Eileen's Baby Party

I got to go to Eileen's shower on December 10th.  :)  The countdown to baby is fast approaching and I think celebrating with friends & family (and especially receiving all those sweet baby gifts) really brought the reality of the coming baby home for her.  I'm sure it will be that way for me too at my shower.

The party was held at her sister's very cute house (which I totally loved) on the east side of Portland.  Eileen's mom and aunt had flown in from back east to be there, and she had a great group of friends there too.  The atmosphere was light and relaxed with all of us sitting or standing around in groups chatting, sipping on "signature drinks" (mine was sparkling pink lemonade in a champagne flute with two raspberries on the bottom of the glass) and sampling some of the many goodies whipped up by family and friends.

There was a very yummy salad of mixed greens with pomegranate seeds and satsuma wedges.  I am totally stealing the recipe because I thought the flavors were so good together.  And the red seeds added a holiday vibe to the salad. There was baked brie, pear and apple slices, finger sandwiches, cute little cupcakes made by Eileen's sister, and really cute "Santa" treats brought by a friend.  They consisted of a small square of brownie, a layer of whip cream, then a strawberry, topped off with more whip cream.  SO cute!

After everyone had snacked a bit, Eileen opened her gifts.  She and her husband (and their little one), got a lot of nice things which I was so happy about because they really deserve to be pampered.  The big things they got were a BOB stroller (looks so cool--like the cadillac of strollers!) and an infant carseat, which was the one thing that I think made everything very real for Eileen.  I'm sure she looked at it and in her mind's eye saw her little one nestled inside.  :)

No games were played (which I was totally okay with) but something that we were all asked to bring if we wanted and which I thought was a great idea, were cute baby socks and a favorite book.  The socks were strung on a ribbon like a garland, and were clipped on with tiny clothespins.  Adorable.  Everyone brought a book and I don't think Eileen got any duplicates, even though she has been working on building the baby's library for awhile now.  I took "The Snowy Day," by Ezra Jack Keats, which was one of my favorites when I was little.  I had a red snowsuit with a hood--just like the little boy in the book.  :)

I know it was a very special day for Eileen, celebrating with her family and friends.  And in only a very short time now, we will all be welcoming her baby into the world. 

<3