What an overwhelming feeling when so many friends and family come together to celebrate one tiny little being. 

Everyone says how fast time flies when you're pregnant and it always seems so silly. 10 months of pregnancy is almost a year - I've got plenty of time to prepare for my little lady. Yet I am in complete disbelief that I am writing this at 36 (almost 37 weeks pregnant) and it seems I still have a baby to-do list stacked sky high. One can only prepare so much before it's time I suppose. 

In June, I had my baby shower and it was the most wonderful tropical bash for my sweet little summer babe. From a babymoon in Maui, to a palm adorned nursery, there is definitely a running theme here (and a minor obsession with all things tropical). My mom flew across the country to throw my little sweetie and I this beautiful party. My mother-in-law flew across the country to help make this day perfect. Friends in San Diego helped design the invites, coordinate games, curate flowers and greenery and make a beautiful flower crown and design the event. Friends and family from all over the country sent the most precious baby gifts and we even had a special friend from the east coast make the most adorable cookies for the shower. Since my husband and I moved across the country almost four years ago now we have so many loved ones so far from us so my mom had the idea to send long distance invites for a way to include everyone we wish could be there. It was truly incredible that everyone we love from near and far was able to be a part of this special time welcoming baby Tustin into the world. We are so blessed with the community we are surrounded by and I couldn't be more thankful. Don't worry east coast friends and family - we plan to bring her your way very very soon. 

Just to dive into some of my favorite details from that day:

THE MENU

If you don't know my mom, then you need to know that she is hands down one of the greatest cooks on this planet. Sweet baby girl, I pray that your nanny's cooking genes skipped me on purpose so they could be passed on to you. My mom coordinated and cooked the meals with the help of my wonderful mother-in-law stepping in with some prep work. Here's the drool-worthy brunch menu:

• Blueberry Buckle 
• Baked Peach French Toast
• VG Donuts (a local favorite)
• Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
• Fruit Salad
• Pasta Salad (pre-made mix from Costco)
• DIY Mimosa Bar
  Prosecco, Mango Passionfruit Juice, Rio Red Grapefruit Juice
   

THE GAMES

I love these games that were picked out for the shower. They were hilarious and they didn't require a lot from the guests participating. 

• "My water broke" - this game involves tiny little plastic babies that you freeze in an ice cube before the shower. Once everyone gets to the shower they each get an ice cube with a baby in it for their drink. The first person who notices they just have a baby floating in their drink has to shout, "my water broke!" and they won the race!
• Draw a baby game - I have no idea if this game actually has a real name. I have never played it before and I thought it was hilariously fun. I even participated in the drawing portion (though my masterpiece was exempt from winning). Everyone participating gets a paper plate and a crayon. The task was to put the paper plate on your head and draw a picture of what you think baby-to-be will look like in a certain amount of time (something short like 1 minute.) Then, mama-to-be gets to judge and pick out the best/favorite prediction of what her baby will look like. The best part was trying to interpret what I saw and then having the guest explain what they were going for. Lots of ocean waves and curly hair for our peanut! 
• Baby Bingo - I've played this one before at another shower and it's such a fun way to keep things entertaining during gifts being opened. Everyone gets a blank bingo card and before the gifts start being opened, guests are supposed to fill out the boxes with gifts they think will be opened. Once the gift is opened that you predicted you mark off that block on your bingo card. When you have a straight line going across your card you call out bingo! 

Our village stretches far and wide for our little lady and Brian and I could not be more thankful. From the bottom of our hearts - thank you so much friends and family near and far that have played such a special part in our lives and giving such a warm welcome for our baby girl.  Maeve Rachelle Tustin, you've got a world of love waiting for you - we are all so excited to meet you!

Thank you to everyone who made this day so special:
Invites and Calligraphy - Honeyhue Paper Co. 
Stationary at the shower - Rosegold and Copper Design
Event Design -  Fixx Design Boutique
Flower Crown - Layered Vintage
Sugar Cookie Favors - Lisa Latourette
Dress - Liv3  Clothing
Thank you to  friends who grabbed my camera to snap some photos of guests and myself at the shower!