Not Your Usual Baby Shower

The day our wild roller coaster NICU ride with Lawson began, we were to have had a baby shower at Brian's work. Before we got the news, I remember him being all stressed out that we were going to be late. Brian tends to be wound up awfully tight and can find pretty much anything to stress about! ;) As we sat in the waiting room, he kept checking his watch and asking when they were going to call us. When we finally got into the ultrasound room, we had to wait again. So of course, there was more complaining. I'll never forget the moment when she finally placed the wand on my enormous belly. It was almost immediate; she said, "I'm going to go get the doctor." She had a definite look of concern on her face, the kind where she's trying NOT to look concerned. When I asked what was going on, she just said, "I'm seeing something here I think he should see." I started crying, but I think that was the first time Brian was quiet. We waited quietly for her to return. When she returned with Dr. Zimmerman he took one look and began making calls to get us to Duke. Brian began making calls to tell them we wouldn't be making it to the shower. It's funny how quickly priorities change!

Four months later, I had a shower, although not the same one. My girls had also planned a shower and on Sunday we finally had it with a few minor changes. We met at 518 instead of my friend's house. We dined on yummy Italian brunch instead of finger foods and punch. I wore a sundress we got during our trip to Europe, instead of a maternity dress I got at the mall. There was an adorable picture of healthy Lawson on the cake, instead of baby rattles and such. In lieu of shower games, we talked of the long road it has taken us to get here. Instead of oohs and ahhs over the gifts, we cried happy tears. And instead of the anticipation usually felt at a baby shower, we felt triumph over adversity. The gifts I got were wonderful, but nothing compares to sharing tears of joy with friends.