Showered with Love

Well, I just returned from the most wonderful weekend with some very dear friends and family who planned the most amazing baby shower for me!  They went all out and it was so touching to see all the work they put into making this shower beautiful and special.  My good friend, Emily, worked with two of my aunts and several other hostesses and she told me she has never seen two people have so much fun planning something like this.

It was wonderful catching up with all of my friends, seeing their children, and spending time with my family. 

The cutest cake in the world!

More cute decor.

That was the most delicious punch ever and my aunts made that topiary!

Catching up with my girls.  I've known this crew since I was 15.

Girl cousins (and that's my sister in the blue shirt).

My niece, sister-in-law and mother-in-law in front of a banner with Eloise's name on it.

Opening gifts!

I got some PRECIOUS things for Eloise to wear!

All the gifts on my aunt's bed.  WOW!  I was blown away!  The quilt in the back was made for me by the women in my family.  Everyone sewed a square and my Aunt Donna put it together.  Eloise will LOVE it.  

My girls, also known as "The Clubhouse" back in college.  We are working on the next generation of Clubhousers.

I did not get a picture with my dear Aunt Connie and Aunt Donna, for which I am truly regretful!  This was held at Aunt Connie's house and she and Aunt Donna visited Hobby Lobby on their lunch break every day for a week, making all sorts of cute things for this shower.  I absolutely LOVED seeing Eloise's name everywhere. 

That's a new dress I'm wearing, by the way.  I've been hesitant to spend much on maternity clothes because I won't be wearing them long and with a second kid, I have no idea how the seasons will fall, so I've just been wearing the same thing every week...and let's face it...I do that anyway with my favorite attire, so it is really no different than when I'm not pregnant.

The problem I found when I got to Montgomery, however, was that I was wearing a hot pink bra and had packed a light beige shirt to wear to the shower.  That was not going to work.  So my mom, sister, the aunts, and I drove to JC Penney the night before the shower for a little shopping.  I was going to go ahead a buy a nursing bra, but they fit so strangely and...well...things might grow between now and nursing so I decided against that.  I went over to the maternity section and started looking for shirts, and I found this dress.  It was not a maternity dress, but it was a dress I would have loved before pregnancy and it was one size bigger than what I wore before I was pregnant, so on a whim I tried it on. 

I prepared myself for disappointment because even though it was my style, it would be silly to buy a dress that I wouldn't wear for who knows how long.  WELL, it FIT!  I asked Mom and Julie for opinions and they loved it.  The hot pink bra could be worn and the problem was solved.  Of course, I only had black Tiva flip flops with me, but I figured barefoot and pregnant was acceptable among friends and family.  And NOW I have a dress to wear AFTER pregnancy.  Score!

It was a wonderful trip and I felt truly showered with love and excitement for this little one coming our way.  My cousin, Leanne, said the most beautiful prayer for Eloise, Jason and me and I felt taken care of and protected just by her sweet words and petitions.  It was a day full of blessings and love, and little Eloise Jane is going to be one blessed little girl to have all of these people in her life... just like her mama!