A Baby Shower

On Sunday afternoon I had the privilege of co-hosting my friend Anna’s baby shower. I met Anna 18 months ago through her blog, London Foodie in NY. We bonded quickly over our mutual love of food and the fact that she and her husband are English. Our friendship is yet another testament to why I love the online community. Of course, Twitter friendships that stay on Twitter aren’t the same as real life friendships, but the best friends I have now are people I have met through this network of blogging and they occupy very important roles in my day-to-day life.

Seems like yesterday that I received Anna’s e-mail telling me she was pregnant, it was when Andy and I were on vacation in Turks and Caicos celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. As young married women, Anna and I had often talked about having children. And now,  Anna was pregnant with her first baby, due mid-February. It was welcome news, indeed. Months later, I was delighted to be a part of planning the baby shower.

Anna and Don have decided to keep the gender of the baby a surprise (though personally I think it’s a girl!) so we kept the theme neutral. Cream linen tablecloths, white flowers (roses, hydrangeas, tulips) with a few light touches of green, pink and yellow. I loved the small rubber duck decorations on the table, such a sweet idea.

Ever the superwoman, 8-month-pregnant-Anna made most all of the food herself. A variety of tea sandwiches, beautiful scones with cream and jam, homemade sausage rolls and small dishes of sweets and candies. I made Aunt Sassy Cake, always a crowd pleaser. It’s a pistachio cake with a honey-vanilla buttercream frosting. And to drink we served Kir Royales and tea, perfect for a Sunday afternoon baby shower.

The most delicious part of the spread was these sausage rolls that Anna made (which I’m told will appear on her blog, London Foodie in NY, very soon!). Sausage rolls with blue cheese in them! Heavenly. I was so keen to eat one that I got a nice burn on the roof of my mouth, though I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. This is the kind of appetizer people can smell from a mile away – when they finally come out of the oven, they’re gone before you’ve even set down the plate.

I insisted on snapping a few photos of Anna and Don before everyone arrived. How sweet are they? Don will be such a loving and doting father. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a man so excited and enthusiastic about the arrival of a baby. And Anna…how fabulous does she look? She was positively radiant! With her kind heart and gentle spirit, Anna will be a natural mother. The afternoon was the perfect tribute to this wonderful couple and the baby we all can’t wait to meet.