I hate baby showers. But I LOVE going to lunch.

I know a lot of people think it's weird, but I do not like baby showers. There are a lot of reasons why I don't like them, but here are just a few:


* I do not like playing games that guess what is in the poop, not crossing my legs, how ginormous my belly is, etc.
* It is a lot of hassle and expense to host a shower.
* It is a lot of clean up.
* I have to be the center of attention.
* I feel like I am on display while people watch me open gifts that I feel guilty for them buying for me in the first place.
* My biggest fear - what happens if no one shows up?


I also am horrible about sending thank you cards. Any of you reading this will know that, since you more than likely have never received one from me for anything. It's not that I am not thankful or appreciative - it is just that I never send them and then I feel guilty for months afterward. Possibly for years. It would be much easier on my guilty conscience to just send them, but I still don't. I worry about the cards I pick. I worry about what to write in them. I find that I get busy and the thank yous get put on the back burner. Then I actually get them all written and addressed and ready to send off, and I start to worry that it has been too long and people will be upset that they are now receiving a thank you card for a gift they got me a month or two ago, and isn't that quite an ungrateful slap in the face to them?


My neuroses don't ever stop.


My husband and my in-laws think I am crazy. (Honestly, they are pretty much spot on, but that is beside the point.) I was asked about just going to lunch then instead of having a shower, and I jumped on that idea. I love eating, and I love spending time with girlfriends. My sisters and mom had already taken me out for pedis and a lunch to celebrate this babe coming, but I hadn't celebrated with my in-laws or friends yet. My sister-in-law Victoria asked some girlfriends if they wanted to get together at Sweet Tomatoes last weekend, and surprisingly they all came!


It ended up being my mother-in-law, sis-in-laws Victoria, Athena, and Danya, and girlfriends Christine, Kathy, Cori, Allyson, and Debra. The best part of the day? Just hanging out and enjoying a delicious meal. The worst part? Opening gifts in front of everyone. I was grateful to receive cute baby things, but it was so embarassing to open presents in front of everyone. I was sweating like crazy (or as my dad says, sweating like a prostitute in church). It was gross, but thankfully it stopped when I stopped opening gifts.


I am grateful for people that care about me and this little girl coming. I am blessed that they still love me in spite of my craziness. And I hope they will still love me, even when they don't receive a thank you card.