Blessed.....
Now that I have had time to rest and recover from the weekend, the only thing I can really say is "Wow!!!!!" Our family and friends showed such an outpouring of love and support and blessed us in so many ways - both tangibly and spiritually. Thanks to the generosity of our family and friends, we have pretty much everything that we need for Baby Ridge's first few months of life.
These are my friends, Emily (r) and Aneli (l). Without these girls, I don't know what I would have done because driving that far from Atlanta to Charlotte would have been extremely physically taxing. Even just being in the car for that length of time in the backseat with pillows and plenty of room to move around was difficult. And both girls insisted on my taking the most comfortable sleeping arrangements so that I would get some sleep. They truly loved and took care of me, and I'm so grateful to them for that! They will be known to our baby as Minnie A and Minnie E.... the story behind that is that Eugenia couldn't pronounce their names for the longest time, and referred to them as Minnie. Once she learned to call them by their actual names, she refused to call them Minnie, which made them kind of sad.... so our child will grow up calling them Minnie A and Minnie E. They'll definitely be a HUGE part of Baby Ridges' life and I couldn't ask for more loving or generous honorary aunts! (our baby has quite the extended honorary family of amazing people!)
Anyway, we left Atlanta at 6 PM and arrived to my best friend Erica's residence at 11:15. I had every intention of going straight to bed, but Erica and I are never able to just say a quick hello... so bedtime was more like 12:30.
Saturday morning we woke up and had some yummy homemade sourdough waffles that Erica had made for us, and proceeded to get ready for the shower. Overnight, Baby Ridge had flipped to transverse position, and my baby bump was literally half the size it had been the night before. The girls and I were all a little shocked by the huge size difference (we're taking inches of protrusion *poof* gone) and I spent the better part of 30 minutes trying to get the baby to flip back to head down. It involved all kinds of yoga positions and standing on my head. And no, nothing worked. ::sigh:: So, off to the baby shower we went.
When we arrived, I walked into the clubhouse and was immediately rendered speechless. I had told my sister and grandmother what my favorite colors were (dark teal and brown) and they ran with that for their color theme. The centerpieces for the tables were amazing.
My sister conned an unsuspecting Lowe's employee into custom cutting each of the wood blocks and then they proceeded to hand paint every single one of the blocks. They also had smaller blocks that they painted with the alphabet, which will be sealed later with a childsafe sealant so Baby Ridge can play with their own handmade alphabet blocks! My mom had made tons of baby bootie confetti which was sprinkled on the tables and over the blocks. The little bags you see are personalized m&m's that say "Baby Ridge". For those of you who don't know, m&m's are my favorite candy. The room also had lots of balloons in the theme colors, and it was just so beautiful. Such a simple concept but seeing it all together was just so overwhelming... knowing how much time, effort, and care went into planning every last detail.... amazing.
The cake was absolutely spectacular as well, and followed in theme with the handmade baby blocks. I have never tasted such delicious chocolate buttercream icing, and my sister knew to have ice cream on hand... I'm a girl that has to have ice cream with her cake!
Unfortunately, this is the only picture that I have of my sister and I from the shower! I don't even have one with my MOM and I together... people, these events are so crazy and you barely have time to talk to anyone, and you forget to get the important pictures... ::sigh:: I feel so bad about it, but hopefully I can remember to make sure I get all the important pictures at my next one in 2 weeks here in Atlanta! Anyway back to my sister: Caroline, the shower was amazing. Words can't express how special you made me feel. I can't wait to introduce you to your niece or nephew, and they're going to know what an awesome and amazing aunt they have!
Another really neat component of the shower is this book... guests were invited to write a letter to Baby Ridge and/or to Ethan and I. I read the letters after the shower, and let me tell y'all... I cried. The words were so encouraging, uplifting, and special. Thanks to those who took the time to pen their thoughts for us and our child. We will show Baby Ridge the letters that were written to them when they're old enough. It amazes us at how much you all love us, and how much this baby is loved already!
The games planned for the shower were so much fun... my grandmother and Caroline kept in mind how much I dislike "cutesy" and chose to play trivia games which were lots of fun, and actually pretty educational. Before now, I didn't know that babies didn't have kneecaps. I'm not really sure that this knowledge benefits me in any way, but I'm proud to know that I can confidently inform other people that kneecaps are not something that newborns have. You know, just in case it ever comes up in a conversation. ;)
After games and eating delicious cake, the present opening began. It was such an assembly line, and I was so hot and tired by the end. I wanted to take the time to get up and hug each individual after opening their gift to thank them personally, but I might have been passed out on the floor halfway in... being pregnant and opening presents is no joke, people. Especially when bending is difficult!
Here I am opening presents with my best friend, Erica by my side... she made killer artichoke spinach dip for the shower, and from what I understand, was very helpful in setting up and cleaning up afterwards, as well as serving as a sounding board for the planning process when needed. She kept the present line going very efficiently...and I joked that it seems like every time I have multiple presents to open, she's right there next to me. Of course, she restrains herself from opening them FOR me unlike my 6th birthday party.... ;) Love you, girl.
These are my friends, Emily (r) and Aneli (l). Without these girls, I don't know what I would have done because driving that far from Atlanta to Charlotte would have been extremely physically taxing. Even just being in the car for that length of time in the backseat with pillows and plenty of room to move around was difficult. And both girls insisted on my taking the most comfortable sleeping arrangements so that I would get some sleep. They truly loved and took care of me, and I'm so grateful to them for that! They will be known to our baby as Minnie A and Minnie E.... the story behind that is that Eugenia couldn't pronounce their names for the longest time, and referred to them as Minnie. Once she learned to call them by their actual names, she refused to call them Minnie, which made them kind of sad.... so our child will grow up calling them Minnie A and Minnie E. They'll definitely be a HUGE part of Baby Ridges' life and I couldn't ask for more loving or generous honorary aunts! (our baby has quite the extended honorary family of amazing people!)Anyway, we left Atlanta at 6 PM and arrived to my best friend Erica's residence at 11:15. I had every intention of going straight to bed, but Erica and I are never able to just say a quick hello... so bedtime was more like 12:30.
Saturday morning we woke up and had some yummy homemade sourdough waffles that Erica had made for us, and proceeded to get ready for the shower. Overnight, Baby Ridge had flipped to transverse position, and my baby bump was literally half the size it had been the night before. The girls and I were all a little shocked by the huge size difference (we're taking inches of protrusion *poof* gone) and I spent the better part of 30 minutes trying to get the baby to flip back to head down. It involved all kinds of yoga positions and standing on my head. And no, nothing worked. ::sigh:: So, off to the baby shower we went.
When we arrived, I walked into the clubhouse and was immediately rendered speechless. I had told my sister and grandmother what my favorite colors were (dark teal and brown) and they ran with that for their color theme. The centerpieces for the tables were amazing.
My sister conned an unsuspecting Lowe's employee into custom cutting each of the wood blocks and then they proceeded to hand paint every single one of the blocks. They also had smaller blocks that they painted with the alphabet, which will be sealed later with a childsafe sealant so Baby Ridge can play with their own handmade alphabet blocks! My mom had made tons of baby bootie confetti which was sprinkled on the tables and over the blocks. The little bags you see are personalized m&m's that say "Baby Ridge". For those of you who don't know, m&m's are my favorite candy. The room also had lots of balloons in the theme colors, and it was just so beautiful. Such a simple concept but seeing it all together was just so overwhelming... knowing how much time, effort, and care went into planning every last detail.... amazing.
The cake was absolutely spectacular as well, and followed in theme with the handmade baby blocks. I have never tasted such delicious chocolate buttercream icing, and my sister knew to have ice cream on hand... I'm a girl that has to have ice cream with her cake!
Unfortunately, this is the only picture that I have of my sister and I from the shower! I don't even have one with my MOM and I together... people, these events are so crazy and you barely have time to talk to anyone, and you forget to get the important pictures... ::sigh:: I feel so bad about it, but hopefully I can remember to make sure I get all the important pictures at my next one in 2 weeks here in Atlanta! Anyway back to my sister: Caroline, the shower was amazing. Words can't express how special you made me feel. I can't wait to introduce you to your niece or nephew, and they're going to know what an awesome and amazing aunt they have!
Another really neat component of the shower is this book... guests were invited to write a letter to Baby Ridge and/or to Ethan and I. I read the letters after the shower, and let me tell y'all... I cried. The words were so encouraging, uplifting, and special. Thanks to those who took the time to pen their thoughts for us and our child. We will show Baby Ridge the letters that were written to them when they're old enough. It amazes us at how much you all love us, and how much this baby is loved already!The games planned for the shower were so much fun... my grandmother and Caroline kept in mind how much I dislike "cutesy" and chose to play trivia games which were lots of fun, and actually pretty educational. Before now, I didn't know that babies didn't have kneecaps. I'm not really sure that this knowledge benefits me in any way, but I'm proud to know that I can confidently inform other people that kneecaps are not something that newborns have. You know, just in case it ever comes up in a conversation. ;)
After games and eating delicious cake, the present opening began. It was such an assembly line, and I was so hot and tired by the end. I wanted to take the time to get up and hug each individual after opening their gift to thank them personally, but I might have been passed out on the floor halfway in... being pregnant and opening presents is no joke, people. Especially when bending is difficult!
Here I am opening presents with my best friend, Erica by my side... she made killer artichoke spinach dip for the shower, and from what I understand, was very helpful in setting up and cleaning up afterwards, as well as serving as a sounding board for the planning process when needed. She kept the present line going very efficiently...and I joked that it seems like every time I have multiple presents to open, she's right there next to me. Of course, she restrains herself from opening them FOR me unlike my 6th birthday party.... ;) Love you, girl.
After the shower was over, the girls and I headed up to the lake.... we barely managed to fit everything into the car! Erica and Caroline joined us later, and we did a few exchanges and returns of duplicates, etc. and then had dinner at Showmars. It was a lot of fun to just hang out with the girls and with my grandmother, and to just take in the events of the day. If you want to see more shower photos, click here to see a slideshow... I just used a few here to recap the highlights!
Sunday morning, we went to my parents' house for homemade French toast (thanks, dad!) and then hit the road to return to Atlanta. I wasn't feeling so great on the way home and was really worried that I was coming down with a cold....but thankfully, it just turned out to be the effects of exhaustion. I lost my voice for a couple of days, but am pretty much back to normal after sleeping a LOT since my return. The rest of the week is a pretty busy one for me, and I am planning on RELAXING all of next week before my second baby shower. Hard to believe I'll be 34 weeks pregnant on Friday!
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