Friends baby shower

This weekend my girl friends threw me a baby shower. Rebecca and Lauren co-hosted, and Heather even came early to help them set everything up and get ready. There were a bunch of people who were unable to make it, due to previous engagements, but everyone was there in spirit, and still made me feel special regardless of their physical absence. I have some of the greatest friends ever!

Rebecca, me, Lauren, and Heather

We played the most hilarious...and yet disgusting...game ever! The girls had melted 10 different kinds of chocolate bars in 10 diapers. We had to look/smell/taste the "poop" to figure out which chocolate bar had been melted in each diaper. I am a chocoholic, and I cannot tell you how much having the chocolate in a diaper messed up the whole chocolate factor! I thinkErin was the only one brave enough to taste each one, and sure enough, I believe she got all 10 correct!
Erin gave me this cute animal train that sings songs and moves across the floor. She said Hayley loves it, and right on cue, Lauren started singing every word to the main song, demonstrating how much it is played at her house. When they all came over Saturday night, we got it out, and sure enough all three babies (Hayley, Avery, and Natalie) were mesmerized by the singing animal train!
Rebecca handmade this quilt for me and Baby Shulse...she had never tried it before, and I cannot tell you how impressed we all were! This is going to be the perfect quilt for any occassion, and one I can already tell I will use a lot.
Thanks, Rebecca for such a beautiful gift!
Sarah could not be at the shower, but she sent a present with Mom and Julie to give me. Yea! I have a cute boppy now!

Lauren and Heather compiled this basket of "Hayley and Avery's favorites." There were some great goodies in that basket, that will surely come in handy very soon. :)
If you remember (if you have been reading my blog for awhile), for both Lauren and Heather, we all participated in stitching a square for a special quilt made just for them, by their friend Brittany. Though I know Brittany, I do not know her very well, and was not expecting to get a special quilt of my own. And to be even more honest, I didn't think I knew enough people who would participate to make one! I cannot tell you how I shocked I was to pull out this beautiful quilt, in which most of my friends and family each made a square.
Here is a close up of the colors and designs...
There were 30 individual sqares total...though many squares had combined people, otherwise the quilt would have been too large! I keep looking at it over and over, seeing each initialed square and feeling so special that this person would take time to sew a square for the quilt. It is absolutely beautiful and means more than I can say.
It was a very fun shower, and quite a special day. All of our friends came back over to the house afterward to hang out and cook hamburgers.

If there is one thing I have learned throughout this entire pregnancy experience, it is how lucky I am to have the love and support of our friends and family. It never ceases to amaze me how much people care and how much they make a special time in our life even more special by simply being a part of it. We are so blessed. :)