Baby Girl Celebrated....Again!

This past weekend, Jess* and Traci** (plus Herman and their daughter) traveled to Washington to throw a small shower for me and baby girl Hammer.  I knew they had been planning it for awhile, but I was in the dark about the details.  Saturday afternoon, I was led out to a living room full of beautiful, personalized decorations and much excitement.  I was so glad that Jess had her camera on hand to capture these moments because I was much too busy admiring their hard work.

Traci led me out to the living room before the party started.  I was gripping on to Traci for dear life (my eyes were closed) because I was afraid I would fall off the step.

The reveal!

The food table consisted of finger foods, dips, and pink lemonade.  Did you notice the fringed garland on the wall?  It's so festive and pretty that I haven't taken it down yet.  The colorful bunting in the front of the table was handmade by my friend, and Jess' sister-in-law, Kate.

Traci designed the invites and all the cards for the events.  I love the soft watercolor background.

The drinks all had labeled straws that matched the invitations.  I loved the gray, white, and pink striped straws.  Shouldn't all our drinks look this good?

And there was no shortage of sweets!  A candy bar (I've always wanted one of these), caramel-toffee dipped pretzel rods, and Bella Bella Cupcakes were up for the taking along one of the bookshelves.

Ball jars filled with ranunculus (my newest favorite flower) filled the room.  The jars made me feel nostalgic for home (NH) since my parents use these as drinking glasses.  Guess they have many uses!

And my green-thumbed friend, Connie, brought over some dahlias for a punch of color.

The back table had "Wishes for Baby Girl Hammer" cards to fill out and little wooden dolls to paint.

One of the great things about the shower was the blending of people: the hostesses were friends I've had for a very long time and they were able to meet the people who have become dear to me here in Washington.  It was so fun to see all my groups of friends talking and getting to know one another.

 One very awesome idea (especially for a book nerd like myself) was that everyone brought a children's book in lieu of a card.  Now I have a ton of great children's books to put in baby girl's room with messages from many of our friends.  I love it!

Baby girl received some very sweet and thoughtful gifts.

I asked Jess to take photos of my friends and I'm so glad she did.  Look how great the care group ladies from church look (sorry we missed you, Becky and Anita)!  From left to right: Melanie, Connie, me, Trish, and Loralyn.

Apparently I missed the memo about wearing a cute scarf to the event.  Franchi and Amy look fabulous!

Remember Antje, the beautiful bride from Seattle, from a few posts ago?  I was so touched that she came all the way out from the city to join the celebration.

And of course, my lovely hostesses, Jess and Traci.  I know they worked their tails off for months to make this baby shower just perfect and it showed.  I am so blessed to have friends like them in my life to not only be a listening ear when I'm down, but also to celebrate the great joys in my life.  

Thank you girls.  You are so special to me!

* For more of Jess' fabulous photography, click here.

** For more of Traci's inspired design work, click here.

Parents & Projects

We were recently blessed with a visit from Noa's parents.  With baby Hammer's arrival a little over a month away, we have a lot to do around here, especially in terms of house projects.  In come the parents and things started getting done!

We did some serious yard work....we were able to clear out weeds, lay out weed blocker, lay down mulch, and get a hole dug for a tree (we hope to plant a Japanese maple soon!).

The weeds are gone!

The mulch is down!  Now we just need to get that tree.

Sadie enjoyed playing a supervisor role while basking in the sun.

They taught us how to prune our trees the correct way.  This maple in front was looking really full and completely covering the front window.  Now we can actually see the trunk and look out the window at our yard.  Don't you just love the color change going on?!  I love fall!

Carol helped me with some other garden activities, like what to plant in this box since the last plants kicked the bucket.  We decided to plant this colorful kale.

We (Noa and his parents, I chose to stay away from the fumes) finished painting the kitchen cabinets.*  This was one of those projects that had been going on and on.  I have a few minor things to finish on them, but overall, they are good to go!!

White on top and gray on the bottom.  I love it!

Carol and Noa also hung shelves in the hallway closet, but I've yet to organize that, so no photo for the blog....sorry, folks.

It wasn't all work and no play.  Carol and I got in a little shopping in downtown Poulsbo.  We had to stop for coffee, of course.

And we all went out to have a belated birthday dinner for Noa.  We ordered one of each of the desserts offered on the menu.

I'm so glad Jack and Carol got to make it out before the baby comes.  It was fun to get prepared for her arrival and visit with them before the craziness of life with baby begins.  I'm already looking forward to their next visit.  Thanks for everything, Jack and Carol!  You two make things happen!

*The kitchen cabinet project deserves a whole blog post, which will come at a later time.  

Dog of the Day

I haven't done a "Dog of the Day" post in awhile and I thought that it might be time to do so.  One of the HUGE perks of my job at the Kitsap Humane Society is the opportunity to have canine visitors in my office.  I try to choose dogs who would benefit from experiencing the sights and sounds of an office without getting too wound up.  This time away from the kennel is often referred to as "real room time" at the shelter.  Experiencing real room time is a great training tool for these shelter dogs because they learn to behave and experience an environment similar to a home atmosphere.  This, in turn, helps with their transition into a new home when they do get adopted.

So, here are some of my canine friends who have visited the office lately.  I love them all!!

Here's Buster:

He loves the Kong.  It's filled with peanut butter and food.

And, sweet, shy Missy:

She loves those head and neck scratches.

And today's pal, Elvis:

Awww.....

Birthday!

Today is Noa's birthday.  Unfortunately, it's a pretty standard work day for us and tonight we have our first childbirth class scheduled.  So, it's pretty packed.  We'll celebrate this weekend while his parents are out visiting.  I did try to make today special for him with little treats, like German chocolate cupcakes from Bella Bella Cupcakes.  Hopefully, a few of these birthday touches make today just a little more special for him in the midst of a busy day.

One of the many things that I appreciate about Noa is his ability to tackle change and uncertainty head on.  Whether it's going on deployment, climbing a mountain, or preparing for a child, Noa accepts these challenges to the best of his ability.  Sure, there is always doubt when facing the unknown, but Noa doesn't back out.  He is teaching me to stay strong and press on. 

So, happy birthday, Noa.  You are loved by so many....

...but especially me.

Baby-to-Be Weekend

This past weekend, I traveled to NH to see family and enjoy a celebration of baby-to-be.  It was a too short trip, as often is the case, but still greatly enjoyed.  I was especially excited when we went to Parker's Maple Barn on Saturday.  This is one of those NH eateries (and country store) that everyone simply must enjoy during a visit to the area.  We tried to go for breakfast, but between the sleeping in (we're all pretty tired on a Saturday morning), getting stuck in traffic from a road race, and the long wait (this place is popular!), we ended up eating around lunchtime.  Still, I went for the traditional breakfast, the Parker's Special.  Delish!

Anoli, Dad, Me, and some random waiter guy coming out of my head....looks like I need to learn to use Photoshop....

I was hoping to get some amazing foliage photos during the visit, but unfortunately, most of the leaves have not yet turned or were just starting to and it rained all weekend (the Seattle weather was following me, I guess). 

I also got to sneak in a couple of visits with my grandfather.

The major highlight of the weekend was the baby shower for baby Hammer and myself.  I knew that mom and Anoli had been working hard to plan this event, but I had no idea of how big or elaborate they decided to go with it.  What I thought was going to be a small family shower in the living room turned out to be a full house in the church fellowship hall.  I was completely shocked by all the people there!  It was almost like looking at a timeline of my life.  There were family members, ladies who have known me since I was a baby and throughout my life in Massachusetts, many who knew me from when the family moved to NH and I went through the awkward stages of adolescence, and those who met me as I entered college and became my own person.  There were even a few ladies who had not yet met me, but knew my mom and were excited to celebrate the occasion.  I was really so touched by the outpouring of support and generous gifts.  

Mom and Anoli outdid themselves on the preparations.  You can tell they really worked hard to find a balance so that both myself and the guests would be comfortable and have a good time.  There were also lots of friends who helped to make the event go smoothly by providing food, decorations, and help with set-up and clean up.  My family kept joking that it was like planning a wedding reception with all the work that was taking place!

I don't have a ton of photos from the day since these are just from my little point-and-shoot camera that was lying around, but I'm hoping to get some more soon (hint, hint Cristyn!).  Anyway, on to the photos!

Nancy made the cake, which was delicious and sweet.  I pretty much inhaled my piece, it was so good.

We played a challenging game of partners-dress-the-baby-with-one-hand.  Let's just say that I wasn't as quick as some of the other, more experienced moms.  Apparently I will acquire this skill in the future.

My team with our half-dressed baby.  Hey, at least we got that diaper on (ignore the fact that it's pretty much falling off....)

The winners with their fully dressed baby.  

Mom made this quilt for baby in just about one day...wow!  Isn't it fun?!

Love this picture!  Cristyn and Vanessa just found out I was pregnant!

Just kidding....they are going to be my go-to moms when I'm having new mommy meltdowns in the future.

The cousin picture: Anoli, me, Kathleen, Jen, and Dee.  It was good to see them because I rarely get to attend family events.

More blasts from the past: Laurie - family friend and my piano teacher from elementary school!

And Kristin and her mom, Cindy, who knew me through my ups and downs of high school.

More "family" - Nancy, Cristyn, me, and mom.  Soon we'll be able to take a three generation mom-daughter photo, since Cristyn has a daughter too!

  Hopefully, I'll have more photos to share in the near future.  It was a really special visit and I know I will cherish the memories for a long, long time.  I'm excited to share these photos with my daughter someday.  It makes me happy to know how much both she and I are loved by so many.