Our friends and family were very kind and generous when it came to my baby shower. The shower itself was a beautiful, birdie-themed event, lovingly and thoughtfully hosted by the Aunties and Grandmas. They seriously left no detail out, and much of what decorated the shower ended up decorating our nursery because it was so darn cute. And, we generously received most of the “big stuff” off of our registry, so we were ready to go by the time Baby Boy arrived. Of course, we were up until midnight finishing the nursery the night before our induction date, but no matter. We’ll chalk that up to training for the next few weeks of our lives being up at strange hours of the night with our little newborn.

I will say that I am very pleased with the items we chose to include on our registry—the swing, playard, monitor, and stroller are indispensable and worth their weight in gold. There are gifts like the highchair we haven’t yet had the opportunity to use, but there’s peace of mind knowing we have one to use as soon as Baby Boy begins exploring solid foods. And, we received so many beautiful handmade blankets, winter hats and baby booties from our talented and crafty relatives; priceless gifts that we use often and ones we can hopefully pass down to Baby Boy’s babies when the time comes.

There are three gifts I received, however, that were not on my registry but are probably my favorite. There is something to be said about purchasing a gift from a registry—obviously, the new parents requested it and need it. Practical gifts like a diaper pail and crib sheets are important and necessary, and the handmade gifts are ones we’ll always treasure. But I received three gifts specifically that I hadn’t requested, but that ended up being just what I needed.

1. A seemingly unlimited supply of diapers and wipes.

In the invitation, the hosts requested that my shower guests bring a package of either diapers or wipes in exchange for an entry into a drawing for a prize. Genius, people. It’s so nice to reach into our closet and pull out a package of diapers just when we think we’ve run out. This past week was the first week I had to buy diapers for Baby Boy, and he’s one week shy of four months old. I’d say that was pretty good! Plus, once he grows into a bigger size, then we have plenty of those waiting in his closet. It’s going to be a long time before I’ll have to regularly buy these items, and I silently thank my family every day for thinking of including this detail in my shower.

2. A robe

In the first few weeks of Baby Boy’s life, I lived in robes and wrap tops that made endless breastfeeding a bit more comfortable. My mother-in-law brought a new robe to the hospital after I had Baby Boy, and it was almost luxurious to have a cozy new robe to slip into during those wintery days.

3. A wristlet purse

My sister-in-law gave me a pretty Vera Bradley wristlet purse, the perfect size for all of the essentials—my cards and driver’s license, some cash, and my phone, keys and lip gloss. I now use this wristlet as my wallet, and it’s perfect for when I need to run into the bank or the drugstore for something quick, and don’t want to lug my entire diaper bag arsenal of stuff plus Baby Boy in his heavy car seat. I can literally grab the wristlet and go. Perfect!

Did you also receive any new-momma gifts you never knew you wanted?