The Baby Shower Then and Now

This cake was the one at my baby shower when the Little One we welcomed was Son. Yes, I still have the sugar booties in my freezer. Aren't you glad that I did not put them on the cake that we had on Sunday? From other pictures, I see 15 women and 5 men at our house that day. Not everyone was family, as employees of our business and my college friend was there. Cake and punch were served.

Daughter hosted the party at our home for its central location as our family members are located throughout the Midwest. Her plan started strictly as a baby shower for Daughter-in-Law, and Son wanted to come and open presents too. She accomodated Son and the baby shower grew into a family reunion as she included the guys. Twenty-three people were present with their presents: Hostess;Host; Daughter; Daughter's Boyfriend; Son and Daughter-in-Law; my parents; Host's parents; Father's First Cousin and Wife; my first cousin, his wife and daughter; Aunt; Daughter-in-law's mother and two sisters; Host's Sister and her daughter; and Brother1 and Niece. Naming my family that way is awkward but I hope my readers get the gist of who was there to welcome our new Little One. Little One will have twice as many family lines as the parents did as the family tree expands.

Daughter planned the menu of meat tray, two pasta salads, fruit salad, Bandelero beans, crudites, chips and carrot cake, and she prepared most of it. Mother of Daughter-in-Law brought a rich chocolate cake decorated with ganache and fresh pansies.
Daughter planned three games and we only played one. She bought door prizes but not everybody got theirs.

A third of those twenty-three people at the shower were not yet born at the time of my own baby shower. Family parties give family members an introduction into the roles that they will assume as the next generation, and parties let us change. For example, that time in my life sparked an interest in family stories and genealogy. Family parties will have some traditions and we will still remark about how fast that younger members grow and get prettier/better looking. Yes, we will still remark that time goes by so fast since we last saw each other. Reunions are a good time for people of generation 1 and 2 to say that we welcome generation 3 as young adults who have their own family traditions to make. We will have generation 4 to tell, " You are getting so big and so good-looking!"

Sunday started the beginning of the season of Family Parties. We will be going to a birthday party, three graduation parties and 4th of July picnic within the next seven weeks as even more generation 3 members have parties to celebrate their rites of passage into adulthood. That need not make generation 1 and 2 feel old. There I will be, generation 2, asking, "Have you checked out my blog?"