Adventures in Baby-sitting... uh... Showers

The primary reason for our trip our to the east coast was for Seth and Johnny's baby shower.   We had been together since Thursday afternoon, and were having a great time catching up and just being together.  When Saturday morning rolled around, it was time to pack up and drive to NJ. 

We all piled into the new VW wagon and headed north.  Everyone was concerned that we were going to be in the car for so long on Saturday getting there.  It takes us 7 hours to get to Chris's family and 6 hours to get to mine by car; we were anticipating about a 3 hour car ride to get to Seth's family.  So really, it was a drop in the bucket for us, but we were appreciative of the concern. 

I won't lie.  I was a little nervous to get there and meet everyone.  Crowds of people I don't know make me anxious.  I was hoping there would only be a few people there and that we could trickle into it slowly.  Don't get me wrong- I was very excited for the party, and wanted to meet everyone, but I knew there would be a crowd.

The car ride, just like everything else on our vacay, went very fast- before I knew it, we were driving into a beautiful neighborhood and pulling up to a beautiful house.  With people out front.  Seth's brother and his family were already there along with his parents and I think one of his aunts (it has all run together a little for me by now...). Meeting the family there was pretty great.  There was such a feeling of warmth, love, and excitement in the house.  Chris and I were welcomed with open arms and made to feel right at home with great big hugs and lots of smiles.  It wasn't as overwhelming as I was afraid it was going to be.
 
When we got there, everyone was finishing up with last minute details before the party.  I wandered around to get a look at things.  There was so much time, effort, and thought that went into planning S&J's shower....  I could tell that Seth's mom- and his family- were SO excited for them.  Seth's mom even made ME a sash to wear during the shower!!!  Lol.  I'm pretty sure my face was red when she draped it around me.  I really cringe at being the center of anyone's attention- but everyone wanted me and Chris to feel special for the day too. 

Before too long, people started showing up.  There were more introductions, more hugs, smiles, and talking.   There was fantastic food, and we got to meet some amazing people.  Jason, his parents, and Mia were able to be there as well- but that's another story.  :)  Needless to say I cried when I saw them, and it was all I could do not to hover around Mia the whole time. 

After an enormous, tasty ice cream cake (yes, I ate TWO pieces), we finally managed to get S&J to break into their very large pile of gifts.  The day was winding down, and it seemed that it was mostly close family and friends who were still at the house.  It was so much fun for me to watch them open their gifts, and to see their faces light up imagining their little boy who was going to be using all the new, tiny (or not so tiny) things.  Their family and friends were so amazingly generous and thoughtful. 

Chris and I left later that evening; Seth's parent's had very thoughtfully provided us our own hotel room to stay in overnight.  I left the house that night marveling at the family and friends we met through the course of the day.  Chris and I both come from loving and supportive families, so it's not that I was expecting Seth & Johnny's family to be any different.  And we've known for a long time that S&J are going to be amazing parents.  But it was heartwarming and peaceful to know that this Baby Boy is coming into such a large loving, supportive environment.   He will be cherished by so many people, as every baby deserves to be.

Our trip in a snapshot

Chris and I just got home from our trip to Washington DC and New Jersey.  We had such an incredible time, and I want to share it all!!!  But I don't even really know where to start.  :)

We had been looking forward to this trip for quite some time.  I spent the last week at home with a weird work schedule and a crazy time trying to get everything in the house ready for our trip.  I am a master procrastinator, so there were things left over that could have been done in the weeks prior.  In any event, it was time for us to leave before we knew it. 

We lamented just a little that the federal government was shut down- after all, we were going to be in Washington DC, and had planned on trying to get in some of that touristy stuff.  This is what our trip looked like:  Fly into DC on Thursday, mid-afternoon arrival.  Hang out on Friday.  Drive to NJ Saturday morning for the shower on Saturday afternoon.  Brunch in NJ on Sunday morning, then drive back to DC.  Leave Monday afternoon for home.  To be fair, that is a LOT of things to do already.  Maybe the shutdown was a blessing in disguise for us.....  We would have crammed in some sightseeing, but I think we all would have been over- exhausted if we had done that. 

Chris and I are positive that there is some weird time warp in DC, though.  We arrived in the afternoon, before rush hour and were greeted at the airport by Johnny.  Then on to home where Seth and his brother Jared were waiting.  Then we blinked and it was after 11!!!  Jared went home, and we ate dinner in that time, but still....  Friday was the same.  We were up by 9 in the morning, but it was one in the afternoon and time for lunch before we knew what happened!  Seth took us on a walking tour of their neighborhood, and to a really yummy pizza place for lunch. (City living vs out west  living is very different.  I could write a whole post just on that!)  The plan that night was for dinner and a movie in.  Well, we had a fantastic lasagna, but somehow we missed starting the movie and it was after midnight....  I'm pretty sure we didn't even stop in NJ.  I feel like we got in the car, got out, got in, and ended up in DC again! 

Now, all the sneaky boys in my life conspired to surprise me on Sunday night when we got back to DC.  As far as I knew, we were going to go to this fabulous Mexican restaurant for dinner.  And then try again for that darn movie.  Well, little did I know that they were all texting back and forth to each other (in the car right around me!!!) and to my friend who lives in the DC area.  We hadn't seen each other in about 9 years, and the boys were coordinating our time so she could meet us at the Mexican place for dinner too!  I was already sad that I hadn't had a chance to contact her to see if she was free for a meal or coffee.  Seriously, how often am I on that side of the country???  And Chris played right along with it when I said something to him.  All, "yeah, I don't think we're going to be able to fit it in this trip...".  When Chris walked in the door with my friend, it was dim and I didn't have my glasses on.  All I could think was "Who is that woman with Chris???  Someone just stopped by to see Seth & Johnny???  Damn it, I'm hungry!!!".  It took me about 5 full seconds to realize that it was my friend....  Off to dinner we went.  The Mexican place was fantastic, with some of the best salsa I've ever had.  But the highlight (of course) was getting to catch up with my friend.  In person.  :)

Monday morning, Johnny had to head back to work.  Boo.  Chris, Seth, and I finally got that movie in, but before we were ready or prepared for it, it was time to get our stuff packed and ready for the flight home.  It's amazing how slowly the time goes when you are waiting for something- but how quickly it goes when you want it to drag on.  Goodbyes suck.  The only thing that made it even partly okay to be saying goodbye after such a short time was knowing that we would see each other again in a matter of just weeks.  Wow.  Just a few weeks and Baby Boy will be here.......

It was so fantastic to see Johnny and Seth again, finally, after almost a year.  I am amazed every day at the relationship we have formed with these two wonderful men.  After more than a year and all our experiences together, they are more than just our "intended fathers".  They are our family.