I tried, this time around, to limit the amount of crafty projects I would work on for the shower because, well, I always overextend myself with projects and that combined with the fact that I usually procrastinate everything until the last minute equals bad news. So early on I decided that I was going to decorate with a bajillion balloons (I literally ordered 250 but Micha talked some sense into me and we ended up hanging up less than half of that. Which is still over 100 balloons.) and colorful goodies from Papermash, my go-to party supply source (they have a great selection, great prices, and ridiculously fast shipping within Europe!).
Because I really really really wanted to buy these make-your-won banners, I let the included colors decide my color scheme, which had originally been ombré pink (glad I didn't stick with just that). So springy pink, blue, green, and yellow it was.
Drinks included Sekt with elderflower syrup and mint and spiked raspberry lemonade, with alcohol-free versions of each well
My favorite moment of the whole day was when Kerstin first walked in to our giant surprise room full of girls. Her husband, Hendryk, and I had schemed to get her to our place by inviting the two of them over to grill on the balcony on that lovely Sunday. We were both embarassingly nervous that she would catch on and totally jittery that whole morning (silly, right?). Once they arrived, Micha was still there and while the men chatted in the kitchen, I managed (with shaky hands) to casually guide Kerstin over to our living room where everyone was hiding behind the closed door. And when it opened, they all blew/threw streamers and should "Überasschung" at her! Thankfully for us, Micha rushed right in to capture the great moment.
Happy, teary hugs all around
I asked Kerstin a few days later what she thought about the surprise and if she had even been surprised and, happily, she responded that, yup, she 100% was and hadn't had a clue that we'd been planning this for over two months. (Go us!) Then I asked her what she'd thought when she arrived at our apartment and she said, "well, I thought it was weird that all the doors were closed, but you know, it happens. And then I saw the balloons" (there's a little window in our living room door that I'd completely forgotten about!) "but I just figured, 'oh, it's Nicole. That's not that strange for her.'" (She knows me well...)
Bump silhouette (like how she unknowingly matched her dress to the decor?)
I did myself a favor and made food and drinks somewhat simple for this party by getting a lot of help from the other girls and by not attempting any ridiculously elaborate recipes, as I'm wont to do. (I'd plotted and plotted how I could whip up an ombré pink cake in time but in the end, let Janett and her sister, who graciously volunteered, do the cake and focused my attention instead on balloons and cocktails. They are now my specialties. I should totally add that to my resumé.)
I'm still bitter at those peonies on the right that didn't open...
Conny, Kerstin's sister, worked for at least an hour on that fruit platter, bless her heart
You like how I also managed to plant myself DIRECTLY next to the bar cart? Yeah, my glass wasn't empty once.
Other than eating and drinking, we also had a few activities planned, which we just kind of started whenever it felt like the conversation came to a lull. Which wasn't very often, cuz these girls are fun.
Instead of decorating onesies - which Janett, as a mother of two wee ones, didn't really like the idea of (onesies just get dirty and moms usually have too many of them anyways, she wisely pointed out) - we decorated two cute stuffed animals, a wiener dog and an owl (which I found at Idee, because I basically lived at that store for the three weeks leading up to the shower). Baby sure was lucky to have such a creative group of girlies making these adorable toys for her. I can't wait to hear which one ends up her favorite. (I hope the wiener dog because he's my favorite. Though mullet owl is pretty sweet too...)
Deep in wiener-dog-and-owl-decorating concentration
The near finished product!
We also ended up blindfolding poor Kerstin twice - she's such a trooper. The first time, she had to take a baby product in her hand and guess what it was, which she was insanely good it. This included things such as nursing pads, changing table pads, sippy cups, q-tips, you name it. The lucky momma-to-be then got to keep everything she guessed right, which was, in fact, everything! If that's not prepared, then I don't know what is...
And for the final game, Hendryk ended up getting back earlier than expected (with Micha, who nearly fell asleep instead of joining in on the fun :), so we made him get in on the blindfold-action too. Then the lucky soon-to-be parents got to taste four different kinds of oh-so-delicious baby food and guess what the flavors were.
They have no idea what (not-at-all) deliciousness they're in for...
Such troopers!
Their fave? Apple peach. Their least fave? Parsnip. Which they almost couldn't even choke down it was that nasty.
So that's it! I had a grand time and am eager to see who I'll get to plan a baby shower for next...though in the meantime, I totally can't wait for Kerstin's little munchkin to arrive so soon! Eek! Gotta get to work on my favorite auntie bribes for babies...
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