Thank you etiquette

EmeraldSea

I'm having a tough one with this... I'll try to be as succinct as possible so not to confuse anyone.

My shower is at the end of this month - two and 1/2 weeks away.

Because I live 3,000 miles away from where the shower is being hosted, many people are being considerate enough to have our items shipped directly to us.

The thing is, we've already received a few gifts (all within the last week) and most of them are from people that I KNOW will be at the shower and some have even told me they wanted to send a gift early so they could give their first choice item, but also plan to give something else in person.

Should I...

- Send a TY now, as I receive gifts, even to those who I know will be at the shower - and then send another one after. (2 TYs total)

- Wait until after the shower and send just one TY. (If I do this, should I send an email saying I received the gift and thank you and looking forward to seeing them?)

If I choose the first option, how soon up to the shower should I said TYs? I anticipate a number of gifts arriving the week of, but if I send a TY, I risk it arriving after the shower... therefore not acknowledging their presence at the event.

We did receive one group gift but because there was no card, I have no idea who was included in the giving of the gift (our car seat) except the person's whose credit card was used. My MIL said to wait because she knew they'd be bringing cards to the shower. That said, my mother has said to send two TYs, one now and one later, to the other gifts we have received.

 I hope I am not too confusing in this post!