Yvy's Card Shower

Well. 

I don't know exactly what to say. 

I try to avoid gushing on my blog, simply because they don't have a good font for it (same problem with sarcasm...I need a good sarcasm font, don't you?), and it doesn't come out right without all the hand gestures and voice inflection. 

But you should all know that I am overwhelmed and floored and inundated with gratitude for all my friends and family who came through in such a spectacular way for Yvette's card shower.

You should also know that I was feeling a little timid about starting it up and broadcasting it around. After all, this is the fifth time we've done it, and I keep having babies who turn into five-year-olds, and...well... The little Amber who hangs out in the back of my mind was hugging her knees and chewing on her fingernails and thinking paranoid thoughts. Such as, maybe I ask too much. Maybe this will be the deal killer. Maybe this time, all of our loved ones will throw up their hands and walk away, saying, "That Amber Galbraith! Who does she think she is, demanding postage and birthday cards for all those kids of hers? What do I look like, Hallmark?!"

That silly little Amber. Someone needs to put her in the corner. As for this Amber, I have been - yet again! - amazed at the number of people who care about my kid and her birthday, and all the good sports who actually enjoy being part of our Card Shower tradition. Why, I even had someone contact me after the fact, sad that they had missed out on this go-around. (Please don't feel bad, George will be five in 27.5 months.)

Yvette and the birthday card collection on the day after her birthday

Yvette and the "Grand Finale" of pretty much all the cards that didn't make it into the original photo.

Yvette has received over 70 cards (apparently there are still some in the mail, too!). She has been the enthusiastic recipient of balloons, glitter, stickers, a bracelet, a glow-in-the-dark necklace, a fluffy plush puppy, Groucho Marx glasses for the whole family*, a bouquet of birthday money, coloring pages, a "Don't Eat Pete" game, and countless heartfelt birthday wishes. A special thanks to the Gaukel family and the Clint family, who sent so many individual cards as to push the grand total to an all time family Card Shower record.

And as for my humble little request for five birthday pennies. My word. You people. God bless you. 

My little birthday girl has been hauling all her birthday goodies around in a zip-lock baggie for two weeks (she does not discriminate between stickers and money and the other goodies, it's all birthday booty to her), and it got so heavy that she had to get another bag! 

She is currently keeping it in my sock drawer so George will leave it alone. "MY peenies! Mine!" he will say. She hasn't counted all her money yet, so I can't give you a total (would that be tacky?), but she loves to stack it and sort it. Her favorite ones are the ones that arrived in a bouquet, and the shiny Canadian and English ones with have ladies on them. What's with American money? Why can't our stuff be pretty? (hahahah! Now I sound like a five-year-old.)

*we had so much fun with these, I'm doing an entire post just for them!