FAMILY BABY SHOWER
So much has been happening I can scarcely blog! I can scarcely take photographs! Most important of all, we had VIPs in the house over the weekend... birthmom Nicole, her 4 year old daughter Zoey, her mom, Grandma Debbie, and her friend, Uncle Nanny (real name: Jerome). And - of course! - Vanessa's baby brother.
I told Nicole that people just don't have baby showers before they adopt - that's unheard of. So to have Nicole offer to attend kind of left me and Jack speechless. Most people are nervous about adopting because of the fear it will fall through before the baby is in arms and the last legal document is signed. These are not concerns for Nicole: this adoption is a done deal. She is perfectly comfortable welcoming our (collective) little son into the world together. Nicole is one amazing woman!
I told Nicole that people just don't have baby showers before they adopt - that's unheard of. So to have Nicole offer to attend kind of left me and Jack speechless. Most people are nervous about adopting because of the fear it will fall through before the baby is in arms and the last legal document is signed. These are not concerns for Nicole: this adoption is a done deal. She is perfectly comfortable welcoming our (collective) little son into the world together. Nicole is one amazing woman!
Last Thursday, Jack drove home from his coaching clinic at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in San Diego, so he swung by to get Nicole and Zoey at home. They all arrived to our waiting arms and we all headed off to the Farmer's Market.
On Friday we all decorated for the party together, trying to neutralize the princess pink all over the house in honor of a tiny boy. Blue streamers, blue balloons, blue frosted cupcakes, blue plates and napkins - we even hid the princess dresses and dolls and remade the bed and changing table in blue. Bring on the BOY.
Having three girls in the house proved to require a great deal of sharing and, um, mediating. My goodness. All in all, they adore each other. Fleur and Zoey had a slumber party in the big bed together and everyone fawned over Milo. Sure, we had some, um, issues around sharing the lone pink cowboy hat, and tears were shed over who got to sit in the middle of the backseat, and who got to walk Milo on the leash, but other than those occasional moments, the weekend went very smoothy.
On Saturday, the party started at 11:00 a.m., the sandwiches arrived at 12:00 p.m., the gifts were opened about 2:00 p.m. and the tie-dying and water balloons fights went on the whole time. Surprise guests included Auntie Susan and cousin Julia from Modesto, "Auntie" Nell and Braidy from L.A., and "Auntie" Shea-Shea's godmother and cousins from Riverside.
Some of the usual suspects - our homies - were with us, too. Moms and babies from our birthing class and mothers group, "Uncle" Chris and "Auntie" Shea-Shea, neighbors Jennifer and Vanessa's b.f.f. Andrea, my work friend Lisa, and of course our big, new extended family. In all, we had 25 people, including 11 children. My only regret is that I could have taken more pictures!
After the shower guests left, we had time with Nicole, Zoey, Grandma Debbie and Uncle Nanny. We went out for seafood tacos, then home for ice cream, and hung out chatting before bed. Sunday we were up for coffee and breakfast before a beach walk to the tide pools.
Our VIPs all left after that, but we felt warm and fuzzy and feeling like we were never going to be the same again, in wonderful new ways.
Are we blessed, or what? This is the mother of our baby!
