Baby showers and loads of love

Today I had a “surprise” baby shower. I say that because I knew about it, I just didn’t know any details.

My sister broached the idea of a shower months ago, and since she lives in another state we had to coordinate dates beforehand.

But, aside from knowing the date and putting together a short list of friends I wanted invited, the whole event was a surprise — everything from the location to the food to the games and favors.

I wanted this intentionally. For one, I love surprises. But more than that, I remember being overwhelmed by my last baby shower. To be sure — it was charming and loaded with thoughtful details that made me feel treasured by my friends. It was also pretty stressful with 20+ women. I had to balance chatting up obligatory relatives with being courteous to a handful of people I didn’t really even like. There was so much talk I didn’t get to eat much, which was not cool (I was seven months pregnant at the time).

For today’s shower, I feel like everything was truly perfect. It was small, with only ten of my favorite friends and relatives. I spent the first hour by the buffet, happily stuffing myself with all the homemade goodies while I easily chatted up my guests. Instead of playing too many silly games, my hostesses had the idea to have each guest paint a onesie with puff paint and fabric markers.

We did play the ribbon-around-the-belly game, where each guest had to estimate my massive circumference. Great-Grandma won that one, which seemed fitting. After all, she’s seen quite a few pregnant bellies in her life!

All in all, it was really terrific. There’s nothing like having your closest friends and families celebrate the blessing of your pregnancy. I feel so loved and appreciated, and it makes these final days of being pregnant that much sweeter.

Best,
Mindy

P.S. One of the best games we played was Pregnant Pictionary. You really get some interesting drawings when you have words like “breast feeding” and “breast pump.”