sprinkle

On Friday, I was lucky enough to be honored with a baby sprinkle for Baby Boy Neckers. My sweet friend, Sarah, agreed to host the sprinkle when she herself has a four-week-old at home. She's incredible. We talked about the possibility of a sprinkle a few months back and I told her that all I really wanted was to get together for dinner with some girlfriends before the baby comes, to have some girl time. She took things a step further and made the cutest centerpiece and favors and it really made the dinner feel special.

I realized that everyone who was there is a mother, all of whom I've known since before any of us had children. The group that gathered that night included women who I have been friends with since I was twelve years old, women I met in college, and women I met later on. We have seen each other through high school drama, bad boyfriends, worse breakups, the establishment of our professional lives, our weddings, and now motherhood and each of them provides such a beautifully unique perspective on the joys and struggles of it all. Each of them is a wonderful mother and has such love for their family. We all do things a bit differently and we are all raising great kids. We have all had our own challenges and I love that I can ask any of them about how they've tackled different parenting issues, if they had a feeling that labor was going to start before it did, which foods they introduced first, how they're dealing with limit-testing toddlers, how to navigate the challenges that parenting adds to marriage, and really everything and anything that has become part of our realities since becoming moms.

 

Sitting around that table, it struck me that it is such a special thing to be able to share the adventure of parenthood with such a great group of friends. I am so grateful to be experiencing all of this with them and can't wait to see what unfolds as we continue to watch all of our children grown up together. You are all great moms and I learn from you every time we're together. Thank you, girls, for being willing to share this adventure with me, to celebrate the exciting moments and empathize with the tough ones. 

And thank you, Sarah, for getting everyone together and helping make this pregnancy feel just as special as the first one.

thirty six

If I were a better blogger my first post of 2013 would have come months ago.  If I were a better blogger, I'd have written about each of my fantastic baby showers including beautiful photographs of each of the events.  If I were a better blogger...well, you get the picture and the fact is, I'm not a better blogger.  I'm busy and tired and thirty six weeks pregnant and I haven't updated the blog in months.

Since the last post much has happened including multiple baby showers with family, friends, and co-workers.  Todd and I continue to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that we've experienced through each and every week of this pregnancy.  I feel like a broken record saying it but we are so, so genuinely grateful for all of the wonderful people in our lives and BGN is so lucky to be so loved already.

As I mentioned, I'm not a better blogger and therefore, I did not beautifully photograph each of my baby showers but thankfully I have at least some photos from each one largely thanks to my mom who is a total trooper and happily attended four (4!) of my baby showers.

We have amazing, loving people in our lives.  What fun we had celebrating.

Twenty three days until she's due.  Then the real party begins!