Today is anything
but a shower day– rain showers, I mean. The sun sits high and bold in a light blue sky amidst
scattered non-threatening clouds that occasionally block its brilliance. Sonny is sunbathing on the kitchen
window seat. It’s hard to believe
that only a week ago I was scurrying about the house rushing to get ready for
Lindsay’s baby shower, an event that I barely remember as if it were a fading
dream. I’m relieved that it went
very well and a little melancholy that it’s over, though every time I see
Lindsay’s blossoming belly, it gives me a reason to be cheerful again.
The weeks leading
up to the shower were a bit hectic.
This part I don’t miss at all.
Lindsay could not find a dress that she wanted to wear to flatter her
very pregnant body. I said to her
at one point after she had tried on several dresses, you know, it was easier finding your wedding dress. She even called me while I was in
Providence, Rhode Island on a business trip and “face-timed” me while she was
trying on dresses in a dressing room in Sears. For anyone out there who doesn’t know what face-time is
(which I doubt), it’s an option on your iPhone that allows you to talk and see
the person on the other end. To
me, face-time brings back memories of the 1964 World’s Fair, specifically, the
exhibit where you talked on the phone and saw the person you were talking
to. I never imagined I would
actually be doing that some day with my own daughter especially with a wireless
phone, but at that point in my life, I couldn’t really imagine anything past
the third grade.
Shopping for
Lindsay’s baby shower dress was a whole different experience than shopping for
any other dress. Her bridal shower was supposed to be a surprise, so there was no
shopping for that. With her
wedding dress- it had to be off-white and strapless. There was no theme. Her baby shower was a safari theme– so the plan was- wear an
animal print. I actually had a choice
from what was in my closet- either a leopard print dress or a black dress with
a zebra print sweater. Kim also
had found a zebra print dress when we went shopping one day. Lindsay did not want us to wear animal
print if she wasn’t wearing animal print; hence we began our hunt for animal
print dresses.
There is a limit to
the amount of maternity animal print dresses. Lindsay managed to find three dresses. One was a pink maternity dress that had
a flower design that sort of looked like a white leopard print if you squinted.
The other dresses
were a Kim Kardashian brown leopard stretchy tank dress and a maxi halter dress
with a combination of tie-dye and animal print. And even though she had a selection, Lindsay was not
thrilled with any of them.
Serendipitously,
the Monday before the shower, I had to run to the bank for my mom and the bank
I decided to go to happened to be in a shopping center that has a boutique that
we shop in occasionally. When I
drove by I noticed a brown leopard dress in the window. That was also the day I was going to
the ob-gyn with Lindsay. So, after
her doctor’s appointment, at the end of the day, we went to the boutique. There was not only the leopard dress in
the window, but also several other safari print dresses that she tried on. The one Lindsay picked, after she sent
several pictures to her “Bouncing Babies” Facebook group of friends for their opinions,
was a rainbow colored animal print- it was sort of like Lisa Frank meets the jungle.
Our safari hunt was over. And
I even got a new pair of patent leather shoes there to wear to the shower.
Shopping for my mom
the day before the shower was much quicker. We went into Century 21 department store and immediately saw
a sparkly silvery black animal print jacket which mom tried on right
there. Perfect. If Lindsay’s baby is our safari
princess, her great grandmother looked like the Queen-mother of the safari.
The room in the
restaurant looked fabulous thanks to the decorations from one of my teacher
friends, Jackie and her Couture Creations side business. We had a leopard print diaper cake and
boxes of popcorn for favors with a leopard and pink label that said “Ready to
Pop” They were tied with a leopard bow that had a crystal in the middle,
naturally. There were mannequin centerpieces
on the tables dressed in baby clothes that were mostly animal print. And the cake and cupcakes continued the
safari theme that matched the baby’s bedding, with animals on it as well. At the end of the day, I was sure I was
seeing leopard spots and zebra stripes everywhere I looked.
The shower was a
success- delicious food, fun games (thanks to Aunties-Kim and Michele and Great Aunt to be-Barbara) and perfect
restaurant; my friends and family kept telling me days after how beautiful
everything was. I just wish I
could remember. It’s a blur. Thankfully, Scott chronicled everything
with his expert photography (http://www.bluemelon.com/kalmusphotography/lindsaysbabyshower-1/#init).
And here we are a week
after and halfway through April. The
one thing left to plan for is the actual birth. But for that, all I have to do is wait. Although, I did find a zebra print
hospital gown adorned with a pink ribbon on one of my searches for the baby
shower dress…hmm…
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