Chapter 37: The Baby Shower
Liv was 34 weeks pregnant. It was the middle of December and the house was decorated for Christmas. She was huge. She was laying in bed not wanting to get up. She was in constant pain with her back and the Braxton hicks had started early this morning.
Liv: Elliot, why do I have to get up today? Can I just lay in bed.
El: No babe you have to get up and get ready for your baby shower. Think about opening all the gift and playing games with your friends.
Liv: Uggh can they just bring the gifts to me here in bed.
El: Well if you really want.
Liv: Aww baby you would do that for me.
El: No, I'm doing it for my little princess in there.
Liv: Well then, no I'll get up and get ready. Bed hair is not a cute look.
El: The girls are staying for the shower and I'm taking Richie and Eli to Christmas shopping for our girls.
Liv: Ok, make sure that they are both covered up and be careful with Eli if you are putting him in the umbrella stroller.
El: Liv he is 8 months old you've got to relax a bit. I can't imagine you with a little girl if you're so protective with Eli.
Liv: Ok, just bring my boys back to me.
El: Of course
Liv rolled her body off the bed and went into the shower where she sat on the side of the tub because she was in too much pain to stand.
Every half hour small spasms of pain would go through her body worst than the constant pain she was in but she decided to suck it up and try to enjoy herself.
She went down stairs to find the girls helping Lola, Bernie, Rita, and Cathy setting up for the baby shower.
Liv: Thanks so much for doing this to me.
Rita: Oh please Liv we love you and we love this baby. We would have it no other way. We can't wait to meet this little bundle of joy.
When they were done setting up a half hour later guests began showing up.
Liv: What happened to this being just family and close friends?
Lola: I know. I think Bernie and Rita got a little crazy inviting everyone who has ever met you.
For the next 3 hours they played games and talked about the baby. After everyone ate brunch it was time to open the gifts. Liv sat in the middle of the couch and opened gifts as they were passed to her.
The first gift she opened was from Rita.
Rita: This is the dress that your mother brought you home in. It was the first baby dress that I had ever made.
Liv: Oh my god Rita, you don't know how much this means to me.
Rita: I know baby, I know.
The next present she opened was from Bernie. It was a sterling silver brush and comb set that marked SRS for Sarah's initials.
Liv looked at it knowing that Elliot had told Bernie Sarah's whole name.
Liv: I love it Bernie but don't tell anyone the baby's middle name until she is born.
Bernie: Elliot didn't tell me, he just told me the letter.
Liv: Good.
They laughed.
The next presents were from Maureen, Kat and Lizzie. She knew Elliot had taken the girls to buy gift for their baby sister.
Maureen's gift was a cashmere blanket with SRS embroidered in a corner. Kat's gift was a robe with her initials on it and Lizzie's gift was a pair tiny of pink satin ballet flats.
Liv: Aww thank you guys. Did you pick it out yourselves?
Kat: Yes mommy.
Liv then went for Alex's gift, which was an expensive baby bag that she had wanted but didn't think it made sense buying because she had one that she had used for Eli.
Casey's present was 5 outfits from Bergdorf Goodman.
Everyone showered her with beautiful expensive gifts that she couldn't wait to put Sarah in.
She received a bunch of outfits, many pairs of the tiny shoes, bathtubs, high chairs, car seats, swings, crib bedding, toys and everything a baby could ever want and need.
After opening gifts she offered to take everyone to the baby's room for a tour. She slowly walked up the stairs to the nursery with a crowd of people behind her.
She walked to the room with pain surging through her back. She held on to the doorknob tight as she bit her lip to contain the pain that she was in. She opened the door to Sarah's room and everyone oohed and ahhed as they took a look at the beautifully decorated room.
The walls were light pink at the bottom and had a paisley white and pink design above it. Against the wall between the two doors; one that led to the baby's walk in closet and the other that led to her private bathroom.
The beautiful modern crib was adorned with pink sheet and teddy bears given to the baby by her older sisters and brothers and a pillow with a big S in the middle.
Across from the crib was the bookshelf that was stocked with sonogram pictures of the Sarah in frames, books and little trinkets that Liv and Elliot had bought for her.
In the corner was the big sofa like rocking chair that Liv and Eli had already fallen asleep in.
In the other corner of the room was the changing table that Lola had already packed with diapers, diaper cream and wipes.
Everyone then took a gander into the walk in closet. Racks roped across the room that was the size of a small bedroom. There were racks on top and on the bottom.
There were two shelving units located in the middle of each wall that were used to display the baby's shoes.
Liv's little shopping trip in the middle of her pregnancy had left the closet almost half full. Everything was neatly organized thanks to Lola who was a neat freak.
By the time the clothes and shoes from the baby shower were packed away the closet would be completely full. In the middle of the room there sat and beautiful antique dressing station that she would use to dress Sarah.
As she walked back downstairs with the crowd already downstairs she stopped in the middle of the stairs to clutch her stomach in pain.
Liv: Shit this doesn't feel like Braxton Hicks.
Rita, who was the only one left upstairs, came down the stairs to see Olivia stopped in the middle of the staircase slightly hunch over in pain.
Rita: Liv are you ok.
Liv: No.
Rita: Ok, lets go.
She grabbed onto Liv hand and tried to help her down the stairs when Liv grabbed onto the banister and squeezed her hand tightly and let out a silent cry for help.
Liv took her hand off the rail and clenched the bottom of her huge belly. Just then she felt like something dropped.
Liv: Shit that can't be a good sign.
Rita: The baby is coming isn't she.
Liv: Yes, call Elliot and the doctor.