We are going to have our third (and final) child in August, and I've been wondering about the concept of having some sort of pre baby party. Not necessarily another baby shower, but just a celebration of these awesome blessings we've had in our kids. And to celebrate the end of a long road of pregnancy for Sara! She's tired of being "with child". I think a third baby shower might be fun! Since Gavin is really only starting to grasp the fact that there is a baby in mama's tummy, having a "New Baby Brother Party" would serve to magnify the significance of mama's big tummy to him.

We never actually had a second baby shower before Garrett was born. I never even thought of it, actually. We were pretty much consumed by dealing with and healing Gavin's autism. Maybe we would have done another baby shower for a girl, but Garrett was quite obviously a boy in Sara's fifth month ultrasound. We knew he would have plenty of hand me downs from his big brother! Naturally, he was showered anyway by his adoring aunts and grandparents with new unique gifts just for him. It just makes me wonder, do people commonly have a baby shower for their second or third baby? I have no idea on the rules of etiquette for this. It could be construed as a little greedy on the parents' part. I don't know. I bet I would have liked to have a second baby shower if we knew we were going to have a girl, the more I think about it. You know, for the dresses and stuff like that. Otherwise, she would have probably been a pretty little tomboy with 2 older brothers and very few dresses. I'd just make her a couple "I am not a boy" onesies and be done with it.

For the parents who take the bold step and plan it, what should the wording for a second baby shower invitation be? "Oops I Did It Again" would be cute, though somewhat apologetic. You wouldn't want to seem sheepish about having another baby. You wouldn't want to look too greedy either, so maybe saying "No presents, only your presence" would be good. If you're having a hard time deciding on a name, maybe it could be a baby naming party! I can think of a bunch of fun games to help conjure up baby name ideas. Of course, some years down the road you'd have to face the fact that "Son, your name was drawn from a hat."

These second showers should probably be just a happy welcoming of new life, not a harvesting of baby gifts. It should be a celebration that brings women (and sometimes even men) together in a show of love and support for the mother and baby. Showering the expectant mother with pre-cooked meals, gift certificates for cleaning, or home made babysitting vouchures would be sweet. The important thing to remember is that the mom needs the love and support of her family and friends.

In our case, however, we've got a great circle of family and friends that keep us showered in help and support. We wouldn't feel right about doing another baby shower. I just can't see it. We've already got the name picked out (to be released at a later date) so a naming party wouldn't do much good. I'll just have to invent a new type of baby shower: the Baby Kegger! I'll have all my buddies from work over to the house, get a keg of brew, smoke some cigars, and play fun baby games like Texas Hold 'Em or Five Card Draw!
Now, how should the invitation read? "Come drink beer for the baby!" or "There's a bun in the oven, let's drink beer!" I guess I'd better get Sara's opinion on this... or not.