For my first two pregnancies, I didn’t have a baby shower.

I guess I didn’t feel the need to have one. I didn’t need my friends to buy me presents. I didn’t need balloons and baby shaped confetti.

I also wasn’t too keen on the idea of ME being the “pampered princess for the day”.

Plus the fact that I didn’t like the idea of celebrating a baby who wasn’t actually HERE yet.

So when I twigged that a few of my friends were trying to organise a SURPRISE baby shower for my current pregancy behind my back… I jumped in and took control of the situation. I don’t like surprise parties!

So I organised a baby shower for myself. It was more of an un-baby shower.

No sitting around in circles, oohing and aahing over little booties. No balloons or decorations. No oestrogen-inducing duckie blankets.

It was just a lovely, low-key, weekend morning-tea with 20 of my girl friends. Which was perfect.

I asked my friends not to bring any gifts, because I already mostly have the baby clothes, blankets, toys, and all the baby furniture and bits and pieces I need!

But some couldn’t help themselves, and one of my girlfriends even surprised me with a foot scrub, massage and pedicure! Ah, it was so so sweet of her.

Ok I did set up some baby shower games.

Guess the Substance in the Nappy!

Basically guests had to open up, smell, inspect the contents of the nappy, and write down their guess on a bit of paper.

I had a melted Mars Bar, wholegrain mustard, vegemite, crunchy peanut butter, mashed peas, melted Snickers Bar, melted Picnic bar, and plumped sultanas.

Guess the Baby Food

I bought 6 jars of baby food, in a nice range of sweet and savoury flavours. Soaked the labels off and relabelled with numbers. Guests had to identify just 2 ingredients.

I had pumpkin and corn, apple and pear, banana and custard, apple and berry jelly, a tomato vegetable and beef stew, and a vegetable and rice curry.

Overall I had a really lovely afternoon and it was just so nice to be with my friends!