Tuf-Enuf for baby!

On Sunday afternoon, August 19th, I stepped aside and two of my Tuf-Enuf aerobics buddies, Denise and Kris, took charge of our house and transformed it into baby shower central! It was so fun to watch the decorations go up, food preparation swirl into full swing and yummy dessert come to life. My only request of the hostess' was to include Patrick. I really wanted him to experience the excitement that a baby-oriented party congers, especially when Devi's expected arrival is so near.

Amazing how the level of competition goes up when men are present! Matching baby names with their celebrity parents was extremely challenging for almost everyone, but the guys gave it their all. It was too funny to listen to comments like, "that's not a baby name!" or "they shouldn't be having children together" and "I don't even know who that is!" Obviously, some of us haven't been buying enough People magazines :)

Next was the taste test. Baby food tasting that is! We tried eight different flavors?...types?...colors? I'm not sure what the baby food companies are trying for here, but bland seems to be key. Up until yesterday, Pat has thought of Mac n Cheese as its own food group; a staple. Baby Mac n Cheese, however, is unanimously forbidden in our house! It was the most horrid tasting muck I have ever let pass my lips. Plah, plah! No wonder kids become picky eaters :)

We rounded out the events by attempting to drawing a picture of a baby while holding the paper on our heads. Doug won this one followed by a round of whoops and high-fives. I was the judge and am a sucker for cute facial features....at least that is what I thought those were! Honorable mentions went to the baby that was drawn teeny tiny like Devi by Linley and another one was crying with hand written sound effects "wah". Cleeeveerrrr...wink wink!

We even had a celebrity grace our presence. Believe it or not, Snow White was in town! Just our luck :) She was a great helper and assisted Pat and I with the gifts. We were showered with all kinds of wonderful baby must haves and indulgences! Everything from a copy of Pat the Bunny, a big hit with Patrick (wonder why?), to a brightly colored tie-dyed dress, which I was totally digging (a mommy's girl in that regard, I hope)!

The day was great fun. It was especially nice to see our fellow Tuf-Enuf-ers in street clothes. It is sometimes hard to recognize everyone when there is no sweat! We all seem to clean up pretty nicely though :) Thank you to everyone who made the day so special for us....for the future babysitting volunteers and all the parental advise. We are so incredibly lucky to have the support of friendship in both happy and troubled times. It is truly amazing.

As we settled down that night and recounted the day, Pat was smiling from ear to ear, occasionally letting out a chuckle. After years of hearing baby shower horror stories, he said he never expected the day to be so much fun. Okay girls, the secrets out...baby showers aren't for just women anymore! Thanks so much Denise and Kris.