Many moms to be get just about everything they will need for baby’s first year at their baby shower but what about having some fun? Is the baby shower really all about the gifts? Well, maybe!

Even though planning a baby shower is hectic, don’t forget about the baby shower games; they’re a great way to get people to socialize.

Check out our Baby Raffle Tickets; an excellent way to reward good friends and family for helping you to prepare for the arrival of the baby.

I hosted a baby shower on the 6th of February for some close friends. On the bottom of the invitations I put “Instead of a card, please bring your favorite children’s book for baby’s first library. Sign the inside cover and leave a sweet message.” The mommy and daddy-to-be were absolutely thrilled about the idea and so were all the guests who received a baby shower invitation. Over the next several weeks, I received many phone calls from people telling me how great the idea was. These days cards are getting so expensive, it’s really easy to just buy a little book and sign the inside cover and leave a personal message. Then the baby will have a special memory of you and will know who gave them that book. The book will be read over and over again for many bedtimes to come and the card would most likely be read once and thrown away or saved in a scrapbook never to be looked at again. It worked great for my guests to take that money that they would spend on a card and spend it on a small book and put their own personal touch into it. It was a really successful idea that I wanted to share and I even took a picture of all the little books that baby now has thanks to everyone attending.

Posted by Shelly, an Expert Expert

What are your theme ideas? Send your ideas to CreativeTeam@BigDotOfHappiness.com!

If you find yourself hosting a baby shower, one very important thing to remember is to work with your guest of honor to plan a shower that she’s comfortable with. Who would she like to invite? What kinds of food does she enjoy? What time of day does she have the most energy for a party? And, of course, is she the kind of person who enjoys tasting and guessing the flavors of unlabeled baby food?

Most people expect to play a few games at a baby shower, and these days there are so many great game ideas to be found—especially on the internet. It’s easy when planning a shower to get caught up in all the ideas without really considering what kind of games your guests may feel comfortable with. But really, what fun is guessing the size of Mama-to-be’s belly if she’s absolutely mortified to be caught in her friends’ scrutinizing stares?

Talk to your guest of honor, consider who will be attending the shower, and then visit the fantastic selection of baby shower games at SimplyBabyStuff.com.  There. Now you’re one step closer to planning The Perfect Baby Shower!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

I am the oldest of two kids, and I’ve spent much of my adult life listening to my brother complain (good-naturedly) any time the subject of childhood milestones comes up. To hear him tell it, my parents have reams of records about my first tooth, my first words, my first band-aid, and boxes crammed with every precious thing I ever touched, looked at, drooled on as a child–while he has…a half-filled-out baby book with a few pieces of paper haphazardly folded inside.

When this subject comes up, my parents kind of do a half-chuckle, uncomfortable-shift-in-their-chairs thing while assuring us that they MUST have kept the same records for both of us, right? Are you sure? Let’s get out the books and look…I could’ve sworn…mumble mumble…

My own reaction has always been to remind him that at least he HAS a baby book. There are tons of kids in the world who don’t even get that. Geez. Perspective, Brother–get some.

Easy for me to say, right? MY childhood has been preserved. Bronzed, even.

But I think for my brother this is about more than boxes of mementos and pages of records. On some level, the difference in our documented “stats” is linked with how much my parents cared about the things we did as children. For him, a half-filled book meant he was somehow slighted.

And now that I’m a parent of two children, I’m taking my brother’s complaints much more to heart. Because suddenly, I’m the one who’s watching her second baby grow up too fast, while making quick, shorthand notes on random scraps of paper and hoping I can find them later (let alone remember what they are supposed to say.)

My son is almost 8 months old, and there are still things that happened in his first week of life that I’ve been meaning to get down on paper someday. Mostly because I think I should. Because in the back of my mind, I hear him when he’s grown (and he sounds a lot like my brother), wondering why I kept every card his sister received in her first year of life, while I couldn’t even be bothered to write down at what age he first rolled over.

The truth is, I think there’s more to “Second Child Syndrome” than simple parental laziness. To be sure, I’m much busier now than I was when we had only one child—and that certainly doesn’t help my record-keeping. But I’m also that much more aware. My husband and I have been through this all once before. We know a little better which things matter and which probably don’t. We have a bit more perspective on exactly how much the first pair of socks our son outgrew will really mean to us (or him) in the future.

So I’m trying to find my peace with the parental guilt of not doing for one what I’ve done for the other. Because when it comes down to it I may not have a beautifully filled out book and detailed account of each bite of food our son took, but I will hopefully have a record of the really important things–the way he looks me right in the eye when he’s nursing, the way he giggles when he hears his sister laugh, the way he is so determined to walk even though he’s only seven months old and oh yeah: he doesn’t. know. how. (Tired. I’m so tired.)

I can only hope he’ll understand that someday—that his every action is just exactly as important to me as his sister’s, even if I didn’t record everything. And while I may not be able to tell him the precise day he first stood up by himself, I can give him a very thorough description of just how proud of himself he was—and I think in the long run, those are the kind of “stats” that matter.

(Although I will say, I expect my brother’s second child will have impeccably accurate records to look back on someday.)

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

With both of our children, my husband and I made the decision not to find out whether our babies were girls or boys until they joined us in the world. This meant two things: we received a LOT of blankets, and we were surrounded by yellow, yellow, and more yellow as our generous and well-meaning loved ones began showering us with gifts.

I think this is a common occurrence among those of us who opt “to wait,” and, lucky for us (and those who plan baby showers for us), SimplyBabyStuff.com offers a wonderful and welcome relief from that world of yellow blankets. Check out this extensive selection of “It’s a Baby!” shower themes, and begin planning your shower today!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Deciding on a baby shower theme is fun, especially with so many different baby shower themes to choose from!

Take a look at this Under The Sea Baby Shower Theme – which, by the way, happens to be a very popular theme lately! Cute original baby in his scuba gear! Our very own original invitations, thank you cards and candy bar wrappers.

Hello Party Planners! This is your gentle reminder that March will soon be coming to a close…as will your chance to take advantage of our special March offer.

This is the perfect time to order the beautiful diaper cake  you’ve been admiring for your upcoming baby shower. Or all the tableware  you need to match that perfect theme you chose for your baby’s approaching baptism celebration.

Remember: the more you spend the more you save, because during the month of March you can Receive 10% Off Your Next Order of $50 or More! Simply enter the coupon code: shower

This offer is not valid with any other offer, and cannot apply to past orders. Offer good on all sites through March 31st, 2010.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

In my opinion, if there’s one thing a baby shower should have (other than a Mama-to-be, of course), it’s plenty of good food—it is a celebration after all! And some of my favorite shower treats are of the sweet, indulgent variety. Give me a fluffy piece of cake or a gooey caramel roll, and I’m a happy girl.

These beautiful (and surprisingly simple to make) party favors fit that bill perfectly: crunchy sweet cookies covered in creamy chocolate, all wrapped up for me to take home?!? Yes, please!

 (These make perfect treats for any special occasion—baby showers, wedding showers, birthdays…Tuesdays. You know, the important things. And they can easily be made even more special by adding one of these fantastic personalized sticker labels or a custom die-cut tag  to each package.)

Cookie Pops

1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (Double-Stuff work the best)

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips or other melting chocolate

1 package lollipop sticks (purchase where candy making supplies are sold)

1 package small cellophane bags (purchase where candy making supplies are sold)

Chopped nuts, candy sprinkles, shredded coconut, or any other decoration you like

1. Press one lollipop stick through the center of each cookie—do this with care, go slowly, and gently re-press the cookie together afterward to be sure the stick stays in place. Lay them all out on a wax paper-lined tray, and put the tray of cookies in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes (this will help the chocolate adhere to the cookies when you dip them.) 

2. Melt your chocolate according to the package directions, and place it in a tall container such as a glass liquid measuring cup (this will make it easier to dip the cookies.)

3. Dip each chilled cookie into the chocolate, using a spoon to be sure the cookie is entirely coated. Shake the cookie a bit to remove any excess chocolate, and return the dipped cookie to the wax paper. Because the cookies are cold, you’ll want to work quickly—dip a few cookies, then add your toppings if you’re using them, then dip a few more, top them, etc. until they are all dipped and topped. Reheat your chocolate as needed, taking care not to scorch it. Return the pan of dipped cookies to the refrigerator to harden.

4. Place each cookie into a cellophane bag, and tie a ribbon around the stick and the open end of the bag to seal them up. Remember, this is a great time to add a personalized label or tag!

And, you’re done! All that’s left is to sit back smile as your guests declare you a hero for creating such tasty, beautiful treats.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

There was a certain ease to our days when we were a family of three. We had a rhythm, a routine. A nice comfortable predictability we all enjoyed. It was hard-won, and something I prided myself on as a mama: we may not have always had the cleanest house or the most exciting adventures, but at the end of the day, I knew our family and our home were, for the most part, happy. Content. Peaceful.

When I became pregnant with our second child, I knew things would change. Obviously, there would be physical hurdles, changes to our daily routine—I couldn’t always do the things I could before I had a giant baby belly to cart around. And my daughter (Eva) and I seemed to enjoy many, many more snack times throughout the day. There were emotional changes too—weepy pregnancy hormones to explain to my daughter (and husband!). Feelings of guilt and worry over the effects a new baby would have on Eva—and on my very close, very treasured relationship with her.

But for the most part, I was looking forward to adding a new little one to our family. I could almost feel the empty spaces the new baby would fill up—opportune times for cozy nursing sessions, or another little giggle in chorus with Eva’s. There was room in our routine, our rhythm, for another child, and I couldn’t wait for that day to arrive. We were ready!

Except that it wasn’t that easy.

My son is now seven months old, and I’m just now feeling like I’ve reclaimed a bit of that old peaceful ease in our days. For months, I was ending my days frustrated because I couldn’t seem to get a handle on things. It seemed I could either have happy children or a happy mama—one or the other. Not both. I felt like I was racing around, constantly playing catch up. There was always something to do, someone to feed, something to wash, someone to snuggle.

What had happened to those pockets of empty space the baby was going to fill in so perfectly? Where had our easy, comfortable days gone? I’d had it all figured out, why wasn’t it working??

The answer turned out to be very simple: in the back of my mind, I was holding out for our old, “normal” rhythm. Unconsciously, I was trying to fit our new Family of Four into our old Family of Three mold, and I was getting very, very frustrated that it wasn’t working. We didn’t fit. Shouldn’t fit, in fact—we were a whole new family with new dynamics. We had all changed, for the better I think, and the normal I was holding out for, striving for, just didn’t make sense anymore.

It took me seven months of driving myself crazy, but I’ve finally, finally realized that “normal” was here all along…I simply didn’t recognize it. And as I’ve begun to let go of my old securities a bit and embrace our new rhythm, I’m rediscovering those comfortable pockets of space that we’ll all fit into eventually. And somehow, all this “new” feels…familiar. Content. Peaceful.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger