Operation Shower 2012: Sunshine Safari

Every now and again, we like to take a break from the day-to-day operations of Project Nursery to give back to our community. That’s just what Kristin and I did last Tuesday when we hopped a plane to San Diego to help Operation Shower throw a baby shower for 40 expecting moms whose husbands are deployed members of the military. Since we attended last year’s shower at the Farmers Insurance Open at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, we knew we were in for a real treat. An amazing, feel-good cause, an inspiring group of women and men who make it happen and one really fantastic baby shower—Project Nursery was there in a heartbeat!

As a mother myself, I really understand how special a baby shower is, and many of these women are experiencing their pregnancies with their spouses deployed overseas and family far away. This was the 16th baby shower honoring military families for Operation Shower, and with the help of sponsors like March of Dimes and Datron, each one keeps getting bigger and better! All of the mothers were invited to join us under a beautiful tent, right on the course, for an afternoon filled with delicious food, inspirational stories and LOTS of the latest baby gear—all in their honor.

This year’s theme was Sunshine Safari, featuring adorable animals like monkeys, zebras, flamingos and elephants in tropical shades of orange, green and turquoise. Each mom received Operation Shower’s signature “Shower in a Box” filled with tons of essential baby items and high-quality gifts. In addition to the box of goodies, Carousel Designs donated crib bedding sets, and Pottery Barn Kids stole the show by giving the moms a real “Oprah moment” when they announced they were giving each family a PBK Kendall Crib! Gotta love that!

Project Nursery decided to give the moms a gift that would remind them of this fantastic day. We worked with family portrait photographer Shannon Dannettelle of The Pixel Studio to capture each mom’s “baby bump”  in a beautiful, black and white photo they could frame for the nursery. Shannon did a fantastic job, and it was truly special to see the moms’ faces light up when we presented them with their photo. A special thanks to The Pixel Studio for working with us on this project.

A unique twist on the day was the Pottery Barn Kids Table Design aspect of the event. Each table was designed around the Sunshine Safari theme by a different Party Planner. It was amazing to see the different interpretation of the same theme by each of these creative ladies. We  even got a chance to catch up with our very own Kim Stoegbauer, of The TomKat Studio, and ogle over her tablescape design. Don’t worry, we’ll be sharing more details on the tables soon, but I have to say that each and every table was beautifully styled.

And no baby shower would be complete without some sweets. Leave it to Marie from Sweets Indeed to pull together an impressive dessert table filled with treats for everyone to enjoy (more details on all those desserts to come). Let’s just say I lost count of how many salted caramels I ate, but with all those yummy sweets who could resist.

A special salute goes out to LeAnn Morrissey and Amy Belle Isle, of Operation Shower, for allowing us to be part of this shower. They are inspiring women and have given tirelessly to this wonderful cause. And, might I add, they know a thing or two about throwing a fun and fabulous baby shower!