Baby Showers
I am headed to Dothan tomorrow to see the family and - to a baby shower. Everyone seems to be pregnant these days. It is as though everyone started drinking the same water - the fertillity water. I almost bought a water filter at Walgreens recently - just to make sure I didn't drink any of that water. Don't get me wrong, I love children but I am just not ready to have them live with me all the time.
A couple of weeks ago some friends came over to have dinner with me and Sidda nibbled on one of their son's hands while playing with him. He said, "Miss Katie, Sidda just bit me." My knee jerk reaction was to say, "Bite her back!" He was so perplexed at the thought of biting a cat, yet I was having a moment of "I just said one of those things my mother always said that drove me up the wall as a child." And not only did I hear myself say something my mother would say - I just told a boy to bite a cat. It took me two minutes to even realize how crazy I sounded.
Anyway, it is very strange for me to think about my friends having children. Friends that I grew up with and played in my underwear in the front yard with, and did cheer leading routines with - I pray the videos have been destroyed. So, to think about going to a baby shower for them is slightly unreal. I used to not mind going in toy stores or baby aisles in the store, but now I steer clear of them because I break into cold sweats. Unfortunately for my friends, this means their baby presents will most likely come from Walgreens. Actually, the very first item of clothing bought for my friend Anna's baby was from me - and it DID come from Walgreens. It is a little onesie that says "Diaper Loading....... 76% Complete". I thought it was hilarious - she was horrified. Don't worry Mom - I am going to go to a legitimate store to buy something for the shower this weekend.
I have to be honest - as much as I love my friends - I do not like baby showers. Well, I don't like showers in general. I know I have talked about this over and over again, but you can't imagine the stack of shower invitations I have and receive throughout the year. My mother and my friends get angry with me for not Regretting, RSVPing, and I am really bad about it - but I just get a lot of them. Obviously I have flunked Emily Post's Etiquette. Honestly, I do really feel bad about it, I wish I was better at it, but I have decided it is my subconscious rebelling against my desire to not disappoint.
Maybe I should revolutionize the culture of showers - snazz them up a bit and make them enjoyable. I could create a culture of the cocktail hour before the shower? Or hire a little jazz band, or acoustic band, or for the really wild, a cajun band? Can't you imagine having a few drinks, loosening people up, playing a little music and then bringing in the punch and petifores and listening to Aunt Talkstoomuchaboutherfamily drone on and on about her son that you have never seen before. The band playing in the background is a great excuse to get up and dance and leave the conversation. This could really take off in some circles.
You should all take this with a grain of salt - this is just where I am in life. Last week a friend asked me, "if you knew you had one day left to live, what would you spend it doing." I thought long and hard about my answer and I finally said, "I would organize a big party with a great band, great food, great drinks, and invite everyone I know. Then I would dance all night long and laugh, give toasts and just have a blast." So, I said "well, what would you do?" She said, "I would spend the day in bed with my husband and two sons, laughing and crying." Obviously she is married with two kids and we are at such different places in life - but because we care about each other and respect each other, we both can respect where we each are in our lives.
My point is this, just because I don't like showers, and I am not ready for children or marriage, doesn't mean that I am not happy for my friends who are ready for all of that. It stills gives me cold sweats and I still want to jazz up showers, but I am very excited for them. It is the perfect opportunity for me to buy the loud toys, cool clothes, and quite frankly, whatever they want me to buy because I am a sucker. It is an exciting opportunity to get to teach them things their parents will never teach them, or let them do things their parents will never let them do. And never fear - it is the best opportunity for me to do some market research on the "shower revolution" - I will keep you posted!
A couple of weeks ago some friends came over to have dinner with me and Sidda nibbled on one of their son's hands while playing with him. He said, "Miss Katie, Sidda just bit me." My knee jerk reaction was to say, "Bite her back!" He was so perplexed at the thought of biting a cat, yet I was having a moment of "I just said one of those things my mother always said that drove me up the wall as a child." And not only did I hear myself say something my mother would say - I just told a boy to bite a cat. It took me two minutes to even realize how crazy I sounded.
Anyway, it is very strange for me to think about my friends having children. Friends that I grew up with and played in my underwear in the front yard with, and did cheer leading routines with - I pray the videos have been destroyed. So, to think about going to a baby shower for them is slightly unreal. I used to not mind going in toy stores or baby aisles in the store, but now I steer clear of them because I break into cold sweats. Unfortunately for my friends, this means their baby presents will most likely come from Walgreens. Actually, the very first item of clothing bought for my friend Anna's baby was from me - and it DID come from Walgreens. It is a little onesie that says "Diaper Loading....... 76% Complete". I thought it was hilarious - she was horrified. Don't worry Mom - I am going to go to a legitimate store to buy something for the shower this weekend.
I have to be honest - as much as I love my friends - I do not like baby showers. Well, I don't like showers in general. I know I have talked about this over and over again, but you can't imagine the stack of shower invitations I have and receive throughout the year. My mother and my friends get angry with me for not Regretting, RSVPing, and I am really bad about it - but I just get a lot of them. Obviously I have flunked Emily Post's Etiquette. Honestly, I do really feel bad about it, I wish I was better at it, but I have decided it is my subconscious rebelling against my desire to not disappoint.
Maybe I should revolutionize the culture of showers - snazz them up a bit and make them enjoyable. I could create a culture of the cocktail hour before the shower? Or hire a little jazz band, or acoustic band, or for the really wild, a cajun band? Can't you imagine having a few drinks, loosening people up, playing a little music and then bringing in the punch and petifores and listening to Aunt Talkstoomuchaboutherfamily drone on and on about her son that you have never seen before. The band playing in the background is a great excuse to get up and dance and leave the conversation. This could really take off in some circles.
You should all take this with a grain of salt - this is just where I am in life. Last week a friend asked me, "if you knew you had one day left to live, what would you spend it doing." I thought long and hard about my answer and I finally said, "I would organize a big party with a great band, great food, great drinks, and invite everyone I know. Then I would dance all night long and laugh, give toasts and just have a blast." So, I said "well, what would you do?" She said, "I would spend the day in bed with my husband and two sons, laughing and crying." Obviously she is married with two kids and we are at such different places in life - but because we care about each other and respect each other, we both can respect where we each are in our lives.
My point is this, just because I don't like showers, and I am not ready for children or marriage, doesn't mean that I am not happy for my friends who are ready for all of that. It stills gives me cold sweats and I still want to jazz up showers, but I am very excited for them. It is the perfect opportunity for me to buy the loud toys, cool clothes, and quite frankly, whatever they want me to buy because I am a sucker. It is an exciting opportunity to get to teach them things their parents will never teach them, or let them do things their parents will never let them do. And never fear - it is the best opportunity for me to do some market research on the "shower revolution" - I will keep you posted!
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