A couple of Saturdays ago, my mom and dad threw Will and I a diaper shower at their house. I wanted our guys friends to be able to participate in some of this celebrating, so we decided to make this a couple's shower, and to get the boys over without too much hassling from their wives, I used the only weapon I could think up to get men to a baby shower-- beer. Free beer. I think men will do just about anything for free beer. So we titled the party Burgers, Beer, & Babies and sent off the invites.
There is one thing about my mom and dad-- they don't do anything "half ass." If they are throwing a party, it's balls to the wall, so to speak. The preparations started about two weeks beforehand. They are spraying the yard for bugs, replanting flower beds, scouring the barbeque pit, cleaning out the garage. My mom had already been stacking up a pile of decorations for a month. She got huge pink and white pinwheels to line the driveway, very cute. She bought out Hobby Lobby on pinwheels, some gigantic and very colorful flowers (fake, of course), paper lanterns, all kinds of stuff. She had spent FIVE HOURS making me a diaper cake, which was a centerpiece at one table, and it was the most adorable thing you'd ever seen. You wouldn't have believed it was her first one! She called it "a labor of love" and I think nearly vowed to never do it again; at least until another grandbaby comes her way. We had gone to Sam's a few days before the party to get all the food and drinks (ahem.... beer. Oh, Dr. Pepper and water, too.) We were expecting over 50 people; and as the title implies, were making hamburgers, and hot dogs for the kids. That is a lot of hamburger meat, I'll tell ya. And a lot of beer, but not nearly as much as we had expected. We also shot across the street to Wal*Mart to buy some cute plastic bowls, and toys for the kids to play with (frisbees, hula hoops, jump ropes, Nerf football, stuff like that.) By this time, my feet had about given out on me, so (and laugh if you want) I actually got on one of those motorized carts, no kidding. I didn't care by that point! That day I thought the motorized cart was the best thing ever invented! My mom laughed at me hysterically, so I had to ham it up really good.
Anywho, I am so incredibly grateful to my parents for doing this for Will and I. It took a lot of time, energy, and money to throw a huge party like that, and I don't know if I'll ever thank them enough because they have done so incredibly much for us already. Since the day they found out Hayden was on her way, they've been on board doing everything they can, physically, emotionally, and financially to make this as less stressful as possible on Will and I. My mom comes over to help me clean when I'm exhausted and we go shopping together (which is fun), my dad takes me to lunch and calls everyday to check to see how I'm feeling (and ask about my feet; it really freaks him out) and drives me to doctor's appointments in the rain, my brother calls everyday to see what he can do for me before Will comes home; they bought several of the major things we needed for Hayden as gifts, along with little clothes here and there, stuff to make hair bows (this week's craft for my mom and I), cute things I've found on Etsy that I can't live without! All kinds of odds and ends, but they make all the difference in the world. Hayden's grandparents love her very, very much. And love us very, very much. So thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything you've done. It hasn't gone unnoticed, and I will never forget it. You've been there for me every day of my life, and I know that will never change. Will and I appreciate you from the bottoms of our hearts, and love you very much. Here's a few pictures of the day's events. I didn't take many during the party because I was too busy having fun, talking, and hostessing; but you'll get the idea (and you'll see the diaper cake! :)
There is one thing about my mom and dad-- they don't do anything "half ass." If they are throwing a party, it's balls to the wall, so to speak. The preparations started about two weeks beforehand. They are spraying the yard for bugs, replanting flower beds, scouring the barbeque pit, cleaning out the garage. My mom had already been stacking up a pile of decorations for a month. She got huge pink and white pinwheels to line the driveway, very cute. She bought out Hobby Lobby on pinwheels, some gigantic and very colorful flowers (fake, of course), paper lanterns, all kinds of stuff. She had spent FIVE HOURS making me a diaper cake, which was a centerpiece at one table, and it was the most adorable thing you'd ever seen. You wouldn't have believed it was her first one! She called it "a labor of love" and I think nearly vowed to never do it again; at least until another grandbaby comes her way. We had gone to Sam's a few days before the party to get all the food and drinks (ahem.... beer. Oh, Dr. Pepper and water, too.) We were expecting over 50 people; and as the title implies, were making hamburgers, and hot dogs for the kids. That is a lot of hamburger meat, I'll tell ya. And a lot of beer, but not nearly as much as we had expected. We also shot across the street to Wal*Mart to buy some cute plastic bowls, and toys for the kids to play with (frisbees, hula hoops, jump ropes, Nerf football, stuff like that.) By this time, my feet had about given out on me, so (and laugh if you want) I actually got on one of those motorized carts, no kidding. I didn't care by that point! That day I thought the motorized cart was the best thing ever invented! My mom laughed at me hysterically, so I had to ham it up really good.
Finally the day of the party came. My dad was a man on a mission. He had been gearing up for this day for weeks. I know it's because he wanted everything to be just perfect. By the time Will and I arrived around 11 to help set up (the party wasn't until 4:00), half the decorating was done and he and my mom were zipping around quicker than honeybees. My dad strongly believes "no rest for the weary." I've realized long ago, however, that there is a method to his madness. And if it weren't for him telling us what, where, and how to do stuff, I don't know if we would've made it all happen on time, honestly! Setting up was hard work, and took ALL.DAY.LONG. When my parents throw a party, they throw it right. Our friend Cubby came over early to help out and start making the hamburger patties. He was our chef. Cubby loves loves loves to cook, grill, bake, broil; just make food, however it's supposed to come. He's good at it, too! So we'd reserved him in advance to make us some delicious hamburgers, and that he did!
Finally, it was time for our friends to start arriving. Everyone showed up in the first hour, and the diapers and wipes were coming in by the boatload. Some also brought other presents along with the diapers. Since the party was on Cinco de Mayo, my friend Erin even bought us a "themed" gift, with diapers and wipes from the Mexican market and Dora the Explorer sippy cups. Ha! We had the music going, the barbeque pit was smoking, and our friends just a-mingling. I had my aunt there, some cousins, neighbors, and lots of friends. The toys were a big hit with all the kiddos. I was THRILLED that my good friend Sasha was able to come; she was in town from New York City. I haven't seen her since October, so I was really happy that she was there. I know she sometimes feels like she misses a lot being so far away. I tried to make my rounds and talk to as many people as possible, and I was on my feet all day and all night. Several people kept telling me that I needed to sit down, and I knew I did because my feet were growing to ginormous proportions, but I just couldn't. That's not who I am. My mama taught me how to throw a party, and how to be a hostess; and a hostess NEVER just..... SITS. It's so..... rude. And un-hostess-like. I endured. The party was supposed to end at 7:00, but it went on and on. That's how you know it's a good party! Finally around 9:00, enough people had left that the ones that were left were able to just make a circle with our chairs in the driveway for talking and laughing. I was grateful to fall into a chair, and my feet were monsterous. Dangerously so, it was probably the worst I'd ever seen them, and that's saying something. Around 10:00, everyone departed; and it was time for clean up. And no matter how much pain I was in (it had set in by now, big time), there was no way I could leave my mama to clean everything up by herself. No way. (Even if that is how she likes it.... she thinks she gets it done better that way.) Will would never let her do that, either. So against all her protests, we got everything inside, food thrown away, dishes in the sink, car packed up. Around 11:30, they all but carried me to the front seat and I rode home with ice packs on both feet; got home into bed and I slept with them on, too. It took me two days to recover. It hasn't taken me that long to recover from a party since college, and the reason wasn't nearly as fun as it was then! But the party was a huge success, and I loved seeing all our friends come together for good food, music, and camaraderie; and most importantly, to again celebrate Hayden's impending arrival. Will and I received what I would guesstimate to be about $500-$600 of wipes and diapers! What a way to set new parents up! If you are having a baby, or know a close friend that is, I highly recommend a diaper shower! It was a ton of fun and we got things that we actually need. Regular girly showers are fun (and a must), but if you're up for another get-together, go for it. We won't have to buy diapers for a loooong time. We got diapers in every size, from newborn to size 6; we even got blue jean diapers and other fun things like that. I counted 896 size one diapers alone. If she doesn't use all those, we'll just exchange them for bigger sizes. Suggestion: if you go to a diaper shower, buy the larger sizes. Everyone buys the small ones. And if you buy the baby clothes: buy the bigger sizes. Because everyone buys the small ones. Ha. I know people want to give you what you'll immediately need, and I'll never complain about a gift. But when 100 people do the same thing, you can get into a bind. So that's my baby shower etiquette advice.Anywho, I am so incredibly grateful to my parents for doing this for Will and I. It took a lot of time, energy, and money to throw a huge party like that, and I don't know if I'll ever thank them enough because they have done so incredibly much for us already. Since the day they found out Hayden was on her way, they've been on board doing everything they can, physically, emotionally, and financially to make this as less stressful as possible on Will and I. My mom comes over to help me clean when I'm exhausted and we go shopping together (which is fun), my dad takes me to lunch and calls everyday to check to see how I'm feeling (and ask about my feet; it really freaks him out) and drives me to doctor's appointments in the rain, my brother calls everyday to see what he can do for me before Will comes home; they bought several of the major things we needed for Hayden as gifts, along with little clothes here and there, stuff to make hair bows (this week's craft for my mom and I), cute things I've found on Etsy that I can't live without! All kinds of odds and ends, but they make all the difference in the world. Hayden's grandparents love her very, very much. And love us very, very much. So thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything you've done. It hasn't gone unnoticed, and I will never forget it. You've been there for me every day of my life, and I know that will never change. Will and I appreciate you from the bottoms of our hearts, and love you very much. Here's a few pictures of the day's events. I didn't take many during the party because I was too busy having fun, talking, and hostessing; but you'll get the idea (and you'll see the diaper cake! :)
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