This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
This past weekend, my sisters threw me a vintage Shabby Chic themed baby shower to celebrate our (soon to be born) baby girl. It was lovely. The decorations were sweet and at least 40 gals came to celebrate with us. It was such a happy and blessed day for me :).
Here are some photos from the party along with pictures of the food to give you awesome party menu ideas (there were loads of compliments on the menu!). I also included my top baby gear picks which I hope will give any new mamas some great ideas for building your baby registry. Read on to see pictures of the decor, food, party-goers and more.
The decor was so whimsical and just plain pretty. I walked in and got excited all over again that I’m having a girl. So much lovely shades of pink. My sisters really went all out and it made me feel so loved. Thank you Tanya, Alla, Anna, and Sveta for making everything stunning.
Ofcourse I needed a picture with my two prego sisters. I’m due March 7th, Sveta in the middle is due May 5th and Alla on the right is due March 9th. Before we know it, we’ll have pictures of all three babies lined up in a row. Awwww, can’t wait! 🙂
The Menu:
I added links for the recipes that I have on my blog (see links below photos).
1. Cabbage and Bell Pepper Salad – you will LOVE the dressing on this one!
2. Simple Caesar Salad
3. Strawberry Spinach Salad – always, always a hit at parties.
1. Pulled Pork and mushrooms – my sister Tanya used pork this time instead of beef
2. BBQ Juicy Chicken – super moist and flavorful (the pic doesn’t do it justice).
3. Green Beans with garlic – we omitted the almonds to make it nut-allergy friendly
1. Baby Red Potatoes – with sautéed onion, carrots and garlic + cream
2. Canapes – A classic treat at Ukrainian parties
3. Authentic lamb plov – I can’t take credit for this one. My new friend, Alla’s husband made it the authentic way – in a Kazan over a fire for a few hours and that’s lamb in there. It was, how we say, bombzilla. The closest recipe that I have is this beef plov.
1. Cheese Crepes (blintzes) with raisins – seriously, yum!
2. Rogaliki with jam – my Mom’s specialty.
3. Strawberry Layer Cake – I updated the recipe, but I need to update the photos still.
4. Mom’s Spartak Cake – my favorite cake in the whole world. And it’s always a favorite with the kiddos.
1. On the left: Strawberry Party Punch
2. On the right: This is new. I’m working on putting the recipe together for you. It’s a raspberry sherbert punch. Mmmm mmm. 🙂
Some Baby Registry Advice 🙂
If you are an expecting Mama, (or you know one and you should pass this info along ;)), here are the things I registered for. It’s a great idea to register at a local store like Babies R US or Target for local peeps to know what you want, but don’t forget to start an Amazon baby registry for out-of-state shoppers and for yourself! They send you a 10% completion discount (15% for being an Amazon Mom – join free with Amazon prime) on most of the items on your registry so if you are looking to make any large (or small) purchases online, Amazon is the way to go. Also, in most states there is no sales tax on Amazon either. This is all pretty substantial if you’re buying strollers and carseats and baby monitors!
My 15 Top Baby Registry Picks of 2015:
Feeding:
1. Boppy – This makes feeding so much easier and less straining on your back.
2. Gerber organic cloth diapers – these make excellent burp cloths and they are super soft and absorbent.
3. I went with Dr. Browns for bottling after much going back and forth – these are the top rated for aiding gassy babies. I’m trying glass bottles out for size and I also got the silicone bottle sleeves to protect them from breaking and provide better grip.
4. Boon Bottle rack with boon twig and flower – functional and very cute :).
5. Aden and Anais bibs – super absorbent, large, and cute to boot!
6. Lansinoh cream, Lansinoh storage bags and Lansinoh pads – all very necessary items for breastfeeding Mamas.
Miscellaneous:
1. Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddle Cloths – super soft and breathable. I stocked up on these.
2. Have you ever held a jelly cat toy? They are made in Europe and they ALWAYS become the kids favorite toy. This has been true for my son and all of his cousins. My sisters and I love these cute and ultra snuggly creatures. They are also hard to find – we get them at the local hospital’s gift shop, or on Amazon.
3. California Baby for everything bath and body related
4. Bourdreaux’s butt paste for the cute little tush.
Travel Gear:
1. Graco Snugfit Click Connect 35 Car Seat (in Tangerine) – light weight with room to grow.
2. Extra Carseat Base for the husbands car – make your life way way easier by purchasing one that stays in your hubby’s car.
3. Click connect stroller frame for carseat – these are super useful if baby falls asleep and you don’t want to wake them to transfer from the carseat. Take the carseat with you easily!
Now, do you all have any baby item suggestions for me??
Here are more pics of the beautiful guests at the party.
There were so many awesome gals that came to the party and I’m so thankful to have each of you in my life :).
To everyone who helped put together this baby shower – planning, cooking, setting up, cleaning, a huge Thank you! I am so blessed by each of you. A particular thank you to my Mama. I’ve been thinking alot about the woman who brought me into the world. My Mama is one amazing woman. I am so thankful for such a Godly, loving, selfless role model of what a Mom should be. I just love you Mama :).
Congratulations Natasha!! Girls are fun, you get to dress them in pink clothing, cute dresses in the summer ♡ I only have a girl so far,( that’s because she is only almost 2 months old lol)
May the Lord Bless you and give you strength, so you can have a fast and easy delivery. And of course I Bless you for Fast recovery! Cant wait to see your Princess! !!
Thank you for your time on sharing your yummy recipes!
Thank you so much Karolina for your sweet comment. I sure appreciate it :). I’m so excited about dressing up my little doll ;). Now I just need to decide on a name for my little girl. That’s a tough decision. My husband, my son and I all have different ideas of what it should be. 🙂
Great pictures, decorations,food, etc…. I love your website.
Thank you so much Vera! You are so sweet 🙂
Also, virgin coconut oil might help with breastfeeding pain (instead of lanolin), and you don’t have to wash it off before feedings. 🙂 I had multiple visits with lactation consultants because of breastfeeding problems (my baby was tongue-tied and no one noticed for 1.5 weeks, by that time he caused me major damage), and they suggested using coconut oil when I had thrush. Also, I wouldn’t recommend using a nipple shield because when I used it, my son would never feed good, it got in the way of the milk flow. I was told to use it while I was healing from the damage, because otherwise I wouldn’t heal. But during that time baby wasn’t drinking well, we had to use bottles often (he even started to reject the breast, thank goodness everything got healed and he’s eating very well now).
Those are some great tips! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂 My sister is also a firm believer in virgin coconut oil and uses it for everything! 🙂
I usually use the Lansinoh disposable nursing pads too, but I’m planning to get some reusable ones. That way I won’t have to keep on buying and buying them. The only minus is that they’re not sticky on one side like the disposable ones, but it doesn’t really matter for me. I plan to breastfeed for a while, and probably spent almost $100 on them so far!
They definitely add up – I remember buying boxes and boxes and boxes of them!
The Fisher price cradle n swing is a lifesaver. Our baby likes it better than the mamaroo and it’s also less expensive. You look great! And what a sweet shower! God bless!!
My son had one of those swings when he was tiny and I agree it was really nice. He seemed to love it too :). Thanks Lola 🙂
You look great.. The belly is perfect:) I don’t know if u have a stroller in mind.. I love my bugaboo.. It’s so easy and light and all u do is get the adapters for it to put the car seat!! It’s a bit pricy but if u plan on having more kids it will be worth it!!! Or sometimes u can check craiglist or some websites run them lower!!
We never invested in a very expensive stroller with my son and so far I’m thinking about using the same one, but I may change my mind. I agree the bugaboo strollers are amazing! 🙂
Beautiful baby shower! I gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl 2 1/2 months ago. The Aden&Anais swaddle blankets are awesome. I love that your registry is filled with practical “everyday use” items. God bless your delivery.
Thank you so much Natasha and congratulations on your sweet baby girl!
Great recipes! It looks an amazing party!!
I’m going to tweet this post with all those tasty recipes!
If in the future you need some baby deco prints don’t hesitate to take a look to my website! 😉
Thank you so much for tweeting! I sure appreciate it 🙂 I look forward to checking out your shop 🙂
Such a lovely shower and of course you look beautiful. I’m pregnant with a girl also and can’t WAIT! We already have two sons, soooo I need some pink in my life 😉 I would definitely recommend the 4Moms MamaRoo swing. It was the only way I could get my boys to sleep more than an hour at a time. It was literally my life/sleep saver.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX5VYFE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687662&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007ZHUHTK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0053QSR8GSJJPKRR984Z
Ill definitely check it out! Thank you so much for sharing that. My son was a 40 minute napper also until about 9 months! :-O. I sure appreciate the tip!
Beautiful pictures and looks like you had an amazing time. U look amazing! This gives me some ideas for my babyshower and since I’m only 3 months along, lots of planning to do. Congratulations Natasha! Have a easy and blessed birth! God Bless!!!!
Thank you so much Masha :-). Congratulations to you also and God bless your pregnancy! Are you finding out if you’re having a boy or girl?
Thank you. Yes we will find out since it’s so much easier and I really want to know if it’s a girl or a boy…I’m hoping for a girl, hubby wants another boy….we will see, 7 more weeks until we find out 🙂
That’s so exciting and those 7 weeks will fly by! My entire pregnancy feels likes it’s just flying by :). Keep me posted!
Natasha, yeah i’m 3 months today and I have no idea where time went….it sure flies by fast 🙂
Yeah it does! Enjoy your pregnancy! God bless you with strength, energy, good health and ofcourse a healthy and perfect babe 🙂
You and your sisters are so beautiful! Congratulations!!! xxx
Lovely! Congratulations!
Was a lovely party with very delicious recipes!!
Beautiful shower! Can I make a mama/baby product suggestion? Try Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter, its fairly inexpensive on Amazon made with organic ingredients. I cant recommend this cream enough especially for the first month of nursing for cracked, sore nipples. This is the one thing that I always buy expecting mamas to include in a shower gift and the one thing that helped me survive nursing my own son for over an year. This stuff is gold in a jar! Lansinoh lanolin cream cant even compare. The nipple butter is so gentle and not as thick, quickens healing and does not need to be washed of before nursing. Their other products are great as well, I also used the Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm instead of any other diaper creams which was so gentle yet effective on their little tush!
Thank you so much for the suggestion. Im totally going to try it! As I was reading, i was asking myself “how does it compare to Lansinoh?” And then you answered my questiom. Thanks again!! 🙂 I’ll have to try the bottom balm also.
omg yes I was going to mention Earth Mama Angel as well. I bought mine at Fred Meyer in the organic/natural section. That stuff was a lifesaver for me. Blessings and best wishes to you Natasha!! My baby is already 10mos old and scrolling through your pictures gives me preggo/baby fever. Lol
Wow!! The party looks amazing!! Definitely going to try some of the recipes!! Wish you fast, easy and safe delivery!!
Thank you so much Golda. You are so nice 🙂
You look adorable! I love the decor and the food, of course, is always the centrepiece of any Russian/Ukrainian affair, isn’t it! Wow, the due date is coming up so soon. Are stocking up on all things “girly”? 🙂
My world is a pink place right now. We are pretty much set with everything and so excited about the upcoming due date. I totally agree, food is probably the most important part of a baby shower, or any Slavic party. It’s what people remember. 😉
Beautiful décor and beautiful Mama!
Thank you for your sweet comment 🙂
I love the theme! Sooo cute. And your belly is perfect, you look so radiant! I agree with you on the Boon Grass drying rack! I absolutely love mine. Things dry super fast on it. plus, i agree on the carseat/frame stroller as well.I love ours and will be so sad when my son outgrows it! It’s soooo convenient. Plus i would add a good Medela pump is great to have for any mom, I use mine daily, its a life saver . Also a good baby carrier makes life so much easier for a baby that always wants to be held, or just for walks and such. 🙂
Cant wait to see your baby girl! Blessings to you and your growing family! 🙂
Thats true about the medela pump. All Health insurances should cover up to $200 for a pump now, which is why I did not include that in the list. I’m planning to go that route. Which model do you have? oh and I would love to know what baby carrier you are using. That is one thing that I do not have yet and didn’t have much success with finding one that worked the first time around.
Hmm, i didnt know that about the pump. I’ve used the pump in style advanced, and love it. But the older model. I’ve tried the Freestyle hands free on the go tote, the features are nice, but the pump is pretty weak, and the design is terrible. The pieces have to fit just right in order for it to work. Very annoying. I just use a cheap baby carrier, and have been wanting to upgrade to the Ergobaby which i heard many good things about. Its easy on the back.
I’ll have to look into the Ergobaby one. Thanks Lily! Yes, about the pump – it’s part of the obama plan that your health insurance should cover a pump up to $200 and this applies for every baby that you have. Once the baby is born, you can get it and it should be covered, but call your health insurance company to see what the process is because it varies between companies on how you go about taking advantage of that benefit.
Beautiful shower! You are glowing mamas 😉
Aww thank you so much 🙂
Simply beautiful! God Bless you on delivering a happy, beautiful and precious Child of God!!! God bless you and your family and thank you so much for your blog! Love it!!
Thank you so much Olessa 🙂 youre so sweet. Blessings to you as well!