A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

A few months ago at work I was talking to a patient who was telling me about her grandchildren. I told her that my sister was expecting a baby and how excited I was. To my horror she looked at me and squinted her eyes and said, "I wouldn't bring a baby into the world! Would you?" Um...absolutely! Having a husband and family has been my dearest dream for a long time. I know times are difficult, but the world has faced dark times before and children are the hope for the future. They are the future. I was mad at that woman for trying to burst my bubble. Maybe I should have felt sorry for her because her perspective was so wrong.

So I was thrilled when I saw all the people who came out to the baby showers that the ladies at church threw last week and the one we threw yesterday. Friends and family who came to celebrate a new life and show their support for my sister and her husband. It was so encouraging and it meant a lot to our family.

I said I would show pictures of the other hand-made gifts. Here you go! Sarah made these beautiful baby hats. She made several sizes so the baby could grow into them. She used great colors, don't you think?
Holly, my younger sister, made this elephant. It came from Joelle Hoverson's Last Minute Patchwork Quilts and Gifts. I LOVE that book! I think I've used it more than any other sewing/craft book I own.
Sharon (my brother-in-law Matt's mom) got this kit and made it when he was a baby but never framed it. So she framed it and gave it to them for their baby. Sweet isn't it?!
Somehow, I think her quilt is sweeter! I just love the colors she used. SO gorgeous! I think log cabin quilts look so beautiful, but I'm not sure I would have the patience to make one. I can only imagine all the hard work that went into this.
Matt's dad made this cradle for their baby. That family is so talented! Everything they do turns out so beautiful!

And this perambulator is cool! The word perambulator makes me think of The Importance of Being Earnest. If you haven't seen that movie, go watch it. It's so funny. I get the song stuck in my head, but it's okay. It's one song I don't mind having stuck in my head. :) Matt and Jacqueline were given this pram by someone who Matt worked for. They aren't sure if they are going to take the baby out in this thing (though it would be kind of cool huh?) but it is so pretty! We used both the cradle and the pram to hold shower gifts. They were neat decorations.
So let me tell you (and show you) the shower!

Becca, Susan and Tasha helped us out so much. They helped prepare food, blow up balloons, and decorate. They were great! I don't know what we would do without them. :)

And speaking of food: We had two tables set up in the dining room for all of it! One large one for real food and a smaller one for the desserts. Tasha made the pretty crepe paper bow. None of us like using crepe paper, but she did a great job decorating with it.
Hmm...yummy. :) I don't even want to know how many calories are on that table. After all, you know what I always say: Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet! Only I don't really diet very much which is why I'm so skinny. Or not...hmm...
Jacqueline and Tasha decorated the cup cakes. Yes, Jacqueline decorated the cupcakes for her own shower. It's art on a plate!

Actually, speaking of art on a plate take a look at this veggie tray!A swan made from an apple. This was made by Christina (the picture below). She studied culinary arts in school. Isn't she talented?We tried to keep the decor simple. We used flowers and the gifts and food to make things look festive.
And all the beautiful ladies made the place pretty too. :) There is my pregnant sister! She is talking to Matt's aunt Christine and his cousin's wife, Tracy. I hadn't met Tracy before. She is very nice! And stylin too! And she owns a weimaraner Oh I miss my weimaraner. :(

We played this fun game where a few of the ladies put balloons under their shirts (to look like they were pregnant) and had to tie their shoes. The first one to tie both shoes won!
Susan is an expert mom. She has 6 sons! She was pretty quick!
Liz had a hard time. Her excuse was she adopted both her sons. :)We also did a little mixer at the beginning so people could meet each other. There were quite a few folks who came from out of town and we wanted everyone to have a chance to interact and meet each other. What they did was everyone got a slip of paper and they wrote down an unusual fact about themselves. Then they threw the slips into a basket and we mixed it up and they all drew one of the slips out. Then they had to go ask around and find out who wrote whatever was on their paper.
It was fun to find out who was a deputy sherrif, who rescued ducklings from a storm drain, who backpacked through Europe, who took the opportunity to reinvent themself and who managed to set their own broken leg after being kicked by a horse! Everyone got a chance to share something about themselves and most of us got a good laugh out of it!

Fun times. :) But I have to admit, I'm relieved it is over! I had a great time, but I was plumb worn out by the end of the day!