(Voiced by 5 month old Jack-Evan, typed by Mommy)
Once upon a time, I went to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.
My friend Tyler had turned 1 year old!
We sang some songs….
Played some games…
…and rode some rides!
I even gave my friend a new toy.
I can’t wait until I have my 1st birthday, because mommy will finally let me…
EAT CAKE!
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(Happy Birthday, Tyler!)
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My friend Lucy knows us well.
At my baby shower yesterday, she brought a special present just for Kevin so he could have something to open when he came to pick me up!
He was beyond thrilled and took 5 minutes opening the wrapped gift carefully as not to tear the wrapping.
It was a small Clemson College football in orange & purple (Kevin’s favorite college football team).
Talk about having a happy husband on your hands! 
January 3 – January 8 of this year, Kevin and I went home to upstate New York to visit his family for their large Christmas celebration (Saturday, Jan. 5).
That Friday, at 6:30 pm, the women of Kevin’s family held the most wonderful baby shower for me!
It was held at Kevin’s brother’s house, hosted by my sister-in-law, Michelle, my mother-in-law, Donna, and Kevin’s sister DeAnna. There was a houseful of people too – there were 12 women for the actual celebrations and more aunts and cousins came in later. That didn’t include the men who were piled in the basement on kid-duty.
They had some great finger food, yummy pizza, and a cake for us. After everyone ate, we settled down for games and gift opening. Opening all of the wonderful gifts made me tear up. I am so blessed to have married into such a large, loving, wonderful family. As I looked around the room, I truly felt loved. Kevin’s family is so close, that even the in-laws participate in gatherings. DeAnna’s husband’s mother was there, as well as Michelle’s mother. It feels really good to be part of their family. As close my mom’s family is, we don’t even spend much time with in-laws.
We played one game where Donna (Kevin’s mom) had prepared questions beforehand about pregnancy – and asked Kevin for answers! The object of the game was to guess – as close as possible – to what Kein would have said.
Here are some of the questions (and his…funny…but sincere answers)!
“How many times will Lisa say I HATE YOU! while in labor?”
Kevin’s response? 10 times.
“How long will Lisa be in Labor?”
Kevin’s response? 10 hours.
“How many pounds will Lisa gain during pregnancy?
Kevin’s response? 18 pounds (he knew to keep that one fairly low..hehe)
How many diapers will you go through the first day home from the hospital?
Kevin’s response? 30 diapers (oh gosh! LOL)
…..and last but not least….
“How many inches will Lisa’s belly be at the end of 9 months”
Kevin’s response? ….. 18.
We all rolled on the floor, laughing so hard with that one. 18 inches? For impact, DeAnna had a tape measure showing how much 18 inches was. To Kevin’s credit we learned later on that he had thought the question referred to pant size. To my credit, I wish he would have just been trying to be romantic!
After the game, it was present time. I received so many wonderful presents! Baby bath supplies, a very very cool bath faucet cover / dispenser, a bathtub, books, clothes, blankies, diapers & diaper bag, money, gift cards, a boppy and slipcover (yay!!) and an awesome pacifier holder called a “Binkie Basket” that Michelle invented (see the store I made her at www.BinkieBaskets.com!).
Then, after everything had been opened, Michelle then handed me an envelope. I opened it, just expecting it to be a gift card and thoughtful note – but to my HUGE surprise it was a page, detailing how to pick up my new Graco Quattro Tour Travel System Stroller that was waiting for me back home in the Babies R Us in South Carolina. It was a joint gift from Donna, DeAnna, and Michelle (and respective spouses.. ). I was in shock for a long time afterward! We have a picture of the moment I read the note, and you can see the actual shock all over my face. It is such a wonderful gift – and completely unexpected! Kevin and I picked up the stroller when we arrived home the following Tuesday, and let me just say that I think it is the best stroller I have ever touched. It’s a 3-in-1 travel system that has the stroller, baby carrier, and carseat base on it. It looks heavy, but it’s actually very very easy to push and it turns on a dime. With a terrific canopy, reclining features, a mommy luggage compartment on bottom and drink holders (and other storage features!) I’m probably never going to stay at home when Little Jack arrives!
After the presents, we ate cake and just hung out talking and having a great time. The party lasted from 6:30 until 10:30 and it was such a wonderful night for me. It amazes me at how much God has blessed us since the layoff through family and friends. He truly is wonderful!
For the baby shower in New York, my sister-in-law DeAnna surprised me with one of those new baby diaper cakes that are so popular for shows right now. I had never seen one before so of course I thought it was the cutest thing in the world. Mine looked like the picture here except it was much, much more awesome! Mine was done with Winnie-the-Pooh stuff…shirts, diapers, blankies. She had made the whole thing herself.
It wasn’t until I got back to SC that I realized those things are selling for over $100!!
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On a side note, I just heard “Breaking News” on WIS that actor Heath Ledger (played in the Patriot and Brokeback Mountain) has been found dead at age 28. Oh my gosh…its a little shocking. He has a baby with Michelle Williams (from the old WB show Dawson’s Creek). How sad. 
You know you are really loved when people you work with get together to surprise you with a baby shower – and only a few days before every one is about to be layed off. It wa the last week of September, 2007, and our relay center was scheduled to close at midnight on September 30. Times were hard for all of us – our small administrative / management staff (I was the Workforce Analyst) were all very, very close and none of us wanted to go our separate ways. Yet everything was hurtling towards us at lightning speed.
Most of us had been there for many years and we had learned so much from each other. Now it was time to take on a new stage in life – Robert had successfully started his own business (www.awayhomeandpetcare.com), Juli had found a great job as a manager of managers’ managers, Ebonie was newly engaged, Alan was ready to step into a new businesses, Lucy had already found another job, Tracy was getting ready to utilize her court reporting skills she aquired in her classes, Kim was already gone, and Jill was pregnant with her first child.
Then there was me – I began work there at the tender age of 21. As a fresh-faced litte brat in the midst of college, this was my first real world job. One can honestly say I “grew up” there. It was during my time at CSD that I purchased my first car, graduated college, received my first job promotion, put my business degree to use, met Kevin, got married – and I too was pregnant with my first child (we had learned about the pregnancy just one month prior to our scheduled layoff).
Then, near the end of the day, during the last week I was with my friends there, they all surprised me with a special baby shower.
I believe I boo-hooed through the whole thing (everyone picked on me for crying so much). But it was just a very, very special way for my CSD career to end….with my very first baby shower, surrounded by those I had grown to love so much.
Our last picture together (with spouses)
© 2012. Little Jack's Corner.
