Baby shower!

We had our very first baby shower last weekend. Friends of ours here in Berlin got together for a lovely event - at our request, it was a mixed affair, not only for the ladies, since Speck is Tim's baby, too! Many of those who came have small kids, who seemed to enjoy the play date with one another. Having them included also felt very appropriate - a sort of sneak-peek of life with munchkins. Tim took a few pictures, which we'll post. Pauline got some more clothes, a few other baby essentials, and - best of all - the breast pump I'd registered for. OK, maybe it's more for me than it is for her, but it'll allow me to continue breastfeeding her when I go back to work. And even if we had settled on a different arrangement - both of us working, me staying home and Tim working, whatever - I think I'd still want to pump once Pauline and I have figured out how to nurse, so Tim can also be involved in feeding her. I can't imagine what it'll be like to breastfeed, but I know how much I enjoyed giving bottles to my niece Allie when she was younger - there's this incredible feeling as the baby stares up at you that I just love. I wouldn't want Tim to miss out on that bonding experience.

We've also been doing a few more things to get ready. We installed Pauline's car seat - it's an infant carrier that fits into a base and onto a stroller. I love these because if the baby falls asleep in the car (we're hoping she does, taking after Minka's example), you can lift her out when you get wherever you're going, without unstrapping her. You can then plunk her on the stroller, without unstrapping her. We wanted to put it in the car early so Minka (our dog) can get used to the concept of sharing the back seat with this contraption. She seems to be adapting fairly well, though it's an adjustment for her. Wait until that car seat has an occupant!

Tim rearranged things in Pauline's room to make a bit more space, and generally get the room ready for the baby. We're not setting up a nursery for her here, but we did need to have a little more room in there, and it looks a lot more welcoming now. I also spent some time last weekend rearranging things in the dresser in that room, getting her clothes ready to be washed for the first time (clipping tags, etc.), and so on. Now I just need to move some of my piles of scrapbook materials out of the way...

Speaking of clothes, we got a very special box in the mail today. There's a craft store in Armenia that specializes in machine-knit, hand-finished clothing. It's part of an assistance program (training and employing women) that's been around since I was in Yerevan. This little shop used to be one of the only places to get baby gifts; when friends at the Embassy would have showers, all the guests would clean out the baby-sized items in the shop! Anyway, it's still in business, and my friend Adela, who is now posted there, was kind enough to go shopping on my behalf. (She and her husband also included a few other items as gifts from them.) And the box they sent came today! I am so, so happy to have some of these beautiful clothes for Pauline.