This weekend my mom and sister put together an adorable baby shower.  My equally loving and wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law also came down to help and celebrate.  Amongst the sunshine yellow and delicious food, family and friends gathered to share love, encouragement, and help us prepare for Baby Halstead.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch of some of my favorite foods! Â Delightful salads, “sunshine punch” (made mostly of pineapple juice – mmmm!), and some of my favorite cupcakes from Sweet Life, a delightful bakery here in Eugene.
As my sister, Theresa, welcomed everyone to the afternoon’s festivities she invited them to color a page of a very special alphabet book. Â Anna, my sister-in-law, carefully hand drew each picture (with a little help here & there from her boyfriend, Rich). Â Such a special gift! Â It is one of my favorite things for Baby Halstead and everyone who came to the party contributed to it.
I love every page of the book, but the Y is one of my favorites – Aunt Anna is featured, showing off her yogi poses!
Before opening presents Stead’s mom, Denise, presented a special treat – an essay Stead wrote in the 8th grade about having children. Â “I think it would be pretty cool to have kids someday. Â Because without kids, my wife and I would just sit in a rocking chair until we died and have an extremely boring life… We will live happily every after… I think my kids will be able to do whatever they want. Â They will be smart. Â They will be in bed at night every night before 10:00. Â They will be happy.”
Another special gift from the Halstead side of the family included the furniture for Baby Halstead’s nursery. Â Stead’s dad, Tim, has built us a cradle and a dresser/changing table. Â There is also a crib in the works that will transform into a toddler bed and a regular bed as baby grows. Â I love that these new pieces of furniture are being put together by my father-in-law and that they will sit beside the rocking chair my parents rocked my siblings and I in when we were babies.
Of course everyone had to leave with the best popcorn mix in the world (cheese and caramel – mmm!). Â My mom and sister made the cute little tags!
I wish I had been better at taking pictures – lucky for me Anna pulled out her camera and captured moments throughout the afternoon.
We are officially just over 37 weeks along, which means we are full-term. Â That means Baby Halstead could be here any day! Â Time for true nesting desires to kick-in! Â Perhaps that is why midnight is approaching, baby is tap dancing in my belly, and the laundry is running full of adorable clothes and blankets to wrap up baby when the time is right. Â Thank you to all who made this weekend so special! Â It is amazingly comforting to know that Baby Halstead will not only be loved by us, but by a family and community who all love deeply with joy.