Shower for the Wild One

My little sister is having a baby and I could not be more excited!  According to my brother-in-law, he was a bundle of energy as a child.  Given how Gino is now, this is not a surprise.  I am sure this Gino 2.0 will take after his father.

"And his mother called him 'Wild Thing!'"
                              --Maurice Sendak

As such I decided to host a shower to welcome our new Wild One to the family. 

As a literary nerd and a lover of childhood books, I had a lot of fun with this.  When hosting, I always try to not go too far down the Pinterest rabbit hole, but still create a unique and fun experience. 

Our friend, Beth, came over early and helped me get ready. I lucked out and the school/parish was having a bake sale the day of the shower.  I made an autumn punch (Trader Joe Spiced Apple Cider, pineapple juice, and ginger beer), a veggie tray, a fruit tray, and a basket of Brazi bites (amazing cheese puffs).  The Brazi bites were a huge hit and I couldn't keep the basket stocked fast enough!

I framed a poster of "Where the Wild Things Are" that Sally could put up in the nursery.  Fairy lights in mason jars added a whimsical touch.  I was excited to find cupcake toppers with the theme.

Sally asked me to have people write mantras for her to use during the birth and the tough times of motherhood.  Some of them may have been less than kid appropriate :)

As people slowly arrived, we created an alphabet book for the baby. 

My daughter, Eileen, was not at the shower, but had fun contributing to the book.  What can I say? My children are witty.

We played pass the present and another game requiring people to identify passages from children's book, both old classics and new.  Sally won this game (from her own time spent reading to my children).

Everyone had a lot of fun.  There was lots of laughter.  I was really impressed by how many people gave books, especially since it's not like they were talking to one another before hand.  Maybe my theme worked as subliminal messaging?

Despite leading an incredibly hectic, busy life right now, it made me so happy to take time to celebrate Sally and her new little one.  I can't wait to meet him and watch her and Gino grow as parents.