Elliot, Olivia, Noah and Eli were spending Saturday helping Sarah put together the nursery. Sarah had spent the previous weekend painting the room a soft shade of purple, with the help of some friends. Today, they planned to assemble furniture and finish getting the nursery ready.
When they walked into the room, everyone was immediately drawn to the whimsical paintings Sarah had propped against the wall. One painting was a collage of children's book characters, one was a picture of animals having a tea party and the third was a colorful painting of children flying kites in the park. "Sarah, these are fantastic. Where did you get them?" Olivia asked. "I wonder if we could buy one of the artist's paintings for Seamus and Kieran's room," she added to Elliot.
"I painted them," Sarah said shyly. "I'd love to paint something for your grandchildren if you tell me some of their interests," she added. Olivia marveled at Sarah.
"I can't believe you did these. They're incredible! I didn't know you were an artist."
"I've been spending more time painting since I've been on medical leave," Sarah explained.
"Do you have an Etsy site?" Eli asked. Sarah shook her head. "You could sell these," Eli told her. Everyone agreed with him.
Mid-way through the day, Sarah ordered pizza and they took a lunch break. As they sat around the table eating lunch, Tiger happily greeted everyone. He had been playing with Lizzie next door but was excited to be reunited with everyone. "Sarah, have you thought about a baby shower?" Liv asked. "We'd love to throw one for you."
"Thank you," Sarah responded. "Even though lots of Jewish people have baby showers, I grew up hearing from my mom and grandmother that it was bad luck. I know I'm preparing the nursery, which you aren't supposed to do either if you follow those customs, but I'm uncomfortable with a shower. I'm planning to have a baby naming after she's born, which is sort of similar. It's like a welcome party after the baby is born, where she will be officially named and blessed by the rabbi."
"So do some Jewish people not prepare for a baby at all?" Elliot asked curiously.
"I don't know how common it is now. But when I was born, my parents didn't get anything beforehand. My grandparents got everything and set it up while we were in the hospital."
"Does a baby naming happen at the synagogue?" Liv asked.
"It can be at the synagogue or at your house," Sarah explained. "I'm planning to do it at home a few weeks after she's born."
"Could we host that?" Elliot asked. "Since you'll still be recovering, we can do all the work and preparation if you tell us what you want. We can have it at your house or our's, whichever you prefer."
Sarah smiled. "That would be lovely," she said. "I really wanted to do it about two weeks after she was born but was nervous about getting everything ready. Thank you." Olivia was glad Sarah was so much more open to support now. They'd grown even closer going to her doctor's appointments together.
An hour later, Sarah looked around the nursery. The crib, dresser, changing table and bookshelf were now put together. They'd also moved a rocking chair into the nursery and hung her paintings on the wall. "It looks like a real room now," she said, smiling. "Thank you. I could have never done this on my own." She looked down at her growing stomach. "I can't believe I'm already 30 weeks. It feels like she's going to be here so soon." She rubbed her stomach lovingly.
