Baby Shower

I'm back!  My mom and I had a great time in DC, although it was a bit of a whirlwind trip, just staying two nights and spending one full day in the city.  But more on that in a later post.  This one is about my baby shower last Saturday, which was absolutely lovely.

My mom (left) and my neighbor Alice (right), hosted the shower, with help from my sister-in-law, Susan.  They picked a beautiful location, an elegant and cozy historic house not far from here.  Fortunately, even the weather cooperated!

I hadn't known any of the details about this shower, other than who was attending, so everything was a surprise to me.  The biggest surprise met me when I walked in the door: my mom had made a beautiful quilt to hang on the wall in the nursery.  It's a family tree: baby pictures of me and MJ are on the trunk; the left three branches are baby pictures of my parents and grandparents; and the right three branches hold baby pictures of MJ's parents and grandparents.  It's not only beautiful, but also means a lot to both of us, so I can't wait to hang it up!  I think it will go above the crib in the nursery.

I was touched by how many of my friends and neighbors attended the shower.  My friend Carol even flew here from Pittsburgh!  It really meant a lot to me that they were there to help me celebrate this miracle that's about to join our family.  During the shower we were all asked to pick a quote about children from a selection on display, and talk about what the quote meant to us.  The quote I selected was:

A new baby is like the beginning of all things:

wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities

- Edna J. LeShan

When I opened my mouth to explain why I'd chosen this quote, I burst into tears in front of everyone and was unable to finish.  I was embarassed, but fortunately I was able to later delete the videotape my friend Carol made of my breakdown!

The shower ended with opening all the generous gifts that everyone brought.  We received a lot more books, which I can't wait to read to the baby.  MJ's mother even sent me his silver rattle from when he was a baby, complete with teeth marks!  MJ and I feel much more "ready" for this baby now that we have so many baby items, and I can't thank everyone enough for their generosity.