1/27/13
We truly have some great neighbors! Today, Laura and I had our neighborhood baby shower. A couple of our neighbors told Laura a while back that they wanted to throw us a "couples" shower in celebration of our baby. We definitely showered with gifts from our awesome neighbors! Everything from hand made quilts and blankets to cute MN Wild and UMD Bulldogs gear for our little girl...the neighbors thought of everything!!! My parents were also there, but we were without Laura's parents due to their work schedule (and the long drive!).
I must say...that's the first shower I've ever been to! I think I was fortunate enough to share that experience for the first time with a few other guys that were there!!! The neighbors had some great food for everyone as usual! We were sitting around eating and drinking, and then the games started!!! I had no idea that games were going to be played, so I didn't bring my game face!!! Regardless, the 13 year old neighbor girl got everyone all together for our games. Game #1 was for the guys...6 of us had to see who could drink a few ounces of apple juice out of a bottle the fastest! After clarifying that we couldn't take the nipple off, and that I couldn't poke a hole in the bottom of the bottle with my knife to increase airflow (to try and "shotgun" the juice...something I heard about in college ;) )...we just started trying to suck it down. Thankfully the girls were cheering us on during this embarassing few minutes!!! The next and final game was called, "What did baby Lemke eat?" We had to identify what type of candy bar was melted inside of 6 different diapers!!! Yuck! I'll just say that I never again plan to put my nose that close to a pile of brown stuff in a diaper, nor will I care what the heck is in it!!! It was a fun game, but took a few minutes to overcome everything I've ever known about poopy diapers!!!
And then there were the gifts...like I said earlier, we received a few different hand made quilts/blankets, a variety of cute onesies and PJs, a few outfits, a MN Wild shirt and bib, a UMD Bulldogs shirt and shoes/socks/booty things, some bottles, a few boxes of diapers and of course a couple of great gifts from our parents!!! My parents gave us the awesome stroller we registered for (a nice, 3-wheeled stroller that has a bunch of compartments and huge wheels which will allow us to take baby on the gravel roads and in the yards in ND and up at the lake...a huge perk for us as we plan to continue to be active with baby when she arrives!) and Laura's parents gave us the bedding we registered for, which includes sheets, a cushy liner thing that goes inside the crib and a bunch of other things that have cute animal prints that will go in her crib!
During this fun gathering with our neighbors Laura and I realized how lucky we are to live on a street surrounded by great people that will do anything to help anyone out! We have several seasonal gatherings throughout the year where we catch up as a large group and enjoy each other's company and share laughs. I never imagined we'd find such a great place to live, let alone how a bunch of people can help make a new couple feel so welcomed and loved in a neighborhood! It was after we left that I realized that it truly does take a village to raise a child. Our small village, in a tiny corner of South St. Paul, is truly a special place to raise our child! I know the same people that snowblow my driveway before doing their own will be there to help us with anything we may need when we bring baby home. I also know that those people that share their stories and funny tales during our gatherings will be looking forward to hearing about our baby's milestones at our next gatherings! I only hope that Laura and I have been able to bring such positive contributions and memories to their lives in the short time that they've been able to do just that for us! So it's the least I can do to give them all some recognition for their thoughtfulness and generosity to us today and all they've done for us in the past! Thanks to the Lewis Family, Tom and Jane, Edwin, Madge and her girls, Lenny and Pam, Tim and Lisa, and Dena and Greg for all you've done for us, and for being the great neighbors that you are! We appreciate you all!!!
And with that, I'll end this entry of my Daddy Diary. Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary. My next entry will be coming early this week; Laura and I have our first childbirth/baby class Tuesday night! Until next time, thanks again for reading this and for sending your thoughts/best wishes and/or prayers...they're greatly appreciated by Laura, Lexi, baby, and I!!!
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