2nd Baby Party

In the last 4 years, I have had an engagement party, two bridal showers, two bachelorette parties, a wedding, and a baby shower.   My oldest friends have generously given me a gift for each occasion, and I suspect if I really tallied it all up, there are a few friends who’ve spent thousands (really thousands!) on all things Libby O celebration related.   When the question came to throw a shower for Baby 2.0 came up, I said enough is enough.    Where I come from you get one baby shower.   By the time the second baby comes, you should really have everything you need and it looks greedy to ask your friends and family to bring you yet another present.   Do you really want to “ooh and ahh” again for a stroller or a onesie anyway?

My very good friend Susan is a 2^nd child and insisted that “2^nd children deserve a party, too!”  So I came around to the idea of a party so long as guests were asked not to bring gifts and the focus was just on celebrating the baby.   On Sunday, April 22^nd, Susan and my mom hosted a beautiful brunch.  I feel incredibly lucky to have such wonderful friends and I am so thankful I have for the time with them, and to my mom and Susan for making this happen.  

You may recognize Susan’s name – she’s a member of our design team and is super crafty.  She had a PSA Stamp made for the party that reads “2^nd Children Deserve A Party, Too! Baby 2.0.”  She had blue cards and girl cards stamped, guests were instructed to guess the gender of the baby and also write him or her a note.

She spent weeks preparing for this party by making different decorations.  She hand-died white onesies to match the color scheme, then hung them from a rope with clothes pins on the mantel and on the staircase.

She sewed colorful felt together in a line to create festive banners for the staircase and from the light fixtures.  The fresh flowers were simply gorgeous – an array of different colors and types.  And I love her diaper cakes all over the place.

Susan and my mom thought of every detail – the champagne bottles (not for me) and the Perrier bottles (for me!) were decorated with the stamp (using pink & poppy ink) too.

My mother did an amazing job with the food.   We feasted on homemade vegetable quiche (where the main ingredient called for at least 6 different grocery store stops before it was found!), cut fruit, shrimp cocktail, veggies, cinnamon rolls and pastries from our favorite, Ronnie’s Bakery.

For dessert, my mom baked a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (pretty much the best thing I’ve ever tasted) and decorated it with “2.0” in raspberries. 

The best part of the whole party – in addition to the decorations and the food – was the company.   I truly love my friends! It was special to be with them without our kids all running around, and really have quality girl time. 

In the end, the universal truth is that all babies deserve to be welcomed into the world with a celebration.   Whatever you call it – baby shower, sprinkle, blessingway, mom-party, welcoming or baby naming, celebrating a new life is important.   Thanks to my mom and Susan for holding such a beautiful event – Baby 2.0 will surely appreciate it.   I know I really did.