A Lil House Baby Shower
Posted by Rebecca, March 12th, 2012
On Saturday, our families threw us a baby shower. It took place at the same local bed & breakfast where we got married almost 2.5 years ago.
It was sort of rainbow themed, though my mom, mother-in-law and sister-in-law Jen kept the decorations to a minimum to not take away from the classic house.
My sister-in-law ordered these adorable invites and thank you cards and set them up on the entryway table with favors and candle holders made out of tissue paper.
Yes I blurred out my last name. Not that I necessarily care if you know it, but it just seemed wrong to blantantly post it you know?
On the other side of the entryway were some adorable centerpieces my mother-in-law made with crayons and baby pictures of Mike and I.
I forgot how big the house was. There was no formal seating during the shower and just seating throughout the many rooms of the house (probably about 5 large rooms downstairs?). I opened gifts in this large living room area.
And that seriously ends where Mike took pictures. We were so busy making the rounds that we didn’t get pictures of a lot of things, including the rainbow cupcakes, food, a shot of me actually standing and a shot of us together. Thankfully I did ask a friend to take some pictures while I opened gifts. We received so many amazing things, which was even more apparent when I went through these pictures and realized I am smiling ridiculously huge in most of them.
That’s a puppy cat hat. I’m not sure if it’s a puppy or a cat. I think I decided it’s a chihuahua.
My sister in law painted this wipe case with my favorite, Puss in Boots. It has our last name on the right side so of course I blurred it out, but I couldn’t resist posting my Puss in Boots impression (learned from Darwin)…
We also got loads of baskets full of goodies, which I love (and are generally my gift giving choice when I go to baby showers :)) I wish I had before pictures of how adorable they all looked.
Of course, no baby shower is complete without a poop reference.
The blog wasn’t forgotten at the shower either. My mother-in-law gave me this bib…
I caught Macky wearing it already….
I always love reading about baby gear on blogs and I got a lot of ideas for what to register for by reading blogs. I like seeing what sort of baby stuff people with a similar style to mine find, so I figured I’d share some of our choices that we received on Saturday. Maybe it will help a fellow pregnant lady out? 🙂
1. bumGenius Elemental Cloth Diapers– Mike and are planning to use cloth diapers most of the time. It seems to be one of those topics that fascinate people like how we don’t eat meat…we’re crazy, what can I say? The truth is we try to do the best we can with what we have. We’re not trying to fit into any label or group, but we do what we feel is best for us. We went with the all-in-ones because we think it would be easiest for us. We are thinking of picking up some bumGenius 4.0s also to try while we figure out what we like best. We know it will be a learning process (I mean, what won’t be!?) but we’re confident in our decision.
2. Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat in Romantic– I did the usual research, determined this one was safe, easy to carry and a nice classy fabric. SOLD!
3. babyGap Convertible Printed Bundler– Not only does this have an adorable gender neutral star pattern, but it’s super soft and converts from a bundler to a one piece with pants!
4. JJ Cole Diaper & Wipes Pod in Mixed Leaf– I love all things JJ Cole. They’ve managed to make baby gear look super chic. The pattern on this won me over and I thought it would add a nice pop of fun to my solid gray diaper bag (I also got the matching pacifier and bottle holders)
5. Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair– This pattern is sold exclusively at Target and for some reason I love the childish numbers on it. We went with this as opposed to a traditional stand alone high chair because we don’t have a lot of room in our eat in kitchen and we didn’t want an extra giant thing hanging around. Plus we like the idea of taking this anywhere with us, but it still functions exactly like a regular high chair. It even turns into a booster for older kids!
6. Lifefactory Glass Baby Bottle 4 pack (in gender neutral colors)– Mike and I stopped using plastics for our hot food probably over a year ago. Something about the thought of leeching creeps me out. We traded in all of our ziploc plastic containers for glass, so it only seemed right to use glass bottles for the baby as well. We went with these because not only is the colorful sleeve adorable, but it helps protect the bottle from breaking. They also come with solid caps to hold snacks or sippy cup lids so that the bottles grow with the baby.
7. giggle Better Basics Striped Cap– Because it’s adorable, organic, striped and a bright color. We also received the matching bibs, mittens and booties!
8. UppaBaby Vista Stroller in Silver/Mica– Some of you spotted this in the box in one of our nursery posts. I could write a whole lengthy post on our stroller decision, but the UppaBaby won out at the last minute. I was set on a Baby Jogger City Select for months, then suddenly changed my mind. I love that the UppaBaby comes standard with a bassinet and we went with a 2011 model (which were cheaper than the newly released 2012 ones). So I was pretty convinced.
One item I meant to include but forgot is the Ergo Baby Organic carrier. I am totally going to be one of those people that walks around with my baby strapped to my chest (how else will I blog?) and I love this carrier. I’m debating whether to get the infant insert for the Ergo we received at the shower, or go with a different carrier for the newborn stage (like a Moby). Any thoughts?
Sorry I went mommy blogger for a few there, but you can open your eyes now 🙂
Anyway, we are very lucky to have super generous family and friends who not only threw a beautiful shower for us, but made sure our baby was set with a bunch of wonderful goodies. I cannot wait to have the room all ready so I can begin to put some of this stuff away!
ps- The plan all week was to paint the nursery on Sunday, but I was drained after all of the excitement so Mike worked on it solo. Maybe it will be done by the end of the week for a reveal 🙂
Tags: baby gear, baby shower, bumgenius, rainbow theme, uppababy
I love the invitations and all the colors. Looks like a wonderful party!
The shower looked lovely. That B&B looks so welcoming – would you mind sharing the name of it?
Congratulations on your upcoming arrival!
Sure it’s the Inn at Fernbrook Farm
Congratulations!! Looks like a wonderful shower! 🙂
Just wanted to say I think it is awesome you’re going to CD. I started CD-ing with my 3rd baby and have loved it! It can be a challenge and definitely a learning experience, but once you get your wash routine down you’re good!! I agree that people generally think your nuts-o when they find out you CD!
Good Luck!!
Looks like you got some great stuff! And it’s super cute that it was held at the same place where you got married! So sweet!
totally adorable baby shower decor and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bib!!!! And thanks for the baby product recommendations- I’m pinning to save for my future babies! 🙂
What a beautiful baby shower! Mine was very colorful too and I loved all the thought and care my friends and family put into it…..
We received a Moby and then we bought an Ergo. I loved the Moby for his baby stage….. I would take a lot of walks outside and it was the best for the heat (we live in Texas). When we took a big family vacation, he was 5 months old and we used the Ergo for all the hiking. So my opinion is both IF you live somewhere where heat is a major factor. Otherwise the Ergo with the insert is my top choice for comfort and stability (for both of us).
That’s what I was thinking… The Moby would mostly be for my maternity leave, which will be May/June/July. Plus it would be less bulky for when I’m hanging around in my sweats 🙂 The Moby is about the same price as the newborn insert, so I’m leaning towards getting one at the moment.
Rebecca:
I have some unsolicited advice from a fellow new mommy. Don’t have your heart set too strongly on what you want, or how you want things to go. It’s a real learning experience, especially if you are going back to work. Sometimes your baby doesn’t cooperate. For instance: I have over 800 dollars worth of baby carriers. I have 3 slings, 2 Ergo’s, 2 Moby’s, a Baby Bjorn, etc…I was heart set on carrying my baby this way. Guess what…she hates them all. With a burning passion. She is the worlds happiest, smiliest baby, but totally loses her mind if I put her in a carrier. She absolutely loves her car seat and stroller though, so she gets put in the Bob whenever we go anywhere.
Also, I planned to cloth diaper, and mostly do, especially on weekends, but it didn’t work out with the baby sitter. Nobody other than us was keen on it, even though I explained they wouldn’t have to rinse, etc. I was really bummed, and dwelled on it for a couple of weeks. Now, I’m over it, and buying pampers.
I don’t want to be a negative nelly, but just want to advise you not to be hard on yourself or really disappointed if things don’t go exactly as planned. It was really hard for me to come to terms with this, so it’s a piece of advice I have given all of my pregnant friends.
I wish you the best, sweetest, cutest, happiest baby in town!
Julia
Thanks Julie! We are definitely very opened minded! I don’t really have a birth plan, I know that breastfeeding doesn’t always work out and I know that going back to work is easier said than done. We know that this is all new to us and have no perfect vision of how things will be at any step along the way… I feel like that would only set us up for disappointment. Though I am going back to work, Mike will be home with the baby during the day which is why we decided to try cloth diapers. If it doesn’t work out or we have to switch brands, that’s fine with us! We’re all about keeping life in perspective– as long as we’re all happy and healthy that is all that matters.
Good attitude. I was pretty “set” in how I was going to do things, which made for a lot of anxiety in our house!
Unfortunately, the baby doesn’t always have the same ideas we do!
It’s so worth it though: you may not think so those first few weeks (which is completely normal, by the way), but man, when they start smiling and interacting with you, you couldn’t care less about a Moby wrap 🙂
Your shower looked like a blast!
As for the baby carriers. I have 3: Moby, Mei Tai and the Ergo (with infant insert). To be honest, none of them really work for me for various reasons. My daughter wasn’t too fond of the Moby (which I admit, I only tried once), the Mai Tai hurts my back after a while (but I use it only to go food shopping) and the Ergo is just too much for me (though, my husband really likes it.) We never even used our infant insert because it was just easier to push her in the Vista most of the time.
That doesn’t look all that helpful, but it may give you some prospective. I like your idea of trying the Moby for the summer months and then the Ergo without the insert. Good luck!
Rebecca,
I have to disagree with the previous post. If you have your heart set on cloth diapering- it will work out, especially if your husband is on board. It is really easy (and fun), and you obviously know the benefits so it will be easy to keep with it. I use mostly AIOs, but found that I much prefer Grovia AIO over the bumGenius. BGs elementals take forever to dry.
I really like the moby for the newborn stage- super comfy and I loved the closeness! It is a good investment.
I just found your blog (thanks to pinterest), and I love how you decorate your home! Can’t wait to see the finished nursery!
Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!
Brittany
Love it! We have almost all of those items and I even shared them in a post of my favorite newborn items! I’m a new follower!
So I’m curious now about what is working out for you now in terms of strollers, etc. Do you use all the stuff you got from your shower and on your own? What could you live without and what can you not live without?
Great list.. thanks for sharing very helpful .. you have saved so much of my time 🙂
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What a wonderful party. Thank you for sharing your baby product recommendations. The invitations looked lovely too!