DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
Baby Shower
Bella's POV
Today was the dreaded day. Baby shower day. Alice and Esme were way too excited about it, and I had a feeling Rose was only placating me when she'd agreed with me earlier. Okay, so maybe it wasn't really dreaded and maybe I was a tiny bit excited for it, but my back and stomach were hurting and it was hard to be cheery under those conditions.
Not to mention that Alice and Rose had made me get out of bed early, wanting to have me dressed right away to make sure the outfit Alice had chosen still fit. I was thirty-four weeks and so disgustingly uncomfortable that the six weeks I had left seemed like a lifetime away. The last thing I wanted today was to be sitting in a room full of women fussing over me. But amazingly enough, my giant belly had managed to still fit comfortably inside of the dress and Alice did not have to worry about running out to buy me something new.
We'd originally planned to have the shower the weekend after Edward's birthday, but we'd had to reschedule because the twins' growing bodies were causing Alice to have really bad cramps. There was no danger to her or the babies, but it was very uncomfortable and left her unable to be on her feet for long. And now she was all better and we were having this shower.
Even though I was a little excited for it, I wasn't looking forward to the attention. So I was hiding out in the baby's room, sitting in my old rocker that Edward had cleaned and polished for me. I figured if I could remember how peaceful these moments were later in the day, it would help. Plus, I was trying to imagine what the room would look like once we were done with it. All we really had left was to have the shower and add all of the gifts to the room. That, and finally let Alice stock it with clothes and diapers.
"Bella, where are you?" Edward called, walking in the hall outside.
"Hiding," I chuckled, making sure I was loud enough for him to hear.
"And why is my beautiful wife hiding?" he asked, walking into the room. "I thought you were excited about the party."
"I was, until I woke up this morning with my back and hips hurting. And I keep getting a stomach ache on top of that," I complained, looking up at him. "Not that I'm going to skip the party or anything, but I figured since you asked, I would be allowed to whine a little."
His eyebrows arched up as his green eyes narrowed a little. "Bella, what do you mean by 'keep getting'?"
"Well, it goes away for maybe a half hour and then starts up again. It's really annoying," I explained.
Edward moved so fast, I nearly missed him. He pulled the door open all the way and yelled down the stairs. "Dad, get up here!"
"Why are you yelling for Carlisle?" I asked.
"Because I don't think you have a stomach ache," he replied, leaning out of the door and looking down the hallway.
"Well what other reason would my stomach have for hurting, Einstein?" I asked, feeling a little annoyed with him for yelling like that. He was probably going to scare his father for no good reason. "It was probably the orange juice that did it. I just figured maybe now that I was further along, it would stop giving me heartburn. But no, my favorite breakfast drink is no longer my friend. Stupid juice!"
"Love, it might not be the juice's fault."
"Then what else would it be?"
"Did you consider you might be having contractions?" he asked, giving me a sly grin.
"That's not possible," I replied, shaking my head and feeling a little frightened. "I'm only thirty-four weeks. That six weeks too early, Edward."
"It's very possible, Bella, but nothing to worry over," he assured me.
"What's all the yelling for?" Carlisle asked, with Esme and Alice hot on his heels.
"I think Bella might be having contractions," Edward explained as he walked into the room with them.
"How far apart are they?" Carlisle asked, kneeling in front of me.
"About thirty minutes. She thought it was a weird stomach ache," Edward said, chuckling a little.
"Not funny, Cullen," I hissed at him.
"Edward, behave," Esme scolded, smacking him for me.
"Oh, come on," he said, laughing again. "You have to admit, it's a little funny. She's the pregnant one, but I'm the one who thought of contractions as a reason for her stomach to be hurting."
"Edward, make yourself useful and get my bag from my office," Carlisle instructed.
"No, don't leave!" I yelled at Edward, grabbing his hand as hard as I could. "What if it really is a contraction?"
"I'll get it," Esme offered, already heading out of the room.
"Bella, you cannot be in labor," Alice fussed, crossing her arms in front of her bulging belly. "We can't reschedule again."
"All of you relax. It's probably just Braxton Hicks," Carlisle said.
"That was my thought, too," Edward added.
"What's that?" I asked, not liking the sound of it at all.
"It's called false labor, Bella. You have the contractions without actually going into labor. And seeing as your water isn't broken, I doubt you're really in labor," Carlisle explained.
"Why in the world is there such a thing as false labor?" I cried. "It's scary enough to know I have to go through the real thing. Why the heck does there have to be a fake one too?"
"I know you don't want to hear this, Sweetheart, but you need to relax," Carlisle said softly, squeezing my free hand. "The calmer you remain, the better it will be for you and the baby."
"Here you go," Esme said, entering the room and handing Carlisle his black bag. He pulled out the stethoscope he'd ordered special for me and pressed it to my stomach.
"Is he okay? Is his little heart beating right?" I asked nervously.
"Bella, you have to be quiet," Edward said, rubbing my shoulder lightly. "He can't hear over the vibration of your voice."
Carlisle moved the end piece around a little, listening closely as the seconds ticked by, making me even more freaked out. I closed my eyes and started practicing my deep breathing that Edward and I had learned about in our Lamaze class at the hospital. I wasn't sure it would really work during the delivery, but it had been helping to calm me lately.
"It's okay, Bella," Carlisle said reassuringly. "You can open your eyes."
"How is he?" I asked, biting at my lip out of nervousness.
"The baby's heart is strong and healthy, under no stress at all. I really do believe this is just Braxton Hicks, Bella. We'll keep a closer eye on you, but unless your water breaks, I see no reason to take you to the hospital."
"Yeah," Alice chirped, clapping her hands. "The party is still on."
"Shouldn't I stay home with Edward if I'm having issues?" I asked, praying for Carlisle to save me. I'd been sort of looking forward to the party, but now the idea of being without Edward was upsetting.
He looked at his wife and daughter before turning and giving me a sad smile. "Honey, you're clear for the party."
"Oh, this so sucks," I grumped.
"You are the only person in the world not excited by parties and gifts," Alice said, frowning at me. And then her eyes flickered to Edward. "Okay, the second person. If you're kid is three for three, we are in so much trouble."
"Bella this is a special day for you and the baby," Edward said, having taken the spot in front of me that his father had vacated. "You should really go and have fun."
"But what if I go into labor for real and you aren't there? What if you miss it?" I asked him.
"Bella, you have six more weeks, Love. You're going to be fine," he said, trying to reassure me.
"But you're going paintball shooting with the guys and that's not anywhere near the hotel."
"But that doesn't matter because you aren't in labor, Bella," Edward replied.
I knew he had a point and I knew it was selfish of me, but I didn't want him to leave me. I'd been fine with the thought before, but now I wasn't. "I'm sorry, but I don't want you to go. Please come to the shower with me."
"Bella, he'll be the only guy and he'll be completely bored," Alice said, trying to help her brother out.
"Edward, please," I begged him. "I know it's silly because it wasn't the real thing, but that doesn't mean it wasn't scary."
"What's so scary about it?" Alice asked.
"How about the fact that I thought it was a stomach ache?" I replied. "I have no idea what I'm doing here. All I know is that I can't have this baby without Edward right there next to me."
"But you'll have my mom and me, and Rose, too," Alice said.
"It's not the same," I told her. "I know you guys you love me and everything, but it's—"
"Bella, stop," Edward said softly, squeezing my fingers. "I'll go with you."
"But, Edward, there aren't supposed to be—" Alice started.
"Ali, Bella needs me there, so that's where I'm going to be," he told her sternly.
"Thank you," I said, leaning forward and hugging him.
"It's okay," he cooed, rubbing my back.
"No, it's not," I argued. "I'm scared, Edward. What if I really do go into labor and I miss all the signs and it hurts the baby somehow?"
"That's not going to happen," he assured me. "Believe me, Love, you won't mistake your water breaking for anything else in the world. And that has to happen for it to be a true labor."
"Is Alice still here?" I whispered.
"No, she went downstairs."
"Do you think she's mad that I want you to come?"
"Probably, but don't worry about it. She just doesn't understand yet, but she will when her time comes."
I pulled back so I could see his face. "Am I being silly, though? I mean, I know your mom and Rose have had babies, so they know what to do."
"But as you told Alice, it's not the same as having me there."
"I wish my mom was here. I think I could be okay with letting you go if she was."
"Are you missing your parents again?"
"A lot," I admitted, nodding my head. "The thought of everything they're going to miss just sort of hit all over again the other night when Emmett and I were talking."
"Why haven't you said something sooner?"
I shrugged. "I thought it would go away again. And it was a little bit, but then when I didn't even think of contractions for my stomach hurting, it made me feel so unprepared and I know if my mom was here, I wouldn't be. She would have given me a play-by-play of every second of her pregnancy with me."
"And it's not the same if you ask Esme or Rose?"
"But that's just it, Edward. I don't know what to ask. My mom knew me so well and she would just know exactly what to share with me. Edward, as childish as it sounds, I want my mother."
"I know, love," he sighed, lifting me up and setting me down on his lap. "I'm so sorry you lost her."
"I'm sorry I ruined your plans for today," I whispered, relaxing in his strong arms.
"I can go another time. You are much more important than any round of paintball could ever be."
"Thank you. That really does make me feel a little better."
"But you're still scared by what happened?"
"Aren't you? Even just a little?"
"I'm afraid of not being a good enough parent, but not of anything else." He titled my face up to his and smiled. "I know you'll be just fine, Bella. You're too strong and stubborn for anything less."
"I love you."
"I love you more," he replied, giving me a sweet kiss. "Now, let's go downstairs and get ready for this amazing baby shower my mother and sister have put together for you."
"Where are we having it again?"
"In the Fireside Room at the Mayflower Park Hotel," he replied, helping me down the stairs. "It's a very beautiful room and you're sure to fall in love with it as soon as you see it."
"It's going to be Cullen expensive, isn't it?"
"Cullen expensive," Edward laughed. "When did you come up with that one?"
"Last night," I chuckled as he helped me off the last step and into the living room. "You have to admit that you guys get carried away every so often."
"What you call 'carried away', we call showing the depth of our love."
"Nice turn of the words there, Cullen," I said, laughing a little. "You should really think of loaning your talents out to Hallmark. They could make a killing with your smooth lines."
"My Bella is being very silly today," he chuckled, tickling my side.
"Don't do that," I laughed, pushing his hand away. "I'm too pregnant to be tickled and laughing."
"Then have old Eddie slap a big girl diaper on you," Emmett announced loudly.
"You are so mean, Emmett Swan," I fussed him.
"Really?" he asked, feigning hurt. "Because I heard you were the one denying little Eddie of paintball fun."
"Emmett, stop it," Edward ordered, pulling me into his arms. "I don't have a problem with going to the shower."
"What's the deal anyway? Why are you forcing Edward to put up with the women folk?" Emmett asked.
"She's been having Braxton Hicks today," Edward replied.
Emmett was off the sofa in record time, his big hand on my back. "You okay, Squirt? Did it scare you? I remember when Rosie had those it scared the crap out of her and me both. I drove her to the hospital and everything, but they sent us home a few hours later."
"How long after that did Lily come?" I asked, a little afraid of his answer.
"Oh, it was weeks later. She came a day before Rosie's actual due date."
"How come you didn't tell us about that before?"
"What? And scare my baby sister unnecessarily?" he asked with a big goofy grin. His smile faded and a rarely seen serious expression took over his features. "They're scary, but they're not dangerous, Bella. And Edward's a good man to give up his plans to go to that shower with you. I'm sorry I teased you about it."
"It's okay. You didn't know," I told him.
"Didn't know what?" Rose asked, walking into the room with a giant box wrapped in bright blue paper.
"Squirt is having Braxton Hicks," Emmett explained.
Rose dropped the gift onto the chair and came over to me, running her hand over my hair. "Sweetie, why didn't you say something earlier?"
"I didn't know that's what it was," I admitted. "I've been uncomfortable the past week, so I just thought it was more of that."
"It'll all be over with soon enough," Rose said, smiling at me. "And then you'll have that beautiful little boy in your arms and all the times you've felt scared and uncomfortable won't matter to you." Rose and Esme had been telling me that a lot in the past couple of weeks and I really, really hoped they were right about that.
"In the meantime, we are going to have an excellent day and an amazing shower," Alice chirped, having come into the room at some point. "Are we ready to go, ladies and Edward?"
"Sure," Edward chuckled, leading me toward the front door. "We'll follow you in Bella's car, just in case."
"Thank you," I whispered to him, glad for a break from Alice's exuberance.
"Welcome," he whispered back, giving me a little wink.
"Okay, but don't waste time or anything," Alice warned. "There's no excuse for showing up late to your own baby shower."
"Yes, Mother," Edward said, rolling his eyes at his sister as he helped me down the porch steps.
"You know you love my bossy nature," she called after us.
"We'll be there," Edward promised.
And he was true to his word, having us pull up just a few minutes behind the rest of the family. He'd wanted so much to ease my fears and put me in better spirits that he'd let me cheat and have a small fry from McDonald's.
"Ready for your party?" he asked, helping me out of the car.
"As much as I'll ever be." I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as tightly as I could. "Thank you for coming with me."
He tilted my face up and softly kissed my lips. "I would do absolutely anything to make you happy, Isabella."
"Then kiss me again, Edward."
He did just as I'd asked and then led me into the room our party was being held in. The first thing my eyes landed on was the beautiful baby shower banner hanging above the entrance to the room. It was blue, green, and gold with cartoon animals on it. As soon as we walked into the room, we noticed the long table with the blue cloth draped over it. It was huge and very hard to miss. Sitting right in the middle of the table was a large fake cake made of little white diapers. Each layer was held together by a green ribbon with white bears and hearts across the middle of it. Sitting proudly on top of the display was a stuffed giraffe that looked so soft I couldn't resist walking over and touching it.
"It's beautiful, Alice," I called out, knowing she was flitting around here somewhere.
"I knew you'd love it," she chirped, appearing next to us. "And you haven't even seen much yet." She led us over to another table on the opposite side of the room. "The caterers are going to put the food out soon, but what do you think of the dinnerware?"
This table was also covered in a blue cloth and sitting on top were matching plates, cups, and napkins that were a light blue with the words "baby boy" spelled out in blocks. There were also plastic flutes to drink from—one had a carriage and one had a baby bottle and both said the same thing: Welcome Baby Cullen.
"Alice this is so great," I said, sniffling a little. "This is just really great."
She was beaming with pride as she looked over her handy work. "Only the best for my little nephew. Now, we have your seat of honor all ready so I want you to sit down and just relax. Rose helped me put one together really quick for Edward too."
"Did you bring some pillows for me?" I asked. "Because my back isn't going to like any chair unless it's padded."
"Of course I brought you pillows, Bella," Alice said, taking my free arm and leading me to another part of the room with Edward. "And I have you right here by the fireside so you have a view of the entire room. Guests are going to enter on the left where they will drop their gifts at the table, then continue on to greet you, and exit at the right, heading straight for drinks and the buffet. I picked healthy choices, but also ones that I know are your favorites. And the cake we're going to have near the end is low sugar for you."
"You really did think of everything," I sniffled once again, hugging her tightly, which was a real feat with our bellies in the way.
"Of course I did, Bella. I love you," she chuckled, kissing my cheek. "Now let Edward help you get settled into your chair while I run off to make sure the food gets laid out correctly." She didn't wait for a response before fluttering off.
"She's so great," I sniffled as Edward sat me down on the pillows.
"Are you okay?"
"Just a little overwhelmed, but I'm going to be fine," I assured him. "Can you move the pillow at my back over to the left a little?"
"How's that?"
"Really good. Thank you."
"She even put blue pillowcases on the pillows," Edward chuckled, sitting down next to me. "And no one is going to miss all of these blue balloons."
"I think they'd know I was the mother-to-be anyway with this giant belly of mine," I chuckled. And then I squeezed Edward's hand, being very serious with him. "We really have to make sure she has a great shower. I want to help Rose and Esme do it right and I know it would be even more special for Alice if you helped with it, too."
"We will," he promised, kissing my temple. "But today is all about you and our little man."
And it really truly was. The guests easily numbered a hundred and every gift that came through the door seemed to be bigger than the last. Alice and Esme were really in their element as they played hostess to everyone while Rose and Edward kept me company, and kept me laughing as they made outlandish guesses about what might be inside the wrapped gifts.
Once everyone had eaten lunch, Alice had the caterers bring out the edible cake. Only it didn't look like any cake I'd ever seen before. It was blue and it had diaper pins, blankets, baby blocks, and even a little brown teddy bear on top of it. It was going to be a real shame to cut into it, but I could already smell the sugary goodness so it was too late for it to survive. As I watched them set it down on a little table in front of Edward and me, I started wondering if Rose would have liked us to give her a huge party like this. We'd just had a cookout at their house and Esme and I had worked together to make her a cake—a normal rectangular cake with strawberry icing so it would look pink. And then I remembered just how outspoken Rosalie was and felt certain that if she'd wanted something like this, she would have asked for it.
After we'd all had some cake, Alice and Rose had it taken away and replaced it with the first of many gifts. Edward helped me open them and we thanked each and every person for their kindness. Alice and Jasper gave us a beautiful bassinet so the baby could stay right by our bed when we wanted. Rose and Emmett had picked out a high chair that came with its own set of toys that sat firmly on the tray. Rose told us of how Emmett had saw it and "knew" it was perfect for his nephew. Edward had been sneaky and purchased me a gift for the shower—he'd bought the carseat for our baby, saying that he'd needed to make sure we had an extremely safe one. And I wasn't the least bit surprised with his reasoning; it was what made him my Edward after all.
Esme and Carlisle's friends gifts included a fancy playpen for the baby that was green and gray and had little safari animals on it; a blue baby bathtub; lots of diapers in different sizes; bottles, pacifiers, receiving blankets, bibs, onesies—Rose said I would live and die by those—a baby spoon, fork, and bowl set; more outfits than the baby would probably ever wear; a sling thing that the baby was supposed to go in so I could have my hands free—I didn't know about this one because I was really worried he might fall out of it; a couple of boppy pillows for the baby; someone had even given me an exercise ball to help with loosing the baby weight.
By the time the shower finally ended, I was feeling pretty tired so I got to stay seated with Alice for company as everyone else loaded the gifts into our vehicles so we could take them home. I now understood why Rose had driven her van and Esme had taken her big Cadillac. Even with my car, we barely had enough space to pack in all those gifts.
We finally made it back home and Edward took me upstairs where I promptly went to sleep. When I woke up a couple of hours later, the noise level assured me that everyone was home. I walked out into the hall and yelled down for someone to come and help me.
Emmett was standing in front of me in seconds, grinning from ear to ear. "I heard a certain little sister of mine really enjoyed a party today."
"I did," I agreed as we started down the stairs. "How did you enjoy your paintball session?"
"It was fun, even if it was two on one. Carlisle and Jasper teamed up against me. Don't let his gray hair fool you, Squirt. Carlisle is a menace! And his nut-shot almost had me in tears."
"Em!" I groaned.
"What? You asked how my day was and I'm telling you. Jasper got me dead center of my chest twice. And I have bruises."
"And strangely, I don't feel the least bit sorry for you," I chuckled.
"Love you, too," Emmett snorted, pressing his lips to my temple.
When we got the living room, everyone was there and Lily was playing peek-a-boo with Jasper, hiding behind the boxes of baby gifts. Carlisle and Esme were cuddled on the loveseat, laughing as they watched Lily and Jasper. Rose, Alice, and Edward had the nursery sketches out and were discussing where to put all of these gifts.
"Hello, Love," Edward said with a smile as I sat down in his lap.
I smiled back and kissed his cheek. "Hello."
"You really racked up on the baby gear, Squirt," Emmett said, waiving his big hand toward all of the boxes. "I'm worried about one of them, though."
"What one?" I asked, knowing I was going to regret it.
Emmett grinned goofily as he lumbered across the room and grabbed a small box, tossing it to Edward. He snorted as he looked at what he'd caught. "The ball."
Emmett chuckled darkly as he looked at me. "Personally, I think you're a little too far along for this sort of stuff. Wouldn't you agree, Eddie?"
I blushed hard, understanding what he was implying while Rose slapped him for me.
Edward tightened his arms around me and whispered into my ear, his words turning my red face into a complete inferno. "Maybe not now, but after our little man comes, it might be worth a try."
"So what did you like best, Squirt?" Emmett asked, saving me from having to reply to Edward's comment.
"I think she has to finish opening her gifts before she can decide," Esme announced. I turned toward her, feeling really confused, but she only smiled in return.
Carlisle picked up two boxes from the floor and handed them to Emmett who passed them to Edward and me. "These are more personal than the other gifts so we decided to wait until we were all together," he explained.
I opened the larger gift first, with Lily's help of course. As soon as she'd heard the first rip of paper, she'd toddled over to help finish the job. I gave her the box top after I got it off and she wandered away, banging the box top against the top of her head while talking to herself. I chuckled at her as I pulled the tissue paper back.
Inside of the box was the most perfect little white suit with light brown stripes. There was a dress shirt, a jacket, dress pants, and even a little tie. "This is adorable," I squealed, running my hand over the smooth material.
"This for the baby's blessing party," Esme said, sitting on the arm of the sofa next to me. "Edward and you always refer to him as your little man, so we thought a little suit would be perfect for him."
I smiled up at her with watery eyes, once again overwhelmed with the love this family showed to each of us. Lily's blessing party had been such a special day for us, especially since none of us had ever heard of one before. Carlisle had explained that it was a tradition his family had celebrated for as long as any of his relatives could remember. All of the family members would get together and hold a huge feast in the baby's honor, welcoming him or her to the family and making wishes for the baby's future. Lily had been in this adorable pink, ruffled dress and we'd each taken a turn to toast her and make a wish for her. I tried to picture our baby in this suit and imagine what our family might wish for him, but I was interrupted before I could get very far into my daydream.
"Open the other one, Squirt. I'm dying of curiosity here," Emmett said, patting my knee.
I chuckled at him as I traded Edward the box with the suit for the unopened gift. I ripped away the paper, got the top off, and moved the tissue to the side and gasped at what I saw.
"It was Edward's," Esme explained, moving the tissue a little more to show off the gift better. "My Aunt Elizabeth made it for me, and he spent a good part of the first year of his life wrapped up in this. I thought you might like to have it for your baby."
I reached out and touched the beautiful blue blanket lightly, thinking about just how old this gift was and how much it meant to me to have this for our little boy. It was lace and unmistakably hand-made. "Thank you so much. This is just perfect," I sniffled. "I can't wait to put it around our baby." I looked up at Esme and smiled for her. "Will you show me how you used to wrap it around Edward so I can do it the same way?"
Esme's eyes filled with tears and she pulled me into a hug. "I would be so honored, Bella. Thank you."
"Alright, alright," Emmett said loudly. "We've had gifts and tears. Now can we have some dinner?"
"You are so scared of a woman's tears that it's pathetic," Rose teased, smacking Emmett's arm lightly.
We all laughed as he rubbed his arm and pouted at her, knowing he was only trying to get a kiss out of her. Only six more weeks and this baby would be able to really feel how loved he was—all of the kisses and hugs ahead of him…he was a very lucky boy indeed. I couldn't wait to finally meet him.
So there's the shower!! Big thanks to Lizbre and George for their help with this chapter. Pictures of the decorations and gifts are on my website, which you can get to from my profile page.
For anyone who has never had a child or been around a first time mother, Braxton Hicks is extremely scary. Not only do you think you're in labor at first, but after you have it that first time, you're never really sure if it's Braxton or the real thing. You worry about leaving the house and ending up having your water break while your in the middle of a store, or sitting in traffic. Just wanted to explain that so everyone could understand why Bella didn't want Edward to leave her side.
And that's all for this weekend!! I'll be back with more next Saturday.