It’s July now. Sunny, hot, and dry. But what was the weather like in June? It was full of showers. No, not wet, umbrella-bearing showers. Baby showers!

I was lucky enough to be surrounded by some pretty amazing women throughout the month of June who seem to like this soon-to-be Friedman Baby a lot! When it comes to good company, yummy food, and baby talk, I don’t say no.

The fabulous group of teachers and staff at Walnut Elementary School came together for a lunchtime shower filled with good conversation and yummy cake. They are such a great bunch and I was so lucky to not only student teach in kindergarten at this school, but work with the 1st graders in reading and math and teach art school-wide. I will miss working with everyone and learning under their expertise. I’m a lucky almost-mom, yes, but I’m also a lucky teacher!

My super fun and sweet sister-in-law, Alison, and our creative and thoughtful cousin, Chrissy, planned a perfect afternoon at my mother-in-law Ellen’s house. It was a beautiful day! The house looked great, the games were really fun (really!!), and the company was filled with some of our Friedman Family Favorites! I was so touched by everyone’s kindness and can’t wait for Baby Friedman to meet all of Ellen’s friends and family. She’s lucky to have such a great inner-circle of ladies who have known me only a small amount of time, but have embraced me as part of the gang! I thought it was so special that our daughter’s only Auntie helped put together such a lovely day. I know that this kid will be surrounded by love, but Auntie Alison is definitely going to top everyone else in the love department. It’ll be nice for our baby to have such a fun and, well, entertaining family member and they can claim each other as their own!

Speaking of the aunt and niece relationship, my Aunt Laura and my mom’s childhood friend Angela co-hosted a quilt-themed baby shower at El Caballero Country Club and it was threaded together beautifully! My sorority sisters and best friends from college came to be with me and it was so fun to see and reconnect with girlfriends from other parts of my life, like camp, high school, and the wedding planning days. Celebrating with family friends and ladies related to my mom’s side of the tree was also special, since they’ve been with me throughout all my milestones. Angela and Aunt Laura organized a quilt-making center, where everyone contributed a piece of fabric that will be made into a quilt as a memento from this amazing time in my life. I can’t wait to see the finished piece! Crumbs cupcakes in a zillion different flavors were arranged into a quilt pattern and no one left craving any sweets! The day was so enjoyable and I appreciate the memory more than words can express.

My talented cousin Sara of Sara Marie Photography, created this slideshow from the photos she shot!

Part of the fun of this pregnancy has been sharing it with my cousin, Jaimie. Our due dates are 3 weeks apart and I’ve enjoyed comparing notes! We’ve always had a great relationship but we’ve always been so different. She’s tall. I’m short. She’s blonde. I’m brunette. She does sciencey things. I … don’t. But we are now going through something together that’s the same and I can’t wait until her son and my daughter can play and grow up together! So it was even cooler when our Aunt Debbie, the SoCal Martha Stewart, planned a luncheon for our side of the family at the Cheesecake Factory in Marina del Rey. We sat outside on a gorgeous sunny afternoon, played games, chatted, scratched Lottery tickets, opened presents, munched, and shared stories about pregnancies, babies, and growing up. It was absolutely perfect. Jaimie and I were lucky to share this day together and we had the best time!

I’ve also been sharing the pregnancy ride with one of my favorite gals from our theater family! Becky and I are also due weeks apart, and she’s expecting a little girl, too! Becky is someone I’ve always admired, not only as a choreographer, but as a person. She’s so kind and smart and thoughtful and she and her husband, George, are going to be amazing parents. Bryan and I are excited to have this parenting adventure with them! Welles Miller, one of the coolest and sweetest theater moms ever threw us a Hot Mama Shower! This was a wild party complete with spiked tea (not for Becky and me) and a roundtable reading of “Go the F*ck to Sleep” which is too entertaining when performed by 50 of your theater friends. Welles didn’t miss a beat: fun games, onesie and bib decorating, food from our favorite restaurant, Viva La Pasta, and a marathon of gifts that were so organized! The Baby Daddies joined the party after a day of golf, and we all had a blast!

So when I say I’m surrounded by so many fantastic people in my life, I’m not kidding. From Bryan’s side of the family to my mom’s side to my dad’s side to our theater friends and my teacher friends, this kid is going to be showered with even more love after she gets here. There’s no umbrella large enough, and I’m definitely okay with that. And trust me, the showers of love made me feel a steady and stormy downpour of appreciation and gratitude.

Thank you!