Baby, Baby!!

Baby showers are just too fun...You have one slightly apprehensive first time mom-to-be in a room full of women, most of whom have given birth at least once (and single-handed to hear the stories). Add food, cameras, and those beautifully wrapped boxes and you are guaranteed a good time. I just returned from Birmingham and Nicole's second baby shower. The first, here in Panama City, was hosted by our cousin Sue, Chelsea, and Katelyn. That shower was a family affair...complete with a beautiful cake created by Nicole's brother-in-law (the budding pastry chef), Aaron Conrad. It was a great experience for Katelyn to be a part of the behind the scenes prep that goes into an event...she put together Nicole's pac'n play, polished silver, and was Sue's partner in crime!! Chelsea "flew " in from Atlanta the morning of the shower so she had a limited role as a hostess ("uh, very limited," says Katelyn rolling her eyes)!! Family and friends from both sides of the family gathered to shower Nicole with love and gifts.

On Friday of last week Katelyn and I headed up to Birmingham with the car FULL of the gifts from the first baby shower...the second baby shower was the next morning. Though not planned, it turned into a Dodd girls' weekend...David left Friday right after work with his friend Jonathon and headed over to Oxford, Mississippi to enjoy some Ole Miss football and Rich stayed in Panama City to babysit the dogs (okay...Gabby) and work some in preparation for his trip to North Carolina today. On Saturday morning we all got up and it was truly like when the girls were growing up and all four of us would end up in one bathroom!!!!

The shower was given by Nicole's girlfriends and was held next door at Meredith's home. I enjoyed this shower so much. As a mother it is sooooo....I am having a hard time coming up with the right word....overwhelming, encouraging, amazing (you get the idea) to witness the love being poured out by friends and teachers that work with Nicole. Meredith's home was decorated beautifully (no small task as she has two small children and her husband Jonathon was in Oxford with David). The food was fabulous and I was very glad I had skipped the bowl of Special K earlier!!! I was finally able to put faces with names of teachers that Nicole talks about all the time. Her Briarwood family and her neighbors are a blessing to her and I feel so good knowing that all these women will be right there when Nicole, David, and Claire have their daily adventures!

With the shower over and all the gifts home...Nicole and I went downtown to pick up her baby crib. She also took me to see St. Vincent's hospital where Claire will be born and gave me a rundown of all the important info..."Starbucks is in the lobby mom!!!" Chelsea and Kate got some homework done in the early afternoon and then we went out shopping and for dinner. I don't think it is possible for us to go to Birmingham without making a trip to the Summit to visit our favorites...Williams and Sonoma, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn (and now Pottery Barn Kids), and either P.F. Changs or California Pizza Kitchen.

Home at last and surprisingly with a second wind, we turned on the Auburn/LSU game and went to work on the nursery. By the game's end (yes, we still say "War Eagle"), the nursery was as done as we could get it. Minus the things that David wants to do...put together the crib, and hang the curtain rod and chandelier, it looks like a sweet little home for Claire...Nicole even managed to wash all of the tiny baby things and they are neatly lined up in the dresser drawers.

Taking a last glance at the nursery before leaving just cements in my mind that Nicole isn't just pregnant...she's going to have a baby!!! It's amazing and so exciting and we can't wait for Claire to come and rock our world. You see the nursery use to be the home of David's guitars and more recently the rock band stuff, so it is only fitting.