There's an old saying that you see everyone at three times in your life: when you are born, when you get married, and when you die. Well, for Ken and me, we are seeing our friends and family regularly (and luckily, not because of any deaths).
In 2008, I attended six weddings. It began to be a bit humorous: two in May, two in August, and two in November. In 2009, we only went to one wedding and we have three on our calendar for 2010. (Of course, that could change if my cousin's boyfriend finally decides to propose to her--hint, hint, Chris.)
So for some reason, I thought life was quieting down for a bit. Instead we've hit a baby boom. Three of us gave birth in 2009 and scheduled for 2010 (so far) babies in February, April, May, and June (3 of them)...and these are just my dear friends. You can add another six to "before June" list if you count my extended friends. It seems that everyone is having a baby. Now I know you notice things more when they happen to you, but really, how many of you have or will go to six baby showers in four months? But keep reading, in case you are...
I am going to dedicate the next few entries to weddings and babies--from things I've learned to things I wish I'd done as a guest, hostess, bride, and mommy-to-be.
To begin with...showers! Every woman has her own opinion of showers.
First thing--surprises are fun, but knowing about them is so much better! I've had both surprise (two bridal, one baby) and planned (one bridal, three baby) showers. For my best friend's wedding, she had four showers and all but one were supposed to be a surprise. Well, she really didn't figure out the first one until the last minute, but she figured out the rest. And so she had to play along and we all had to play along and it might have just been easier to come clean. I would highly recommend that baby showers, especially, be planned. All this playing is easier when you are not pregnant. Once you start growing a person, there are days you just feel ugly and have no clothes to wear; that is not the mommy-to-be that you want to show up. All the details can be a surprise.
Why didn't or did I get invited? The latter, of course, is easy to deal with--just RSVP "no." But who knows why you were included or left off the list. For some people showers are ways to beg for gifts; for others, it's more about celebrating at a special point in your life. I just liked getting together the people who mean the most to me. Almost all of my coworkers stopped by the work shower; and while the presents were nice, being able to talk about non-work was much better.
Should guys be invited? I would love to say that it's 2010 and that men should be eager to go to a shower. But in reality, it really depends on the guy. My best friend's husband wanted a Jack-and-Jill wedding shower. Husband could have cared less. And our friend M would probably die if he had to show up to a shower before his duty of loading up the cars. All I can say is be ready for anything if you do a co-ed shower. Make sure that there is food to keep the guys happy (tea sandwiches generally don't cut it). And be ready for both guys who can't wait to play cheesy games (my husband) and guys who would rather watch tv (my brother).
That's enough info for now, I think. Let me know your opinions about showers. The next post will be on presents...and there's so much to say there...
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