We are home today after a whirlwind weekend trip to Houston for a baby shower. For all you Scots, the idea behind the baby shower is that the to-be parents are “showered” with gifts by friends and family, in preparation for the new arrival. I don’t think there’s such a tradition in Scotland…or maybe it happens AFTER the baby comes. Anyway, here it’s very common — for the first baby in the family — for it to happen around this time (30 weeks or so) before the blessed event. Traditionally, it’s been more of a female-focused event, often involving just the mother-to-be and the women of the family, but, more recently, men have been involved, too. In this case, it was both men and women (and lots of kids) who attended, and it was a full house!
I really can’t say enough about how special the event was to us. We got to see so many people who we haven’t seen in such a long time, and we got to share our excitement about becoming parents. Everyone was so wonderful and supportive and generous. We were a bit overwhelmed, I must say. It also makes this whole baby arrival thing a bit more concrete, as we now have very important gear such as a car seat (can’t take the baby home without it!).
Despite thunderstorms on both ends, we made it home safely, at the end of what had been a fairly smooth trip, all things considered. We miss everyone and wish we’d had more time to spend catching up with everyone. Aargh, it’s so hard living far away sometimes. Come visit!!!!
