Celebrating Baby Hop | Baby Shower Recap!

This past weekend was my baby shower and I had the best time celebrating our baby boy with my family and friends! I used to be much better about sharing a little recap or photo dump from fun events and ever since reviving my blog, I told myself that I wanted to get back to my roots. I wanted to share things that made me happy, felt authentic, fun, and made me excited! It’s very easy to get caught up in sponsored content and writing posts with the intent of views and clicks, but I’m really over that rat race. If everyone reads these posts, awesome! If it’s just my inner circle here, great (hi!). If no one reads this…it’s all good. This site is for me and I’m here to make blogging fun again. And this past weekend was a lot of fun and something I want to remember… ◡̈

My Mom and sister hosted my beautiful baby shower on Sunday afternoon and when they began planning I told them that I really wanted to be involved. They let me help (a little bit) but they really did most of the leg work and I couldn’t have dreamt up a more special day. I tried to explain my vision when it came to decorations and colors and they hit it out of the park! Since it was scheduled for early October, the “a little pumpkin is on the way” theme was a no brainer. I didn’t want bold royal blues or bright orange pumpkins, I envisioned soft neutral and earth tone decor with hints of baby blue throughout… and the girls had it covered!

I attended our meetings with the restaurant to help select the linens, plan the layout, and pick the menu; I wanted all of the cozy fall feels and foods. Our menu included butternut squash soup, bacon mac & cheese, and brisket – YUM.

The room itself was warm and inviting. With pre-hung string lights and fireplaces, it was the perfect setting! My Mom made the fun and whimsical autumn-themed centerpieces which tied it all together beautifully.

When it came to desserts, I wanted a mini dessert bites bar! So I volunteered to make most of those treats. I spent Friday baking at my parents house and we whipped up some rice crispy treats, brownies, mini cinnamon streusel muffins, peanut butter cookies, caramel apple cookies, pumpkin cheesecake cookies, chocolate covered Oreos, mini Nutterbutter acorn bites, chocolate covered pretzel rods (which are currently going viral on my TikTok LOL), and some apple cider donut bites from a local orchard. Oh! We also grabbed some fun sized Baby Ruth bars for good measure.

Last minute, my Mom really thought we should have a cake because us Italian women do love our cake and coffee at dessert time, so she ordered one from Angela Mia’s in Norwalk. They make this delicious chocolate mousse cheesecake (which we’ve had on many occassions) and it was sooo good! Ok, Mom, you were right, it’s not a party without cake.

As for shower games, I know that everyone has played them all, so I tried to keep them somewhat interesting and intentional. I told my sister I really wanted to have a “Diaper Notes” table where people could leave a little note in a diaper that Daniel and I would be able to read during one of the thousands of changes that lay before us. I also loved the idea of a “Baby Bucket List” where guests could share things they recommend we do with baby boy during his first year (I cannot wait to read those)! My sister also put together a fun True or False baby questionnaire, a baby predictions game (name, due date, time, weight, length, etc.), and a BINGO card to play during gifts!

When it came time for gifts, we didn’t do a diaper raffle because the day before Dan hosted a Huggies & Chuggies party at our house! He invited all of his guys over for a day of games, food, and beer …with the request that they bring a pack of diapers – and omg those guys REALLY showed up! I’m so thankful for the diaper stock pile we now have in our basement!

We did ask guests to bring a book instead of a card to help build Baby Hoppers library and I love that he already has so many sweet stories on his bookshelf! Our loved ones couldn’t have been more generous with their thoughtful gifts. A few highlights were the “punk” sweatshirt complete with a bicep “MOM” heart tattoo from my best friend, Erin (we’ve always loved our emo bands!), a beautiful blanket that was crocheted by Dan’s late Nana who still has such a special presence in their family’s life, and a Barney Bear’s Pizza Shop book that was my favorite growing up! I was shocked that someone randomly brought it and then died laughing when I opened it and realized it was mine – my Mom had saved it! There were so many additional handmade items, cute outfits, packed diaper bags, and alllllll of the adorable things. My Mom helped me unpack and organize everything yesterday and it was so much fun to look through everything again! Baby boy is a lucky one!

For favors, we stuck with the fall theme and made little bags of caramel popcorn. I love a consumable favor and thought these would be really easy and tasty! My sister printed the cutest little onesie tags that we tied around each bag as a thank you.

Yummy food, decorations, games, and gifts of course add to a party – but what really made it special was all of the people who came out to celebrate with me! There were people who have known me since I was born, friends I met in pre-school, elementary school, college, at my first job, my husbands family who have welcomed me into their lives with opened arms, and so many other wonderful women who I’m so thankful and grateful to know! I didn’t personally take any pictures (always fail at this!!) so this is a compilation of photos that were sent and shared with me. I wish I had one with everyone!!

Overall, it was the sweetest, most perfect day and I enjoyed every single moment! Events in my honor have always made me a little stressed out – and for no good reason. I had some major anxiety at my 30th birthday party, my bridal shower, and the time leading up to my wedding. All turned out to be such amazing days filled with love and fun but they felt like a lot of pressure. Looking back, I’ve wished I could relive them all! Celebrating those life moments is what life is about. When your loved ones are showing up and going above and beyond for you, it’s something to be cherished. I’m so grateful for this day and all of the people who spent it with me.

While I didn’t have any kind of stress or anxiety leading up to this shower, I was still making a conscious effort to be present and have fun with the planning, the prep, and the day of! I think sharing the day with our son made it a little less intimidating. I’ve always been really emotional, but everything is beginning to heighten in my third trimester. I wake up every morning feeling extra lucky for my life, my husband, my family, this pregnancy, and all of the blessings that I have.

I truly loved every second of my baby shower and was so happy to be able to soak in all of the love and goodness that was surrounding me and my growing family that afternoon. I cannot thank my Mom and sister enough; I don’t know what I’d do without those girls! I’m glad I could share some snaps from the day (thank you to my girlfriend Kelly for taking most of these pics), and that I can revisit this special afternoon on my blog any time want. ◡̈