...How wonderful! One of your best friends in the whole wide world has just announced that she’s pregnant. Naturally, you’re delighted, and can’t hold back your tears of joy. It’s hard to imagine that, in just a matter of time, your special friend is going to be a mother (maybe even for the second or third time…or more!). As you let the amazing news sink in, your friend is envisioning the journey that will usher in a new life into the world: the gynecologist visits, the morning sickness, the ultrasound testing, the roller coaster of emotions that will eventually culminate in an experience that defies description. Indeed, despite the frequency of births – tens of thousands a day, all across the world – they remain nothing short of miraculous. It’s not hard to imagine, therefore, that your friend is reflecting on issues that are truly hard to put into words...

...Don’t worry if you’ve never organized a baby shower before. And worry even less if, in the past, you’ve tried to organize a baby shower but bumped into some obstacles along the way. This book is designed to be easy, practical, and fun. In fact, if you aren’t careful, you may just become a baby shower specialist, with people calling you up and asking you for your advice and insights. Now would that be fun? 6 As you make your way through this book, bear in mind that the suggestions in here are meant to be applied – and they do work – but there’s always an element of uniqueness to every baby shower...

...When Should the Shower Happen? This is an important question to ask, and of course, to answer. And as usual, there are a few different viewpoints on when to hold the baby shower. Fortunately, however, these views aren’t as debatable as they sometimes are when it comes to whether a relative or non-relative should hold the baby shower (as we discussed above). So don’t worry; this is a rather easy and straightforward challenge to solve. Now, the real problem here is simply that there isn’t a clear answer to the question: when should the shower happen? The answer to this will almost always depend on factors that are specific to the mother-to-be, the guests, and other issues...

...Okay. You’ve figured out when to hold the shower, who to invite, and whether or not to use a gift registry. So that’s all there is to it, right? Hardly! Actually, you’ve done quite a bit of work (applaud yourself!). But there’s still more work to do. Now you’re really into the zone, and it’s time to figure out what you’re going to do at the shower. Now, this may seem like a strange section. After all, people will show up at the shower, they’ll hug, smile, laugh, cry (joyfully, of course), and have a good time. That part is taken care of. Yet there’s more to it than this...