized tee. I know playing favorites is bad, but I really, really adore these gifts because they have so much meaning, as simple as they are.
First, this bib:
If you don't know what an empanada is, you are missing out. And if you know but you haven't had my grandmother's empanadas, you're still missing out, I'm sorry to say. My grandmother makes the best empanadas ever in the history of the world (no, seriously). I can't wait to have The Force try his first one while wearing this bib.
Then, there's this bib:
A total of four people at the shower would understand this bib, and two of them had already left by the time I opened it. This is a total English nerd bib and, even more than that, makes reference to what might be my favorite poem of all time: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot. Imagine reading voraciously since the age of six and still being able to pick one favorite poem. That's how much I love that poem. I might not even let The Force wear that bib; I might just frame it and hang it in my bedroom.
Finally, this shirt:
Not much description necessary here. It's another guitar-related baby item, but utterly perfect since my cousin and the hubby share a love for much of the same rock music and they're two of few people I know who can use "shred" in that way and not have it sound cheesy.
And that's the beautiful, I'm-about-to-cry-here thing about these types of family events: they bring people together. My siblings and I lost touch with our cousin for a while because her dad and our mom stopped speaking to each other many years ago (they're siblings). But a few years back, my sister started reaching out to her and we've now built that relationship back up and it's been wonderful. For my entire adult life, I had no idea my cousin loves to read as much as I do and now we talk about books and marriage and kids and life and how crazy our parents are.
These showers are supposed to be about community and that whole "it takes a village" thing. It looks like it's about gifts and cake, but it's really about the people you love and who love you being there to support you as you transition to this new role in your life.
It still is about cake, too, though.
Especially if you're TJ, who managed to swipe the (book) cake before anyone got a clear picture of it:
And who then proceeded to help himself to scoops of icing while no one was looking:
note the icing on the nose!
Except Brooke. She sat quietly the whole afternoon, taking in everything:
Too bad she doesn't talk yet, though. But she sure does look cute, doesn't she?
my sister and her husband make adorable kids, don't they?
So that's it. We have everything we need to have our own little adorable one. Well, everything except the fortitude it's going to take to make it through the labor process, but let's not dwell on that now. Let's just be happy that we're ready in case The Force has a severe case of monkey butt.
Now that's what I call being ready.
All photos courtesy of my friend Kate, who will be taking our maternity pictures this weekend, oooh!
Reader Comments (13)
That fox wall thingie? Pure awesome!! And I didn't know what an empanada was either so I learned something today. Congrats on the shower and looking forward to seeing a pic of your little one soon!
Beautiful post, Candice! And I love, love, love that it was book-themed, even the cake! Are you Argentine?! I love empanadas! (if you're referring to the Argentine kind ;) Love the pics--you're glowing and look so beautiful and you and your hubby look soooo blissfully happy! Loved the comparison to bridal/baby showers, too.
I'm not actually Argentinian BUT my mom was born there, so good call! My grandparents moved there when they left Europe during/after WWII (I'm not sure exactly when they left Europe). But, yeah, because of that my grandmother makes wonderful Argentinian food in addition to her native Ukrainian food. :)
Looks like you had a fabulous shower! You do look cute too!
Great stuff, and yes all those washcloths will actually be necessary, I was surprised too :)
@Stacey - Okay, thank you for that confirmation. I was really curious as to whether or not I would actually, seriously need THAT many washcloths. LOL
Your shower looks like such fun! Yay! I remember seeing that bed set! It's adorable. I can't believe all the stuff you got! My shower is next Saturday night. I'm hoping for lots of stuff so that we don't have to go buy a ton of things! And, I totally registered for that Rock & Sleep thing, too, b/c of Mommywords. Didn't think about it as a bassinet until you said it. Maybe I'll hop on my registry and delete the bassinet and the stuff that goes with it. Now that you have it, does it seem pretty good for a bassinet? (How many times am I going to write bassinet? Goodness.)
It looks like you had an awesome shower and got lots of cool stuff. Does it seem more real now?
I especially love both your bedding set.
Where'd you get your dress? It's too cute!
@Liza - I'm actually super happy about how we didn't get TOO much stuff. The nursery isn't flooded with stuff, so it's not making me nervous. In fact, I just feel prepared. It's really good.
@Sarah - Yes, it seems much more real now... but it'll seem even more real when we get the crib and dresser set up (neither of which are in the apartment yet). Then it'll feel like a nursery for real.
The dress is from Motherhood Maternity:
http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=93963910022&MasterCategory_Id=MC3
Aww... looks like it was a wonderful occasion. You looked really cute in that dress and with your baby bump. And all that loot you got? Awesome! Very happy for you and the hubby. :)
It sounds like you had a wonderful time at your baby shower!
I hope to be half as lucky as you were! :)
I bet you're super excited for your little one to come! :)
Thanks everyone! The shower really did make me more excited about it all - because I'm so much more relaxed now that we actually have things we need when we bring our little boy home. :)
Fun! Sounds like you had a great baby shower. I know what you mean about not liking surprises, and having to mentally prepare yourself for events. I sometimes am okay with stuff like that, but a lot of times it just freaks me out when someone springs something like that on me at the last second w/o giving me a few days (or weeks) of mental preparation. I wonder if it's that's an introvert thing?
We have that same bouncer for Porter--except last year's model! I hope The Force loves it as much as P did.
And props to your sister--that is the best shower favor I have ever seen. I would totally use a bookmark--how handy!
I had kind of a crummy bridal shower (my mom didn't want me to have one) and I didn't have a baby shower at all, so I LOVE experiencing other people's through photos. I especially love it when women come together as a sort of rite of passage to celebrate an upcoming wedding or birth. Something about it really touches me. I am so glad that you had a great time!