This past weekend, my dear friend
Christianne and landlady Kathy hosted a baby shower for me. After a few physically and emotionally difficult days (and very hormonal ones), it was a welcome break in my week to attend a party celebrating baby Austen. The day was rich in love and made me feel even more excited for the arrival of our little miss in just about a month or so!!
Little did I know that there were also a couple of sweet surprises awaiting me.
Surprise #1
Since October, my sister Kaari and Christianne have been in cahoots arranging for Kaari to fly in for the occasion. That's right, friends -- Auntie Kaari drove an hour and a half to Seattle, got on a plane, and came to Orlando just for my baby shower.
That's love, people.
(And I like having her here so much I just may refuse to drive her to the airport today.)
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| Best surprise of the day!! |
Surprise #2
Christianne had also arranged for dear friends of mine who are spread out all over the country to send gifts that could be with us at the shower. Again -- just the thought of my friends being excited enough to take the time to shop and ship in time for the shower -- and always with a very personal and thoughtful touch -- was so incredibly meaningful to me. So many friends spread all over the country have already sent gifts for our baby girl, and it's so overwhelming to receive all this love.
It was not entirely unexpected that Miss Austen was a lively gal at the party, kicking, squirming, and rolling all the while. And as requested, we took a lot of photos. Here are a few from the day, and some close-ups we took later of some of the great gifts we received.
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| The spread |
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| All the food was given a very Jane Austen-y name |
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| The chocolate-covered strawberries were named for Mr. Darcy, of course! |
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| Happy mama |
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| Mmm ... fruit pizza!! |
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| Oh, the clothes!! |
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| Dying of cuteness |
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| The book is "Little Miss Austen" -- learning to count, Pride & Prejudice style |
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| Handmade blanket and the sweetest little swimsuit EVER!! |
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| All handmade blankets, just for our baby girl |
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| A ladybug umbrella from a Washington friend |
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| Stuffed lovies!! |
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| Growth chart (artist: Creative Thursday) |
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| Books, books, books!! |
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| Canvas nightlight (Creative Thursday) |
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| Cowgirl boots from Auntie Annie & Uncle Peder in Texas |
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| All handmade goodies: the rattle, wall art, pacifier clip, and headband |
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| A memory card game for when baby girl is older, of course (6 months, maybe??) ;o) |
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| Clothes from the shower (so yeah ... this doesn't include others people have sent!) |
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| A memory box for Ewan and Austen keepsakes |
At both my showers for Ewan, the feeling was incredibly bittersweet. Already in the back of my mind, I was wondering if we would ever get to use any of the things being gifted to us. To have this experience of being "showered" again without the taint of such uncertainty in her arrival was incredibly meaningful -- and all the more celebratory.
Many thanks to all those from near and far who took part in making this day so beautiful and special!!
