Dr Seuss Throws a Shower

Well, I hope that none of my faithful blog readers is here on a dial-up connection, because the number of words and pictures in this post may cause your computer to crash. In addition, the number of stunningly creative ideas that you will witness may cause your brain to crash as well. When people wonder where I get my party planning and creative genes from they need to look no further than Mimsy. To say that she out did herself would be truly an understatement.

I knew I was in for a treat when en route we had passed by the Cat in the Hat telling us which way to go and Thing 1 and Thing 2 letting us know we were almost there. A five foot tall Cat in the Hat stood guard at the door. When I walked inside I could not believe it. The whole main level of the house had been transformed.  Tables were covered in bright and cheery polka dots, the kitchen was filled with pasta and fruit salads, cheeses, snacks and a spread of sandwiches that made my mouth water.

Around 12:30 the guests started to arrive. And arrive. And arrive. It seemed like everyone wanted to shower Little T! The women all gathered up stairs and the men headed downstairs for manly things. I was able to talk to everyone for a little bit, but this bump was in high demand!

Mimsy was in her element. She effortlessly floated through the massive crowd making everyone feel welcome. She made sure that everyone had a place to sit, a bite to eat and plenty of good conversation. I'm not sure how we got a picture of her sitting down!

Once we all had full bellies it was time to open presents. This is where I get totally blown away. I know that our family and friends care for us, but I can not believe how generous they were. Little T is truly blessed to have so many wonderful people to surround him or her. When I looked at the mountains of gifts I didn't know how I was going to be able to get through them.

Little T received so many wonderful things. I know that it can be challenging to buy for a baby that you have never met and that you have no idea of the sex, but that didn't seem to phase any of our guests. From the bath to the nursery, Little T is practically set!

About halfway through the gift opening extravaganza, Mimsy could see that I needed a break. No problem for my hostess. She had planned a little intermission entertainment. In honor of the Kentucky Derby being run later that day, she had her own horse race.  One by one she called up six men from the downstairs and loaded them into their "gates".  First was Matthew, then my Dad- Jack, our family friend- John, Adam, Andy and finally Aaron. Each was given a baby bottle with 2 ozs of beer. It was a drinking game and we all had to bet on our "horse". I, like most of the other 40 guests, put all my money on Aaron.

The race started and the excitement built in the room. I don't think I have ever seen anything as funny as six grown men frantically sucking down beer. Some even had their own techniques. Andy went for the squeezing the bottle method, while the rest mainly just sucked. I nearly wet myself laughing. If you ever need a shower game, I highly recommend this.

And in a twist of fate, not unlike many other Derby upsets, Aaron was not victorious. He barely even placed. He was obviously off of his game. The winner was the proud papa-to-be. Other contestants announced that Matthew "sucked the most".  I think that they were jealous.  

After the race we continued to open gifts. Finally, at the end of the presents I was able to give my mom her gift. I had wanted to make her something because I knew how much work she put into the shower. I also wanted it to be something useful. Since she will be watching Little T after I go back to work I thought a diaper bag was the perfect gift. She was surprised that I had had time to make it for her, and she loved it!  It may be the best bag that I have made yet.  I was able to make a pocket design that even included the word "Mimsy" like a brand.

Next came the best part of the shower. Many showers have a cake. Mine had cupcakes. Not one type. Not two. But FIVE different types of cupcakes.

She made each from scratch and had a variety of flavors all modeled after Seuss characters.  By far the crowd favorite was the Green Eggs & Ham cupcakes which featured Sam I am atop a key lime cupcake.  My favorite was the triple chocolate Cat in the Hat... mmmm... soo good.

Once everyone was sufficiently sugared up it was time to go home. But not without a parting gift of course. Each guest got a box of Yertle the Turtle handmade turtle candies. Just in case they needed a little more sugar on the way home.

I had so much fun seeing everyone and didn't want the day to end. Little T sure is going to be a lucky little baby!