Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween-Office edition

So as much as I like this baby-to-be we have brewing here, I was a tad worried the little bug was going to cramp my Halloween style. My due date is one day after Halloween, so it makes for some tricky timing...Do I plan a maternity costume? Should I get a baby costume too, just in case? Is it a waste of time to make a costume at all? After all, I could have been in the hospital for the big day, rendering all of my hard work useless. (Yes, I might have been over thinking it a bit, but I do tend to take this kind of thing seriously...)

I hemmed and hawed over it for a while, and finally decided to give it a shot, and make a pregnant friendly costume. (and maybe I picked up a couple pseudo-costume outfits for the little one just in case). I didn't want to cut it too close though, so as the leader of the office costume party (now in our second year!) I made the call to have our party a week early, just to increase my chances of actually attending.

I wasn't sure how into the idea everyone was, after all, not everyone loves a costume as much as I do....But party ended up being a total success! We had about a dozen participants in the costume contest- which isn't bad considering there are only about 25 people on our team. And those who dressed up really went for it. Check it out:

We had Inspector Gadget, Madonna, Cruella Deville, a Native American, "Not Karen" (a sarcastic costume pun that he had to explain to me...), a peacock (with handmade feather tail!), Peter Pan, a softball player, Stock Ann (an inside office joke- thus, the runaway crowd favorite), and a gypsy. Well done everyone!

And me? I was the Very Hungry Caterpillar of course!

Yeah, I kind of look like a second grade project, but I'm ok with it. What I wasn't ok with, is how many people have never read The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Who raised these people? If you're one of these unfortunate souls unfamiliar with the genius that is Eric Carle, I suggest you fix that immediately. And not just because it'll make you appreciate my costume more...although it will (my forehead doesn't have a rash....the caterpillar's face is red! And my fruit isn't moldy...it's a take on the artist's watercolor style! details people!)

But even if everyone didn't dress up- they did all get into the spirit with the food! We had quite a spread, and I made my signature Spooky Punch. It's probably the easiest recipe I have, but it's become a staple at the office parties- I just alter it slightly to suit the theme (it's been tweaked into Shamrock Punch and Engagement Punch, depending on the occasion). I don't have photos, but I'll share the recipe and we'll call it even.

Spooky Punch:
1 two-liter of lemon-lime soda (I recommend diet)
1 container white grape juice (again if there is a low-calorie option...do it)
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate (lite??)- thawed
1 container sherbet (any flavor- I like lime or orange because they're the spookiest colors!)
1 pack gummy worms

Pour it all in a giant bowl, adding the sherbet and gummy worms last so it all foams up, and the worms float on top.

Last year I went all out, and froze red colored water in a latex glove, and then added the icy hand to the mix. Worth the effort! (if you're making it for a different occasion, skip the gummies- and severed hand- and change your sherbet flavor to match the color scheme.)

And if you think I'm being too health conscious with all the diet suggestions- trust me, it's for the best. The punch is delicious, but it gets really sugary, really fast. I made the "Full-octane" version this time, and we realized a little too late we should have instituted a 1 cup limit. But those are the risks you take with spooky punch I guess...

So we may have overindulged a bit, but overall it was a fun afternoon. And of course- with any costume contest, there had to be a winner...And more importantly- a trophy for that winner! I was pretty proud of this year's creation- a version of our logo...spookified!

Apologies that this is the best photo I have...ignore the hat wearing squirrel- he's part of the costume, not the trophy (and no, I can't really explain it...)

So all in all, it worked out pretty well. Baby girl stayed put inside my giant fleece food-fest dress, and Dustin wasn't even forced into my antics. Win-win.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Notes from (Possibly) Our Last Childless Weekend

Funny thing about having a baby...you never know when you're going to have the baby. So with our due date rapidly approaching, we realized this could be our last weekend without a little one around. We didn't make special plans, or purposely organize a Great Grown-up Outing...instead the weekend unfolded in a relaxed and spontaneous way- making it the perfect "last weekend" of all.

The highlights:
  • Having a semi-drunk Dustin come to pick me up in the alley at work after a happy hour with his team. I hop in and immediately remark- "You smell like booze! Should you be driving?" He looks at me with a sheepish grin, "Probably not!" We switched places.
  • Deciding on a whim to go out to dinner on the way home and texting a couple friends to meet up. (Oh- and the mac and cheese hot dog- that part was pretty great too!)

  • Laying on the bed reading "Wishes for Baby" from my mom's second graders, until we fell asleep, opting for a 15 minute power nap instead of cleaning before people came over.
  • Having friends over for "game night" which somehow turned into "hang out in the guest room playing random musical instruments night". We must have played and sung (and screamed and danced and laughed) for over an hour- belting out old Young Life favorites and cheesy songs from our "youth" (at one point we rocked No Pigeons- a song I had forgotten I even knew.)
Everyone took turns on the Cajon...and later regretted it
as their hands turned black and blue from overuse.

The dynamic YL club duo Lowe and Dustin led the session-
offering up standbys like Apologize, and Mr. Big.

Lindsey and Mike look serious...because they are seriously rocking.

The tambourine was a big hit of course, as Barlich jammed to Justin Bieber,
butchering the Ludacris portion- "When I was thir-teen, I had my first LUV..."
  • Learning to play Puno- a made-up Uno variation that involves a lot of yelling and hitting yourself in the face. (and a rule that I kept misunderstanding, resulting in me screaming "Cougar Town" instead of "Cougar Power" and being mocked by the group).
  • Putting on the All Day album at a ridiculous volume until 2AM when we finally decided to call it a night.
  • Sleeping in deliciously late.
  • Going out to "breakfast" at noon. (Note the belly can justbarely still fit in a booth. If I'm sitting up straight. Before pancakes get involved.)

  • Reading, blogging, napping, and watching TV. all day. Allllllll day.
  • Going on a real live movie theater date instead of holing up in front of OnDemand. (We saw 50/50 which I fully expected to cry through, but I didn't anticipate welling up in the previews. Oh Tom Hanks, you get me every time.)
  • Cleaning, washing diapers, packing a hospital bag, and installing batteries in various devices, in preparation for baby (ok, none of that was really a highlight...but it did need to get done).
  • Even more reading, mixed with some football watching, and photo uploading.
It has been a delightful weekend. I don't remember the last time we had so little planned, but had so much fun. I know our little girl will add a whole new dimension of fun to our lives, but for now I'm thankful for a few days with my husband. He's pretty great. Makes me want to have his babies.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Big Reveal!

I know you are all anxious to see the nursery (or maybe I'm just anxious to show off my new favorite room in the house!), and I have a full post coming with photos and details....But in the meantime, someone has stolen my thunder. And by someone- I mean me!

On a whim, I posted some photos on Project Nursery, and lo and behold, our room has been chosen as one of the finalists for Project of the Week!! (I know, right?!?)

I'm so excited to share all the details with you, and tell you all about it....But while I get my blogging act together, why don't you mosey on over to our feature on the Project Nursery site and check it out? And if you you really like it...or just really like me...you can "like" it on facebook. The project with the most votes wins!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Wishes for Baby: Pregnancy Memories

For our Grand Video Finale we decided to record some thoughts on this crazy experience of growing a baby. I've been journaling about my pregnancy over the past few months, but I thought it would be nice to have an impromptu memory sharing session with Dustin. Nine months is simultaneously so long, but so short, and I'm thankful that we were able to reflect a bit before it's all over.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Wishes for Baby: Predictions

So now that we've shared our hopes for our baby's life, it's time for us to go one step further than wishing, and actually predict her future.

In part 2 of our video rambling, we take guesses regarding the arrival of our little bundle of joy. I can't wait to see how wrong we are.


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Wishes For Baby

At all of my showers (yes all...I'm so spoiled!) the guests filled out "Wishes for Baby" cards. Each had multiple prompts, and everyone filled in the blanks with their personal hopes and dreams for our little girl. I haven't gotten to see all of them yet (my mom is compiling them all into an album. Again- so spoiled!!) but the ones I have read are an awesome mix of funny and thoughtful, ridiculous and precious. I love that we have personalized notes from so many of our friends and family, and I know our daughter will get a kick out of them someday.

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, I decided Dustin and I should fill out our own "Wishes", using the same prompts.....But rather than just jotting them down, I thought it'd be fun to make a video! I coaxed Dustin into sitting down to answer my questions, and we whipped up amateur reel of our hopes for Baby B.

Part 1 is all our Wishes For Baby. I make no excuses for my (lack of) cinematic skills (my skin is glowing like a pumpkin, and you'll routinely hear a lawn mower in the background), or our level of preparation (Dustin actually sounds like he's been thinking of answers forever, whereas my rambling is enhanced by my eyes perpetually being in my "thinking squint"). But hopefully you'll enjoy our silly little thoughts, and if nothing else we can save this post to show our daughter yes, your parents were always giant dorks, and you're not the only one who thinks so.




P.s. You're hooked now, right? Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3....

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Wouldn't it be nice: October

I'm back on the resolution wagon- so much so that I'm already declaring October a success!
Somewhat due to the kitchen remodel, but also in large part to laziness (or at least a supreme lack of energy attributed to pregnancy, a full time job, AND the kitchen remodel), we've been eating out quite a bit over the last few months. And I wish I could say it was a lot of fancy, romantic date nights, but more often than not we found ourselves swinging through a drive-thru on the way home from work, or a semi-weekly Lowe's run. It's been my goal for a while to meal plan, grocery shop, cook....you know, be a grown up! But we never seemed to be able to get into a rhythm, so many nights ended with us looking at the clock, realizing it was after 7, and just cobbling together whatever we could to avoid starving.

When I think about what I'd like for my family as we start to raise kids, it's important to me that we have dinner together as much as possible...And that dinner be somewhat homecooked, and eaten from chairs, not the couch. It's a FAR cry from where we are now, so I realize I need to start making some changes, if I want my future fantasy to ever be a reality. I'm definitely a "systems" person, so I've been trying to come up with something that inspires me to meal plan, and makes the entire chore of daily feedings easier (our grocery list is a start...but shopping is only half the battle). For some people this may come easily, but I'm much better at event planning than the day to day. I have hundreds of recipes torn out of magazines that I'd love to try, and whenever we have people over, or I have to bring something to someone else's shindig, I really enjoy trying new recipes. And over the years we've compiled a binder of "go-to's"- things that we've tried, loved, and would (in theory) make regularly. But for some reason, I can't seem to get my act together on a daily basis, so our planned meals are few and far between, and quesadillas, mac&cheese, and fast food become our stop-gap staples.

I could blame a lot of things- long working hours, difficulty cooking for two people, busy evening schedule, etc. and so on. But as reasonable as those excuses are, they're not enough to keep me from knowing we really could do better. I may never be June Cleaver, with a piping hot, made from scratch dinner waiting on the table for my husband, but between the two of us we can certainly make an effort to be more intentional about our weekly meals.

SO- We're starting the process of change. The first step in my pregnancy nesting-brain was to prepare some meals for when the baby arrives. I figure if I can't pull it together to cook now, I'll have no shot when we have a newborn in the mix. It's not a permanent solve, but having a fully stocked freezer feels like a good head start for our new, responsible eating filled, life.

Dustin and I set aside pretty much the whole day and attacked some freezer-friendly recipes, with great success. In one day we managed to turn this:


into seven different meals for storage. (And bonus- all of the recipes serve at least four, if not eight, so really we have weeks of ready made meals waiting in the wings.)

Our menu:
  • Zucchini Lasagna (we managed to refine the process since last time)
  • Artichoke Chicken Bake
  • Soft Taco Pie
  • White Chicken Chili
  • Macaroni and Cheese (you know I'm always up for a new version! Becase we're freezing it, I didn't try it yet, but based on what I had on hand, I substituted goat cheese for gorgonzola, and parmasean for gruyere. We'll see how that all turns out!)
  • Chicken Enchiladas
  • Stuffed Shells
And if that wasn't enough....We also prepped some food for a little "Yay! The Kitchen is Done!" get-together we're throwing tomorrow. On the list there:
  • Skyline Chili Dip
  • Tomato/Mozzarella/Pesto salad
  • White Trash Puff Balls (pepperoni, and pineapple/ham)
  • 7-layer Mexican Dip
  • Stuffed Mushrooms (I made these a few years ago on trick or treat night....for us, not the neighborhood kids...so now they are forever linked to Halloween in my mind and I get a craving for them ever year around this time)
  • Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches (FYI- the first round used wax paper and almost burned my house down- but the cookies looked great. The second round used non-stick spray, which was much safer, but the cookies look like giant flat blobs of goo. Good news: They all taste just fine.)
It was a loooooong day, but I'm proud of all we got done. We are set for a big day of eating tomorrow, a few weeks of meals later, and we even had enough random leftovers from the process to make a couple dinners for this week! And besides that- we got to use our new kitchen! I mean really use our kitchen. The new work table was a game-changer- we have twice as much "counter" space as before, the old refrigerator we moved to the basement stored all our frozen meals, and party prepped dishes (we dubbed it "party fridge") and the new double ovens allowed me to make three trays of cookies at once (meaning I could burn down the house in half the time as before!) I can't wait to show off our new digs...but right now, it's time to eat!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Baby Shower-palooza: Part 4

The fun's not over!

Can you believe it? There are even a few more people that love me and wanted to be in on the baby fun! Dustin's family (especially his mom, step-mom and sisters) were so sweet to throw a shower for me. I don't have many pictures (I was too busy enjoying it all!) but the location was perfect, a country club-type restaurant with a yummy buffet...including cheesecake, yesssss!

We played some games of course- a couple of toughies! We had to finish the nursery rhyme lyrics (proof that I'll need some books to cheat off of...I could barely remember any of them!) and we took a stab at matching baby names with their meaning (I had no chance at winning this one). But the funniest part, was after we finished...we couldn't find the answers! So the prizes went to the matriarchs of the group- Mom Mom and Great Aunt Carmen. I figure they know the most about raising babies, they probably would have won anyway, right?

We wrapped up the festivities by opening presents. This was the first shower where the attendees knew the baby's sex, so you better believe we got some adorable stuff for Baby Girl Bowden! She even got her first doll!

But while it was a big girlie day, the men got into the action as well. No, they didn't attend the baby gift and game squeal-fest, but they did make a big family event of it. While all the girls were having shower-fun, the boys went out for some beer and snacks on their own. I love when Dustin is able to get together with all of his brothers, but when his dad, uncle, and cousin get in the mix? Even better! Everyone got to hang out together at an impromptu after-party, so we took the opportunity to take a few photos of the group.

Check out the fellas:

And the Bowden ladies:

It was so great to get everyone together...But maybe the best part was Dustin being reunited with someone special from his past:

That little guy is Mitchel Artie, Dustin's cabbage patch doll from when he was just a wee tot. His grandma bought it for him twenty five (?) years ago and his Dad held onto good old Michel all this time. We even got his birth certificate- and the funniest part is, he was "born" on November 1st...My dude date!

All in all, it was a great day. We had a wonderful time relaxing, reminiscing and laughing with family. I can't wait to have a new little one around to join in the fun.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Wouldn't it be nice: July, August and September!

With all the baby-talk going on around here, I've been neglecting a regular Bowdenisms feature- Monthly Resolutions.

And I mean really neglecting it...We’ve gone three months without an update. (For those of you with your eyes glued to sidebar- anyone?- I have been updating the pic with the resolution itself...so that’s at least something!)

So here are the goals you missed:
July- go on an adventure
August- clean up my act
September- make something pretty

As for my results?
So-so.

I’m sure I could go back and figure something out that applies to each of them, but I’m not sure that’s totally in keeping with the original goal which was to intentially focus on a particular goal, and making it happen. That being said- all was not lost, as there are definitely plenty of activities that went on around her within those categories.

In July I did go on a long weekend to Ft. Myers, so I suppose that’s “adventure-ish”.
And we went to Burgatory which was a culinary adventure at least. Ok...so I’m not that proud of July’s results...Next time around I hope to have a much more thrilling tale to tell, but half credit for half trying will have to do for now.

August’s goal was really born out of necessity- our house was a hot HOT mess. (kinda still is? Clock is ticking....) But we made huge strides in August. We got a TON done on the nursery and kitchen, and managed to keep the chaos someone controlled by month end. We pretty much ran ourselves completely ragged in the process- tearing down wallpaper, sanding, painting (and painting, and painting and painting) but with a ton of events (i.e. Baby showers) scheduled for September, we didn’t have much choice but to buckle down and get some things done. (P.s. Get excited, I’ll be sharing pics of the Great Bowden House Remodel soon. Very soon. Have to get those up before this baby steals our thunder and no one wants to talk cabinet hardware anymore!) So again- not complete success, but not total failure. We definitely made a concerted effort on this one though- we just maybe bit off more than we could chew...or at least more than we could chew that quickly.

And as for September- This is another “close enough, we’ll count it” type of situation. I can’t name one specific project that I tackled “in the name of pretty”, but that’s not to say pretty things aren’t happening. The bulk of the nursery was designed and assembled in September- and I have to say....It is (in my humble opinion) gorgeous. I know it’s a tease to say that, and not prove it- but just wait. I think it’s worth it.

October’s goal is to eat fresh and I have big plans (I should anyway, as we’re halfway through the month already!)

So pretty much all that to say- you kind of missed nothing...but you kind of missed a lot- I’m just not willing to show you yet.

Best blog update ever.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Baby Shower-palooza: Part 3

Did you think two showers was enough? No way! There's more!

My mom and a good friend (and former roommate...and bridesmaid!) from college Sarah offered to throw me a shower in Columbus, and who was I to say no? I was kept completely in the dark on all the details, which I was exactly what I wanted. My mom continually worried I had some secret expectations, and the party wouldn't live up to my dreams, but they did a fantastic job, and it surpassed anything I could have thought up.

The theme was "Dick and Jane" and there were cute touches everywhere.




Guests could choose either a girl or boy sticker for their name tag based on what they thought the baby's gender was...and they were asked to suggest a name for the baby too.



They also continued the "Wishes for Baby" tradition- I can't wait to compile all the cards and have a big collection from all our friends and family!


And of course there was food! One of my only requests was for pie. And boy did they deliver. Sarah made four of the most delicious treats I've ever had...There was apple caramel pie, lemon tart, razzleberry pie, and pear almond tart- all 100% homemade.

We all pretty much fawned over her the entire time telling her she needs to put pictures on her bakery website (which she doesn't have...yet...).

And just in case we ever got tired of eating...there were activities too! We played a fun (but really really hard!) game where we had to match a baby-related phrase to the names of candy (think: "delivery nurses"="lifesavers").

I lost BIG time, but there was enough candy to go around, so we all ended up winners in a way.

And after we had our fill of pie and candy...it was time for presents! Everyone was so generous...I got more stuff than I can even record.

Baby gifts are just so fun. I mean, look at my giant duck!


And as if Sarah hadn't done enough...she made a quilt for Baby B! It's really beautiful, and with all the colors, it will match the nursery perfectly.


It was such a fun day for me, but even better- I think everyone else had a great time as well.



(If you zoom in you can see some of the baby name suggestions were better than others...The Peters women suggested such gems as "Ursula" and "Prince Eric"...but then eventually settled on "Mergabeth"- a hybrid of their names and my mom's. Not happening!)


And what baby shower would be complete without a vintage car (with mannequin passengers) in the yard?

Wait, what?

Yep. You heard me:


It was definitely an unexpected element, but my step-dad was so excited about the silliness of it all, we couldn't help get caught up in it. He had gone to a local shop (or three) to borrow mannequins and then dressed them up for the party. And since they were looking their finest, we had to humor them by posing for some pictures!


Even with photos, I'm not sure I can do the day justice with any description. Everyone coming together to celebrate with me was so special. I got to spend the day with some of my best friends, who I don't get to see nearly often enough. And I was completely spoiled by gifts and love. A very good day indeed.

Monday, October 10, 2011

From the peanut gallery...

When leaving work last week, I ran into a woman from Subway that I see from time to time smoking in our shared alley. I smiled as I walked by, and she announced loudly (from her perch on an upside-down milk crate)- “You look like you’re going to have that baby today!” I was taken aback slightly, because though I know I may have been waddling a tad (it had been a long day after all…) I didn’t think my current size implied impending delivery. ­I laughed it off, and said “Nope, not until November!”, but she was adamant, insisting “No way…that’s going to be your little pumpkin baby!” So I muttered a “We’ll see!”, smiled again and shuffled off to my car. Enjoy your cigarette, lady. Thanks for calling me fat.

But the unsolicited comments didn’t stop there. Dustin was out of town, so I headed off to pick up dinner at Wendy’s (maybe for the second day in a row…what are you, the Subway lady? Stop judging me!). And as I was waiting to pay for my bacon cheeseburger (and small fry, thank you very much) I heard the drive-thru employee squeal “oooooooh, look at that BAY-beeeeee!!” It took me a minute to realize she was referring to my belly, and even then I didn’t know exactly what to say, so I smiled and uttered a vague, “yeah…….it’s in there”. But she was undeterred by my lack of enthusiasm, (and oblivious to the line of cars behind me) and barreled on. “Giiiiiirrrrrllll, you so SMALL! When I was pregnant, I was…well, I had a small frame…but I was BIG! You so luck-Y!” (hopefully my attempt to type her inflection is working…it’s hard to do it justice). I never know what to say to comments about my size, so I typically attempt to defect the compliment to avoid sounding conceited. I responded, “Yeah, I still have some time to go though, so I could definitely get bigger!” She must have taken my cheerful tone as an excuse to continue our budding relationship, asking, “Why? You early?” I told her no, not really, that I just had a few weeks left, which really got her going. “Oh, girl, you so small! You gonna snap right back. Oh yeah. I’m so jealous! You gonna snap. right. BACK!” I interjected something about “not if I keep eating bacon cheeseburgers!” But she had made up her mind, and she continued to hurl compliments (can you do that? I’m pretty sure that’s what was happening) at me long after I pulled up to the second window. Not that I minded really….It’s certainly better than being heckled by a “sandwich artist” on her smoke-break.

So all that to say, in the land of pregnancy, you can’t really win. Some people will insist you’re “ready to pop!” (A verbatim comment I got in church last week, in addition to an “any day now!” prediction from a guy at work...) but just as quickly, others will assure you “you’re tiny” (thank you to the other woman at church who sprung to my defense) or “you can’t even tell from the back!” (something I actually here quite a lot, causing me to wonder who all these pregnant-from-behind women are). I try not to take it to heart though, because I think mostly people see a pregnant belly, can’t not say something, and end up just spouting off whatever comes to mind, regardless of how true, or appropriate it may be. As evidenced by a recent encounter with a stranger in my office bathroom, who after asking my due date, attempted to encourage me: “You don’t even look that bad!”

Thank you ma'am. Your sensible loafers aren’t even that ugly.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Baby Shower-palooza: Part 2

After a surprise filled Friday, there was more fun to be had...the very next day! That Saturday was my Pittsburgh baby shower (yes, I'm so spoiled that I have to refer to my many parties by city. And let me just say, it's not a bad problem to have!) When I found out I was pregnant, my friend Meg graciously offered to throw me a shower. I was so thankful, but a little worried about overwhelming her with my picky creative nature. I looooove (LOVE) to plan a party, so the thought of having a party that I don't get to be involved in was a tough idea to wrap my head around. And poor Meg was stressed that I had some sort of crazy expectations that she wouldn't live up to. Well she needn't have worried. The shower was perfect. I did make a few requests (striped straws...punch...) but made huge effort to stay out of it, and Meg somehow crawled into my head and made things happen I didn't know I wanted.

Link
But if I know Meg at all, she would want me to mention that she had help...(talented, and humble that girl. I could learn a thing or two...) Luckily, I have a gaggle of ridiculously talented friends that offered to join the fun. Rachel takes the "detail oriented" to a truly impressive level, and is a dedicated crafter to boot. And while Deb prefers to stay out of the craftiness of it all, she's an excellent hostess, and an even better cook. (I know she loves me because she made mac and cheese. Award winning mac and cheese no less.)

So it's safe to say I was in good hands. But don't take my brag-fest word for it...let me show you what these ladies whipped up:

There was a book theme (love!), and every detail was thought out.Check out the spread!

(Which I enjoyed thoroughly, thankyouverymuch.

Punch bar- yesssss.

Custom made sign (complete with an ampersand!)

Book lanterns (one of many adorable book themed crafts):


And if that wasn't enough- we had what many people heralded as the main event of the day- the gender reveal! The girls set up a board where people could vote- and show off their guess with a blue "bow tie" or pink barrette...


How cute is that? (for those of you wondering- the vote ended up tied.)
And the reveal method- Cake!

But not just any cake- a custom made creation by my friend Lindsey.

Seriously. Did I tell you I have talented friends or what? I can't believe she made that with her own hands....all for me! I mean, are you seeing this? Yellow and grey chevron stripes, tiny little decorations, a Baby Bowden bunting? Too much!

But the best part of the cake was the inside. Lindsey was the very first to know the sex of the baby (a secret she kept extremely well!) so that she could make a color coded cake to reveal the news to everyone at the shower. But of course I had to challenge her a bit more, and asked for vertical stripes. If you're not a baker (and I certainly am not!) you wouldn't know that that was a crazy request (I didn't!), but Lindsey is a true pro (seriously....she's an actual professional. As in- you should hire her!) and made my dream come true.

So with everyone watching in anticipation, I cut into the top layer....

....and of course, it was PINK!


Yay!
Everyone was so excited...Meg (and my mom) even cried. It was hard to keep the secret for so long, but it was such a fun moment to hear everyone squeal with glee at the same time.

After all that, I would have been content with all the food and fun so far, but it turns out there were more surprises to be had....not to mention I got presents too!


I got tons of baby gear...but even more fun- everyone brought their favorite children's book to build a library for Baby B. We played a game where we had to guess the books based on a quote from each of them...And lets just say I'm not as well read as I thought. It was hard!


But I got acquainted with some old favorites and was introduced to a few new titles too! (I can't wait to show you the baby's room now that all the books are on display-it's beyond awesome. But actually I can wait...and will wait. Back to the shower...!)

After the "official games" we had an impromptu activity, which could have been titled Courtney Has No Idea What She's Doing- The Babywearing Edition. One of my presents was a Moby Wrap- which for those of you as clueless as I am, is like a sling made out of a HUGE piece of fabric. The instruction booklet is approximately 17 pages, but swears it's So Easy. So we broke it out for a test drive (using a doll as to not subject a real baby to my inexperienced fumbling).

And let's just say, I'm not a natural.
But I didn't let technical issues stop me from working it.



Is it bad that my parenting strategy might be "fake it til you make it"? This baby and I will muddle through somehow...

So that's the story behind my Pittsburgh shower....To say it was an awesome day is an understatement. I'm continually in awe of how blessed I am to have such caring, giving, and utterly fabulous friends. I can't wait to introduce my little girl to this amazing group of women.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Baby Shower-palooza: Part 1

Are you ready for a non-stop onslaught of baby shower posts?! Well get set...because that's what I have coming your way.

After a month of parties and presents and basically spending every Saturday being completely spoiled, I've finally found time to upload all the pictures and share the details. I am beyond blessed to have a slew (yes, a slew!) of ladies in my life that went out of their way to "shower" me with love. I'm so thankful for the millions of details (and probably millions of hours) that went into all the fun surprises.

First up was the biggest surprise of them all- a work shower, with all my Visual ladies (and a couple brave guys that came for the snacks). Parties are a big deal in my office- nearly every week we gather in a conference room for a "surprise" birthday celebration. "Surprise" in quotes because the guest of honor is rarely, if ever, fooled by our bogus meeting requests asking them to come to a specific conference room that is solely used for singing and cake eating.

But not this time...no, the crew went all out, reserving the fancy company "events room" and having my boss lure me there for a legitimate sounding meeting. I was tied up in meetings all afternoon, and I lamented to my boss that I was starving, but she had little sympathy and marched me to our next task. But as I rounded the corner, I saw my entire team had gathered to throw me a party! With food even!!


The theme was "crafty", a fun idea in honor of my job and the details were perfect. They made a
Baby Bowden banner, and everyone filled out a "Wishes for Baby" card full of predictions, and hopes for our baby-to-be. There were sweet sentiments, plenty of Steeler references, and perhaps the worst baby name suggestions I've ever heard. There was even a craft for people to do at the shower (of course) and I'm now the proud owner of a baby mustache/pacifier collection. Our baby is going to be one classy lady!










They had all my favorite foods...punch, coke zero, fried soft pretzels (trust me on those....mmmmmmmmmm), pie! And each one had a little "mom loves..." label. I was blown away that they knew me enough to think of all my favorite things- and went out of their way to get them all!



There were TONS of presents...ranging from adorable, to really cute, to perfect, to wonderful. (seriously, I'm so spoiled!) I got some practical stuff (like bottles and a Boppy- which had to be explained to one of the boys in attendance. He left soon after.), fun stuff (like decorate your own onesies), and fancy stuff (like a silver rattle and bowl, that people had to remind me not to eat pretzel cheese sauce out of...)





One of the other highlights though, was something that they didn't plan. Dustin, in his infinite craftiness (the sneaky kind, not the glitter-glue kind) knew about the shower, and planned a surprise Gender-Reveal activity to finally share our secret with the group. They had been begging to know the sex of the baby for weeks (probably since before we even knew it!), so Dus made a puzzle for everyone to do to find out. It was a bit harder than he might have suspected, but eventually they were able to piece together the "G" and they made quick work of it from there. It was so fun for me to see people so excited for us, and even funnier to find out that only two out of the twenty-some people had guessed the sex correctly!



It was the first in a string of super-special days for me, and I'm so thankful for co-workers who are actually more like great friends.