Showers for Baby R.

katieshowerJune 14th and 15th were very busy days for this mama-to-be. On Friday, June 14th, a few of my co-workers got together to throw Baby R his first of two showers. I share an office with one of the girls on the “Baby Shower” committee, so I had an idea of how much work they were putting into it. There is only so much you can do to make a conference room cute, but they did an amazing job. The shower was pot-luck style, which is one of my favorites. Between the taco dip, little smokies and the desserts, I think we were all stuffed by the end of it.
katieshower2I was completely shocked and almost overwhelmed by all the stuff we received and it was all stuff I was hoping would be bought off the registry. (My sly co-worker was taking good notes as I mentioned in passing the items I was excited about.) I won’t list them all, but I will mention that an Ergo baby carrier and a Skip-Hop diaper bag were among the gifts we received. If any of my co-workers are reading this, please know how much we appreciate everything!
The following day was my big friends and family shower. One of my closest friends – we’ll call her C – offered to throw it for me and my mom helped her as much as she could. I don’t know why, but I am I always surprised when so many people show up at a party that has anything to do with little ol’ me. I was surprised by how big the attendance was to my bridal showers, I was surprised by how many people attended our wedding and I was once again surprised by how many people were able to attend Baby R’s shower.
katieshower3My mom and C seriously went above and beyond. C had asked me what my pregnancy cravings have been. I haven’t craved a ton of things on a regular basis, except Hot Dogs and Doritos – neither are things I normally like, let alone crave. So hot dogs/brats and Doritos were the center pieces of the menu. She also threw in some really good blue cheese dip and a variety of desserts for my ever-present sweet tooth. My dad even pitched in by carving out a watermelon bassinet and melon-head baby! There were so many other details, I won’t even get into them all, but I’ll let you enjoy the pictures.
katieshower5Once again, I was completely overwhelmed by everything Baby R received. I think it showed when I got to the gift from my bridesmaids. Most of them have babies already and a few of the things they included, I had no clue what they were. Luckily, C was the one who put the present together and was able to tell me that one was a special ice pack for breasts when breast feeding (apparently it is a life-saver in case I get mastitis) and the other was nipple cream. One of my favorite parts of the shower was trying to explain some of the new baby gagets to the old ladies at the shower. I think my mom is still confused by why all the current mothers of babies were enthusiastically nodding with approval when I opened the Sophie or what the exact purpose of the filling station is for those new disposable squeeze pouches. She did however think the faucet cover and matching knee pad for the bathtub were genius.
katieshower7By the end of Saturday, I was exhausted, but incredibly excited. We just moved into a new, and much larger, house than we previously had, and yet I now feel like we need a bigger house to fit all of Baby R’s stuff! Of course, I know we will be just fine, but it’s really starting to get real that he’s going to be here soon! I was hoping to do a nursery reveal during this post as well, however, we are a little behind on that project. Look for that in a couple of weeks.
What was the most memorable thing about YOUR baby shower that you will always remember? For me, it will be having all the people (well, the ladies I guess) that care about Bryan, the baby and I in one room, celebrating his impending arrival. It was a long road for us to get to this point, which makes this even more special for us.
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Katie Ripke
Katie is a mama of two rambunctious, sweet, cuddly and highly energetic boys. Growing up in Mount Vernon, Iowa, she briefly left the area to attend college at the University of Northern Iowa, had a brief stint living in Chicago before settling down in Lisbon with her husband Bryan. Katie has been in the marketing field for over 10 years and is currently a marketing manager for an area health care organization. When she is not balancing life as a working mom, Katie enjoys binging on Netflix/Hulu, learning about all things boy and squeezing in a workout from time to time. Her current addictions include coffee, LaCroix, and cookies.

3 COMMENTS

  1. But I have a question for you…shouldn’t you have a shower for all your kids and not just the first one? I struggle with this because I think each child is a blessing that should have a shower even if its your fourth you could always use diapers and why shouldn’t that baby get a few new things:) just my input:)

    • I have been reading about a trend called “Sprinkles” and “Sip-n-Sees” for second, third, etc. children. I think it sounds like an interesting trend, I have never attended one myself. I know for me personally, I usually buy a gift for each of our friends and family’s baby’s, regardless of what number it is because I agree, each new baby is something to celebrate.

  2. Book showers are something lots of second and third time moms are doing now. New books for the baby, and books for the older sibling too. Celebrates the special event and helps add education and more bonding time with mom & dad as they enjoy all their new treasures!!

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