Baby Showers are BIG business out here in the States. While in recent years they are becoming more popular in the UK, here in America they take it to a-whole-nother level!
I've been to quite a few since we've lived here from a handful of friends to a full-on event with over a hundred people. One thing they have all had in common is that they are planned to the finest detail, whether it be in the decorations, the games or the food. The gift registry aspect has been a whole different kettle of fish too ... it's treated like a wedding gift list. It really has been quite the eye opener!
When I was expecting Abigail I didn't have any kind of baby shower. We hadn't been living where we were for too long and were a couple of hours away from friends and family. Having said that we had a good group of friends cook us meals for a week or two and every day for the first month of her life, Abigail received all kinds of goodies in the post. So we were just 'showered' in a different way!
Last spring when Naomi was a couple of months old, some good friends here threw us a post-birth baby shower. It was really nice to do it that way round ... so that Naomi could be part of the celebrations too! The detail in the planning was amazing and we felt totally loved. My love of books was totally incorporated ... as it was a Literary Baby Shower' ... both in the decorations, the games and if you look closely below even in the food!
My lovely friends also shared 'mummy' poems and stories, some they had found and some they had written. I will leave you with one of those we heard that evening ...
Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since you called on me to be a mum
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with building blocks
Cooking, cleaning and finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of your grace
I see then, in my small one's face
That you have blessed me all the while
And I stop to kiss that precious smile
What a lovely poem. I had a baby shower for Harvey, but not Toby (not sure why), I a being asked to make cakes for baby showers more often now, and they do lovely decoration over in he UK for baby themed cakes.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of having the shower after the baby is born, especially if you don't mow if it's a boy or girl before hand. Plus mum cahave a little drink to celebrate.