Sharon's Sock Monkey Shower

This past weekend it was time for yet another baby shower! Our sponsor, Sharon Gilmer, is having a baby girl next month so a bunch of the girls in the squadron pitched in to give her a beautiful shower on Saturday morning. Sharon and her husband Andy care a lot about being "green" and are both big fans of simple, educational toys so the theme was based around traditional toys like sock monkeys, wooden blocks and rocking horses. Sharon is a very gifted pastry chef and insisted on making her own cake. I think it was adorable! The girls here in Misawa have throwing showers down to a science. They are all so beautifully decorated and perfectly executed.

Sharon (like Claire before her) has been great about making friends with local Japanese women. She teaches english to a group of them, and it was fun having them at the shower. They were fascinated by a lot of our traditions and foods. We played baby gift bingo, and it was fun explaining what all of these things were. They also had some unique Japanese outfits and toys to contribute to the generous pile of gifts. I had several funny conversations with them because they kept coming up to me and commenting on how young I look and how skinny I am. hahaha...

Seeing all of the things people got for Sharon was fun too. Not only were there heaps of adorable baby girl clothes and shoes, but people got really creative with incorporating the theme of traditional toys and organic materials. I bought her an organic cotton onesie with cherry blossoms on the front that said "Blossoming Beauty" and an organic baby food cookbook since she loves to cook. Others played to her husband's sense of humor with funny sayings on the rompers and things... There were lots of smiles and "aww's" all around. :-)

It says "Daddy uses my poo for compost." :-P

I feel like this summer has been full of baby news. We still have two more ladies in the squadron who are expecting. I am going to jump in and help plan one of their showers. I think it's a fun challenge to figure out a way to do something new and original after so many other incredible baby showers!

Sharon was an excellent sponsor and continues to be a big help as I'm still learning my way around my new home. I look forward to turning the tables and serving her after her little girl joins us in a few weeks!