Baby Shower update (long)

Hi all -

I am back from my baby shower. (And the exhausted coma I lapsed into
after I got home...)

I drove down with my MIL. She was appalled that DH wasn't planning on
going with me, she said I had no right going alone, being pregnant and all!

She brought my mom a nice gift to thank her for the party, I recommended
potted plants because my mom loves flowers, and loves to garden.

We drove down and picked up my sister and her daughter as they didn't
have a ride to the party. We went to my mom's house and had a lot of
fun! There was a cake fiasco as they'd gotten one chocolate cake (nobody
likes chocolate cake I don't know what they were thinking... I
particularly will not eat it), and one cake with raspberry filling. Not
many members of our family like jelly filling in cakes, either! (I
prefer no filling or a frosting filling instead of jelly.) The sister
who ordered the cake was the one least likely to know what I liked, and
only remembered that at our wedding the piece of cake she got had
raspberry filling (which is my HUSBAND's favorite, so we did one layer
of our cake with raspberry filling, the rest had butter cream).

I felt particularly pampered by my 15 year old niece (the one we gave a
ride to) who has always been the sweetest little girl I've ever known
(although at 6' and still having growing pains she's not very little any
more). She has a particular interest in massage and spent the entire
time massaging one part of me or the other. LOL - I want to have this
girl home with me

We opened gifts - I got a nice collection of receiving blankets, a
little baby bath hammock to set in the tub to prop the baby up with &
some little towels and washclothes, an small assortment of baby outfits
with a very cute little jean jacket, a small backpack for carrying baby
stuff... a few sundry items like some random bottles, a sippy cup,
little serving spoons, and some stuffed animals. They all went in on a
small carseat, one rated for smaller babies and perfect to take baby
home from the hospital in.

My MIL gave me a precious baby sling, one of those baby carriers that
holds your baby like a pea in a pod close to your body, diagonally. The
pictures on the box are absolutely adorable. Also some crib sheets &
PROTECTORS! (smart thinking!) and 2 bags of diapers!

She also had a printout in the bag of a darling swingset for the baby
which she'd left at home - a remote controlled, music playing, swinging
sensation with a removable tray that contained various flashing,
speaking toys the baby could play with.

After the gifts we all went and had cake and punch, and then we played a
game where we passed a baby bottle around and said letters, and whoever
got to the "Y" in baby had to give a piece of sage advice on caring for
babies. The best one I think was from my 17 year old niece who said,
"Never leave your kid at home on accident when leaving the house." LOL
Or maybe from another niece who suggested "When your baby starts
toddling, put him in a box." (ROFL - she meant a pen or enclosure away
from sharp coffee tables and stands...)

After that we took a break and were getting ready to load everything
into the car, and my MIL broke out the camera. My sister was insisting
we needed pictures of my belly, and of course everybody in the house
couldn't keep their hands off, so my MIL has a dozen pictures of
everyone clustered around me fondling my belly and talking to the baby. LOL

One of my sisters came up after a while and asked me if I was ok, she
said I looked a little flushed and overwhelmed and did I mind the
attention, lol. As if I had a choice! I told her I'm always flushed
these days (true!) but it was exciting and endearing to be the absolute
center of everyone's attention LOL

After that we packed up the car and said our goodbyes. We had another
place to be - my 18 year old niece, the one named after me and the one I
practically claimed as my own when she was little, was working and had
to miss the party. We took her mom & sister (my sister & niece we'd
given a ride to) to the ice cream parlour where she works (Cold Stone
Creamery, where they make fabulous creations and sing and dance for you)
and had ice cream, hung out for a little bit, and she gave me the gift
she had for the baby. A cute little bib that says, "Later, I'm
DOWNLOADING." A PERFECT gift! (When my husband saw it after I got home,
he laughed and said, "She's such my favorite!"

After that we left to go home. We stopped for pizza on the way back at
the most fabulous pizza parlour in washington state, and picked up
pizzas for us all. We got home around 9:30, were both exhausted, and met
up with our guys at MIL's house. As soon as I walked in the door FIL
excitedly showed me the baby swing, playing the music, exclaiming over
the remote control, twirling the toys on the tray and showing how they
light up and how the kitty goes "Meow" when you grab it and the doggie
goes "Bark" and everything. He was like a little kid gushing all over
it! I was so tickled.

DH and I drove off home. I came in the door and spent a few minutes
showing him all the baby stuff, then just collapsed in bed exhausted and
aching. I had a fabulous day but am still exhausted and aching after it
even the next morning!

I think one of the best parts of this trip was that I got to have long
conversations with MIL. She and I have never really had the opportunity
to speak alone together or bond and this was great. She offered to pay
to get DH a nice haircut & some new clothes for work (he's looking
tattered these days) and she asked me what else I'd need for baby. We
talked it over and she wrote herself a list of things to pick up,
suggesting strollers, changing tables, etc. She'd brought some picture
cards of baby stuff she'd collected to have me look over. I gently
talked her down out of the $200 stroller to a highly rated & reviewed
$40 one - hah - and said we really didn't need the changing table
because we always had the bed or the floor!

Wonderful day, although my TMJ was massively irritated by all the
smiling my knees, neck and back are sore, and I think I pulled a
ligament in my belly!

"Shena Delian O'Brien" wrote in message
news:ioG2c.516511$na.1173246@attbi_s04...
Hi all -

I am back from my baby shower. (And the exhausted coma I lapsed into
after I got home...)

snip

I'm so glad you had your shower and you had a good time! Your MIL sounds
like a godsend, and a great resource for when you feel lonely and miss your
family. Teenage nieces too....great babysitters, and they can drive
themselves!
Congrats,
Amy

Shena Delian O'Brien wrote:

There was a cake fiasco as they'd gotten one chocolate cake (nobody
likes chocolate cake I don't know what they were thinking... I

OMG I wish I had been at your party. ;-) I would have had that cake
all to myself!

I think one of the best parts of this trip was that I got to have long
conversations with MIL. She and I have never really had the opportunity
to speak alone together or bond and this was great. She offered to pay
to get DH a nice haircut & some new clothes for work (he's looking

Wonderful! I hope that this helps bring you closer together in the future.

I'm very happy that you had a totally enjoyable day. It sounded really
wonderful.

:: I am back from my baby shower. (And the exhausted coma I lapsed into
:: after I got home...)


I'm so glad that you were able to spend a wonderful day with your family
celebrating the upcoming arrival of your little one!!

Sounds like a fantastic time was had by all.

~Carol Ann

Good to hear that the shower went well (apart from the cake fiasco!). Your
MIL sounds very nice. I am so happy for you.
I hope your pains go away very soon.
--
Love

Nicky

EDD March 26, '04. It's a girl!

Fur Babies

"Vicky Bilaniuk" wrote in message
...
Shena Delian O'Brien wrote:

There was a cake fiasco as they'd gotten one chocolate cake (nobody
likes chocolate cake I don't know what they were thinking... I

OMG I wish I had been at your party. ;-) I would have had that cake
all to myself!

I was thinking the same thing....you _know_ people who don't eat chocolate
cake? Where are they???! ;-)

What a lovely day :-)

I'm so happy you are bonding with your MIL.

Have fun playing with all the gifts.

Camille

Glad to hear you got your shower and had a good time!

Jill

"V." wrote:

Teenage nieces too....great babysitters, and they can drive
themselves!

Hehehe! This really makes me laugh because *I* am that
'teenage-niece-the-kids-love-who-drives-herself' in both sides of my family!
My brother (19) is the oldest grandchild, but he doesn't baby-sit. I am the
next oldest on one side and then the 3rd oldest on the other side (the 2nd
oldest is a girl but isn't interested in small children, however she
baby-sits if I can't and she's available). It is really nice for me to be
able to form relationships with my cousins (40 of them and about 1/2 are
under the age of 8!), though it's going to make going away to college *SO*
much harder!!! So, when you think that they are helping YOU out by being
there whenever you need them (even if you ask them an hour before ) and
by providing their own transportation and helping keep you sane...*YOU* are
also doing THEM a favor by allowing them to bond with your child(ren).

Sorry- just had to add here!
-Kara.

"Shena Delian O'Brien" wrote:

Wonderful day, although my TMJ was massively irritated by all the
smiling my knees, neck and back are sore, and I think I pulled a
ligament in my belly!

Shena,
I'm so glad to hear that you had a great time at the shower...you really
deserved it!!! I bet you feel so good knowing that your MIL is being
supportive of you and willing to assist you. That support (however big or
small) can make ALL the difference in the world!
Sorry you are sore . Hopefully that won't last long.
This might be a sore topic, and feel free to not answer if you don't
want, but how are things going with your DH and the financial situation?
I've really been thinking about you and praying for you a lot lately. I hope
things are starting to look up.

Good luck!
-Kara.