Baby Shower

Two of our granddaughters are expecting baby boys in June (another is expecting later in the year, but we don't know yet if it's a boy or a girl). One of the granddaughters was honored with a shower yesterday afternoon.

It was a beautiful Sunday for a two-hour road trip. Red clover, interspersed with ox-eye daisies and evening primroses bloomed along the highway. Cattle grazed in fields of bright yellow bitterweed. A half dozen paint horses grazed in another pasture. A flock of gray, humpbacked guinea fowl pecked at the ground in a pen just off the highway. A groundhog popped its head up on the shoulder of the road and sniffed the air. A hawk gracefully glided down for a landing on a utility pole wire to survey the ditch for prey.

Unfortunately, other animals had met their demise on the highway...a half dozen or so armadillos, a deer, a rabbit, and countless small, furry, unidentifiable creatures.

We arrived at the shower ahead of the appointed 2 p.m hour, so we'd have ample time to visit with children and grandchildren, and hug, cuddle and photograph the ten great-grandbabies in attendance. Husbands were invited, too, so it was a lively, outdoor gathering.

I added sandwich makings, cupcakes, sliced and sugared strawberries, and topping to the variety of finger foods offered. There were spicy meatballs, ham roll-ups, yellow and white cheeses, a vegetable tray with dips, and of course a decorated cake.

The guys gathered in groups to talk, while the ladies played shower games...each lady drew tiny scraps of tissue, folded like diapers, and the one with a dot in it won a prize. In another game, participants rolled off bathroom tissue to the size we felt would exactly fit around expectant Mom's middle. I tied with two others for the win, and got a photo frame that I gave to Granddaughter. I tied with two others again in a game that required us to look at eleven baby items for 30 seconds, and then try to list them on a piece of paper. The three of us who won correctly listed nine of the eleven items. This time, I won a decorated pill box, which I also gave to Granddaughter.

As usual, I took lots of photos of the gathering, including a group shot of the ten great-grandchildren, and of the two expectant granddaughters standing together, tummy to tummy. We also got a traditional shot of Granddaughter with female relatives gathered around her, hands reaching out to touch her tummy. Unfortunately, a few relatives left before we got this shot, but there was still a bunch of us available for the photo.

We were enjoying ourselves so much that the hours flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to head home.