A Baby is Brewing

10/11/2020

Date: October 10th, 2020
Event: Dianna & Josh's Baby Shower

Celebration is an art and my family is an avid practitioner. We love to celebrate the big and small moments of life. We make any excuse to BYOB and bring everyone together whether it be to watch a boxing match or to honor a person in the family for a birthday or an important milestone.

Our family happens to be entering an important milestone, the birth of the fifth generation. My sister and her husband are due to welcome their baby early January. We cannot wait to have babies to tote around the kitchen island at family gatherings.

Yesterday, we gathered together at the "Montoya Casa" to throw Dianna and Josh a baby shower. However, this wasn't your typical baby shower. Dianna, with her creative and fun personality, decided the party would be an Oktoberfest theme and the slogan would be "A Baby is Brewing". Now, this theme wasn't totally out of left-field. Instead, it was a graceful nod to Dianna and Josh's love for attending Oktoberfest each year.

Once the theme was decided, we called upon our German ancestors for divine guidance. Mom bought the decorations, planned the menu, and sent out the invitations that not only asked for their attendance but for them to come in their best Oktoberfest attire. Dad prepared the lawn, planned the layout of the seating, and got ready to be grill-master. Dianna organized details, prepared the baby shower games and prizes, and continued the hard work of cooking a baby. And I played "hype-man" by urging all of my family to come costumed and ready to celebrate.

The day quickly came and all pitched in to set-up and decorate. We managed to transform our beautiful backyard into a little German town which was worthy of a glorious Oktoberfest. We hung the baby blue checked pennants, hung the themed paper lanterns, decorated the left-over pony keg, filled the wash-tub with beer, and prepared ourselves for a "Baby Brewing" good time.

Guests arrived at eleven and the last one did not leave until six. Here is a quick breakdown of the day.

Attendance:

Our family was the main attendees (including Josh's mom and sisters from Washington), but Dianna had a great turn out of some of her closest friends.

Menu:

Soft Pretzels: These were prepared by the generous and gorgeous Auntie Gina. She individually wrapped each one and provided a variety of dipping choices. She then hung them up on a decorated pretzel board which presented the theme, "A Baby is Brewing". It was beautiful, but I do wish she would have gone with her original off-color idea of, "Dianna & Josh got Knotty"!
Bratwursts and Polish Sausages: These were simple and a hit! Dad prepared them on his smoker. Along with these babies, my mom and Dianna individually wrapped the buns and provided a variety of "fixins" which included sauerkraut, brown mustard, yellow mustard, diced onions, and ketchup.
Bagged Chips: Gotta have some chips with your dog.
Dessert: A beautiful fruit platter was prepared by my Auntie Brandi. My Auntie Angie brought cookies and cupcakes that were decorated with miniature hard pretzels. It was adorable.
Libations: Flavored sparkling water, mini-champagne bottles, Sam Adams's Oktoberfest beer, Coors Banquet, a small case of German beer to honor the theme, and Modelo (because although we have a small dash of German, we are really Chicanos).

Baby Shower Games:

Sock Scavenger Hunt: Twenty four socks were hidden around the backyard to find. Essentially, and Easter Egg hunt with a baby twist.
"Don't Say Baby": Everyone was given a clothespin. And if you said the word, "Baby" you got your clothespin stolen from you. The goal was to end up with the most clothespins. Jeremiah, our third grader, was the con man of the family and had swindled almost everyone's clothespin. That was until Uncle Mark gave him a taste of his own medicine at the very end of the party.
Baby Food Taste Test: Seven different baby foods were put into unmarked tasting samples. The game was the guess the identity. It was a risky game because one of those samples was "Beef Broth". I love steak, but that's just gross.
Baby Bottle Chug: This game is self-explanatory (baby bottles filled with beer) and just as entertaining as one would expect.
Decorate a Onesie: So many cute creations were made. Some of my favorite are featured in the photos!
"How big is the bump?": Guests had to guess how big Dianna's bump was measuring. It was fun to see everyone's strategy and to see her showcase her growing belly to all.

Highlights:

Almost my whole family came costumed in their Oktoberfest gear.
The weather was Divine.
The whole family was in such a joyful mood, especially Dianna and Josh.
Dianna looked so beautiful in her blue dirndl, braids, and growing belly.
There were some babies at the party that brought a lot of life and fun.
My mom's childhood friend was in attendance and it was great to share this new milestone with her.

Reflection: Yesterday, was one of the best parties that was ever thrown in our family. The theme, the decorations, and the company made for a divine time. However, I think it was arguably the best because of our reason for celebrating. We have a "Baby Brewing" and the joy we feel overflows like a poorly poured beer which we are ready to drink freely.