The Baby Shower

I'm relieved to say that the baby shower did not turn into the fiasco that I was so worried it would. Held at my Parents-In-Law's home, it was a casual affair. The color scheme was baby blue and white, with the accents of yellow occasionally. There were balloons which said "Welcome Baby!" and "It's a Boy!" in blue and white. The weather was stunning, which only served to help the time fly by.

I think that one of the biggest surprises of the day was having my Mom there. I had thought that she was going to still be out of town on business, but I was obviously wrong. The other surprise was the refurbished antique rocking chair that my husband's parents gave us. To say that I was stunned would be to commit a great understatement, I was speechless. It is a beautiful chair and actually more comfortable then the rocking chair that I had located at Wal-Mart.

I wasn't terribly enthralled with the 'Baby Bingo' game that was played, but it made me smile to watch my brother's and my brother-in-law's children win the game. We didn't receive half as many baby toys as I thought we were going to have thrust upon us. Mainly, the gifts were clothes. It's some what amusing that they got the message wrong and most of the clothes that we were given were for an older baby. It's a good thing that I've been working on sweaters and the like for a newborn to a 3 month old child.

My dear and darling husband did come to the party with me. He, his brother, and my father-in-law, all hid away from us ladies, however. My father-in-law did pester his wife as to when ice cream was going to be served immediately after we were finished with the picnic lunch. It was good for a chuckle, as was the expressions of shock on my husband's aunt's face when he and his father both ate some royally burned hot dogs. These things were still some what smoking when they came out for some more to eat.

I generally avoided talking with my grandmother by being chatty with my sisters-in-law. My brother's wife and my husband's brother's wife both got along quite well together. I think that is just wonderful and I hope that maybe they can strike up a friendship. My brother's wife is a somewhat lonely woman, despite the fact that she has a brood of girls and a small army of family immediately around her. It is my hope that us married women with children may actually get together on a somewhat regular basis after the baby is born. I know that it would probably do all of us and our kids some good.

On the whole, the family party was a nice party. I do still feel disappointed that a party involving my friends couldn't have happened. I couldn't help but smile, however, when my husband said that when our next baby was going to come along, he would take a hand in planning the baby shower so that will happen. I had been a nervous wreck over the last few weeks leading up to this party. It's kinda funny, in a sad way, that I was so anxious over this.

I don't know if it was hormones contributing to the anxiety or if it was the painfully clear recollection of the humiliation that came along from my grandmother at the last big party thrown in my honor. Either way, I walked into this expecting to have to face the worst and do so with the same level of cool headed grace as I had when there was panic behind the scenes at the wedding. It was an enormous relief that the worst thing that happened was a toddler fell over and some hot dogs got burned beyond recognition. It gives me a thin bit of hope that the next time some one plans a party for me, it won't turn into a disaster or some kind of display of familial obligation (if not some sick combination of the two).