Chasing Rainbows: Baby Shower!...

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Baby Shower!...

I didn't show up yesterday...but I had a good excuse! I was busy preparing my house for a baby shower today! My good friend Drew and his wife, Melissa, are expecting a little boy. I wrote about them in a previous post - they had a "gender reveal" party where they and all of their guests found out if they were having a boy or a girl. So today we were happy to celebrate the impending arrival of baby A.J. with a beach themed shower.

Melissa grew up in Ocean City, NJ so the baby's nursery is adorable with life preservers and oars and other beachy things. It's adorable.

The true hostesses of the shower? Melissa's mother, Maureen, and her sister-in-law, Karen!

Before Melissa arrived, the guests were given little cards so they could write advice or blessings or a note to the baby and then we hung them on a little clothesline with teeny tiny clothespins.

Drew blindfolded Melissa to get her to my house. She knew the shower was today (it's never a great idea to shock a very pregnant woman with a surprise shower!) - but she didn't know it was here. It's been in the works for months!

Everyone had fun scooping their lunches out of sand buckets with different shovels and Melissa's Mom had individual favors for everyone - Johnson's Popcorn which is a BIG deal if you're from 'these parts'.

Among the wonderful gifts she received were a cute Minnesota Redskins shirt from Drew's family...

*edited to add - apparently, it is the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins. Who knew? Not this theater lover. And anyway, he's not even from Washington. Seriously. So I am keeping my mistake here - because, well, I'm here to amuse and entertain you. You're welcome.*

...and a gorgeous black and white photo of the merry go round in Ocean City, NJ taken by her brother, Rick. This photo will actually be hung in the baby's nursery!

It was pretty funny to see my house look so different. I took out all the toys...brought in furniture...and Ed took the boys out for the day. I'm not sure I can remember when my house last seemed so...adult! Our playroom was transformed from this...

...to this!

Congratulations, Melissa and Drew!

We can't wait to meet you, A.J.!

3 comments:

LauraSeptember 25, 2011 at 12:59 PM
hello I found your caringbridge page and then was directed here! I am a 25 year old young woman that was born with cerebral palsy I wanted to comment to say hello and thank you for your blog, I too blog about my life living with cerebral palsy and thought I would share it with you http://lifeofthedifferentlyabled.com

thanks
Laura
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AnonymousSeptember 25, 2011 at 2:47 PM
Cool idea for a shower!
Congrats Melissa & Drew - can't wait to see pics of your little one!
Barb
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TawniSeptember 25, 2011 at 3:58 PM
How fun!! But I can't let the Washington Redskins be disgraced by being mistaken for the Minnesota Redskins...its the Minnesota Vikings...I'm sure all the Redskins fans will appreciate the correction!
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Gavin's Playground Project

Gavin's Playground Project was born from my desire to see an "All Abilities" playground built at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. This is the hospital where Gavin spent a lot of time during his life... and where he ultimately died, surrounded by friendly and familiar faces. To mark the one year anniversary of his death, I held a fundraiser on April 5, 2014. You can read all about it in THIS post.

We raised a LOT of money, but not enough for a playground! If you would like to contribute to help make this playground a reality - so no kids will ever have to sit on the sidelines watching their peers play - you can contribute directly to the hospital through the Chasing Rainbows fundraising page HERE. Your donation will go directly to the hospital for the playground and is tax deductible. You can also create your own fundraising team page and start collecting donations in honor of anyone you want!! There is also a mailing address on their page if you prefer to mail a check. Designate your contribution in memory of Gavin Leong - or write in that this is for the playground so your dollars will go to the right place. Thank you for your support of Gavin's Playground Project!

Gavin's Trust Project

I created "Gavin's Trust Project" to help support Gavin's friends who receive services from the Chester County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. I wanted to continue to try to "make the impossible... possible" for kids like Gavin, knowing well how hard it can be to get much needed "special needs" items. It makes me happy to know that even after his death, Gavin continues to help others. Click HERE to learn more about the Trust Project! All of your donations, big and small, will be added to Gavin's Trust Project to help therapists and teachers get what they need for children in this program. You can write a check made out to CCIU and mail it to: Chester County Intermediate Unit, c/o Deb Hiller, 455 Boot Rd., Downingtown, PA 19335. Please be sure to add "Gavin's Trust Project" in the memo. Thank you on behalf of me and my little superhero!