Another weekend, another baby shower! Wow! I’m so grateful for all of the people who have truly showered me/us over the last week on both coasts in both of my homes. This past weekend, I had a baby shower here in the Bay Area, hosted by three of my girlfriends.
And in case you missed it, the weekend before, my wonderful Momma and future sister-in-law hosted an absolutely lovely baby shower for me at my parent’s house in Florida, with all of my dear friends, whom I’ve known for years, in attendance. So fun!
(In love with my shower dress for the day and with this little “ahoy” cupcake!)
The three girlfriends who hosted this shower, Jen, Kylie and Clare, are all part of our East Bay of San Francisco rotating dinner group of couples, who basically adopted Dave and me when we moved out to the East Bay from the City more than two years ago. They are the sweetest, and we all live within five minutes of each other. We hang out pretty often, and they are always my dates to all of the Golden State Warriors home games that I attend, so you probably recognize their faces — two of them are also fellow Warriors wives.
(The ladies! Kylie, Clare, Jen and me.)
A few months ago, they offered to throw me a little shower here, and I was so excited and surprised, because I wasn’t entirely sure if I would have a baby shower in California at all. Well, I did. And it was awesome!
The party was held at Rustic Tavern in downtown Lafayette, which is a beautiful restaurant just a town over from Walnut Creek. It was a luncheon, which started around 11:30 a.m. and lasted a couple of hours.
(These adorable and delicious cupcakes were from Nothing Bundt Cakes, and you’ll see my personal favorites of carrot cake and red velvet thrown into the mix. Of course cream cheese frosting had to make an appearance!)
There were 13 ladies in attendance, some of whom I met shortly after moving to San Francisco, who still live in the City, three family members, including Dave’s little sister and my cousin, one of Dave’s coworkers and a bunch of my East Bay lady friends, who all reside in or around Walnut Creek.
(My beautiful cousins — Karen, who lives in Mendocino and Kayla, who lives in SF.)
(My little sister-in-law, Dave’s sister, Gwena, who lives in Santa Cruz.)
We had a big area of the restaurant reserved for us, and the table was decorated with bright sunflowers and lots of navy nautical elements. I happen to love the nautical theme, and it was carried throughout, all the way from the adorable invitations, to the favors, to the cupcakes, to even the “wish cards,” which all of the ladies filled out. Kylie is super talented with design (among other things) and handled all of the printed elements, with her usual amazing style. So classy and just my taste!
(AHOY! Ashley is having a BOY!)
We all sat around the table chatting, and most of the ladies had mimosas (not me, sob sob) as we shared a ton of delicious appetizers, like bruschetta, hummus, salad, veggie sandwiches, truffle fries and of course, cupcakes. The food just kept coming! And I mean, truffle fries? Yes, please.
(Can you see the favors? Blue-toned OPI nail polishes, with a card that said, “mani thanks.”)
I sat at one end of the table with a few friends whom I don’t get to see all that often, and it was great catching up with them.
The majority of the group included ladies who already have one or two little babies, so they were quick to share some advice and talk to me about my questions and concerns, as well as share some funny stories about all things pregnancy. (Hey want to hear what you really need to know about childbirth and raising a baby? Check out this post with advice from real moms!)
After eating and hanging out for a couple of hours, I opened some presents. I got a ton of cute baby boy clothes and quite a few things from my registry, like this baby bath tub, this bouncing chair and this Rock n’ Play too and even a gift certificate for a pre-natal massage. So much awesome loot!
Before we wrapped up the celebration, we went outside to take a group photo, and I’m glad we did, so we could capture all of the beautiful ladies in attendance.
This shower was just perfect. It was a little smaller and more intimate than my Florida shower, and was absolutely the perfect way to hang out casually, with the added festivity of a celebration. Loved it!
I can’t thank the sweet hostesses, Jen, Clare and Kylie, enough for making it such a special day for me and for all the other gals who came too.
And now Dave and I are so incredibly outfitted with baby gear that all we need to do is get it organized and unpacked and then pick up a few more essentials before we’re ready for the Baby Goes West’s arrival in less than two months! And no, our nursery is nowhere near complete, so stay tuned for more on that.
After these two showers, the special events are over for me until the big day comes. However, Dave is lucky to be having a dad-chelor weekend with a bunch of his guy friends, so he’ll have an entirely different kind of party to look forward to in just a few weeks. While he’s gone, I’ll be home nesting, resting and eating sweets and wishing I had a chance to wear this dress just one more time. Maternity clothing with extra room for the belly is really starting to grow on me … 🙂
I hope you had a wonderful weekend, my friends! That’ll do it for today!
Check out all of my other pregnancy-related posts here. And I’ll see you back here soon!
Pictures and fun from a beautiful #babyshower in the East Bay by @apstyle ... Click To TweetQuestions of the day
How was your weekend?
What’s the most memorable favor you’ve ever received from a party or shower?
Heather @Lunging Through Life says
I love the theme! What a sweet gesture for your friends to throw you one. It all looks like it was so perfect for you!
Heather @Lunging Through Life recently posted…Date Night!
Ashley says
Hi Heather! I love the theme too! It was super sweet. I know why they call it a shower hahaha — I was showered with good stuff! Hope your weekend was great, Momma! 🙂
Susie @ Suzlyfe says
So so gorgeous and so sweet of your friends! I don’t know if I will be able to have an actual baby shower–my friends are so spread out across the country. So happy that yours are able to come together for you!
Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…The Serious and the Frivolous (Weekend Recap)
Ashley says
Hi Susie! I know! I wasn’t sure how my shower situation would go down too — but my Mom wanted to do one for all the East Coast peeps, and my friends here wanted to do one for all the West Coast peeps, and it was perfect. You never know, your people may come up with something cool for you, without you even needing to suggest heheheh! 🙂 Hope your weekend was fab and you are feeling good!
Ashley says
What an adorable shower theme, I love nautical anything as well! Happy that you had a chance to have two great showers and help you get prepared for your baby boy! Also, your dress is so gorgeous and you look absolutely amazing 🙂
Ashley says
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much! You are the sweetest! And yes, I feel so lucky that we have friends and family that have totally helped us get everything we need for the babe. So awesome! Hope your weekend was great, lady! 🙂
Carrie this fit chick says
Your dress looks INCREDIBLE on you!!! I love the little Warriors gear- that baby is going to be a Dubs fan from the VERY start!
Carrie this fit chick recently posted…Recipes, Round-Ups and Q+A
Ashley says
Hi Carrie! Hope your weekend was lovely, lady! We are getting “SF” weather in WC right now — windy, foggy and cool. YAY! hahah Anyways, yes — we have a bunch of Warriors gear for the little guy, starting with a onesie! OF COURSE! 🙂
Patricia @sweet and strong says
What an adorable shower and loving that dress on you! And omg the little Warriors gear, why are kids clothes the cutest! I would want to buy everythinggggg.
Patricia @sweet and strong recently posted…Tabata Cardio and Booty Workout Featuring Vie Activewear
Ashley says
Hi Patricia! I seriously just keep playing with all the very TINY clothes that we have for him. Baby clothes are the best. Everything is adorable! It’s too bad there’s a chance he will only wear things once as he grows hahaha. Hope your weekend was fab, lady! 🙂
Emily @ Pizza &Pull-ups says
That dress is gorgeous on you!!! I love Nothing Bundt Cakes, I had that at my baby shower for son, their frosting is so yummy!
Emily @ Pizza &Pull-ups recently posted…Weekend recap – best-laid plans + super quick dessert recipe
Ashley says
Oh cool! I love the little cakes! We have a NBC store near us, and clearly I need to go in there more often when I’m in need of a festive dessert. Hope your weekend was great, lady! 🙂
Meah Konstanzer says
What a fun party!! I love the pretty pink flowers on that dress. I’m totally team cream cheese frosting too 🙂 .
xxMeah
Meah Konstanzer recently posted…Almond Butter Kale Caesar with Broiled Peach and Maple Almond Clusters
Ashley says
Hi Meah! Thank you! And there is no dessert that does not taste amazing if it has cream cheese frosting on it heheh! Hope you had a fab weekend, lady! 🙂
Courtney A. Casto says
Absolutely stunning Ashley! I don’t have kids but I love buying little baby clothes for my friends – they are just the cutest!
I know everyone talks about the sweets but that picture of veggies and hummus caught my eye. Yum!
Ashley says
Hi Courtney! Thank you so much for saying hi! 🙂 And heyyyy that hummus was delish! As far as baby clothes — agreed — I always loved looking at them and buying them before getting pregnant too. They are so small and cute haha! Hope you had a great weekend, lady!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness says
There are so many things that I dig in this photo… First, your baby bump is adorable, and I love your dress! The nautical party theme is super cute – I’m going to have to keep that idea in mind for future party planning for sisters or friends. And the party favors are cute too! It sounds like your loved ones have spoiled you with baby shower fun lately 🙂
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness recently posted…Raspberry Chocolate Chip “Nice” Cream with Fresh Berries [vegan + gluten free]
Ashley says
Hi Nicole! Thanks so much! And yes — I have been pretty spoiled with the past two showers, so I’m grateful for that. And I’ve always loved the nautical theme! Definitely mark that down for any future hosting that you do! Hope you have a great day, lady! 🙂
Maureen Feeney says
What a beautiful shower! How lucky to be surrounded by so many women who want to celebrate this milestone with you.
Ashley says
Hi Maureen! Thank you so much for reading and saying hi! Yes, it was such a fun celebration with so many good people in my life! 🙂
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
what an adorable and thoughtful shower..you look gorgeous in that dress!!
Ashley says
Thank you so much, Dixya!! 🙂 Baby showers are super fun. Hope you are having a great day, my friend!