How to Throw a Virtual Baby Shower

We've all got far-flung friends; Facebook and blogs make it easier than ever to stay in touch, but it's not always possible to make the long trip for special occasions.

Most of our best friends went to high school with my husband. That's what happens when you live in one spouse's hometown, I hear. One of those friends hasn't actually lived here since graduating high school, but she and Matt have always stayed close, and while she and I have only met in person three times, I think (two of which were our weddings!) we've grown closer over the years. Dear Lisa is expecting her first baby soon, and though it's long distance, I wanted to give her a shower so those of us still in Nashville could bless our old friend during this special time.

Hence, the virtual baby shower.

What is a virtual baby shower, you ask? Well, it's like any baby shower, except the guest of honor isn't physically there! It requires a little more advance planning, but overall I found it to be easier to host than a regular party! Just follow these steps:

Step 1: Schedule and Invite
After setting a date and time with the guest of honor (taking into account any time zone differences!) you need to send your invites with a little more time to spare than for most showers, and with a little more explanation. I designed this invite incorporating the keyboard and mouse imagery to set the tone.

The reason for the extra time is to accommodate the sending of your "baby shower in a box." Guests need to deliver their gifts to you (or send them directly to the mom-to-be) by a certain day 4-7 days prior to the shower.

Step 2: Prepare the Box

In addition to your gift and gifts from guests, include a bit of festivity that the guest of honor can easily set up for herself. A tabletop decoration is good, since it won't require hanging or much assembly. Think lightweight as well, since you'll be paying to ship it. I also included a pink lei she could wear (a tiara or ribbon-badge would be cute as well), and a couple of the plates and napkins we would be using. You want things to be as similar as possible on both sides to give a consistent aesthetic and help everyone feel part of one big cross-country party.

One place where that isn't totally possible is food. You need treats that will not go bad or be destroyed in transit. I asked my mother-in-law to make some of her wonderful miniature cutout cookies in baby-themed shapes; she'd made them previously for a long-distance shower we flew to Chicago to throw, and we knew they traveled well. Well-wrapped muffins or non-melting candies would work well also. I'd thought about tossing in some jordan almonds, but opted for more whimsical treats: candy necklaces and twisty straws, which I knew the little kids attending our side of the shower would enjoy too!

Step 3: Prep Your Side of Things
This was the part I found to be so much easier than a traditional shower. Since the guest of honor is off-site, not there to enjoy every detail of your "tablescape," and you don't want her to feel left out of the party, it's a good idea to keep things on-site low key. I decorated just one small area of the house—the area that would be on-camera when we Skyped with the mom-to-be—and kept the food simple. We had some pasta salad, fruit salad, store-bought mini-muffins, and some of the awesome cookies my MIL made.

Step 4: Skype!!
Or Google Hangout, whatever video chat provider you prefer. We Skyped for about an hour, chatting with our guest of honor, seeing the baby bump, getting a virtual tour of the nursery, and watching her open presents!

 

We did some baby-related trivia during our Skype session as well, though if you planned this part further in advance, you could include materials for games in the box to share with the mom-to-be: a roll of toilet paper to do the "guess-how-big-the-belly-is" game, or a printed word jumble game.

We all wish we could be close to special friends during such a special time in their lives, but social media makes virtual connection possible, and you can still celebrate together, though you're far apart.

Congrats, Lisa; we can't wait to meet Baby Jellybean!

The Cutest Superhero Party

My friend Nancy threw her daughter, Becca, the cutest superhero party last weekend! And since she's not blogging much these days, and my girls had such a great time, I'll take the liberty of telling you all about it (though you'll have to forgive the photographic focus on my own kids)!

Nancy had felt capes for all the kids that they got to embellish themselves from a wide array of shields, hearts, flowers, lightning bolts, stars, etc. It was the iron-on felt, so after arranging their pieces, the kids got in line to have a grown-up helper seal them with the iron. Then the kids could decorate their foam masks with stick-on foam pieces, and put on their silver armbands (tin foil over Starbucks cup-sleeves!)

Claire (i.e. me!) got to make a cape and mask too, and she looked so cute! If there had been a lightning bolt sticky, I might have used it on the mask, since people have mentioned her forehead scar is like Harry Potter's! 

Once all the kids were fully geared-out, they began their superhero training, first testing their super x-ray vision by finding glow-necklaces in a dark room (one kid at a time so they weren't running into each other!) Then we headed outside (the party was held at church—yet another benefit of being a PK!) for a superhero training obstacle course and super-strength training with a pinata!

Back inside for cake and presents, Claire gave up on her spoon almost immediately, grabbing the whole piece of cake off the plate with both hands! (See how her wound already looks so much better, only two weeks after getting four stitches? They didn't dissolve like they were supposed to, so we had to get them cut out after ten days.)

I know Nancy had been debating the concept of opening presents at the party, but after a big Facebook discussion with lots of people's input and ideas, I loved the path she chose: having a second chair up front for the gift-giver to come up and sit while Becca opened their gift. It helps minimize the free-for-all of present opening at kids parties, and help the birthday child connect gift and giver more directly, and the giver gets to help open the gift and see the birthday child enjoying it.

It was such a cute party, the superhero costumes make a great addition to the sparkly pink stuff filling our dress-up box, and I loved seeing how even girls can enjoy a superhero theme! Happy birthday, SuperBecca!

At the Old Ball Game

We went up to Louisville last weekend to see my parents. The main event of the visit was going to a Louisville Riverbats game with some long-time family friends—the kids' first baseball game and a fun gathering of three generations of friends. I was in utero when my mom met a new friend and her little red-headed toddler daughter, who would become my best friend in late elementary/middle school. It means so much that Lindsay and I can reconnect whenever I'm in Louisville and our kiddos are all getting to know each other.

Jack and Kate get along famously, and I'd be lying if I denied that the words "rehearsal dinner slide show" go through my head whenever I take pictures of these kids together.

Popi and the kids watched the game while most of the rest of us chatted and tried to keep toddlers from eating popcorn off the cement floor.

Said toddlers weren't quite to the age they could play together, exactly. They're only six months apart in age, but it's a big six months, socially! Claire didn't quite reciprocate Emmalea's efforts to hold hands. (I may elaborate on this in Claire's 18 month post tomorrow, but I keep remembering Kate at two and how much development happens between 18 and 24 months!)

Claire was intrigued by the girls in the next box, though! She and Emmalea both tried to climb over the wall to see what was going on over there!

There's a nice carousel and two playgrounds at Louisville's ball park (it's a great one—relatively new and much nicer than either Nashville's or Louisville's older one, where my parents and I frequently went to see the Redbirds play when I was a kid). I had one of my guilty "just enjoy the moment" impulses and didn't take the camera down to the play area, and Lindsay and I were both kicking ourselves; the dads and kids were so cute riding around together on the carousel!

The evening ended with fireworks after the game, and though threatening rain meant the kids didn't get to run the bases after it was over, we still all had a great time. We asked Kate what her favorite part of the game was, and she said, "seeing Jack." :0)

It's always fun going to see Nala and Popi, and reconnecting with one of my favorite cities and some of my favorite people in the world!

Zeroing in on One

Claire is just a month away from being ONE. I can't believe it. It has seemed to go faster this time, I think, and it's all relative how I think of a baby's growth now. Whereas Kate seemed "so big" by this point, Claire is still "just a baby!" I'm sure when Kate is six and Claire is three, three will seem more baby-like than it does now.

I never posted Claire's 10-month milestones. Once it got to be the 12th or so, I thought "eh, we're halfway through the month, I'll just double up next time!" So here we are with months 10 and 11.

Here I am at 11 months old!

Here's my tummy...

And here's my bear...

And here I am all dressed for school in one of my cute hand-me-down jumpers!

Flashback! Here I am a month ago. Not too much different.

Sister was still trying to cuddle/crush me at every opportunity.

So here's a little of what we've been up to lately.

Claire has gotten more and more mobile in the last two months. At nine months, she was just starting to pull up on things, and it wasn't long before we had a bonafide cruiser on our hands! She can cruise along the edge of the coffee table and couch, and will "walk" pushing her little cart or a kitchen chair or holding my finger halfway across a room! She has seemed on the verge of taking her first solo steps for about a month now, but she tends to "hang out" at stages like creeping and now cruising for a few months, in no hurry to move on. If you try to make her stand or walk hand-in-hand (as she will do voluntarily) she refuses, and sits down quite firmly, preferring to crawl.

She is saying "Dada" (sometimes even "Da-dee") and—when I'm lucky—"Na-na" for Mama. She's more verbal than Kate was at this age (though less mobile, so they've each got their strengths!) and seems to imitate sounds when we say things to her. She is pretty social too. At a playdate on Saturday with a new friend, she kept handing her playmate blocks and interacting well. 

Maybe it's the sister thing, since she's observing a bigger kid all the time. Kate loves to play Chutes and Ladders since Nala and Popi gave her the game a month ago, and Claire not only tries to get in on the action, but actually taps the game piece along the board, just as we do when we're counting spaces for our turns.

We haven't had a checkup since 9 months, but I expect she's holding at the petite-in-height, almost-average-in-weight thing. Devouring table food as she does, her weight has gone up, but she still seems petite overall. Her feet are smaller than Kate's at this point, since the shoes Kate wore constantly at this age are still a bit big on Claire.

Claire in the dress Kate wore at her first Christmas.

Claire's top two teeth have just broken through, though (thank goodness!) they are still only visible when you flip her upside down. I always mourn the loss of gummy smiles. She's had the bottom two since 8 months, but those top two make a big difference in losing that baby look. And in her ability to bite me, I imagine. I plan to stop pumping at the 1-year mark, but will nurse her for a few more months, as long as the milk holds out. She claws and pinches me to death, but biting hasn't been too much of a problem, with only those two bottom scrapers!

Wearing Nala's heirloom dress. 

Also in the last month, we met our new friend, Baby James.

Claire wasn't so sure what to make of a baby younger than she. Especially when Mommy held him or got close to him.

It's okay, Clairey! You're still my baby girl! Even if you are well on your way to toddlerhood. Tantrum-like behaviors (like putting her forehead to the ground when crying) have begun just recently, and she really seems to have shot up an inch or so in the last week! That one-year mark is closing in, and while I'll be sad to see infancy fade away, it will be fun to see my sweet second-born as a mobile, chatty little toddler!

Kate's Big Sister Tips

Kate's friend Becca became a big sister today. (Hooray for Nancy, John, and FULL TERM, SEVEN POUND baby James!) We are sooo excited for our dear friends.

When I picked Kate up from school today and told her that Becca's baby brother had been born, she said, "We should call Miss Nancy!"

To congratulate her, I guess?

"We should call Nancy to tell her that Becca's baby brother was born!"

I think she knows that, Kate, given she got cut open to get him out. But in any case, I tried to interview Kate about the ins and outs of being a big sister. Kate was much more interested in using a tape measure to measure her arms, Claire's wrists, and my behind (thanks, Kate) so I got some random answers like, "um, vacation Bible school?"

Here are the tips we did glean:

What should Becca do to be a really good big sister?
"Play with him. And with me. Claire can play with Becca's brother and Becca can play with me!"

What should she do when the baby is crying?
"She should say, 'Baby, don't cry!' And giggle with him."

When the baby starts crawling around and getting into her stuff, what should she do?
"She should say, 'No, brother!' and take it out of his hand."

What's the best part about being a big sister?
"Getting my pencil box."

No, that's not a gift she got when Claire was born; it was an item we picked up on the way home today to hold the many markers we've accumulated. What can I say? She's three and she lives in the moment.

If we quizzed Kate about the day to day realities of being a big sister, her response might have included tips on hitting, pushing, and body slamming younger siblings. And a fun game where Kate runs to one side of the room so Claire will chase her in her most determined crawl—then when Claire is halfway there, she runs back to the other side of the room, leaving Claire perplexed but good naturedly doing an about face to follow Big Sister again. 

I'm comforted by the notion that while big siblings may push little siblings around, they also defend them like none other if anyone else dares pick on the little sib. As an only child, I found this frustrating and hypocritical when I tried to join friends in the teasing of their little siblings, only to be rebuked. But seeing my own kids (and being assured by Matt, who has a little brother of his own) I know it's just the way of sibling love.

Congrats, Big Sister Becca, and welcome Sweet Baby James. Kate and Claire can't wait to meet you!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Baby Shower

Saturday, I hosted a "snips and snails and puppy dog tails" baby shower for my dear friend Nancy and sweet baby James. You may know Nancy as the mommy of Kate's BFF Becca, in which case you might wonder "why a shower for a second baby?" Since Becca was a super-mini-micro-premie, Nancy didn't get a "normal" baby shower for Becca (i.e. one while the baby was still in the belly!) and so we were all excited to celebrate this perfectly normal and healthy baby boy, growing right on schedule in mama's tummy.

You know how I go nuts with a theme, so once Nancy mentioned that Baby James' nursery would be puppy-dog themed, we were off and running!

I ordered the invites from Zazzle, and added a puppy paw print to the envelopes (using a balled-up piece of Play-Doh, since I didn't have a stamp that worked).

Like many people, Nancy and I initially wondered "what is a snip?" The consensus on ye olde internet was that the "snips" in the classic rhyme refer to the random little things boys might bring home in their pockets—twigs, leaves, etc.—so I used greenery clipped from a tree in our backyard in the decor as my "snips."

I decorated cupcakes frosted with snips, snails, and puppy dog paw prints. My platters were already being used for veggies and cheeses, so I dressed up a cookie sheet with a ruffle cut from one of the napkins and affixed with hot glue. (It peeled right off when I was done. Isn't hot glue great?)

A little snail made from a string cheese and strip of red pepper hid in the corner of the cheese tray.

I'm more into the thematic decor than cooking, so I just made my basic party fare—veggies, cheese, fruit, and spinach-artichoke dip with crackers, but added puppy chow to the mix, yes, just because it went with the puppy dog theme.

The mantle garland had paper paw prints and a snail, plus greenery snips like in the table arrangements.

We played a couple games and opened presents, of course. It was a lovely time celebrating this wonderful mama and her sweet baby boy!

I know a couple people were aware of my efforts to sculpt a puppy cake-topper out of fondant and are eagerly awaiting seeing the little guy! This was my first time working with fondant and I just couldn't seem to get it smooth, so he looked a little dry and crackly. He was so ashamed that he gradually lowered his head, once held high, down onto his paws to rest :0) I figured cupcakes work better than a cake you have to cut during the party anyway, so puppy stayed hidden away in his tupperware in the pantry.