Sunshine and Showers
This past weekend, my friend Sarah threw me a lovely baby brunch in honor of Miss Gracie. It was absolutely lovely and I felt so special – just like any good shower should make an enormous pregnant woman feel.
It came at just the perfect time, too. I’ve been at the end of my pregnancy rope, dangling like a massive round watermelon. I tell you, weeks 35-37 in your pregnancy have to be the lowest. You are so far along and yet so far from the end that you feel like you’ve been pregnant for your entire life and that you’ll never have this baby. But then I hit week 37 and it finally feels like I might make it through this thing after all. So just as I was coming out of my “I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE” phase, Sarah invited some of our co-workers and my family over for a pink party celebration. It couldn’t have been a better time.
There was a ton of food and all the kinds I love – chicken salad and cucumber sandwiches (can we just pause to appreciate the cucumber sandwich? How I love its simplicity…), pasta salad, fruit salad, a big field greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, veggies and dip, this yummy salsa with a flavor that I couldn’t place but was really different and delicious, and – of course – cupcakes! Sarah made my favorite cupcake of all time. Funfetti boxed cupcakes with strawberry icing. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Oh, and she made this amazing punch that will now become a staple in my house. Lemonade mixed with Sprite. It was so delicious and summery!
My mom was there, of course, and she helped with the decorations.
When I was pregnant with Bean, she made this gorgeous diaper cake for my baby shower. This time, she made a giant pink one for Gracie. It was the centerpiece on the gift table and it was adorable! The box that everything was sitting on had a bunch of baby goodies in it like shower cream, lotion, and baby nail clippers. And the, of course, every tier had diapers. So, it was beautiful and practical, too.
Sarah had the party set up out on her back porch by the pool and she did the cutest thing out there. She strung up a clothes line and then hung pink and white baby onesies and socks. It was so simple and so sweet and was such a practical decoration because after the shower, I got to take all the clothes home with me. What a neat idea! I’m definitely stealing this!
When the guests all arrived, we played some of my favorite shower games. I love the one where guests take a string of yarn and they try to guess how long the yarn should be to fit around the pregnant belly. Let me tell you – people think I’m HUGE. Every piece of yarn was at LEAST two feet longer than I am around! It was a lot of fun! We also played a game where you had to fill in the blank with nursery rhymes and I realized that I am a terrible mother because I am not well-versed in those. I had no idea how to finish Rub-a-Dub-Dub or Old Mother Hubbard! And I couldn’t remember what kind of pie Little Jack Horner stuck his thumb into, either!
People found the cutest baby clothes to give Gracie, too! Look at this little tutu!
And check out these adorable handmade baby booties! They came from an Etsy shop called Little Posh Bebe. They are made with eco-friendly felt and adorned with the cutest, most adorable little flowers. I think they are absolutely beautiful!
People were so generous and it made me so thankful for the new friends I’ve met since we’ve moved to Florida.
All in all, it was a perfect way to kick off my last two weeks of pregnancy. I think I might actually be able to hang in there until April 4 after all.
Though, if Gracie wanted to make her appearance any earlier, I’d be okay with that, too…
*****Today I am grateful for kind people.
26 Comments
Gin
That clothesline decoration is too cute! I’ll have to keep that in mind when my friends start having babies. You look great, and I can’t believe how big your belly is!
Rebecca
LOVE LOVE LOVE that diaper cake! And those shoes!!!! adorable! Gracie’s going to be one stylish little chica when she gets here =)
Ashley @ A Recipe for Sanity
A beautiful shower! How sweet…so glad the shower was able to put a bright spot in your day! Even though you’re waiting for an exciting moment, it’s hard when you’re so uncomfortable!
Angela
Looks like you had fun!
Little baby shoes melt my heart.
Betty
Your mom is so creative!! She should also post/sell tutorials on how to make diaper cakes like that!! I love that dress you have on, AND Levi is teething now and I remember that post a LONG time ago about how Bean chewed on the Tylenol bottle lid, so I copied you, but with Mylicon and Levi LOVED it. So thank you!
Laura
I really think you should hold out for the 4th, Gracie will share a birthday with my sister and grandfather. They’re both red-heads and 2 of the best people I know. The 4th sends out great vibes. Also, those shoes. As Rachel Zoe says, I die.
Bethany
You are definately pregnant. No buts about it!!!
Jen @ Caved In
Any time after 35 weeks is just so uncomfortable, theres just not much space left. I love shopping for baby girl clothes. Boy clothes are fun but frills and tutus? Adorable.
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
It’s so nice to read a warm, summery post on a cold, rainy day in NY! Looks like you had lots of fun. I love the clothesline!
jennifer
So cute Katie. I can’t believe how tiny babies feet are that they will fit in those shoes!
Cindy In Owensboro, KY
What an awesome baby shower. I love the diaper cake and those little booties are adorable!
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
So creative and so generous. Great friends!
momiss
The onesies and socks as decoration are pure GENIUS. I love it because I always stress on what a waste crepe paper and decorations, etc. are. Hang in there, it won’t be long now. Thinking of you and wishing you a peaceful last few weeks.
Kat @ Living Like the Kings
Aw I love it! So pretty! And you look so cute!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously – you have this huge belly and it looks like you gained NOTHING else where.
laurenbtrain
that diaper cake is fabulous! your mom is so talented!! have you ever tried funfetti cookies?? they are amazing!
Bec
Are you sure there’s only one in there??
Audrey
Katie, I must tell you, you look so beautiful and glowing in these photos. From this standpoint, I would never guess that on the inside you’re at the end of your rope with this pregnancy! It’s been such a pleasure to read about your pregnancy journey with little Gracie. I just can’t wait to “meet” her!
Lori @ I Can Grow People
Aw, yay! I still mourn the fact that I never got to have a shower when I was pregnant for Porter. My work colleagues cancelled it without asking us first. I am still unbelievably sad about it even now–two years later.
Courtney
Oh my goodness, what cute shower ideas. And the food looks really yummy. I’m glad you had such a great time. Hopefully, Gracie will make her appearance very soon.
Adra
I love your dress! I am pregnant and looking for some cute dresses for spring & summer and just wondering where you got it?
Brittany
Katie, you look gorgeous! Congrats on the latest little peanut!
Tressa
YOU LOOK AWESOME!! So does your mom, by the way! I’m thankful for your thoughtful friends for giving you that “boost” you needed to coast throught two more weeks. For being so miserable Katie, you honestly do look amazing!
Lucy
Gosh you look gorgeous!!!
My birthday is the 4th April so that is a great day for Gracie to arrive 🙂
Whitney
Everything was gorgeous! And look at you! GLOWING and GORGEOUS! Love it. That belly amazes me.
Alaina
I LOVE funfetti cake! So good! And those outfits you got are just adorable. It looks like you had a great shower, and what a great way to end your pregnancy…now Gracie just needs to arrive!
Just a question, but have you ever listened to the song “Gracie” by Ben Folds? If not, look it up on You Tube. It’ll make you tear up, but whenever you say Gracie Girl, I think of this song. He wrote it for his daughter. So precious…
Jenn
I just LOVE your baby bump. I carry large and all out front as well, so its lovely to see someone else rockin’ a bump like mine. Great dress too.