At the last baby shower I went to, the hostess asked us to put our addresses on envelopes for the thank-you notes.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this here, but for new parents I've been known to include a pre-written, pre-addressed and stamped thank-you note with the gift. This only works for some friends, who can be counted upon to see it as the good natured joke-gesture that it is. In fact, for one couple, when I didn't put one in baby #2's present, I learned Dad was disappointed because he had looked forward to what I would write.

Most people sign them where I put the x_________ and also include a line or two of sincere thanks.

I thought baby #2 wasn't supposed to get a shower?

I thought baby #2 wasn't supposed to get a shower?

I wondered about this, too. Cousin already has one child and I bought her a fairly pricey stroller that time around. I gave her somewhat of a pass this time, though, since she's having twins. She still registered for 2 of everything under the sun, making me wonder where all the baby swag she got the first time around ended up.

Damn, I'm grumpy today. I swear, I really do love my cousin.

I thought baby #2 wasn't supposed to get a shower?

Not necessarily a shower gift, but just a new baby gift for baby #2? (I can't remember in that particular instance as baby #2 is now 5 years old, and we were living on opposite coasts.)

Depends with Baby #2. If it has been a long time or is a different gender, some thing that another shower is fine. Others think that all babies are special and should have some sort of shower. If not the stock up on baby crap shower #1 gets, then a frozen food shower, diaper shower, papmper mom shower, etc.

Huh. Didn't realize people don't open gifts at showers anymore, but was going to say something along these lines:

At some kids b'day parties parents are against opening the gifts because they feel people try to outdo one another and it makes people who bring smaller gifts feel bad.

Kids don't usually open the presents in front of all the other kids anymore, unless it happens spontaneously (which I've seen kids do--hell, my daughter did it after one kid thrust the present in her hands too excited to wait!). I think it helps to minimize anxiety over not bringing a gift (I made it clear gifts weren't expected and I'd say about 1/2 the kids brought something while the others didn't), and in the case of very small kids it can help avoid the tears of someone who wants to keep the gift for him/her self.

I won singing the English version of 99 Red Balloons

[link]

And I did Laura Branigan's Gloria a few years ago and was a runner up!

Welcome to the Jungle would be funny. Nobody else is signed up yet so it's an open field.

It's kind of sad this year because my friend who ran the competition before is moving away and so it's being done by some random karaoke person. I'm sure it will be fun but it won't be the same.

Kids opening gifts really can result in either tears or disaster, depending on the age of the kids.

Shower gift opening is tricky when it's a really big group. I really like Jesse's friend's idea of having something going on while the showeree is opening.

A friend threw me a virtual baby shower when I got pregnant with Sara -- which meant she mostly bullied people I used to work with, and she still worked with, into buying me gifts because she was so excited. It was horribly embarrassing, but it was also so very much appreciated -- at that point all of our baby stuff was long gone, because we weren't supposed to be having another baby. And boy does stuff change in just a couple of years.

Yes, Laura Branigan!! That's who I was thinking of. There are several songs that I would love to be able to belt (that one, and some by Heart, and...and...) but I am not a soprano, and will have to be content with "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Black Velvet" and the like.

Welcome to the Jungle would be funny

It is so much fun to sing, seriously. Full of theatrics and flat-out wailing. I tend to hit the deck at least once while I'm singing it. (Most memorably at my birthday, wherein I decided that it'd be a good idea to do the splits. Twice. Much Fernet had been consumed at that point.)