Baby Shower!

I must use the term "baby shower" loosely when describing our celebration this past weekend, because the only way you would have known it was a baby shower was by the gifts people brought. It was wonderful. Everything I wanted it to be. Relaxing, casual, and fun. My goal for this entire pregnancy has been to keep things calm and easy going. There are plenty of things I could stress about or worry over after what we went through during our last pregnancy. I've said from the beginning though, I do not want to look back on this experience and see nothing but fear and anxiety. Low stress and fun were the goals for this shower and we accomplished them with flying colors. Almost literally!! Having a baby shower on the fourth of July has an awesome color scheme built right in. Patriotic decorations are available everywhere. In fact we got at least 98% of the decorations from the Dollar Store (easy and inexpensive = low stress). I made a few other decorative items on my Cricut too. We did lunch potluck style. Family and friends chipped in and we ended up having tons of food. We feasted on pulled pork sandwiches, multiple kinds of salads, fruit, beans, pasta, and amazing cupcakes. It was a beautiful day perfect for swimming, which the kids, and quite a few adults, really enjoyed. We received so many beautiful gifts, but really the day itself was the biggest blessing. It was so surreal to be at a baby shower...my baby shower....pregnant!  

I got a reserved parking spot right up front! Perks of being prego. My in-laws have the perfect back patio for summer parties. It looked so good all decked out in red, white, and, blue for our boy.

I feel very blessed by everyone who attended. We have awesome friends and family.

A photo booth and blessing stars (similar to the blessing tree at Squeaks' shower) were really our only "activities". Swimming, eating, and good company were all we needed for a fantastic party!

Swimming and relaxing. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

That evening we got to enjoy the fireworks at our church. Squeaks wasn't so thrilled with them this year and held on to daddy pretty tight, but she warmed up a little by the middle of the show.