On Sunday we had our little "Meet Ely" gathering at Mom's house. Sophie's fever and sickness prevented her from joining the fun, and BA had to stay home with her. I was sorry I didn't get to show off how cute and nice she was, but was glad I still got to go for awhile.
As a special treat, the Mohr clan showed up ahead of time (due to Tyler's confirmation - Congrats, Ty!) and introduced us to Baby Koen. He's a doll, for sure! And Steph and Troy fell right into the parenting roles and obviously adore him. That dirty Jamie looks great (I'm jealous.), and it was great to see all of them. Suze showed everyone up by making a fabulous quilt, a soft blankie, and a couple taggy "deeses" for Ely. I was so glad they could make it.
I admit that I was rather crazed and spread thin throughout the entire gathering. Half of my brain was focussed on Sophie and wanting to be home taking care of her. Plus, BA is my little worker bee, and I missed his help! Had he been there, he would have been carrying things in for me, assembling the cuke sandwiches, running after kids, etc. At some point, I was trying to greet guests, make punch, assemble the sandwiches, and get my kids dressed all at the same time! Thankfully, Mom was cool and collected and just did whatever needed to be done without freaking out like I do. I apologize to any guests who found me to be a space cadet or a crazy woman that day. I can't help it; my OCD takes over when I get too many things on my plate.
Well, I hate to gush, but that little Ely is just the cutest, nicest little boy. He has really filled out since I first met him and has the calmest, sweetest disposition. He is a cuddler and was awake for the whole party. Andy and Kate are naturals at the whole parenting thing and act like they've been doing this forever. Because of Sophie's sickness, I decided not to hold either babies in the event that some of her germies were riding around on me, but it was HARD. I made BA promise to haul me to Des Moines soon for a private showing of the Ely holding to make up for it. I just figure you can't be too careful with sparing tiny ones germs.
Every one of Mom's siblings were represented at the shower, and I thought that was very impressive! David himself wasn't there, but Patsy, Marlo, Madelyn, and Corey came in his place. Also, both Gram Mathers and Grandpa Moose were there. I thought it was an excellent crowd and only wish I had been able to have more one on one visiting with everyone.
The weather was wonderful, which was helpful in entertaining the kids. They blew bubbles and played sandbox outside most of the time. Ella had a good time petting Tuffy against his will. He's a nasty old kid-hater and snaps at kids, but she refused to let him scare her off. It was kind of scary, because I was afraid he'd bite her, but really funny. She looked adorable, and I was glad to get to see her. She even gave everyone a goodbye kiss when they left.
I'm hoping it wasn't too overwhelming for Andy, Kate, and Ely. The poor little fella was getting passed around a lot, and I shirked my duty of having everyone wash up or use hand sanitizer, so I'm hoping he's healthy despite lots of germ-sharing that went on that day.
Noah, Peyton, and Sadie each got a chance to hold and admire their new baby cousin after the crowd thinned down. He just stared right into their little faces, and each of them fell in love with him. It was pretty cute to see them with Ely.
I had originally planned on taking Monday off to spend extra time with Andy, Kate, and Ely, but had to cancel that day off to use for Sophie later. I didn't feel like I got to spend nearly enough time with them, which is another good reason to visit them soon (when my entire family is healthy).
There was way too much food, but it was pretty tasty. And poor Mom got stuck doing all of the cleaning up, since I had to take off early to be with Sophie. But overall I think it was a nice opportunity to see everyone and admire the newest little Juelfs.
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