Shower Recap!
On Saturday, November 19th we were given a beautiful shower by one of my dearest friends, Kim Dent. Kim has loved and cared for us over the last few months far more than we deserve and our shower was one of the most loving things that anyone has ever done for me.
As many of you already know, I was quite unsure about the idea of a baby shower. I was not sure how I would feel about celebrating Jude’s life with a baby shower when his life is so uncertain. But the Lord has worked and changed my heart and I now know that there is a reason to celebrate Jude’s life, no matter what the length of his time with us will be. He is a beautiful child of God who is valued and loved by our heavenly father, our family and by all of you. It was such a beautiful thing to enjoy such a special time with my closest friends and family that day.
I thought I would give a recap of the day’s events so that all of you might know just what a special day it was for me (and Brian and Annabelle) since many of you also participated in the shower through the “online” portion by sending your love through prayers, cards and gifts in the mail. Thank you to each and every one of you for being a part of such an amazing day and for sharing this journey with us.
Ok, so here is the “play by play”:
My mom and I arrived at Kim’s house a little before 10:30am and we were greeted b y Kim and several of my sweet friends who assisted Kim in preparing for the shower. I was nearly in tears upon arriving because I realized that God had planned these dear friendships for me over two years ago when we first moved to Simpsonville. I could never have imagined the depth and love that I would experience from the friends we’ve made and I cannot even begin to explain how blessed and thankful I feel for their companionship, love, support and prayers.
As the minutes passed, our family arrived and several of my greatest and oldest friends came too. How loved I felt knowing that we’d been surrounded by such love all of our lives by our families! As I have said before, I know that God is good and that he has been planning this journey for our family and for Jude from the beginning and it is just tremendous to think about how he was planning our family as our support system from the very beginning too. He has equipped us and each person perfectly for this journey. It was so wonderful to be hugged by each family member.
Some of my greatest and oldest friends were there too and it truly touched me to have them present at such a big day. Each individual has taken time to encourage and pray for us along the way. Each friend has given me a gift of friendship that I have cherished and appreciated even more this year. Some have cried with me, some asked the hard questions, some prayed constantly for us, some brought meals and some helped me continue living “normal” life and continue to carry on when it seemed hardest. I am truly a blessed woman!
Soon after everyone arrived we gathered in the living room as a group and Kim thanked everyone for being there. She acknowledged her wonderful friends who have helped her with the shower and had a special thank you especially for her two dear friends who helped her out with all the food preparation. I’m telling you, these ladies were tremendously wonderful and I too am thankful for all they did to serve Kim and all of my loved ones. It touched me greatly.
Next, Kim asked my mother to pray for our brunch (and I shed more tears) and we all made our way to the table to enjoy a wonderful meal together. My sweet mom fixed my plate (had to keep this overly pregnant lady off her feet) and once again I was reminded of how thankful I am for my mom and how overwhelmed I feel when I realized how much she has loved on me and my family in the last few months. There are not words to describe how loved I have felt by my mother.
The food was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! We had blueberry/cream cheese French toast casserole, several types of quiche, fruit and this yummy sweet fruit salad that had pasta in it. Every single bite was delicious! We finished the meal off with cupcakes and/or tres leche cake. The fall table decorations were beautiful and centered around the theme of Jude’s nursery bedding: Woodland Creatures. There were several large tables set so that everyone could sit down and enjoy a tasty meal and conversation. (Two of my favorite things!)
Towards the end of the meal, Brian and Annabelle arrived to enjoy the baby shower celebration. Brian was given a huge plate of food and Annabelle went straight to work on the cupcakes! J It was so wonderful to have both of them there for parts of the shower.
With full bellies, we returned to the living room to hear a devotional from my sweet friend, Emily. I’ve only known Emily around a year now, but she feels like family to me. Her genuine and bold heart has comforted and encouraged me regularly so it felt especially appropriate that she was sharing the devotion with the group. I loved that the devotion she read continued to point us to Jesus. In all things, return to Him.
Next, Annabelle opened several gifts from friends and family. Some of the gifts were to welcome her to the “big sister club” and some of the gifts were to help her adjust to the many life changes that she is going to experience in the coming weeks/months. Each gift was so thoughtful and Annabelle was so excited about each one.
And lastly, I opened the many wonderful and thoughtful gifts from the shower guests and from the many of you who participated in the online shower portion of the shower. Each gift was meaningful and thoughtful and I cherished the love behind each gift. Thank you for the many thoughtful notes that were written too. I could not bring myself to read the cards in full at the shower because I knew that in the end I would be a crying mess. So, after the shower Brian and I read each and every note completely. I cried the whole time because I was overwhelmed by the love and support each of you expressed for our family and our sweet baby Jude. The Lord has truly blessed us and Jude through all of you!
Below you will find a few pictures from the shower, enjoy! J
Sending love, hugs and prayers your way.
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