43 bibs
Yesterday, Ess was tired but couldn't get herself to sleep. So I bundled her up in the giant wrap, so she was in her favorite position -- upright, leaning on my chest -- and walked up to the dead end and back. When I got back to the house a few minutes later, there was a giant package in the middle of our living room. I was a little surprised by that, but not overly so; we leave our doors unlocked during the day, and it's not unusual for someone to stop by and drop something off for Ess these days. Usually they leave it on the porch, but whatever.
What was really surprising was the contents of the box: in addition to the dozens of bibs, there were a half-dozen outfits, more than 20 washcloths, about 10 burp cloths, a beautiful teddy bear and an assortment of receiving blankets, toys and other baby accoutrements -- every bit of it pinker than pink. The whole to-do was from the parents of D's best friend, and it was more than a little overwhelming. (To put matters in perspective: This is far more stuff than either my parents or D's bought for Ess.)
What makes this more than just an act of incredible generosity is what we know the backstory: D's BF and his wife have one son, and another little boy on the way. The BF's mother was outraged when she heard they were having a boy; she wanted a girl, and told them there were "things [they] could have done" in order to ensure it. She literally didn't speak to them for a few weeks following the announcement of each child's gender. Needless to say, this caused much anger and heartache and family drama.
And now we are the recipients of 43 pink bibs. I do not even know what to say about this. Obviously, we will write a gracious thank-you note that does not mention the completely bizarre nature of the gift, nor what seems to be the obvious fact that most of these bibs, and everything else, were meant for the granddaughter who is not to be. Given the situation, I will let D figure out what to tell his BF -- whether he just mentions that "your parents dropped a really nice gift off, and we really appreciate it," or whether he tells the whole truth. I will cull out a few of the bibs and some of the other stuff to keep, and bring the rest to New Jersey with me, so my mom can take it to the prenatal section of the clinic where she works.
And then we will all spend some time marveling at the bizarre thing that is human nature.
What was really surprising was the contents of the box: in addition to the dozens of bibs, there were a half-dozen outfits, more than 20 washcloths, about 10 burp cloths, a beautiful teddy bear and an assortment of receiving blankets, toys and other baby accoutrements -- every bit of it pinker than pink. The whole to-do was from the parents of D's best friend, and it was more than a little overwhelming. (To put matters in perspective: This is far more stuff than either my parents or D's bought for Ess.)
What makes this more than just an act of incredible generosity is what we know the backstory: D's BF and his wife have one son, and another little boy on the way. The BF's mother was outraged when she heard they were having a boy; she wanted a girl, and told them there were "things [they] could have done" in order to ensure it. She literally didn't speak to them for a few weeks following the announcement of each child's gender. Needless to say, this caused much anger and heartache and family drama.
And now we are the recipients of 43 pink bibs. I do not even know what to say about this. Obviously, we will write a gracious thank-you note that does not mention the completely bizarre nature of the gift, nor what seems to be the obvious fact that most of these bibs, and everything else, were meant for the granddaughter who is not to be. Given the situation, I will let D figure out what to tell his BF -- whether he just mentions that "your parents dropped a really nice gift off, and we really appreciate it," or whether he tells the whole truth. I will cull out a few of the bibs and some of the other stuff to keep, and bring the rest to New Jersey with me, so my mom can take it to the prenatal section of the clinic where she works.
And then we will all spend some time marveling at the bizarre thing that is human nature.
posted by mc at 9:55 AM
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