I have been to countless showers throughout the years; wedding showers and baby showers, for various friends, relatives and co-workers. Many of them were merely social obligations and have long been forgotten. Some of them were quite enjoyable and remain as fond memories. One baby shower I will never forget.

The baby shower was for a close friend, who was also a co-worker. My friends and I spent many hours planning this shower. We wanted to get every detail of planning just right. We spent so much time planning that it seemed like the days just zoomed by. Almost before we realized it, the baby was due in four weeks.

We had pooled our resources and our baby gift ideas in an effort not to duplicate items. At the top of the list was a crib. After the crib was allotted for, we spent the remainder of the funds buying layettes, a few items of baby clothing and one very precious little white rocking chair. The Recreation Hall had been reserved. My friend’s mother and sisters had also been invited.

The day of The Surprise Baby Shower arrived and I contrived to get my friend to the Recreation Hall. I pretended that the shower was for someone else. She finally agreed to accompany me "to a shower", just long enough for me to drop off my gift. That day had arrived clear and windy as March days can sometimes by. I bundled my toddler and strapped him into his car seat in the back seat of the car.

When we arrived at the Hall, we "oohed" and "ahhed" at the decorations. On the center table was a white sheet cake with multiple colored decorations in the shapes of diaper pins, little toy chests and little replicas of baby furniture! My friend’s mom was sitting with her hands on the top of a child’s bookcase.

When Shannon, my friend, saw her mom with the gift she realized that the baby shower was for her and started to cry. She was so happy! The Surprise Baby Shower was a huge success.

We had played several games. In the Baby Items Word Scramble game, we unscrambled all of the words, except for "baby comforter." In a Find the Word game, every single word was found, including "kid’s beddings." Not a present had been unwrapped when Shannon announced that it was time for her to go to the hospital as she thought that it was time for the baby to come. Shannon and her mother left. We continued the shower. Her sisters unwrapped the presents. I served the punch and snacks. Everyone was in a good mood and happy for Shannon. Everyone felt so good that they generously helped with the pick up and the packing of the baby shower gifts into Shannon’s sister’s truck. They even helped with sweeping and mopping the floor.

We were rearranging the tables and chairs, after the floor had dried, when several cell phones started to ring. I looked at my cell phone, retrieved my new picture mail, and there was Shannon with her new baby, David. As I looked around, I could see several of Shannon’s relatives holding up their cell phones. They were all smiling and talking about the baby. We jokingly declared David an official guest of the baby shower!

Written By

Maudry M. Miller Kidsource.Biz