I’ve been to a million showers. Ok, not a million…but a lot! When you have a large group of friends, are part of a big family, and are of a certain age, you get a lot of experience attending wedding and baby showers. I have never been annoyed that I was attending yet another shower for a friend or family member, but had yet to have one myself; I was just excited to celebrate them and their major life event. I love a good party, no matter the occasion. I like helping any way I can, whether it be making cupcakes to enjoy at these events, or just attending to help shower my friends and family with gifts. At every shower I have attended, I  got to enjoy the yummy food, partake in fun visits with friends, and view the decorations and personal touches that made each one unique and memorable.  But no matter how happy I have been to attend others’ showers, there is something to be said for finally getting the chance to be the guest of honour at your own:  at last it was my turn to make favourite food requests, be celebrated and showered with love and gifts.

I was lucky to have not one, but two, baby showers this summer (more on the second one and the best group of girlfriends in a future post). The first was my family shower, organized by my amazing mother, beautifully decorated and graciously hosted by my dear aunt Michelle and sweet cousin Diane. I have a big family:  my mom is the youngest of nine, and my father is the second of four, so I have plenty of relatives both near and far. And I am extremely lucky to count many of my cousins as my closest friends, and lots of my aunts as second mothers.

My mom met with my aunt and cousin several times to organize the event, and then they ran with the theme of pink, with lilies and roses (in honour of our baby girl’s name, Lily Rose). Seriously, these ladies should run their own party planning business! I walked into the most perfectly decorated, pretty in pink baby shower…it was beyond anything I could have imagined, from the decorations to the food!! My aunt Michelle said the look on my face when I walked in was worth all the planning:  I was amazed at the work they had put into the event in my, and Lily Rose’s, honour. And everyone commented that I was in my glory, surrounded by so much pink:)

There were gorgeous lilies and roses in vases on the table, a tiered dessert tray of beautiful cupcakes that my cousin Dakota helped my aunt Michelle bake and decorate expertly as roses (half of which were made using my mom’s, originally my grandmother’s, white cake recipe…truly the most delicious cake in the world!) and there were even more chocolate cupcakes with Lily Rose spelled out on top in bright pink. Over my chair Michelle hung a homemade shabby-chic Lily Rose sign that now looks perfect in the nursery<3.

Michelle and Diane dipped strawberries, rice crispy treats and pretzels in pink and white chocolate too. Diane went wild with coloured candies overflowing in bowls throughout her gorgeous home. She had pink sugar and dyed pink creamer for coffee! They even decorated martini glasses with pink jewels, for the punch…which was of course, pink lemonade;) And my mom got my favourite croissant sandwiches for the occasion (truly appreciated by this hungry preggo!)!

 

My mom, aunt and cousin were so generous with their time and effort, and the money they spent, to produce the most special day for me!!! My mom is not a big party planner, but she made sure to get the two women together that she knew possessed the creativity and talent to create the most lovely shower for her baby, and baby’s baby;)

 

 

 

All my family did a great job of completely spoiling Lily Rose! As I am finally getting to the thank you cards, and recording the gifts everyone got us in our baby book, I am overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity (and thank you to my soul-sister/cousin Tarren for being an amazing secretary by recording the gifts list!). Seriously this little girl is going to be one fashionable baby, with fancy dresses, chic sleepers and adorable accessories galore. And we got so many lovely pieces to make her nursery even more special, and some very necessary things to help us be as ready as possible for the journey ahead.

It meant so much to me to see so many of my aunts and cousins, and some with their own babies, in attendance. Summer is busy for everyone, and there are lots of family who live too far away, so I understood that not everyone could make it. I definitely felt all of them there in spirit none-the-less! Lily Rose is so lucky to be born into a family of such amazing women. The love and support they show one another is extraordinary, and was on full display and directed towards me and my soon-to-be-born daughter the day of our shower. It really wasn’t about the gifts, or the delicious food, or even the beautiful decorations. It was about having women I love and admire join in on a very special day for me. They all know how much I have wanted to become a mother, so for them to celebrate my dream becoming a reality is what I will always treasure.