Preggy Tales: Family Baby Shower!

Before I go into the baby shower I need to give some background information on myself.

Being the center of attention makes me very nervous and anxious. Yes, I hide it well but inside I'm most likely panicking. On my wedding day, while I was in the changing room by myself, I had a mini panic attack. Not because I was afraid to get married, but because I was afraid of being in front of 100 people who'd be staring at me for 15-20 minutes. When I'm in a 'center of attention' situation I have a hard time thinking of myself. I'm too worried about whether everyone is having a good time, if everyone is mingling and getting along, have *I* made time to talk with all of my guests, etc. It's hard to relax. I also have a hard time accepting gifts. I love them, don't get me wrong. I also love getting them (duh) but I never want anyone to feel obligated to buy me something just because they are attending a function for me (ie. wedding, baby shower, birthday, etc). I really just want everyone to get together, hang out, and have a good time.

Now that you know my deep, dark insecurities about being in a situation where I am the 'woman of the hour', let's get on with the show.

I have actually been excited about my baby showers. The gift thing is easier to digest because the gifts aren't for me, they're for Harper, and generally people are excited about babies and WANT to get them things that they need. I feel like babies are easy to shop for too since they don't have an opinion that you have to work to please. I also know that babies are expensive and we have realized long ago that there are just some things that you can't do alone. Preparing for your first child is one of them. I gladly welcomed all baby items: big/small, used/new, newborn/toddler, because we just can't get everything on our own. We are just so thankful to have an unusually large family that is ready, willing, and excited to help us start this new journey.

Family background
While Bryan and I agree that it's hard being a child with divorced parents, we did realize that something great is going to come out of it. Because both of our parents are divorced and most have since remarried, Harper will now have:

8 great grandparents
7 grandparents
a BUNCH of great aunts/uncles (I'm guestimating 20+)
3 aunts/2 uncles
2 cousins (so far)

That is absolutely crazy if you ask me! I was lucky enough to meet one great-grandmother when I was little, but I don't remember much about her. All I know is that Harper is going to be very well loved.

The Shower
Sorry. I got a little carried away there, but now I have refocused (ADD? Who knows. I just think that I have a lot to say and need to find the best times to get it all out). Back to the actual shower.
Since a lot of our family is in Northern Virginia/Maryland AND my mom wanted to throw it for me, we thought it best to have the shower near Manassas at my grandparents' house. I got to spend the weekend at my mom's house, which I don't get to do a whole lot because of work and other things going on in life, and most of mine and Bryan's family were able to attend because they weren't all driving 3-4 hours down to Virginia Beach. I did get to see a lot of the shower getting put together by my mom the night before and she even let me help with some things (I asked because I have a hard time not being in control). I filled up tiny bottles with candies, helped her pick out the shower games, and went to the store with her for odds and ends. She did most of the work and everything was amazing. I'm not completely convinced that she even slept the night before the shower because every time I got up to go to the bathroom, I could hear her in the dining room working on shower things. I do know that the last time I got up was around 4:30-5am.

I was really surprised that I actually had no idea what the finished product was going to look like. I knew they were making a diaper cake, I knew that Bryan's mom was bringing the cake, I knew that my mom was making tiny cupcakes to look like rattles, I knew they were doing something with a watermelon, and I THOUGHT I had it all figured out, but it was WAY better than what I pictured in my mind.

It was fall/baby themed (at my request). There were pumpkins, orange/yellow flowers, hot apple cider, spice cake, carrot cupcakes, and more. The baby theme came out in the hanging sign, the 'it's a girl' stake in the ground out front, and the gifts. It all worked really well together. I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with some wonderful women from both sides of our family: 5 aunts (Marie, Sue, Rhonda, Dorothy, Margaret, and Genny), 2 grandmothers (Naquin and Sluzars), mom, my sister Melissa, my sister-in-law Jaime, my mother-in-law Ginny, and two of my cousins Stacey and Brittney. We ate, I opened presents, we played two games, and got to spend time together. Besides the wedding, which was a mad house, mine and Bryan's families haven't gotten the opportunity to all be together. I think that's what I was most excited about. It's hard when we each have our mom's side, dad's side, and a step-family to bring to the table. Not to mention that they are spread out in Virginia and Maryland.

To give a good recap on the shower I think it's best to just post pictures from here on out. If I keep talking about it, you're just going to go to sleep reading or click to see what everyone's doing on Facebook. Don't lie. I know what you do. Because it's what I'd do.

Decorations