Surprisingly Perfect

Baby Shower

I kept looking down at my phone, waiting to see when Jace would text me from his secret phone with the time he was going to sneak over. His parents were in town checking up on the house this weekend, which was very conveniently the weekend of my baby shower. Go figure.

"Hey, stop looking at your phone. This is a happy occasion," Mom said.

I turned it off and sighed, resting my arms on the kitchen table. It had been a week since Jace and Chase got arrested, and today was finally the day of my baby shower.

Even with all the super cute decorations, it was hard to put what happened at the Halloween party out of my mind. Thankfully, both boys weren't going to press charges on the other. Their parents bailed them both out and they went home the next morning.

To top it off, every once in a while, I was still having Braxton Hicks contractions, which were the definition of no fun. Dr. Andrews said the boys, being twins, could possibly come any day. I thought I had until January. It felt like everything was coming crashing down on me all at once.

I took a pita chip, dipped it in Mom's homemade pumpkin dip, then took a bite. After all this time I was still craving pumpkin like a maniac. The décor really wasn't helping. Since it was the beginning of November, Mom went with a harvest theme, which we called Two Little Pumpkins. She was able to get a lot of fall stuff on clearance after Halloween.

A big banner hung in the dining room that said, Two Little Pumpkins Are On Their Way! and everything else was pumpkin and fall themed. She even got two pumpkin pinatas that were on clearance at the Halloween store. Yes, we were having pinatas at a baby shower. Personally, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Right before guests were set to arrive, I heard a motorcycle zooming away outside. I waddled over to the door and found an envelope. It was addressed to me, from Jace.

I quickly went back inside and opened it. It was a Target giftcard with a hundred dollars on it. I practically jumped for joy. This would help me get to that double stroller I really wanted.

When guests started arriving, the crowd was almost exactly the same as the gender reveal. My work friends, including Julia (who brought Carlos) were there. Mom invited the neighbors and the rest of our family friends. Cler was there of course, and Destiny came to keep Poppy company.

I got a lot of weird looks when I told everyone boys were allowed at the shower, but I was convinced by Mom's motto for the situation: "More people, more memories, and more presents!" I couldn't say no to that.

Plus, I really needed the presents, especially when I procrastinated and had almost nothing. Seriously. All I had were a few gifts from the gender reveal and a pair of shoes. Not pairs. Pair. One single pair of baby boy sneakers I got for three dollars on clearance at Target.

I was putting off buying anything until we went to pick out bunk beds, but Mom kept telling us to wait. It made no sense.  

We talked and ate, then did typical baby shower things. We played games guessing my due date and how much the boys would weigh. My personal favorite was the Baby Shower Bingo game. Everyone had bingo cards and the squares were names of possible gifts. Everyone filled out their boards while we opened presents.

With most of my friends either being jobless or broke cashiers like me, I didn't expect much. None of the big stuff, I mean. I got tons of onesies and winter outfits, since the boys were coming in January. I ripped open packages of bottles, pacifiers, diapers, bibs, bath towels, and socks.

Our family friends and neighbors, who were doing a little better financially, had a few of the bigger gifts, like bottle warmers, a diaper bag, baby swings, and an adorable baby bathtub shaped like a whale. Still no cribs, changing table, strollers, or carriers, but I'd been saving up a ton from work to get those things later on, anyway.

After the presents, it was time for pinatas and cake. I got to swing at the first pinata. It took me like ten tries but I finally cracked it open. Instead of being filled with candy, Mom stuffed it full of pacifiers, teething rings, and bath toys.

Since Cler won the bingo game, we let her swing at the second one. She knocked the whole bottom off with just one swing. This pinata held a mixture of mittens, booties, and plastic baby toys. Only my mom would think of something like this.

Next, we all went inside for cake. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. It was shaped like a pumpkin patch, with one giant pumpkin in the middle that had two little babies popping out of it.

On the front it said, Welcome Little Pumpkins in blue cursive. The inside was a pregnant girl's dream: chocolate with a pumpkin spice filling.

We had cake while Mom cleaned up all the wrapping paper and took down the pinatas. I told my coworkers I'd see them soon and we said our goodbyes. After they all left, I sat on the couch and sighed while looking at my gifts scattered all over the floor.

"Well, what did you think?" Mom asked from the kitchen.

"It was really fun. But then again, your parties always are," I said. "But I'm kinda bummed that no one gave any big stuff. Like, I'm really grateful for what I got but I wish that maybe couples could've paired up to all pitch in for like, the cribs and stuff."

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! I left your present on my dresser!" Mom said.

"Huh? Mom, I think you throwing the shower and stuffing the pinatas with baby stuff was enough of a gift." I laughed. "What else is there?"

"Well I'm deep into this pile of dishes I'm washing, so if you can waddle yourself up there, you can grab it for me."

I huffed, panted, and struggled my way up the stairs. What is Mom up to now? And come to think of it, where in the world was Poppy? Probably in her room goofing off instead of helping Mom clean up. I loved her but she could be a real brat sometimes.

I opened the door to Mom's L-shaped master bedroom, and everything was totally different. Her queen-sized bed was fitted with brand new, royal blue sheets. My lamp, nightstand, and dresser were all moved from Poppy's room, and my posters were hanging on the wall. 

I walked around the corner, to the smaller part of the L, and my mind was blown. It was a fully functioning nursery, complete with a changing table on one wall, and two white cribs on the other. They were fitted with the blue and orange sheets, just like I wanted.

"Hey, I said get the present from my room, not your room!" Mom said, standing in the doorway with Poppy right behind her.

"Surprise! All designed by yours truly!" Poppy said proudly.

"Are you serious? You're really going to sleep in the same room as Poppy?" I asked Mom, who was grinning ear-to-ear. 

Poppy crossed her arms and huffed. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"How did you guys even do all this?" I asked.

"Good tips, overtime, and a bonus," Mom said. "And don't forget, I made my very last mortgage payment last month. That's a thousand extra bucks a month we have for the boys."

I looked around and tried not to cry, but with my hormones still off the charts, it was literally impossible. Just a few more things to buy and we'd finally be ready to go. I got a nice kick right to my ribs. I was ready to not be kicked constantly.