All things Baby Shower!

galactickates

Baby showers or sprinkles are going to be starting soon! Mine is on the 13th! When is everyone else's? What are you going to wear? Are you having a sprinkle or a shower? Any themes? Let's talk about baby showers! 
PS don't forget to come back and update how it went! We    pictures!

galactickates

What are you guys going to wear? 
I found a dress I like,  but i'm not sure how flattering it's going to be on me.  

bradleysmommy28

Mine is 10/14 but I know absolutely nothing. My mom and 2 SILs are throwing it but thats all I know.  I'm actually trying to figure out what to wear now and cant decide....

galactickates

@bradleysmommy28 can you believe we're having a baby shower in about 2 weeks? That's just so crazy to me!

KLS123

Mine's 11/18 and it's a co-ed BBQ shower that my BFF, sister and mom and hosting. They haven't sent invites out yet and I'm getting a little antsy but trying to stay hands off. 

bradleysmommy28

@galactickates I know... And the days are flying by lately so everything is coming up so quick!

alexandraseattle

I'm so excited for mine! My mom and sister are flying up to host one at my house on 11/3. I don't have a lot of friends and zero family up here, so it will be a small gathering. I'm planning on wearing one of the dresses I normally wear to work and our theme is baby woodland animals. I'm so excited to not have to plan anything and just show up and be taken care of. 

sarahsaurus-2

My shower will be on Oct 27th. It feels a little early, but we didnt want to do it during holiday season. 

Its sort of a joint effort between my sister, MIL, and myself. I know I'm not really supposed to host, but I love planning stuff and my sister lives in another state, so we're working together on the decorations and all that. My MIL owns an auto-body shop, so as funny as it sounds, we're actually going to use it as a venue. They're hosting a little community car thing the week before, so its already going to be all nice and cleaned up.

kaf1788

@galactickates I love that! It will look so cute on you!

@KLS123 mine is also the 18th and I am seconding your antsiness.  Most of my friend group have various friendsgivings/ early thanksgiving dinners with in-laws/travel for the holiday so I told my mom that weekend was fine (it's what she and my mil were pushing for hard) as long as they send out invites early so people could have it on their calendars. Last week I got TWO friendsgiving invites for that same weekend so I checked back in with my mom to ask if she could send out evites soon (she already has everyone's emails). I talked to her today and she was like "I'll probably send invites in two weeks" so at this point I'm just letting it all go and accepting it's probably going to be a family-only shower lol.

I'm not sure what the theme is going to be, but my parents always do a really great job making allll the delicious food so I'm looking forward to that part at least! For my sister's baby shower last year we just did some low key onesie decorating and no dumb games so I'm sure it will be in the similar vein which I'm happy with.

I'm really struggling with outfit planning! November in New England has been such a crapshoot the last few years. It's either 60 degrees or 10. I'm considering wearing this dress from Hatch (via Poshmark of course) with some cute tights or boots

mrsmang

Mine is 10/20 in the town I grew up in. We have to travel and some of DHs family has to travel, but most people were there so it made sense. My mom and sister are planning it at the country club in town (that we don’t belong to haha). All I know is that it’s not much of a theme, they did the book instead of card requwt on the invites, and that they hired a woman to come help everyone help make a mobile for baby’s room. I was part of suggestions for that because my sister wanted to make sure we would actually like it, and they’re doing something like the below since it’s easy for all skill levels and fits our travel theme. It would be in colors that match our nursery. 



Edited: I totally forgot about outfit!  I’m not sure what I’m going to wear yet. My neighbor mentioned she has a few nicer occasion maternity dresses I could borrow so I was thinking of asking her to see if she has something I might like before I go buy something I’d wear once. 

VallieS86

I'm not having one, since this is my 2nd. I hope you all have awesome showers though!

leighbrek

Mine is Oct. 28th; the sister-in-laws are throwing it together, and it'll be more of an open house than a structured shower. I like this because it doesn't hold anyone hostage, but makes me a bit uneasy because I'm not close with most people who are going (mainly DH's family).
Clothes... Probably what I wear every day, lol. I'm not into fashion and don't really give much thought to outfits.
Shower, I think! lol. The one SIL asked me what my nursery theme is, so I think they're going to go with jungle animals at the shower. 

Ghostie625

I'm having two, on for my side and one for DH's. Our families are concentrated in two different cities, so it's just most convenient for guests to have separate ones. 
DH's aunt is throwing hers on 11/17, and my mom and sisters are throwing theirs on 11/24. They're coordinating with each other to send out the invites on the same day. I had two bridal showers as well and DH's side did theirs first so by the time my side did theirs about a month later a lot of the bigger gifts had already been purchases and my family was annoyed that there weren't a lot of "big gifts" left, so lesson learned. (That sounds really gift grabby when I say it but I'm not trying to be, I promise! lol)

I have not planned outfits for either, but I'll most likely go shopping as the dates get closer. Although now that I say that, there's such limited selection in stores that I might order some clothes online sooner than later.

My sister is getting super into planning it and I think is doing baby animals as the theme. She has an entire pinterest board dedicated to the shower and ideas for games and such. She loves doing stuff like that and my mom and other sister I think are perfectly happy to let her!
I spoke to DH's aunt last night and I think she doesn't have a theme so much as a color scheme of gray and green in mind. I know she and my sister/mom are talking and coordinating so my sister will probably give her some of the ideas she doesn't use. They're keeping the theme and decor gender neutral since we aren't finding out the sex.
Both are going to be at restaurants since nobody has enough room at their house to do it.
Both are doing the book instead of the card thing. I've also been to a shower where everyone got a letter of the alphabet and had to make a page of an alphabet book that I thought was a pretty great idea, and saw a similar idea on pinterest to have everyone paint a wood letter of the alphabet to hang in baby's room so I think each shower will have one of those activities.

rgizmo81

My mom, MIL, SIL and one of my husband's aunts are teaming up to throw us a baby shower on 10/20. Invites are out and registry is done, so glad to have that off my to-do list! It's going to be a mixed gender, kids welcome, casual affair at my mom's house. No theme, but my SIL is making decorations (and she's amazing at crafts and super creative, so I know it'll be beautiful) and my MIL and mom are teaming up on the food (which is sure to be delicious), so I'm really looking forward to it. My DH and I host almost all family gatherings/holidays/bday parties/etc. at our house (for both sides of the fam) and have done so for almost a decade, so I am super looking forward to sitting back and letting someone else do the planning, prep, cleanup, etc. and just showing up and having a good time with friends and fam!   

I hadn't even thought about what to wear, but now I'm getting excited about finding something super cute! I have yet to buy any maternity clothes (been getting by with loose-fitting cotton dresses I already owned, some hand-me-down maternity tops from my cousin, and a belly belt to keep wearing my regular pants as long as possible), so I think I might actually splurge on a new dress for the shower!

tosh24

I love reading all of these! So exciting!

Obviously, I'm not having one as this is my 3rd, but I never even had a baby shower for my first. They're not really done in my culture (Italians are extremely superstitious, especially the southern part of the country). But, I am having lots of fun living vicariously through you ladies and I'm sure you are all going to look beautiful and your special days are going to be wonderful. Be sure to post lots of pictures!

skilouise

My shower isn't until 11/18.  We picked that date so my MIL can come, since they're visiting us for thanksgiving. Overall I think it was the right call, but it seems so far away!  Other than the date and guest list, I've been pretty hands off on the planning.  I trust my friends, and know they'll put together a great event. 

As for what to wear, I got a super cute maternity dress a few weeks ago for BIL's wedding. I'm planning to wear that to the shower as well. 

kianarain

You guys, I'm so excited for everyone! Must. See. Pics. I haven't even gotten a date nailed down but I need some advice.

How weird is it to do the baby shower the Saturday after Thanksgiving? It will be largely family and friends who will be in state. Our other option was the second week of December. We always have a big group of people in town for TG and I wouldn't want to have them come into town for TG, come into town for the baby shower, then also for Christmas. It just seems so busy for everyone. But I also want to be conscientious of the holiday and not dominating the weekend. (My mom usually hosts TG and ALSO offered to host my baby shower, so I'm worried about overloading her.)

Kabazaba

You guys - I'm not at all fashionable but pretty sure something is broken with this search algorithm
 

kaf1788

@Kabazaba definitely go with top left

Ghostie625

@kianarain I'm having a shower the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I don't think it's weird at all, and definitely convenient if your guests will already be in town.

Rachel2066

My shower is on 11/11. My sister and my mother are hosting (or rather my sister is planning and my mother is paying the bill!). We are going to have it at a restaurant in my hometown (in a Boston suburb). Its about 2 hours away from where I live now, however as most of my friends and family live in that area, if I wanted anyone to actually show up, that is where it had to be. LOL! (cue jokes about needing a passport to go west of Worcester).

When my sister visited this weekend, she was looking for my input on what sort of planning/activities I might be interested in. We decided on games/activities that can happen while everyone is socializing instead of ones where the whole party stops to play the game. (For example, decorating onesies instead of having a massive relay game). Also, I know some here are not fans, but we decided to request that the gifts be unwrapped and we will have a couple of big tables so we can display the gifts. I will be able to thank each person when they bring their gift and everyone can still Ooh and Aah but we won't have to stop everything to open presents for an hour. DH and I have such big families that even just inviting the female sides of our families we are up to about 60 people. 

For an outfit, I am going to just go with a nice sweater and either leggings or jeans (depending on how the belly is doing by then and what is most comfortable!) Probably this sweater that I got from old navy. Its cute and super comfy. 

rgizmo81

Rachel2066 One thing I will note about the unwrapped gifts (which I think is a great idea, especially for a larger group) is to make sure it's really clear to the invitees. I co-hosted a shower for my SIL and brother, and we requested people bring unwrapped gifts, but either it wasn't made clear enough on the invites or people just decided to ignore it, because about half the people showed up with unwrapped gifts and half with wrapped gifts. So we ended up still having to fit in some gift opening time, albeit less than we would have if everyone had brought wrapped gifts. But it was still a fun shower!

gorgeousariel

No one has mentioned a sprinkle but our church always throws one for the new babies. So I'm assuming I will have one. It probably won't be until November which feels like a lifetime away but I know it's not. I would like to do it the weekend before Thanksgiving because baby could come as early as 12/10 and I definitely want time to sort through everything and get any last minute stuff. 
Our theme is whales/ sea life. I have a few maternity gowns but I don't think they would be appropriate for a relaxed church baby shower. I will probably start looking a little harder in the next couple weeks for a dress. 

gorgeousariel

@KLS123 My MIL hosted the shower for DD. She procrastinated and then was out of town for almost 2 weeks before she sent out the invites. When she got back and finally sent them it was two  weeks before the shower! It was mostly a family shower so everyone knew about it anyway but it was driving me nuts knowing she hadn't sent them out yet. 

kmvisioli

This this is number four for me, and we have all boys, so I’m sure no shower, but our church and my husband’s office have done sort of a diapers and cards thing for us in the past. I actually do have a short list of baby things we need to buy again this time around (things that got super worn out or passed along already) so hopefully a few friends or family members will look at that list for Christmas gifts!

Hope you ladies all have fun getting dolled up and going through the fun new baby loot! Putting those shower gifts in the nursery or into your home is always so surreal and exciting!

ladystout08

I wasn't planning one but my BFF insists because our DS is almost 6 and we're having a girl this time. She sent me a preview of the invites and I'm guessing it's Disney themed which I LOVE because her room will be as well. It's on 11/10 and I think we're doing a casual thing at her house but not really sure. I can't believe it's so soon! 

kianarain

@Ghostie625 we are locked in for the Saturday after TG also! It just seemed like the right choice for us. We've already had 2 out of towners buy tickets, so no going back now!

SO has a quite a few friends he wants to invite which I think is really, really sweet. I'm happy that he's so excited and wants to share it with his friends - he didn't even think for a second that baby showers are just for women. We're going with a split level party, with all the classic shower things on the top floor and football watching/keg drinking on the bottom story. Then we'll all gather together for gifts, games, etc. At this point I think it's time for me to bow out of the planning, but it's so hard for my type A/control freak personality lol.

bradleysmommy28

I will start off by saying I love my mom dearly and I appreciate everything she does for us more than you could imagine.  However, I purposely told her and emailed her the info for our registry before invites for the shower were made and sent out out to make it easier for her.  Over the weekend she asked me no less than 5 times if we were registered and where because everyone is asking what we need.  Sometimes I feel like she does things on purpose to make them harder for herself! 

ladystout08

This thread inspired me to check/update my registry and I'm glad I did because there was a bunch of stuff that was discontinued. Whew. All fixed. 

greenhillgirl

My mom and sister are coming up from VA to NYC to have a shower for me on 10/20. We talked about Thanksgiving weekend but ultimately decided it would be less stressful for everyone to do it separately. It is it a restaurant downtown that is tex-mex and has bright sort of Frida Kahlo inspired decor. It is an all you can drink brunch, so I hope people have a lot of fun. They are bringing in a cake and my mom has tiny succulents as the favors.

I am wearing this, which I bought at Macy's in Chicago along with another black dress for a work event. After not being able to find a dress that fit me for months, even maternity, I was so happy to find two on clearance.  It's not my favorite thing ever but its cute, stretchy, and comes with a pink bow. It makes me laugh that it is a gender reveal dress, as I am not doing a gender reveal. The lady who did my check out at Macy's was super excited I was buying a gender reveal dress. Ironic since I've known she was a girl since we implanted the embryo with IVF. Um it fits and is on sale? Hope to pair with some tights or leggings and cardigan.

skilouise

@greenhillgirl I have that same dress! I bought it to wear at my BIL's wedding and will also wear it to my shower. It's cute and fairly comfortable also.

mtengl

I can’t wait to see everyone’s shower photos! 

I am pretty sure I am not having one... My whole family on both sides lives at least 20 hours away and my closest friends do too. I have a couple of friends down here but nothing to warrant a shower. 

I also found out my coworker who is due at the end of Nov. isn’t having one and all of her huge family lives here. I wouldn’t mind doing a potluck for her at work but I don’t want anyone to feel like they should do one for me.

molosmiles

@mtengl Do it! I bet they will do something for you or someone will suggest a combo potluck/shower. I Know that is not your intention. But you and baby deserve to be spoiled a little too!! With both of my pregnancies , I had coworkers due within weeks of me and both places threw little showers for us. It was super nice. 

TruStory

My BFF and SIL are hosting my shower at a local restaurant on 10/28. The invites are already out and I'm super excited for it! Although I don't really love being the center of attention either so I'm a bit anxious as well. It's a bit early since I'll only be 29 weeks, but we wanted to stay away from the holidays and living in NY you never know what the weather will be and we have family driving in for it. Its mostly all women except for the immediate family, like our fathers, and my husbands brother will be there.  The theme is greenery as we wanted to stay gender neutral.
As for an outfit I bought 2 dresses. I love them both but until I know the weather its hard to plan. I feel like the blue one is heels all the way.  Where the burgundy looks super cute with boots or booties. 

rooonilwaazlib

Our shower will likely have 60-65 people (don't get me started....).  There's a debate between planners, my wife, and me if there should be seating arrangements or if it should be a free-for-all.  It's at a restaurant, not someone's home so there will be a sit-down meal and it's a 12pm brunch.

I am in the camp of let's do a seating chart. Most people don't know each other, and 60+ seems like a lot of people to me.  What are your thoughts?  Is this just me being controlling, or does it make sense?

greenhillgirl

@rooonilwaazlib I would do a seating chart. I did one for our 35 person wedding because people came from very different parts of my life and I wanted people to end up sitting next to someone they would enjoy talking to and not someone who might annoy them. Sit that stoner friend wearing shorts next to someone laid back and not dad's business partner. 

kaf1788

@rooonilwaazlib unless there's a lot more seating than people I'm generally team seating chart. Granted I'm a particularly anxious person but I always dread showing up to these things and having no seats left at the "friends" table and being forced to sit as the odd man out with like the grandmas. 

The last baby shower I went to was at a function hall and, while there was no official seating chart, the mom did a really good job at ushering people towards tables. Like when I walked in and said hi she immediately told me where the mom-to-be and her friends were sitting and told me to put my stuff down there. And the same with different sides of the family. So that's always an option if you want to be a little more informal, but would probably be hard to pull off with a really large guest list or smaller tables.

Drizzt

@TruStory I love both of those dresses!! Where did you find them? I totally want to copy you 

TruStory

@Drizzt the dark red is Mottherhood maternity. They have it in green as well and it looks better on then in the picture if you ask me. The blue is from amazon. Just search PattyBoutik Mama maternity dress. They have a few and the material is great. Really stretchy and not see through at all.

galactickates

I ordered a dress! Hopefully it fits! I'm going to wear it with leggings and boots and maybe a belt?

bradleysmommy28

@galactickates thats super cute! I was hoping to do leggings and boots too but its going to hit 90 again this weekend so Im sure fall won't magically appear in one week and these are the times I hate Maryland!!