Baby showering.

Yesterday I had the privilege to attend a wonderful baby shower for a friend I have known since 6th grade. We reconnected via Facebook (much like the rest of America), and it was divine timing as far as, at the time of our reconnection, she and her husband were considering international adoption, and we, of course, are an adoptive family. Fast-forward to yesterday, and we all gathered to shower her with gifts for her beautiful baby boy that she and her husband will be bringing home soon (hopefully very very soon).

I knew that I needed to make something extra special because Emily is nothing short of extra special, so I whipped out my favorite standby, a Wee Wonderfuls doll pattern. I know it's not exactly as common to give a baby doll to a baby boy, but I thought it might be fun for him to have a little buddy with his same beautiful shade of skin and hair. In fact, this is my second Wee Wonderfuls doll that was made for a little Ethiopian! And this is my first time making the boy version ("Archie") as I have previously made four girl dolls ("Olive"), and one "SpaceBoy" as well.

I'm sure this won't be the last time I attempt the boy doll because he turned out so darn cute...




But I didn't want to show up with only a baby doll, so I whipped up three little bibs as well...




I have to admit, I LOVE these bibs. I think they are so adorable. My inspiration came from Emily's last blog post where she shared another gift her friend made for her -- a handpainted canvas for her nursery of Africa. Her friend used the colors from the Ethiopian flag. I used the same idea and sewed three strips of fabric together, then ironed on the double-sided fusible paper, traced my shape of Africa on the back of the strips (traced it backwards so it would look right from the front), cut out the shapes, ironed them on to my bib fronts and then zigzagged around them in black before finishing up the bibs. Easy peasy. They can be thrown in the washer and dryer and should last through many a feeding. And everybody knows you can never have enough bibs!

Not only was it fun seeing my amazing friend yesterday, but it was a great reminder at what a small world our little city is. There were three girls there from my elementary school days, several from middle school and high school, and two of my favorite middle school teachers were even there! Talk about blast from the past. It triggered so many happy memories for me, and it reminded me of how amazing my childhood and educational experiences were. Our schools were very tight-knit, and it truly was like growing up in a big blended family. I can only hope and pray that my son has the same amazing experiences and makes some lifelong friendships as well from his school days.

Love you, Emily! I'm praying that your gorgeous little man will be home before you know it!