This was definitely a profitable weekend for Joe and I.  Between the two baby showers this weekend, there isn't much left for us to buy for the baby.  Additionally, it was really wonderful to get together with everyone and spend sometime with the people who will all be a part of Thomas's life. 

In addition to the wonderfully delightful showers, I had the added joy of getting my car back! Read the conclusion of the story here.

Rachel and Heather's shower
This was a really fun, relaxing get-together.  Not only did we celebrate with our women friends, but men were invited, too, so Joe got to play a large part, as he should.  Particularly since Sherri had specifically gotten a gift for him: the Daddy's Toolbelt, which includes everything a father needs to change a diaper, including sterile gloves and eye protection.  All the gifts we received were just as thoughtful, including a hand-made baby afghan from Jennifer and the John Lennon crib bedding set from Joe's mom, which I had been eyeing for the longest time.  (The fact that Carter's has taken some of John Lennon's artwork and marketed it for such a grossly commercialized consumer item never ceases to amuse me.  He MUST be rolling in his grave at all the cold profits Carter's gets from Sucker Parents.)  Other favorite gifts of ours include a delightful parrot toy from Tara, a really neato playdome from Zac and Shawndell (which is kinda like a miniature play pen), adorable ducky layette items from Rachel and Kevin, and the Symphony-in-Motion mobile from the absent Kurt and Karen (also a neato item, plays classical music), who are also Thomas's godparents.

My grandmother Euna also sent us a package.  She got Thomas an incredibly soft blue blanket.  Also included, however, was an adorable bib and a beautiful medal from my 102-year-old great-grandmother Inez.  The medal is sterling silver and has an angel on it.  It is definitely a future heirloom.  And who else can say that they got a gift from their soon-to-be 103-year-old great-great-grandmother.

We also received a mystery gift of two knit sheets, blue and ecru, off of our registry on BabiesRUS.  Since my mother has deemed that knit sheets are the best for her grandson, we are very grateful, but have no idea who to thank.  So if this is you, let us know.  Amazon.com (who handles the shipping) won't tell us who sent the gift for "security reasons."  Whatever.

Laura and Dr. Kleinerman's shower
This was a great shower, since it was a double shower with Marcela.  She is already somewhat dilated, so we were just a little bit concerned that she wouldn't make it to the shower.  There was quite a crowd, and with several people bringing gifts for both of us, the stack of loot was quite high.  In addition to the gifts, we got lots of priceless advice and wisdom passed to us.  And it is always pleasant to spend some time outside of the office with coworkers.  Especially those with whom Marcela and I work.

Both of us received so many thoughtful things.  I particularly loved seeing the clothes people picked out for Thomas.  There's not many things cuter in this world than baby clothes, and I admit I will enjoy dressing my boy up in all his different outfits.  Monique, a fellow student, gets kudos for the most time-consuming gift.  She hand-painted children's chairs for both of us.  Quite a talented woman, she painted Santiago's chair with a Noah's Ark theme, and Thomas's in an airplane theme.  Both were personalized with a Bible verse on the bottom.  Everyone was very impressed.  Also creative was Athanasia's gift, which was an assortment of cloth goods in the form of a layered cake.  She got a round of applause for that adorable construction. 

It really was an immensely enjoyable weekend.  We got to see so many people that we either haven't seen in quite some time, or haven't seen enough in a social atmosphere lately.  More than to help us stock up for the baby, I felt it was a nice way to touch base with everyone before Thomas's arrival, when everything will inevitably get wacko and time-constrained. 

There are more pictures from the baby showers here.  All these pictures are actually frames from video taken with Joe's camcorder.