Baby Shower #3 - Adam's Family

We had our third and final baby shower today with Adam's family. Kitty & Kathy put on a lovely event at, what seems to have become, the Richter family gathering space. It was great to see both the men and women and kids of the family at the shower. Just as at most Richter family gatherings, there was food and people a-plenty, but this time there were many fun games also. We had a gift BINGO and lots of word scrambles, along with a mad libs story about the birth of our baby (who's name in the story turned out to be Elmo).

We were showered with gifts for baby, of course. I think Adam's favorite was a monkey backpack/harness that he had put on our registry. Though we really enjoyed getting Adam's baby blanket (made by his grandma Barb) and his baby moccasins from Adam's parents. Also, from my parents, we received the baptismal gown that my grandma Eleanor hand made for my dad, which I also wore. The gown was wrapped in a small quilt that she had also made out of scraps of fabric from a quilt project I had done when I was in high school (I coordinated the making of seventy-five quilts that were donated to Gillette's Children's Hospital in St. Paul).

Adam's monkey backpack/ harness

Adam's baby blanket made by Adam's
grandma Barb, and baby moccasins
(need to find a new lace for one of them!)

My dad's and my Baptismial gown,
hand made (she didn't have a
sewing machine at the time) by
my grandma Eleanor

Quilt made by my grandma Eleanor out of
scraps from a quilt project I did for Gillette's
Children's Hospital in St. Paul.

Baby Shower #2 - Co-workers

After school today, my co-workers threw a baby shower for me! We went down to the lanes and had cake with little baby booties on it with little tiny bows tied on them. Then I opened gifts and visited with everyone.

Just about everyone went in on the group gift, but not everyone could make it down to the shower (though we did have our two token males, Ted & Jeff). Heidi said they were going to buy the travel system, but when she went to Target (apparently just after we had been to the same one and changed some items on our registry!) they one we had registered for is no longer being carried. So they got us the Pack N Play instead, along with lots of other little gifts. When we were there updating our registry, Adam saw a fuzzy blanket with a monkey on it and had to register for it. As I was opening the gifts, you can only guess what was in one of the bags! Adam's monkey blanket! One of my favorite gifts, though, was not from the group gifts, but from Sue. She made a little tiny cross bracelet for baby to wear when she's baptized, though I'm going to put it on her ankle while she is in the hospital.

Cross bracelet made by Sue

I got home before Adam, but when he got home and carried up the Pack N Play, I showed him what we all got. The first thing I showed him was the monkey blanket. He snatched it out of my hand and got really excited!

Adam's monkey blanket

Baby Shower #1 - My Family & Friends

Nancy and Natalie hosted our first baby shower (we laughed, because about the same time last year we were having a bridal shower) at mom's house. Mom made eggs Benedict, a fruit tray (yummy!), cheesy hash browns, and yogurt parfaits. Nancy made two different desserts, and Natalie brought the games.

All the yummies!

What a beautiful day for a shower! Not only was it my grandma's birthday, but the weather was wonderful. We say out on mom and dad's deck and ate, enjoyed each other's company, and played the "guess that baby food" game. When Natalie read off the answers for what was in each jar, she said that applesauce was in jar #2. But I had put down apples. So I raised my hand, and said, "Teacher, can I get half-credit for apples?" Everyone laughed, and she gave me the half point!

Then we moved inside and played "baby shower bingo," while I opened up all the wonderful gifts people brought for us. Laura made a hooded towel out of a regular towel and a washcloth, Lisa, Sara, Linda, and Becky got a swing for baby (Lisa said it was because mean John had taken down the swing set, so now baby has a swing!), Natalie & her mom put together a "meal-time" gift, both grandmas found cute outfits for her... lots of fun stuff for baby!

Reading off everything from the grooming kit
so the girls could cross it off their
BINGO card.

Grandma Beth (Adam's mom), Karen (my
Godmother), and Laura (her sister) playing
BINGO while I open gifts.

Then Nancy brought out dessert on a serving tray. Delicious! And as people finished their dessert, they started to leave. I put my dessert down to say goodbye to people as they were leaving, and once everyone was gone, I sat back down to finish. I picked up my virgin mimosa, and took a couple sips, but it tasted different. It was mom's not-so-virgin mimosa! Oops!

Grandma Denise (my mom) & Nancy
getting dessert ready to serve

Then I headed home and Adam helped me unpack the trunk packed with goodies for baby. He finished putting together her dressers, and vacuumed the room. Then I went through all her clothes and diapers and things, and started organizing them into different drawers. So exciting! But I think I want to rearrange her furniture, hopefully Adam and his brother John will be nice enough to move it again! :)