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The etiquette of baby showers is a vague, fuzzy one. Of course, a baby shower is very common for a first time mom, as everyone gathers to celebrate her transition into a whole new phase of life. Gifts are given to help the new mom with the crushing amount of baby stuff she needs, silly games are played, food is eaten, and lots and lots of advice is given. I remember the most common piece of advice I received from my shower was "sleep when the baby sleeps." Good idea, in theory, if you have a baby who sleeps for more than 20 minutes at a time.

But what about moms who already have a child? Is it proper to want or expect another baby shower? In some ways, I can see why it's unnecessary: the mom has already been through this before, and she likely has many baby items she can reuse. But going from one child to two is nearly as big of a transition as going from zero to one. The rules change entirely. "Sleep when the baby sleeps" doesn't work when you also have a toddler to care for. And while you may be able to reuse some items, diapers are still expensive, and now with two children to care for, money is tighter. A baby shower for a second time mom is a great way to celebrate the upcoming birth of another child (besides, why should the first child get all of the acclaim?), while also a time for other experienced moms to once again show support and give advice.

I didn't expect a baby shower this time around. Well, I did think that maybe my office would throw one for me, because they throw a shower for every mom, whether it's her first or just her first this year. So I was a little disappointed to see an invite for a coworker's baby shower (she's due a month after me) and realize one was not being thrown for me. I shouldn't have let myself expect one just based on past precedent, and I can only guess I was forgotten about because I only work part-time.

Just as I was starting to feel a little sorry for myself, I found out that fellow bloggers were throwing me and two other mom bloggers a virtual baby shower. This is such an amazing event, and they went all out to put together a fabulous party with games, prizes, and lots of fun. This is yet another demonstration of how the virtual world can have such a dramatic effect on the real world. Parents supporting other parents - distance is of no concern when your friends have the power of the Internet at their hands.

If you'd like to participate and share any advice on how to deal with two children, go for it. Be kind, though - the thought of trying to get two children sleeping at the same time is already giving me nightmares.