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Martel Residential College Baby Shower at Rice University
We’re only 6 weeks away from having a little Wesley Daniel Frey on the OUTSIDE of mommy instead of the INSIDE. It seems to me like he wants to come out soon; judging by the way that he’s beating up mom from in there. It’s kind of shocking to watch a big body part move from one side of Steph’s belly to the other. Last night he had the hiccups… that was fun to watch.
This past weekend was our THIRD (and I think final) baby shower. Ted and Beata, Martel Master’s, asked if they could throw us a couple shower for the students of Martel and close friends and family. It was a great time of celebrating with others. There were 
lots of special things thrown in… from the food, to violinists, amy’s ice cream catering… even a student shuttling people back and forth to their cars with a golf cart. Classy. My favorite were the notes of parenting advice we got.
THANK YOU to all of you who took the time to write advice. Most people really thought about it and there are some really good words of wi
sdom that I’ve taken to heart. Even the students got into it, talking about how they’d LIKE to have been raised or something that their mom and dad really did right. They’re awesome. A big thank you to Ted, Beata, Maria (who made all the cupcakes) and all the students who helped make it possible. We’ll remember it always.
I think we’re due for some belly shots of Steph. She doesn’t want to do the bare belly pregnancy thing… but you all need to see her. She’s tall, and has only gained the minimum amount of weight she’s supposed to gain for the health of her and the baby. So, it’s literally like she’s hiding a basketball under her shirt.
We’ll keep you posted.
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- best friends Brandon and Stephanie
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- Rachel and her little one Frieda
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- Beata (Martel Master) and Dan (Jeff’s dad)
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- entry table
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- sweets
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- Tori and Sheneq (the baby planner)
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- the Amy’s van
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- Emily and Meghan
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- Casey, Angie, Herschell, and Luci
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- Amy’s Ice Creams on the back patio
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- paper to write advice on
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- great hors d’oeuvres
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- Maria Byrne, college coordinator and cupcake maker
My Tea Shower
Last Sunday my close friend, Stephanie Baudin, hosted my second baby shower with the help of my mother-n-law Shirley. It was wonderful! This was my first “live shower,” my previous shower was a very unique experience as well — a “skype shower,” hosted by my mom in Ohio. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to celebrate freybaby (Wesley) twice!
It was raining in Houston (thank goodness), but still a perfect day for a baby shower (I think any day is a good day for tea)! The shower consisted of some close friends gathering for afternoon tea at the St. Regis Hotel. For those of you who have not experienced afternoon tea, it’s such a treat. One of my absolute favorite things to do is have afternoon tea. My mother-n-law introduced me to afternoon tea years ago and I have been hooked ever since.
The St. Regis is the best place around town to have this experience. The tea consists of a traditional English style afternoon tea with three courses: tea sandwiches, scone and creams/preserves (or as I like to think, Devonshire cream with a little bread), and an assortment of pastries. The St. Regis offers several tea options but they have their own blend, which is my favorite, “The St. Regis Blend”. A live harpist gently plays in the background while you talk, eat, and drink gallons of tea. Oh and the flowers…the St. Regis has the most gorgeous arrangements of live flowers perfectly adorned with seasonal flowers.
Upon entering all the guests were asked to pick, from an envelope, three or four words related to baby (words like: sippy cup, love, precious, diapers, etc). The guests then had to write a poem using these words! It was great, and I was really impressed by what the ladies wrote. They also shared, on a separate sheet, words of encouragement and blessings to me and Wesley. All the thoughts and poems were compiled in a book for me to keep.
The ladies were given chocolate dipped brownie popsicles from the Chocolate Bar as favors, just in case they needed more sweets after the assortment of pastries at the tea — and I was given a special chocolate dessert cake that I had to box and take to go — because Wesley was already drowning in tea and probably enough sugar for the week!
Overall, it was wonderful, but went by too quickly. I found myself not wanting to leave and just linger! A big thank you to Stephanie and Shirley for their hosting of the event and to all who came. It’s a memory I will cherish the rest of my life.
My Skype Baby Shower
Me, at home in Houston, attending my shower in Ohio
Since my mom wanted to throw me a baby shower for the family and friends in Ohio, and I wasn’t able to travel, my mom had a “Skype Baby Shower” for me instead.
Essentially, what my mom did was plan the shower as usual — but instead of me being there in the flesh, I was there via a laptop throughout the event. I was first in the kitchen as my mom was preparing and people were arriving. My family and friends came over to me one-by-one and congratulated me — and I talked to each one for a while. I was also able to see what was going on as they positioned me in key areas throughout the shower. Although I couldn’t be there in person, this was truly the next best thing.
It was really good to see everyone — and I also got to show the folks in Ohio the nursery first hand — and the baby gifts we had already received from others here in Houston; something I couldn’t have done if I had gone there. My close friend, Christy Weiss, who is a mother of two, opened all my gifts, held them up to the camera so I could see them, and described them beautifully. I just received the boxes of them that were shipped here yesterday. The only major negative about the skype shower was that I didn’t get to eat any of the food (it looked delicious!), especially the cupcakes.
I’d like to thank all the family and friends who helped make the event so memorable for me. I especially want to thank my mothers who spent countless hours planning the perfect shower. Love ya mom!
For anyone thinking about doing this sort of thing in the future, I have some tips at the bottom of this post below the pictures.
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- me and my laptop
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- it worked out really well
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- samson didn’t know what to do
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- fairly clear picture and great sound
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- mmmmm… homemade goodies
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- baby cookies
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- presents
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- iced babies — the first one to get their baby out wins a prize — because their “water broke” — get it?
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- mmmmmmm
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- car seat / infant carrier, gifted by some special folks
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- the mamma roo — yeah!
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- a playset that jeff and samson have already been entertained by
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- very RICE — a squirrel and owl
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- everyone at the shower gave us their favorite baby book
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- awesome toy
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- more books
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- odd ducks — LOVE them
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- thank goodness for lots of gift cards
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- christy opened and read the cards
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- the best carrier — thanks!
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- homemade blanket in the shape of a texas star
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- baby monitor
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- oh, how cute
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- brand new
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- another book
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- the great grandmas
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- paternal family
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- maternal family
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- thanks for coming everyone
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- you too, thanks for coming
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- thanks for all you did christy
For a Skype Shower, Do:
- make sure that you get a set of headphones for people at the shower and put the showeree laptop in a corner for a while so each person can come up to the screen and chat for a while in “private”
- warn family members ahead that this is going to be happening and help them through the process of being in the camera shot and talking
- place the computer in a location where the showeree can see the entire room, and when opening gifts, make a circle or something to people at the shower can see the presents as well as the camera
For a Skype Shower, Don’t:
- try to do this with a slow laptop or internet connection, it’s doomed to failure
- worry about a slight delay in video or sound, make the best of it
- sit the computer in a corner and forget about it, like while people are eating, maybe place it at the head of the table for a while so the showeree and be “in” on the conversation?
All in all, a great experience.
