My Extreme Babysitting Adventure: January 2017

Holly has decided to have her baby shower a little earlier than usual. This makes sense because in most cases, the birth of multiples comes earlier than a singleton birth. Holly invited me, so we made plans to drive together to her mom’s house in Brush Prairie, Washington. It’s about a 30min drive from my house in Oregon to Holly’s house in Washington. Her mom lives another 30 minutes from there. It is a beautiful sunny summer day, It was perfect!

I bought a baby shower gift for each of the twins. Somehow it seems weird for me to buy them things, but I’m actually a little addicted to it. They will never want for anything I’m afraid. If Mom and Dad won’t buy something for them, I think they’ll quickly learn to hit up Aunt Becky and Uncle Tom. We’ll try to follow any rules and guidelines we get from Holly and Darren, but no promises!

When we arrived at the party, it was already overflowing with people. The gift table was overflowing too. And it seemed like everyone was coming up to me and hugging me like they’ve known me for years. I’ll admit, I was probably a little like a deer in the headlights at first. I only knew a few people there, so there were lots of new names to remember, and I failed on several occasions.

Holly’s mom Jodie is quite the party planner! She had the cutest homemade decorations for the gift, food and beverage table. After we all had a bite to eat, Jodie asked everyone to take a seat so Holly could open gifts. They gave me a chair right next to her with a little stool so I could put my feet up. Before opening the gifts, Holly had a little something to say. And of course, I was crying by the end of it. So many kind words. She talked about her family support and her faith helping her get through these tough years. And although I’m not a religious person, she knows I support her in all her beliefs even if we don’t share them. I love her for not judging me! After Holly was done, Jodie joined in with some kind words of her own, and then Darren’s mom too! It was a touching and emotional 20 minutes.

Amongst the pile of gifts there were a few for me, which I was not expecting! Both grandmas had something for me. Holly’s mom gave me the softest blanket I’d ever touched, and said to think of her hugging me whenever I used it. Darren’s mom gave me a cute wind-chime with an owl on it. It is hanging on my back deck for all to see and hear. Even one of Holly’s friends who I’ve never met gave me a gift. So touching! There was even one from “the boys”. Hmmm, I wonder how they managed that!