This past weekend my friends Tamara and Taylor (author of Simply Silicon Valley) co-hosted a baby shower to celebrate the impending arrival of our little girl. Every detail was divinely and beautifully thought through, leaving me overwhelmed with gratitude, to say the least. Perhaps it’s third trimester emotions, but the outpour of love and generosity from family, friends and co-workers has been a humbling experience. From the east coast to the west coast and a few stops in between, we’ve received countless words of encouragement, expressing excitement for our soon to be family of three!

After we moved into our new home this past December, I dreamed of one day throwing a garden party in our backyard as it lends the perfect setting for such a soireé. Unbeknownst to me, Taylor latched onto this idea and brought the garden party vision to life, in honor of our baby. How lucky am I to have such sweet and thoughtful friends!? Because I can’t resist sharing all the pretty details, and documenting the festivities so that our daughter can one day see how we joyfully celebrated her birth, below are a few photos from the day. Further down the post I share a short update on my third trimester and what I’m learning about motherhood.

For a classy, southern flair, everyone wore all-white giving the festivities a traditional yet fun touch. While some guests played croquet on the lawn, others sipped on rosé and chatted under the Cypress tree. It was truly a special afternoon I’ll always cherish!

Third trimester update:

Last Thursday, at my 33 week mark, we had a bit of a scare requiring an emergency visit to the hospital. Thankfully everything is okay, and there is nothing to worry about, but it certainly put things in perspective. On this particular day, we were scheduled to get our maternity photos—something I had been looking forward to (and preparing) for weeks. Although missing the photo shoot was not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, my immediate reaction was, “this is a big nuisance, and not what I had planned for.” Eek! Sounds awful, I know. The emergency hospital visit, and the safety of our baby trumped my plans. There was nothing I could do, nor control. I was emotional, and disappointed.

In the aftermath, I felt a little nudge inside me saying: be gracious, a baby changes everything. My temptation to do everything and be everything perfectly is quickly being strained by motherhood priorities (and rightfully so!). Although, believing I have to be the best at everything is an easy trap for me to fall into, I’m learning to find grace in unfinished to-do lists, unwritten thank you notes, and unmet plans. Rather than focusing on what I can’t do, I’m seeing beauty in quiet, slow days with little plans—making room for what matters most: my growing family!

Thursday didn’t go as planned, but we were able to reschedule the maternity photos for another day. In the end, most things work themselves out. All it takes is a little confidence in knowing we can still flourish despite setbacks. And in my case, more importantly, my baby is healthy and well—such a blessing!