Showered With Love

It has been an absolutely incredible week!  First, please allow me to apologize for the tardiness in entering an entry into here.  Life is moving quite quickly these days!  I can't believe I am 34 weeks along now, meaning 6 weeks-ish to go!  Yesterday marks the start of some of my friends having the series of babies I have been anticipating since we knew we were pregnant (minus when Anna had little Parker quite a bit early).  My sweet friend Rebekah welcomed her 3rd child, Selah, into the world, and I have seen pictures of her that rival some of the most gorgeous of little baby girls.  Congratulations, Erik and Rebekah!

We are so excited to be getting Elianne's room ready.  Most of her furniture has arrived, the room is painted, and we have emptied out enough of the room to get some of her things put away.  Here are a few of our pictures I took in preparing for her arrival.

Sunday was my first official shower.  I was so blessed for Jamelie, Ann, and Ismahen to host such a beautiful event!  Elianne was spoiled beyond belief, as was I.  The food and decor was amazing as was the turnout of friends and family, especially since considering we had a pretty significant snow two days prior.  It was at Ismahen's beautiful condo in downtown Chattanooga.  This is one of the views from the patio.

One of my favorite decorations of the shower was a fabulous banner Ann made with the help of Jennifer Dueker.  It was Elianne's name in the colors we are using in her room.  It was so creative and absolutely gorgeous!  It will definitely be hung in her room somewhere!

Jamelie is putting the finishing touches on the food spread.

Ismahen looked relaxed as things were underway and people were arriving in the condo.

Present opening was so fun!  I had no idea how much adorable stuff there was out there.  Elianne got so many adorable personalized items, necessities, toys, and snuggly outfits and blankets.

Paulette is pregnant and due a few days after me, then, on the other side of me is Jennifer, Amanda, Misa, and Ann.

Anna just had sweet Parker in December.

Jamelie, Julie, Jenny, and Michelle joined me for this picture.  I am so lucky to have so many wonderful friends.

Ann Kilcher, one of Mom's best friends, was even able to join us for the shower!

The Baylor Ladies: Katie, Tara, and Hannah (with baby Lucas).

Nicci, Marcie, Stacy, Ashley, and Sarah made it out of the snow and to the party!

Ann and I doing a "belly bump."  She is due in just a few short weeks!  Elianne and Nico will be great friends.

My best friend and college roommate made it up from Atlanta.  We had such a wonderful weekend hanging out and catching up.  A special Thank You to Megan for making the weekend even more special.

The Kangles Ladies :-)

Thank you ladies for a wonderful shower!

        The very next day I was going to small group with Jason and little did I know- they had also planned a shower for me- this one was a surprise!  It was such an amazing surprise.  I didn't think anyone could pull something like this off on me, but boy was I wrong.  Jason, Yvonne, and the rest of the ladies from my small group ALL participated in the planning and surprise.  It was a beautiful night of fellowship and fun filled with hope and love for the new addition we are so anxiously waiting for.

The cake was AMAZING!  You can also see the invitation for the shower to the right and beautiful matching Thank You Cards the girls had made on the left.

The unforgettable look of surprise!

The beautiful presents were lined up along the stairwell.

Everyone visiting after the big surprise.

We haven't done this since our wedding :-)  How fun!

My hostesses Yvonne and Gabriella.

All of the pregnant ladies at the shower: Beth, Cara, me, and Rebekah.

Thank you all for such an amazing time.  It was SO lovely!

       The final shower this week was at work.  Leslie Davenport, Susan Miller, and Libby Miller-Rogers threw a fabulous shower for Baylor faculty in the reception lobby of Harrison Hall.  It was so wonderful to celebrate with the people whom I get to work with everyday, and it reiterated how fortunate I am to work with such generous and loving people. 

The cake and punch MIGHT have been two of my favorite parts about the shower... Sweets have been one of my favorites during this pregnancy, and these treats totally hit the spot.  One of our talented chefs in the Dining Hall made the cake especially for me.  It was composed of a vanilla icing, vanilla cake, strawberry mousse, berry preserves, and yummy fondant.  The sheer size was amazing, and there was NONE left when the shower was over!

Susan Holmes made one of the most creative gifts- it was a diaper cake filled with washcloths, onesies, diapers, and all kinds of other goodies.  The sheer creative talent we have at the school is amazing, and I had no idea how far it went.  Elianne was gifted beautiful handmade blankets, bibs, burp cloths, among many other wonderful presents such as outfits, blankets, bath supplies, diapers and wipes, and MANY others!

Thank you Leslie and Susan for hosting such a wonderful gathering.  Miss Libby was also a hostess, but she was spending time with her daughter and newborn grandbaby!