Although I missed my four favorite little girls so very much, the time I got to spend with just my sister was wonderful. We went for pedicures, got a massage and even found the sign we have been looking for our entire lives. It was priceless time and I will cherish it forever.
My sister ditched me to finish getting our baby celebration together with my mom. Lucky for me, Meredith VanDeursen drove up from Virginia to join in the fun. Since the weather was so fabulous, we got to hike in Six Mile Creek Gorge and we stopped by Taughannock falls on the way back from our party. She even bought Smidgey the sweetest, most adorable Hokie gear I have ever seen. The first time I saw those little outfits my freshman year I knew I would have to have them some day. 
Finally the day of the Baby Celebration arrived on Saturday. We got a message to arrive at Barnes and Noble at noon to pick up a "clue." This was a very special book from Auntie Crystal, Poems to Learn by Heart, by Caroline Kennedy, with an invitation to the party that we have been looking forward to! Meredith snapped a quick photo and off we went to Cayuga Lake State Park in Seneca Falls, NY, a place so beautiful (and with stroller friendly walking trails right on the lake!) that we are planning to visit again soon. Auntie Crystal greeted us and showed us into a gorgeous wooden lodge where so many of our family and friends were gathered to celebrate with us.
The "theme" of the party was books and reading. There were books every where! It was so absolutely perfect and more than I could have ever imagined. Guests even brought books and placed a nameplate in their gift to Smidgey. Every time we read one of those books, this baby will know about one more amazing person in our family's life. My mom made a gorgeous cake that was the stump and a page out of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree as well as an 18 foot banner made out of children's picture books (which will likely be finding a place in Smidgerton's room). 
The generosity of everyone around was overwhelming. Anneke and her girls (and Tad?) handmade the most incredible mobile out of pieces of nature they found a their not-farmette. Aunt Tracy and Uncle Tyler supplied Smidge with the a "Thing 1" onesie that is so absolutely perfect for Jim's child with a matching bib and Dr. Suess book set that we will surely read four hundred times. Papa hand built a co-sleeper for our bedroom out of solid oak with all the love you could imagine. Gram is refurbishing my Great-Grandmothers gliding rocker with a uniquely embroidered B for Bisha on the cushion. Grandma and Grandpa B got Smidgey the sweetest little blue nighty with a matching hat and a handpainted elephant jumper. This list goes on and on! (Some day I will sit down and record everything!)
Jim and Tad showed off their Dad skills (or lack thereof?) with a silly game of dress the baby and get baby ready for a walk. They had everyone in stitches. The food was fantastic. The company was incredible. The venue was perfect. It was an amazing day.
Oh, did I forget to mention the secret cake? And that we are having a baby girl? Jim wanted to know the sex of our baby more than I didn't, so my sister had a gluten free cake made for us with a blue or pink center. She took a sealed envelope from our mid-wife to the baker 8 weeks ago and the cake arrived with the surprise center. In the meantime, guests at the party were sticking the Giving Tree cake with toothpicks to get a sneak peak! Jokes on you. The secret cake came out only in the end. I was completely shocked at how much suspense the cake created...especially for me! Jim tried to get me to cut it, or at least help him, but I was as nervous as could be. He, of course, just loved all of the attention :-). The inside of the cake was speckled with pink and it looks like we are having a tiny little girl. There remains no need for princesses and animal print, although pink seems to have already made an entrance into the closet.
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