She's Having a Baby

My sister Deb is having a baby. Well, Deb's not really my sister. Not in the biological sense, anyway. But Deb is my most treasured friend in this world, and she is the closest thing that I have ever known to a sister, so that's what I call her and that's what she calls me. So yeah, my sister Deb is having a baby, and once that baby comes into this world, I will be the baby's godmother. So it's almost like I'm having the third baby that I've been bugging Vince about. Not that my godbaby will get him off the hook. But I digress. Back to my sister's baby!

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A few weeks ago, Deb's friend Jeni and I threw her a baby shower. Deb's best girlfriends were in attendance to help usher in this new and exciting chapter of her life. In a sweet twist, her baby shower was held in the same place as her bridal shower. In an even sweeter twist, the sex of Deb's baby was to be revealed during the shower. Let me explain... When Deb first found out she was preggers, she decided that she wanted the baby's sex to be a secret to be kept from her until her baby shower, where it would be revealed to her before her closest friends. To achieve this, she had her OB write the gender of the baby on a card, which she then sealed in an envelope and handed to me. I was going to include a pic of that card in this post, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere. I think I must have somehow subconsciously gotten rid of it because I was so scared I might have thrown it at Deb in a drunken fit of lapsed self-control. Ha!

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I decided that a neat way for the big reveal to go down would be to fill a pinata with candy in a color that would indicate the gender- blue for boy, pink for girl. Unfortunately, the only gender-neutral, baby-themed pinata I could find was this ginormous baby bottle. I had to walk two blocks down Lincoln Boulevard with this thing tucked under one arm and a flailing Calliope tucked under the other. You shoulda seen the looks on the faces of the drivers stuck in traffic!

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As a way to tease out the surprise, Jeni and I decided to use both pink and blue as the theme colors for the shower. For game prizes, we gave away similarly-themed CDs - Pink's Greatest Hits, Joni Mitchell's "Blue," and a CD by the band "Boys Like Girls." The games included one which involved guessing the names of various celebrity babies.
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I just had to include a shot of this person's answer sheet. Buahaha!

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After the games were done, it was time for the big reveal! Words can't adequately describe how it all unfolded, so here's a video taken by Deb's friend Brian:

Yes, it's a GIRL! A sweet, baby girl! A little mini-Deb! Oh, George, you are in trouble! ;)
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As a group gift, we asked Deb's friends and relatives to contribute words of wisdom and pictures of themselves and their families and compiled it all into a hardbound book for her. Since I was the one who did the layout, I got to read what everyone had to say. Deb, you have some wise friends! My favorite quote came from her friend Melanie who had this to say: "Opinions are like assholes - everyone has one! Trust your instincts - Mommy and Daddy really do know best." That's right, Peanut Gallery! I have no need for your unsolicited assholes, because I really DO know best!

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For my own gift for Deb, I sewed a cute little tunic top, lovey blanket, and baby doll using coordinating fabric. To make the doll's face, I tried using printable fabric for the very first time. I have to say I was quite pleased with the results!

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After all the gifts had been opened and the cake eaten, the party drew to a close. The shower guests said goodbye and headed home. Well, all but two of them did:

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This is why we don't invite men to baby showers.

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Well, Deb's due date is tomorrow, and I have a strong hunch that we're gonna get to meet her baby girl very soon. You know why I have that hunch? Because Deb is being induced as I type! And why, do you ask, is she being induced? This is why:

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Deb, I love you, I am so happy for you and George, and I can't wait to meet your baby girl and my goddaughter. Here's wishing you a smooth and easy delivery!