Hi, my friends! I’m still in Southwest Florida, having a most wonderful time with my family. Over the weekend, my Mom and future sister-in-law, Stephanie, hosted a beautiful baby shower for me, and it was fantastic.
(My dress is from Pink Blush maternity, here are my earrings and necklace, and the flowers in my hair were hand-made by Stephanie!)
I knew I wanted to be able to celebrate the baby boy on the way with all of my dear Florida people, whom I have known for so many years and don’t get to see that often. And of course, my Mom was eager to host a little celebration as well, so it worked out perfectly. We chose a date a few months ago, and I booked a plane ticket in order to have a whole week hanging out at home, with the baby shower right in the middle of the visit.
The event itself was perfect. And leading up to it and cleaning up from it was fun as well, because I got to spend a ton of time with my Mom and Stephanie (my brother and Stephanie live in Atlanta, and they are planning to get married in April or May of next year there, by the way, so we have more celebrations ahead for our fam).
My Mom and Stephanie didn’t want me to help with any preparations or clean-up, but I chipped in on little things just for fun anyway, because we were all doing it together. It was great girl time! And as a treat, we each did some eye treatments the night before the shower, which I totally have to buy again and take a picture of to show you guys. But I digress …
(The lovely hostesses, Stephanie, and my Momma.)
Here are some of the reasons I am SO grateful for the baby shower that they held for me …
- They did the most thoughtful decorating, which was right up my alley, without me even saying what I liked or wanted all — I literally gave no direction, and they nailed it. The invitations were adorable and from this Etsy shop, and the games and little “wish cards” that my Mom had everyone fill out all followed along the same theme. The colors were light blue, white and grey — which are the colors I plan to use to decorate our future make-shift nursery. (More to come on that soon!)
- Some of the decor items were actually gifts I could take home. Stephanie had the idea to hang little baby boy clothes on a clothesline around the food table room, and all of those little items will be worn in the future. And the little baby boy shoes? They are so small, that every time I touch them, I giggle.
- People came from far and wide for this event. I’m so touched and honored that my dear friends made the effort to show up for my shower, no matter what was going on in their lives. A few of my girlfriends drove down from Orlando (a three-hour drive), a few drove from the Tampa/St. Pete area (a sometimes two-hour drive), and of course, others took time out of their day to come over and celebrate from nearby. It’s not easy to pop into Florida only once this year, when I would love to have come many more times, and my friends knew that and came over to hang. I wish they could’ve stayed all day! But of course, they had to get back to their respective families too.
- Having so many of my good friends and my Mom and Stephanie and my Mom’s friends, who have definitely seen me grow up, all in one place, was amazing. We laughed, we chatted, we dined, and we had a great time.
- As I mentioned above, my Mom had everyone fill out a custom little “wish card,” which she had made on Etsy, and everyone who came to the shower filled out some cute things for the future babe, like what qualities they hope he gets from Dave and from me and what his favorite song should be, etc.. The evening after the shower, we read through them all, and I loved it. All the wish cards are now in a little matching book that we can save as a keepsake and show him one day. (The consensus was mostly that people want the baby to get my smarts/positivity and Dave’s athleticism/looks hahahah!)
- Delicious food and the cutest cake I’ve ever seen. You won’t be getting a close-up shot of the cake in today’s blog post, because I’m keeping the babe’s name off the Interwebs for now, but believe me, it was a cute two-layered cake, which was as nice as a wedding cake. The top layer was fondant, cream and raspberry, and the bottom layer was decadent chocolate. I love cake. I love fondant. Enough said.
- Pictures! Even though I wanted to do nothing but enjoy the moment, I told myself I wanted to get a few good shots of the scene, decor and people at the shower. So I pulled out my good camera (I didn’t have my phone all day, and it stayed on silent in a bedroom untouched, which was awesome), and we all pitched in to take a bunch of pictures. It was worth the effort, because now I have a ton to look back on and enjoy. Yay!
- Baby clothes! I haven’t bought ANY baby clothes yet and even though I know most new moms say that they prefer to get the useful stuff at baby showers, I was excited to get a lot of clothes at this shower. Because I was planning to travel, a lot of people sent larger gifts to my house in Walnut Creek directly and brought just a little something cute for me to open at the shower, like an outfit or a book. (Another reason I’m so appreciative of the double effort they had to make!) So I will be able to easily pack all of the cute stuff I received in my suitcase on the way home. And I got SO many cute baby clothes. Literally, I may have to make an Instagram page for the babe once he comes, because it’s going to have to be dress-up every single day. Did I mention the tiny shoes? They are very small. I giggle.
- Games, friends, food, conversation. All the good stuff in one day! Loved it all!
Now, let’s get to some more pictures …
The people …
There were 20 people at the shower, including my friends and my Mom’s friends. And they are a beautiful crew, if I do say so myself.
(Me and the Grandma-to-be!)
(My long-time Florida friends, from left to right, Kristen, Courtney, me, Judy, Amanda, Shannon and Yolanda.)
The food …
We had cheese and crackers, bruschetta and cucumber toasts as appetizers; followed by lasagna, chicken salad croissants and strawberry and feta salad for lunch; and we finished up with cookies, brownies, scones and cake for dessert. Umm, yum!
The entertainment …
Everybody took a picture with a little chalkboard with their guess on the baby’s arrival date (my due date is October 15, by the way). They each filled out their wish cards, and we played two games, including guessing celebrity baby names and baby songs. And I failed miserably at the celebrity baby names one, which was unexpected, because I thought I was up on pop culture, but clearly not like the rest of the gang. Then, at the end, we opened gifts. Yay!
(Seriously, how about this onesie? I also received a matching “Big Brother” bandana from this Etsy shop for Rudy the pup to wear, and I’m sure that won’t be the last matching set the two of them are seen in around town.)
(We had two little gift helpers in attendance too, who were super cute!)
I can’t say thank you enough to my wonderful Mom and to Stephanie for working so hard to host the sweetest and most beautiful baby shower for me, for the babe and of course, for Dave (who was in absentia). I loved every single thing about it! I am SO grateful for them and for all of the people who came to celebrate with me!
Cheers to good friends and time at home in Florida! I’ll be here a few more days before flying back to the Bay Area, and I have another wonderful baby shower to look forward to with all of my California people too next weekend! Woohoo! I’ll see you all back here on the blog very soon. 🙂
Pictures and stories from a beautiful #babyshower in Florida ... Click To TweetQuestions of the day
What’s your favorite gift to give or receive at a shower?
What’s your favorite game to play at a shower?
How was your weekend?
Heather @Lunging Through Life says
You look beautiful and the shower looks perfect! I’m so glad you had time to get home and have this thrown for you and baby boy!
Heather @Lunging Through Life recently posted…Family Trip to Idlewild!
Ashley says
Hi Heather! Thank you so much! It was a great time! I hope your weekend was good too, friend!
Bethany says
I love your dress! You look beautiful!
We did a name game at a baby shower I attended this weekend that was fun.
My favorite gifts were thankful or handmade items. Like a knitted hat I received and the old book my grandmother gave me that was my dad’s. She even wrote our son a note in it.
Bethany recently posted…Coffee Date
Ashley says
Hi Bethany! Those gifts sound beautiful! Hand-made or personalized stuff is awesome. 🙂 Happy Monday!
Heather @ Polyglot Jot says
You seriously look gorgeous! I wore a pinkblush dress to my shower too! Such pretty florals they have this year. What a great shower–my favorite thing I received was cute outfits, our crib, and diapers!
Heather @ Polyglot Jot recently posted…5 Ways to Stay Healthy with a Newborn
Ashley says
Hi Heather! Ahhh yes, diapers. I haven’t purchased any or received any of those yet! And I loved SO many of the dresses from Pink Blush — soooo feminine and pretty! Happy Monday, lady! Hope your weekend was great!
Susie @ Suzlyfe says
I don’t know which is more beautiful–you or the shower! Ok, I know the answer to that–definitely you–but the shower is fabulous and so much love went into it. I guess I can forgive you for not being home this weekend in order to be celebrated like this!
Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…Travel Frustrations Balanced by My Sweat Pink Fix
Ashley says
Hi Susie! I know! I’m so sad I missed seeing you in my ‘hood — but at least I had a good reason to be gone. Hope you had fun in the Bay Area, lady! 🙂
Emily @ Pizza &Pull-ups says
What a beautiful shower! Glad you are having a great time in Florida!
Emily @ Pizza &Pull-ups recently posted…Peachy keen – Weekend Recap
Ashley says
Thank you so much, Emily! 🙂 Hope your weekend was just lovely too!
Courtney Koch says
It was a beautiful celebration for the worlds most beautiful soon-to-be Mom!
Xoxo.
Ashley says
Hi Courtney! You are the sweetest! I’m SO happy I got to see your pretty face. Thank you for coming to be a part! 🙂
Carrie this fit chick says
This looks beautiful! And so do you! What a sweet way to celebrate your little boy on the way!
Carrie this fit chick recently posted…What I’ve Been Eating Wednesday
Ashley says
Thank you, Carrie! It was the perfect shower! 🙂 So good to be home in Florida for a bit and see my people! Hope your weekend was great, lady!
Sarah @ The Fit Niche says
Aw congrats! Love that dress. I am FINALLY having to buy clothes for my son now as he is growing out of all his baby shower gifts – and he is almost 18 months! People love buying baby clothes 🙂
Sarah @ The Fit Niche recently posted…Why creating a free opt-in and building an email list should be your top priority (+4 opt-in offer ideas)
Ashley says
Hi Sarah! No way! Your baby shower gift clothes lasted a long time. I think I may have received something for as big as 18 months, but just a bit heheh. Baby clothes are adorable, so I would probably want to buy the too! But now you get to do your own shopping heheh!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
What a beautiful shower! Your dress is so perfect and you’re glowing in these photos. You can tell the quality time with your friends and family made you so happy. Congrats again!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health recently posted…Eggplant Curry with Cucumber Mint Raita
Ashley says
Hi Sarah! It sooooo did! Feels good to be around my oldest friends to celebrate something that makes me so happy. Thank you for reading and saying hi, lady!! 🙂
Susie says
Your cake was so adorable! I love the Peter Rabbit theme.
Also, Dave is a good looking guy, but you’re pretty darn gorgeous yourself and your baby will be just as fortunate to take after you in the looks department!
Ashley says
Hi Susie! Thank you!! The theme was super cute for sure. hehehe and I appreciate your kind words! We will be happy with WHATEVER the little babe looks like hahah! 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend, lady!
Lindsay Ingalls says
Congrats and what a beautiful shower! Wishing you the best for remainder of your pregnancy!
Ashley says
Hi Lindsay! Thank you so much for saying hi! It was a great shower. Hope all is well with you, lady! 🙂
Patricia @sweet and strong says
What a beautiful shower. And you look stunning, love that dress! My favorite part about showers is the desserts and seeing all the cute little outfits, they’re all so adorable!
Patricia @sweet and strong recently posted…The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ashley says
Hi Patricia! Thanks, lady! It was such a good time. Showers are always fun, especially when they are being thrown for you heheh! And I like the desserts and the outfits too! Same!! 🙂 Hope your girls trip was awesome!!
Ashley @ Whiskers and Weights says
You look amazing in that dress! I have never heard of wish cards (not too many friends having babies yet) but I am definitely going to have to remember those for the near future! Such a great idea!
Ashley @ Whiskers and Weights recently posted…Weekend in Review | New Job and Taco Tour
Ashley says
Hi Ashley! Thanks for saying hi! Totally — the wish cards were super special, and something we can keep around and look back on. I’m sure you will find tons of Pinterest inspiration if you ever have to hold a baby shower hahaha! 🙂
Laura says
Hi Ashley! Your shower looks fun! I was wondering on your thought on having a baby so far away from family. (Maybe you’ve blogged on this before?) My husband and I are thinking of starting a family and I want to move closer to home and he wants to move from away from family. Thoughts? Thanks so much!
Ashley says
Hi Laura, Thanks so much for reading and saying hi. I’ve got to be honest — I don’t have ANY advice on raising kids far away from family yet, because I haven’t done it. I do know that my Mom will be coming out around the birth of the baby for a few weeks, and we plan to have her come for a couple weeks at a time throughout the year. Also, I plan to take the baby on a plane pretty early on to visit the East Coast, which means, we’ll turn him into a traveler from the beginning — which isn’t super convenient, but must be done. As far as having family around to help out with the baby — we won’t have that, and that sucks, but we LOVE where we live, and we will make it work. Check in with me after I know more hahahah! 🙂 I will tell you that moving away for a good opportunity is an amazing thing. Although I miss my parents and friends in Florida, I do NOT regret moving to California, because it’s been so good for us and our lives. Hope this helps!