A Shower of Joy

This past weekend all of my sweet sisters-in-law came together to throw a baby shower for us and our new little one. Even my SIL from Ohio who is normally surrounded by all things boy (she's got 7 of them!) was able to join us and bask in some pink deliciousness for the weekend. (Her guys sent a representative with her so that they didn't feel completely left out of the fun!) My mom also came to celebrate with us along with a few local friends. My girls even got to introduce Erin's girls, their cousins, to an in-town friend and everyone seemed to hit it off beautifully, exchanging email addresses and all that good stuff! It was just lovely!

My other in-town (non-blogging) SIL went all out with a cupcake theme even ironing cupcakes on onesies and hanging them on clotheslines for decoration. Her darling two year old daughter helped pick out all the pink decorations for "Baby Cupcake". Can you hear me kicking myself for not bringing my camera? There were a few games to play and delicious food to enjoy. It was just the thing to distract myself from tree trunk ankles and the oppressive heat outside.

I have to show you one item that was given to me by my mother because it is just so beautiful. It made me cry. She came up with this idea and had a friend help her figure out the mechanics.

Remember this belly shot? She took that picture and laid it on top of a watermark picture of my mother when she was pregnant with me. You can see her head just to the left and below mine in almost the same position. She added a beautiful quote about trusting God from St. Teresa of Avila and pictures of St. Therese (our specific intercessor) as a child with her own mother and as a religious. Thank goodness she gave it to me at home because I turned into a slobbering mess when I saw it. Oh yeah, I bawled like a baby. And then she took my picture. Only a mom can get away with that!

We were also showered with beautiful, girlie clothes of all sizes, so many that my girls declared that Cupcake had more clothes than they did combined (not actually true)! Just wait until they see how many clothes a baby can go through in a day! They are in for quite an awakening! : )

And... we now have the perfect pan to celebrate her arrival with. I think I'm going to make a giant cupcake and leave it in the freezer along with decorating supplies for my mom to hand out to the kids while we are at the hospital!

There were sweet homemade surprises too. A super soft knitted lovey and hat from one niece, a hand-drawn picture of a "cupcake fairy" from another and a quiltie made with matching fabric by my oldest niece.

But the best gift of all was the celebration of this new life. She is already so loved even while she's still tucked inside, hidden away. We are truly blessed to have friends and family (far and near) who appreciate the value of all life, from the youngest to the oldest and who want to celebrate that life so joyfully! I have managed to shelter myself from the depressing, ugliness in the news today which can really bring you down and make you question who in their right mind would willingly bring another innocent into this world. But these people are the kind of people who raise your spirits and help keep your eyes focused on the message of hope that a new soul brings with it from our Divine Creator in Heaven.