Saturday, January 26, 2013

Colors and books and literary-themed food - oh my!

I had been looking forward to my "big" shower - aka the one people came from out of town for - since we scheduled it in something like September. Erika and Elizabeth offered to hostess, and I was overwhelmed (in a good way!) with the detail they put in to celebrate my pregnancy and welcome Risotto. At 36 weeks pregnant, I was showing plenty, and it was so special for me to have ladies from all different parts of my life come together. From family in Oregon, NorCal and Oceanside to friends from church groups, former work colleagues, Justin's classmates, and a friend for 18 years, I was incredibly blessed. Here's my take on the amazing afternoon - and for extra fun, read Erika's recap here or Elizabeth's here.


As soon as I walked into Erika's house, it was clear they had redone everything for the shower - wow! While our nursery is Very Hungry Caterpillar themed, E&E knew that basically means colors and animals, and they took that to heart. Splashes of color were everywhere, and the whole house had be reorganized for ultimate shower goodness. In reference to my extreme (and therefore, Risotto's imminent) love of great literature, they focused on using children's books for decor, had food themed to said books, and asked guests to bring a book if they wanted to be part of a raffle. As a result, Risotto already has a SPLENDID library. One of my favorite things was that whenever I opened a book present, at least one or two people in the room would say, "Oh, that is the BEST book!" Yes, they all are. 

One of the games we played was for guests to guess facts about my birth, as confirmed by my mom, and to guess Justin's answers to the same questions. All in all, Justin did pretty well - especially considering for two or three questions, my mom didn't even know the answer! I think that's a good sign that one needn't be overly concerned with keeping extraordinarily detailed records of things like, "When did this child first roll over?" The other lesson is that no one can tell you you're wrong if, as a parent, you make up your answer. 
Erika outdid herself with the caterpillar diaper cake. Not only did she find the wooden stacking caterpillar toy, she added the blue and green receiving blankets, red raffia and hid Very Hungry Caterpillar and friends bath toys within.  

Three generations! You can't really see one of them, but you get the idea. :) 



The food included:
- Gouda Night Moon Cheese Plate
- Kind of the Wild Things Fruit Salad
- Curry-ous George Chicken Salad
- Man with the Yellow Hat Cucumber Sandwiches
- The adorable caterpillar cupcake creation you can see above, complete with ganache centers - yum!






Babies and baby bumps abounded. Justin and I are so excited that Lauren and Derek are due with a little boy just a week after we are! We'll see who gets here first, but either way our sons have built-in best friends. 


When the shower started, Erika asked if I needed anything. Surrounded by so many amazing women in the room, how could I need anything else? 






Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

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