Ahoy Its a Boy // Baby Shower

One of the highlights of being home in New Hampshire for a week and a half was celebrating this pregnancy with family and friends. In keeping with the “Ahoy, It’s a boy!” invitations my family sent out, everything was nautical themed. The biggest travesty of the evening was the lack of pictures (the problem when the guest of honor is the one who is usually snapping a photo a second) but it was an evening full of advice, family friends, and really good food.

^This girl helped my mom and sisters plan the shower and it is such a treat having her back in New Hampshire! Jen’s been there since the beginning and if you’ve been reading for awhile you may remember when I wrote about her wedding story/my wedding story/her becoming Mormon story. The short version is ours is a friendship that has grown a lot since high school and some of my happiest moments these past few years have been because of her. She also happens to be a mom/baby nurse (I’m sure there is a technical term for that) and is a great resource for this pregnant lady 😉 Really I just need her to move to Findlay. That would be perfect.

^we happen to have a resident artist who let us borrow some paintings from the studio for the evening  and I love how they added to the decor! (I have one talented Grandpa) 
^Here’s a bit of the table decor shot before the food was set out. For finger foods we had a veggie plate, my favorite goat cheese bruschetta, a crab dip, another delicious spicier dip I don’t remember, and a few other things that are escaping me at the moment. I had to remind myself to talk and not just eat the whole night 🙂 
^Brownie Sundaes are one of my all time favorite desserts so instead of finding something “nautical” we went with something I love. This shot was taken before the rest of the toppings were put out but we had a full Sundae bar with warm brownies to top with ice cream. 
^^Caught talking baby things with my pediatrician (who is no longer my doctor but still our great family friend/neighbor) — if only we lived closer and she could now be baby G’s doctor.

^We started the evening with lots of mingling and eating (everything but the sundaes – those we saved for the end) before we started games and presents. Jen had a fun “name that baby food” game which I opted out of (high chance of regurgitation and all) but the funniest was when we asked everyone to cut a piece of string they thought would fit around my belly. The only rules were they couldn’t use their own waist as a guide. There was only one of about twenty strings that was shorter than my actual measurement 😛 
^My mom taking my actual measurement after the guests had cut theirs (side note: evening baby showers are wonderful. evening/indoor lighting for baby showers is not)
^the winner! 
^I loved this shot of the three generations chatting at the shower. One of the biggest treats happened to be the people that ended up being in town that weekend. My good friend Hanna (on the left) has since moved to Utah but her family happened to be vacationing in Cape Cod that week and they made it up for the shower! Likewise, my aunt from California was visiting my cousin from New York and they were able to come up for the weekend. With a few more unexpected family additions, I was feeling very lucky and loved 🙂 
^hanna, me, and my littlest sister (who is still a tiny bit shorter than me)

^one more of the ocean tablescape 
^my little sister maddie and friend melanie

^As I opened presents we had each woman give her piece of advice on motherhood that we wrote down with the gifts. Not only did baby get so many darling outfits and toys, but I got some invaluable tips and insights into this next step. 
^We’re about to come full circle here — when the baby you used to babysit is old enough to babysit your baby 😛 
^the three of us were pretty happy to be reunited (here’s my favorite old picture of me and hanna only because I couldn’t find the one of all three of us in high school with matching green dresses… ) 

Overall, it was such a wonderful excuse to get together with lots of old friends who feel like family. This little baby is so loved already 🙂

P.S. My dress is NOM’s Charcoal Stripe Ellie thanks to BD Maternity and is the most comfortable dress I have to date. The quality is fantastic, it stretches in all the right places, and the combo of stripes/ruching hides any unflattering lines. I’m excited to layer it with sweaters and pair it with boots the rest of this pregnancy but happy that it will work equally well with sandals if baby #2 wants to grow during the summer months. Basically, I’m thrilled with this dress.

Also, it is worth noting that a few of the older generation at my shower mentioned their surprise at how pregnant ladies these days are “flaunting” their bumps with more fitted maternity clothing (they expressed equal amusement at the term “bump”). My grandma said the reason she wears fitted clothing nowadays is because during pregnancy she only ever wore incredibly flowy fabrics that hid the bump…and after 6 pregnancies, she was DONE with flowy clothing. Interesting huh?