SURPRISE!

I have posted before about my beloved "baby room girls." When Carter was teeny tiny and in PDO, God put together the most amazing group of women who lovingly cared for him while I was at work. I went to nurse Carter every day over lunch and after being exposed to my naked body over the course of a year we all became really good friends. It is the most random and eclectic group of women that you could possibly imagine, but it just works. God is funny like that! Over the last three years of my life, we have shared joys, sorrows, and most of all laughter. I am so thankful for these women.

So, I of course invited them to my baby shower last weekend. And, like the precious and dutiful friends that they are, they were there (except for Mullins, but we love her anyway)! They went in together and brought me a gift card for a scrapbooking store. I was honestly so thrilled that they came to the shower (because I was certain that nobody would come) and so overwhelmed by the whole experience of last weekend that it never occurred to me to think that they were cheapskates for throwing in $7 a piece for my gift!

Fast forward to last night. We get together to "scrapbook" every now and then, which usually means we eat a ton of food and lug in really heavy bags and maybe, just maybe, we put some pictures in an album while we giggle. It is good for the soul. Normally, we all bring something to eat and we rotate houses. Last night we were at Stacey B's house- it has been on mycalendar since July (but apparently the shower had been planned since May). So I get an email saying that we will eat Orlandos and nobody needs to bring anything. I wrote back and said I would love to bring something or at least pick up the Orlandos since I live right there. Stacey said not to worry about it, which should have made me skeptical, but she is our precious gluten free friend, so I didn't think too much of it! Little stinker. Uncle Mark was keeping Carter overnight (what a fabulous uncle) because Mike was out of town. Everything was set.

So I get there last night and was the last one there, which is also weird, but I didn't think much of it. Lorie B is our chronically tardy friend. Her car was there and then I started wondering. . .

This is what I walked in to! Stacey had completely girlified her otherwise testosterone filled house! Check out the homemade strawberry cake, pink flowers, girlie toys hanging from the chandelier, pink rubber ducky, pink candy, and pink thumbprint cookies. Absolutely amazing!

This is the diaper cake that Lorie B made! Don't I have the craftiest friends ever? There is a diet coke and M+Ms is the middle for mommy. And then the whole thing was decked out with pink socks, wash cloths, shampoo, baby lotion, and topped with a sweet "lovie."

Here is clueless me lugging in my 80 pound scrapbooking bag. Can you tell by my face that I had absolutely no idea?

And they even made sure that my mom was there! What a perfect night!!! So, my poor mother has now experienced scrapbooking night in all of its glory. She was a very good sport!

These are my beloved "baby room girls." Lori E (aka Jennifer Aniston) was sick so she is not in the picture. From left to right: Brooke (quilty chick), Janice, Mary, me, Lorie B, Staci M, and Stacey B. (scroll over their names for links to their blogs)

Presents! This is me opening the adorable personalized onesies and burp cloths that Lori made for me herself! Brooke got a kick out of that!

Ignore the fact that the blueberries are in focus and I am a happy yet blurry blob in the background! This is me opening the sweetest pink and green sheep quilt made by none other than the original Quilty Chick! I mean, these girls are beyond incredible.

And these are the cutest pink and green personalized burp cloths on the face of the planet. It is a shame that they will get barf on them because they are adorable! Thank you, Mary!

So at the end of the night (I think we wrapped up close to midnight) I came home with some of the most thoughtful and personal gifts that a girl could ever ask for and a fabulous story for the baby book. I cannot recall a bigger surprise outside of Mike proposing to me! More than anything, I came home with sore cheeks from smiling and a heart that is so full of love for these beloved friends that God has lovingly and intentionally placed into my life! Thank you Mike for keeping this a secret since May. Thank you Mark for keeping the wild man. Thank you mom for being part of this! Thank you baby room girls for being the best friends that a girl could ever ask for. And thank you God for blessing me beyond measure with these sweet girlfriends. . .