Last Friday I left Fayetteville for my baby shower weekend in Memphis. So as not to attract too much attention to my very pregnant belly, I clad myself in billowy scarves and jackets and – hurrah! – no one commented on my state at the airport. Honestly, I don’t think I fooled anyone, and you’ll see why later in the post when you see pictures of my bump at the shower*. But both of my flights were so short (only about 45 minutes apiece) that it probably wasn’t worth it to the airlines to get too nervous about me pumping out a baby on their tiny regional aircrafts. So crisis – err, minor annoyance – averted.

*Dear Lord, she just used the word “bump” to describe her physique. What is the world coming to? I apologize and swear that I won’t be abdicating my blog for a stint at Us Weekly anytime soon.

Jerry likes to sit on tables to remind us occasionally that he is a dog, contrary to popular belief.

The next day brought the shower. I actually got a decent amount of sleep the night before because when I got to my mom’s house on Friday night, we watched TV in her bed and I completely conked out there. Her little dog Jerry (we use the term “dog” very loosely because Jerry is indeed a little man) wedged himself between us and his breathing served as a nice substitute for the calming tones of Sleep Sheep. You’ll recall that leaving Sleep Sheep with Ben during my trip was a major point of concern, but as usual Jerry came to the rescue.

So I awoke as refreshed as I could be for the day. I was a little sad when my Aunt Janice called to say that she couldn’t make it because she woke up with a really bad cold that morning and didn’t want to contaminate me, but one thing I’ve learned from life in general is not to work myself up too much over disappointments, no matter how large or small they may be. Very few things are ever really as bad as they seem at the time. I love my aunt and I’ll see her again.

My mom and I loaded into the car and headed over to the lovely home of Mary Beth, my besfrinn Cameron’s mom who generously opened her gorgeous home for our soiree. This place makes me so happy I can’t even stand it. Not only is it an amazing space because of the time and creative energy Mary Beth and Cameron’s dad David have put into it, but it is always filled with love and warmth. I equate it with genuine love and relaxed hospitality, also the hallmarks of their family. Mary Beth’s sister Ellen also made the trip from North Carolina to join the shower, so her presence there made it extra special.

Ellen and Mary Beth, our hostesses for the day

The food was fan-tas-tic. This really was no surprise to me, though, because Cameron is herself quite a gourmet and she gets it from her family, who were incidentally the people who converted me to Indian food years ago. My multi-talented friend Melissa made some wonderful punch that I wouldn’t mind having on an IV drip if it ever comes to that. The pentacle of deliciousness at the party was the grasshopper cake: chocolate with minty icing. Yeah, SO GOOD.

Om Nom Nom

I love my friends for about a gazillion reasons, and they found yet another way to endear themselves to me at the shower by choosing games that were neither gross (ie, putting smashed up chocolate bars in diapers) nor embarrassing to me (making guests guess the diameter of my midsection). My old friends from college Melissa and Emily choose fun games that I LOVED, especially the one where guests were instructed to put a paper plate on their heads and draw a portrait of Bebe.

Plate Heads

The one that ended up winning was the portrait on the right, featuring what appears to be Bebe in the middle of a heave. Pretty accurate, no?

Gamemaster Emily shows off the finalists.

Needless to say, Bebe is now fully-equipped to enter the world due to the generosity of my family and friends. She now officially has more clothes than B and if things continue at the rate that they seem to be going, soon she’ll have more than me, too. Lucky gal! Seriously, she got a pair of Toms. TOMS. I want Toms, too!

For my cool, hipster philanthropist baby

A little embarrassed for not knowing what the heck this thing is

I am clearly not an active parent, though, given the fact that I didn’t even know what several of the items that were gifted to us even were. I opened the Bumbo seat which I have since been instructed helps the baby learn to sit up properly, and announced, “Yay! A toilet seat for the baby!” Everyone quickly and worriedly corrected my gaff as if I were ready to set the baby up and let her poop in it right then and there. I have a lot to learn.

Luckily, there were a *couple* of recognizable items. Namely, the beautifully smocked dresses and collars my mom made for me nearly thirty years ago and has saved for our Bebe. She brought a beautiful pink dress and some collars to the shower, but it’s just a sampling of the myriad of truly stunning clothing she made for my brother and me back when we were small and will soon be passing to Bebe. Seriously, folks, I can’t begin to describe what a treasure these items are.

So, yeah, it was an awesome shower. I think that’s pretty obvious. My friends and family made it exactly as I would have hoped it would be. They understood when I started zoning out near the end, in need of a substantial nap. Now THAT is love!

Aunt Patrice, my MIL Sidney, me, and my Mom

Gotta be honest, though, and say that the icing on the cake for the day was having besfrinn Cameron at the shower. If you follow my blog with any regularity, you know that she’s the sister I never had and I love her like mad. If Miss Bebe is anything like her Aunt Cameron, I can assure you that all will be right with the world.

*****

Stay tuned for Part Two. Let’s just say that the weekend certainly took an unexpected turn the next day. And no, I DID NOT go into labor. Geez, guys, trust me, you’d know if that happened!