Skype Shower

On September 11th at 4pm (September 12th at 6AM in Japan!) I had a Skype baby shower!! Technology is sooo amazing and gave me the opportunity to have a shower with friends and family back home even though I couldn't make it to the states!

From left: Norma, Debbie, Mom, Christy, Angie, Lynnlee, Grandma, Emily, Kim, Julie, Josie, Amy, and Emily... Oh and ME on the tv!!!

Mom was an amazing hostess and I am sooo thankful that she threw this shower for me!

A picture from my side of the world... do I look a little sleepy?! Definitely not used to getting up at 5am... I suppose that's all about to change soon! (And yes, I kept things festive by using decorations from my shower here!)

It was sooo fun getting to chat with everyone and actually SEE them! It was fun that everyone got to see my growing belly (we even played the belly measuring game) and I gave everyone a tour of our Japanese home!

Opening gifts...

we are soooo blessed and thankful for everyone's generosity. I think Little Bit is spoiled already!! :)

SUCH a CUTE cake and fun Japanese treats! Of course I would have LOVED to taste the cake, but considering the early hour I think fresh blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries were probably the better choice! Little Bit would have been on a sugar over load if I had eaten cake at 6am!!

Lynnlee really liked the blue icing!

Meeting baby Josie for the first time! Julie and Stew made a long trip with a tiny little one to attend the shower... it was soooo great to see all THREE of them!!!

We are truly blessed to have such amazing friends and family. The shower might not have been traditional, but it was DEFINITELY memorable... Thank you soooo much to all who came and shared it with me!

Yokosuka Baby Shower

On September 4th I had an AWESOME shower here in Yokosuka with friends from base and Japanese friends from my kimekome craft class! First and foremost a HUGE thank you to Kelly and Tiffany for throwing the shower - it was sooo much fun and I'm incredibly grateful to them for doing it!!

The shower was a blast and I was honestly surprised by how many people came! It's such an unusual situation to be so far from home experiencing such a huge milestone... I just feel really blessed to have such good friends here to share such a special time in my life with. It was also special sharing this American tradition with my Japanese friends! The Japanese don't have baby showers, they traditionally bring gifts and visit the family AFTER the baby is born at their home. The shower was a new experience for them and one they seemed to really enjoy!

Haruko, Sadako, Yoko, Sumiko, Keiko, Kelly and I

Me, Erin, Dana, Beth, little Noelle, Haruko, Mayumi, and Sadako

An adorable diaper cake from Tif and super cute prizes!

I even had a corsage!

YUMMY FOOD!

A fabulous diaper cake that Kelly made!!

Julia was photographer for the day (THANK YOU!) but we got a picture before she took over camera duty!

Mayumi and Sumiko - winners of the "pass the gift to..." poem game.

Kelly explains and demonstrates the belly game for everyone...

Checking measurements with Sumiko, Dana, Yoko, Eiko, and Terri watching...

Lois didn't win the belly measuring game, but I insisted on a picture since she thought I was SMALLER than I actually am!!!

Haruko guessed the size of my belly PERFECTLY!

Opening gifts! Beth just had a little one and knows what a pregnant Momma REALLY wants! :)

I included this pic because it's one of the few with Tif in it (lower left)... she did a good job of avoiding the camera!!

Super cute stuffed food set - complete with eggs, fruit, shrimp, and onegiri - handmade by Sadako's daughter.

Being silly - what can I say, I really liked the bow and garland. I also LOVE Erin's reaction!

Lois, Yoshie, and Donna tied at the attributes games (they had to guess which attributes I hoped the baby would get from Shane, me, or neither of us)! Dana (2nd from left) won the don't say baby (or akachan) game!

I can't even put into words just how much fun the shower was... I'm always up for a good party and this was truly fantastic with incredible memories that I will keep forever! Thank you so much to everyone who came!!!

catching up

I know, I know it's been wayyyy too long, but I'm working on a couple of fun posts now and might even get one posted tonight! While you wait, check out the slideshow - I have several new belly pictures on it!