Our travels were aimed at not only taking advantage of the long weekend, but to also celebrating impending arrival of another baby in the family: my cousin’s wife is pregnant.
For most people, celebrating a cousin’s kid’s anything is a fairy tale. You have your siblings and maybe the random niece or nephew. The extended family is something of days past (or The Sopranos series.) But not on my side of the family. There are a total of 16 cousins in my family, and 9 of us already have kids of our own…so that number’s only going to go up. This past weekend we had almost two dozen kids running around my parents’ place during a “baby shower” inflicted upon this poor girl.
I don’t know if there’s a crueler way to treat a woman who is 9 months pregnant with her first child than to make her sit through a sugar-induced pool party with 18 kids running around. I mean, hello? It’s too late for protection now, and here she is looking down the barrel of her child-rearing future, of which she is surely ill-prepared.
Plus, what happened to the dignity of a ladies’ luncheon? Where guests sit around in a civilized fashion, make polite chit chat, and pay attention to the mother-to-be? Isn’t the shower supposed to be for her? So what’s the deal with the whole “couple’s shower” where not only spouses but kids are invited? I can think of no faster way to take the spotlight OFF the poor pregnant guest-of-honor than introduce children to the occasion. Children doing cannon balls, hurling water balloons, and shooting you with either water launchers or laser guns.
To be fair, I think my cousin (and my mom and aunt who co-hosted the shower) thought that an early summer bbq would be casual and relaxed. Judging by the pictures below, you can see that my mom interprets a hot-dog-and-hamburger pool party as something that necessitates rented linens, centerpieces, and the wrath of God brought upon anyone who touches her napkin display or puts fingerprints on the windows. Totally laid back.
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We love you MH!
1 comment:
Ha Ha! Love this post! Well, this was my fourth installment baby showers and to be quite honest having the lime light directed off me and re-directed elsewhere (children, husbands, your mom's lovely table linens, and flower arrangements) was a sigh of relief. You have to admit that was awesome when dad to be opened the breast pump! The kids helping (ripping) open the presents was slightly overwhelming but we managed:-) I just finally made it through the thank you notes of which the loot was significant. BTW, I am still trying to figure out the logic of why a couple's baby shower does not justify dad to be to help with some of the thank you notes...hmm. Your mom and aunt did a great job! Anywho, now 10 months pregnant with no sign of this baby leaving my body...she is already ignoring me so I am sure that is a true sign of good things to come! Stay tuned for part two of Hill baby showers in August...second verse same as the first?
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