A Book-Themed Baby Shower

Jan 13

Jan 13 A Book-Themed Baby Shower

At Home with the Hastys: A Book-Themed Baby Shower - A Baby Shower for Book-Lovers

Earlier I posted about the “Bun in the Oven” baby shower that my friends threw for me in Chicago. Later in the year, our longtime family friends threw a second shower for us in our hometown of Jefferson City, MO for old friends and family. They know how much I love books and reading, so they quickly homed in on a book-themed shower starting with these darling invitations designed by my sister-in-law, Joelle Chow.

The Invitations

I wasn’t really involved in the design process for the invitations, much of this shower was a surprise to me, but I heard it went through several color iterations after learning we were having a boy. But the main premise remained the same: it was to look like the classic Little Golden Books Collection. I also love that they pulled the Huxley figure from our pregnancy announcement “book cover reveal” designed by Lila Selle. The most special part of the invitations is that they were specially designed just for us by my sister-in-law, Joelle, who is married to Eric’s brother. I just love how personal the design is and I’m so appreciative of the time and effort she put in to make these for me. And as you’ll see in the photos to follow, the yellow checkered background served as the inspiration for the dress I wore.

The Decorations

The decorations were fairly minimal: flowers, books, and balloons. Each table was decorated with a small stack of Little Golden Books and a miniature pot of flowers that guests were encouraged to take home with them after the event. The big statement piece was a blue, yellow, and white balloon garland draped behind the gift table. But my favorite decorations were the florals (perhaps that is because I worked for a florist in college) both on the cake and the beautiful arrangement that adorned the dessert table.

The Activities

When our shower hosts asked what we’d like to see at our shower, I told them I’d like it resemble more of a cocktail party than a baby shower. As a result, they eliminated a lot of the traditional shower games that aren’t really our style. Instead, we encouraged a lot of mingling among our guests and as an ice-breaker for those who may not know one another, we offered these stickers to identify which family they’re from (or who they were friends with, first.)

We also continued the guest book that was started at our “Bun in the Oven” baby shower in Chicago. Eric and I are looking forward to reading the words of encouragement and advice on parenthood from our friends and family.

The Signature Cocktail

The signature cocktail for the event was called “Llittle Boy Blue” after the Mother Goose poem.

1 ounce Blue Curacao
1 ounce Malibu Rum
Lemonade
Lemon slice for garnish

Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with Ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into your favorite cocktail glass (they were served in martini glasses at our shower) and garnish with a lemon slice.

Books in place of Cards

Since we didn’t want a lot of games, the theme was most prevalent when we opened gifts. Rather than including greeting cards (which, let’s be honest, end up in the trash more often than not) we asked guests to sign a book to add to Miles’ library. We had such fun reading the messages in each book and I love that when we read the books to Miles we can also tell him who it was from.

The Gifts

We were really blown away by the outpouring of love and support as we prepare to welcome Miles into the world. The gift table was a visual of that support - it truly takes a village. The gift table also gave us both anxiety as neither of us really like being the center of attention and sitting in front of everyone opening gifts (and the pressure of putting on a show of telling everyone what the item is - especially when I’m still figuring out what all the baby things are for) was a bit anxiety-inducing. But of course our friends and family made us feel as comfortable as possible. I noted a few of the more memorable gifts below.

I am always a sucker for a gift with a story (and history.) Eric’s mom gifted us this little blue outfit that Eric wore as a baby - she even included pictures of him wearing it.
My parents gifted us a car seat.bI think the fact that we didn’t have one yet - and the fact that the hospital doesn’t let you leave without one - made my Dad a bit nervous. He presented it with one of my childhood stuffed toys inside and I made the classic expecting-parent blunder: I couldn’t figure out how to get the stuffed toy unstrapped from the carseat. I think I gave everyone a laugh, though.

More from the At Home with the Hastys Series…

For the entire At Home with the Hastys series, click here.

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