Gender Reveal

It feels like it took a century to find out the gender of our sweet baby, including having a sonogram to see what our baby actually LOOKS like.   When we finally got to experience both we were blow-away to see toes, fingers, and the baby moving all around.  It was worth the wait and the best way to start 2015.  

We had an amazing sonogram tech for our gender reveal.  Before she told us what we were having,  she gave us a good 10 minutes to just watch the baby moving on the screen.  It was such a wonderful experience for the hubby and myself.  

When she finally told us the sex I screamed, accidentally, the baby is exactly what we thought it was, and what we were hoping it would be (besides being healthy of course).  

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Immediately I wanted to get our gender reveal photos done.  I wanted to do a series of photos holding two different bundles of balloons, one pink and one blue, and then slowly release one of the bundles into the air; to be left holding the balloons that would reveal the gender.  They were going to be the cutest photos of the hubby and myself since our wedding day.  

I set-out getting my hair done the morning of, stopped and bought two bundles of balloons, picked out outfits for the hubs and myself, enlisted the help of a friend to take our photos, and found a location to have the photo shoot.  Everything was set-up to be perfect.  Until....the photo shoot went terribly wrong...

It was INCREDIBLY windy everywhere we tried to go.  The balloons were hitting us in the face and trying to fly away; not to mention my hair was attacking me.  Our photographer had to be quick to take a shot whenever the wind would stop for a brief second, therefore not giving it enough time to adjust, so 95% of the photos were a blurry mess.  Then, the hubby got excited thinking the photos were looking good and released the balloons before we were ready to release them.  Typical luck right? 

All that aside, we are beyond thrilled to announce that....

It's a BOY! 

A cute, button-nosed, long-limbed, precious baby boy.

With nothing but the turquoise balloons in hand we had no choice but to move the photo shoot inside and change our photo plans. 

We decided to take pictures inside our brewery.  The place that we spend most of our days and nights, the place that we have devoted our lives to creating for nearly three years now, the place that our sweet baby boy will grow-up in, and the place that will hopefully one day provide us with the means to give our baby all the worldly experiences he deserves.  While I was upset that my photo shoot plans did not go as planned, it seems meant to be that we took the photos where we did.  

Your daddy and mommy love you baby boy!  

Throwing a Garden-Inspired Baby Shower

My best friend recently, two weeks ago, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  She is perfect with 10 adorable toes and fingers, jet black hair, and the cutest little face.  

Before the baby however, was the baby shower, and I was the lucky one to get to throw the shower.  :)

Throwing a shower can be tricky; trying to have the right amount of charm and sophistication without going overboard or taking a turn for the cheesy.  

Step 1: Picking a Venue
Personally I am not the biggest fan of showers in peoples homes, unless the crowd is exceptionally large.  I feel like when you bring people together who might now know each other they feel a level of comfort in public places, where as they would feel rather uncomfortable in someones home.  With a guest list on the smaller side I knew having the shower at a restaurant would be perfect.

Step 2:  Invitations
I had so much fun with this. I knew the look of the invitation would set the theme for the shower, so I wanted it to be a simple one that wasn't too busy or cluttered.  Being a gender neutral shower, mommy and daddy wanted the sex to be a surprise, I chose the colors grey and yellow.

Step 3: Decorations
When the venue was booked and invites were in the mail, I was able to dedicate my time to the most important part, the decorations (the decorations set the tone for the entire shower).  Being familiar with the venue helped me create the perfect theme to blend with the grey and yellow color palette.  The bright sunshine yellow reminded me of blooming flowers so I immediately chose to go with a garden theme. 

I had so much fun creating decorations.  From the "Mom-To-Be" banner for the chair, to Goody Bags (filled with Pop-Corn, Blow Pops, and Tootsie Roll Pops), to plotted plants in mason jars and tins. 

Step 4: Games
Choosing games is by far the hardest part about throwing a baby shower.  There is a thin line between having a good laugh and embarrassing the mommy and/or making it disgusting (candy bars in diapers and baby food tasting).  Therefore, custom-made "Mommy Libs"  was the perfect idea.  Fun enough for certain friends to make it goofy and gross, while family members try to make it sweet and kind.  Either way, a good laugh for all.  I printed "Nursery Rhymes" for guests to fill-out during the down times, and I hosted a "Present Exchange" as a get-to-know you, with the garden tin centerpiece being the prize for the winner. 

Step 5: Final Touches 
A few small things added the final touches to the beautiful garden shower.  From the orange Italian soda that looks like mimosas (for mommy and others who don't drink), to polka dot yellow napkins, to a homemade cheesecake banner, and using a baby book to write gifts and whom they were from in lieu of a piece of paper.

The baby shower was everything is should be: relaxing, fun, casual, and sophisticated.  And the mommy even got to go home with the garden centerpieces.  

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