Yakkin’ About Baby Showers

by Mike Dang and Meaghan OConnell

Mike: You will probably getting a package from Target from me today.

Meaghan: Oooh.

Mike: I had them send it to your house instead of having to pick it up.

Meaghan: Ha, that makes sense! Should I not open it?

Mike: You can if you want! It’s for your shower.

Meaghan: Ha, obviously.

Mike: At the last shower I went to my friend asked, “Should I open gifts in front of everyone?”

I asked, “Do you want to?”

She said no.

Meaghan: I mean there is no WAY I want to, but I feel like I have to?! I hate nothing more.

Mike: I told my friend, “Okay, you can do whatever you want. Don’t do it if you don’t want.” It’s mostly for the grandparents.

Meaghan: Yeah my mom is gonna be there, she will make me.

Mike: She wasn’t going to open gifts but then her mother-in-law was like, “AREN’T YOU GOING TO OPEN MY PRESENT.”

Meaghan: I feel like, yeah, opening things in front of people is how you earn the things. It’s your tax. Everyone but one mom hates it. And I think they just want to punish us because they had to do it.

Mike: Also, I feel like some people get weird about it. They compare what other people bought to what they bought. “Wow, you spent money on that and I only got this book, but listen, this book was my favorite book when I was a kid,” etc.

Meaghan: Oh, and you mean you have to do that big performance.

Mike: Yes.

Meaghan: That’s why I hate it, I am bad at hiding my reactions.

Mike: Just go as quickly as you can and don’t dwell. “Cute! Okay, what’s next.” It takes a long time with all the gushing.

Meaghan: NEXT! Ha. There is going to be a baby there, can I make the baby open the presents. That would also take three hours.

Mike: A tax on us all! Hah, I think that it helps that you are providing some booze.

Meaghan: What if I said, “If I can’t drink, no one drinks!” and had a dry shower. A “dry shower” wow that’s an oxymoron, is that why they are called showers, all the booze you need to rain down on people to get them to endure it, haha.

Mike: Hah, I mean, it’s your shower and I would go with it!

Meaghan: No, but I do feel incredibly weird about the whole thing — the whole having a registry and being like, BUY US THINGS. That there is a website out there that has a list of things I have the gall to ask for, is just horrendous. Then again I still did it so I can’t complain. And also having people send us stuff we want is also, I will be honest, amazing.

Mike: And people do want to do something nice for you, and this is a good option for them. And you have a range of things so there is a price point for everyone.

Meaghan: Yeah. I think at first I wasn’t thinking about it, just making a list of things we needed. Then when my friend sent it out with the shower invite, I looked at it and was like, OH NO people will think I am awful because I put an $80 baby piano on there. So late at night — sometimes in a fit of shame — I just take things off.

Mike: Hah, that piano was kind of awesome.

Meaghan: But someone got us the baby piano yesterday! Which is amazing because I would never be able to buy that without feeling bad about it.

Mike: Whoa! I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Meaghan: Ha, start practicing your piano skills now.

Mike: One of my other friends didn’t have a shower. Instead she had a calendar for after the baby was born.

Meaghan: Ooh.

Mike: There were time slots for when people could visit, and you sign up for the days you wanted to come. And you’d bring dinner. That was the gift because the parents had no time to cook.

Meaghan: Aw, that is nice.

Mike: I think it’s a nice alternative. Because people will want to see the baby.

Meaghan: Yeah they will be wanting to come over anyway, so it makes it less awkward. And food!

Mike: Yeah, and it fixes the problem of everyone wanting to come over at once

Meaghan: It’s expected and planned for.

Mike: Which is great because the last thing parents want to think about is coordinating and planning for people to visit. It was nice! And it makes the first few months a bit easier on them.

Meaghan: Well I’ll pencil you in to make me dinner in addition to buying me something. JK. You can hold the baby when I bring it into the office every day.

Mike: Our first office baby!

Meaghan: What could possibly go wrong?

Photo: Clever Cupcakes

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