Baby Shower!

Okay, here's my warning up front... this is going to be a long post. I don't want to leave out a single detail about the most amazing baby shower I had this weekend!

First up, I have to give some love to my girlfriend Jenny Sharabba. She and I have known each other since Kindergarten and have traveled the world together (literally - we lived in Italy together). She was so sweet to drive over from Orlando to attend the shower with me. It meant so much to me and I loved having her there! My other BFF, Ashley, was also there in spirit, as she sent a gift without me even knowing and it arrived via UPS during the shower even though it was scheduled to arrive days earlier. It was perfect "Ashley timing" and we all got a good laugh out of it.

Okay, now on to the details of the shower... it was hosted by 5 of my dearest friends here in Tampa - (from left to right in the picture) Jenny, Paula, (me), Cheryl, Amy and Jen. Now, you have to understand that these ladies have a real knack for throwing parties, so I just knew it was going to be a fabulous affair. And they did not disappoint for one second! From the beautiful flower arrangements all over the house, to the incredibly delicious food, to the beautiful china and silver... it was all so elegant and gorgeous! Here are a few pics...

The buffet included a beautiful flower arrangement with all sorts of photos of me growing up that Paula got from my mom. It was such a sweet way to personalize the beautiful bouquet...

The buffet included some of my most favorite foods in the universe: homemade chicken salad with croissants, warm brie topped with a raspberry compote, tiny little cheese biscuits, and a salad that was so good with strawberries, walnuts and all sorts of goodies. The ladies even served everything on their beautiful china and real silver!

The cake was another highlight that I cannot let go without a mention. If anyone has ever stepped foot in Tampa, they know about Wright's Gourmet Deli. It is home to the most decadent cakes you've ever tasted! Jen had the idea to get their 3-layer chocolate cake for the shower and I could just kiss her for it! It was the most heavenly thing I've ever tasted - YUM!!! I'm even posting two pictures of it so you can see the height on this baby. It was huge!

They also had served beautiful sangria in gorgeous crystal glassware and had a huge picture frame that matches the nursery perfectly that everyone could sign with their good wishes for us.
 
As if all of these details weren't enough, they even thought to have each person at the shower self-address envelopes for a cute set of thank you cards they purchased for me. How awesome is that? It made writing thank you notes so much easier. 

Okay, I think I covered all the details of the actual shower, now I have to tell you about how wonderful it was to have all my girlfriends there. It is very humbling to be in a room where every single person cares so much for you. I felt such a sense of warmth and love, it was incredible. I had friends there that I've known since Payton was a baby, and friends that I've only known for a couple years. But each one of them has been so supportive throughout our journey to have a baby, it was such an amazing experience to have them all in one place so I could thank them and let them know how important they are to me. Of course I cried a couple of times during the shower... blame it on hormones, or just the overwhelming sense of love that I felt from these ladies. But all in all, it was such an incredible day. I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect shower if I tried. Thank you so much to my hostesses who worked so hard to make the shower so perfect. And thank you to everyone who made childcare arrangements or scheduling changes to attend the shower. It meant the world to me to have you all there! Here's a slide show of all the pictures that were taken at the shower: