baby shower #2 {ward/neighborhood}

A few months ago, my visiting teaching companion, Cynthia Hallen, sweetly offered to throw me a baby shower! I was so grateful and excited about it because I find it difficult to have one big shower with a wholeeee bunch of people from different parts of your life, so it's nice to have those people broken down into more common groups -- hence a friend, neighborhood, and family shower for me.

Because there were so many people I wanted to invite and because the shower was on a Saturday, Cynthia and I opted for an open house shower, where people could come and go as they were able. The shower was wonderful. For food, there was a hashbrown casserole, fruit, arroz con leche, and eclairs. Many people helped Cynthia out by bringing milk and juice.

For the first bit, we all chatted and munched on the yummy food. After a bit, Cynthia asked people to share mothering advice with me. I've heard a lot about how people don't want mothering advice from other people, and while I can understand that some people give advice in a this-is-the-only-way-to-do-it way, I really appreciated that all of the women shared their tips and advice in a do-what-works-for-you way. Some things that people shared were:

• Put on makeup every day so you can feel like a real human.
• It's okay if a baby cries -- it won't kill them. Therefore, take a shower when you want one; if they cry for 10 minutes, they'll survive.
• Be confident in your abilities as a mother. Don't let others make you feel like you're doing it wrong. 
• Get outside! Babies won't freeze in the winter and they won't melt in the summer. Bundle the baby up (for winter) and get some sanity from the outdoors.
• You'll mess up sometimes, but they won't remember, so don't worry about it too much.
• As your child gets older, support their passions.
• However you start putting your child to sleep is how you will always put your child to sleep, so make sure you start how you want to continue (i.e., rocking them, feeding them, etc.)
• Savor the moments with your tiny child, and remember those when they're a teenager (haha!).
• Recognize your child's talents.
• Bedtime routines are so helpful. Then, as your child gets older, transition that time into a time to really get to know your child. Talk about their days and tune in to any struggles they might be having. Talk with them every night so that they are comfortable talking to you when they need help with the big stuff. <-- I really loved how this person shared what she does with her kids. She's just like rockstar mom status, and I am hoping and praying to have close relationships with all of my kids like she does so that they really will be comfortable coming to me with anything.

Since the shower was open-house style, this was a great way to keep everyone on the same page. There were no games, but this activity helped fill the room with conversation the whole time. It was great getting to hear helpful advice from a lot of great women.

Unfortunately, the only pics from the shower are of me opening gifts! It would have been nice to get some pics with some of the women who attended, but I was pretty cozy in my chair, so I didn't get up too often! Haha. I came away from the shower with a lot of helpful things for our little Ada. I'm so grateful to all who came to show Ada and me love, and I'm especially grateful to Cynthia for throwing the shower. I'm surrounded by such wonderful people!

**ashleynicole

People who came included:

Cynthia Hallen

Holly Wilkinson

Lisa Smith

Lisa Broberg

Michelle Peterson + Ella + Emerie

Kerri Young + Megan

Heidi Jungheim (Young Woman)

Katie Andrews

Kristi Chesnut

Jessica Bird

Joan Norman + Kristi

Melissa Shafer

Raquel Freitas

Mimi Guzman-Honegger