Non-Reversal Anna's baby shower post is up!

[Elle]

Women sounds too feminist, too strong, too independent. They would never use that word! Ladies sounds more delicate, ladylike, and feminine. I think they identify more as ladies than women.

"Women" sounds so formal to me. "Girl" sound young, and "lady" sounds in the middle. When I'm with all-female friends, we're all, "Hey, Ladies!" or "Hey, Girls!" "Hey, Women!" is just too formal.

But as I was once told, in conservative circles it's "ladies" NOT because it sounds more delicate, but because "women" sounds to masculine because of the last three letters. Think that sounds silly? Well some hard-core feminists spell it "womyn" for the same reason, because to the last three letters. People ready waaaaay too much into things sometimes.

[LucySnowe]

Okay, HERE'S a fun game:

Then, we started out with two ladies. They each tried their yarn around Anna Marie’s stomach, and the lady who was the closest, stayed standing until another lady’s beat hers.

How many errors? Go! The ladies who come closest will win matching sweaters.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Only the Maxwells could suck so much joy out of something fun. A four-year old is reading those awful Moody books? Her mind is closed already.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

If you don't have the money, you don't have the money. No matter how much you may want something, that doesn't make the money suddenly appear, and especially with the skyrocketing cost of airline travel, it's just really difficult. All a baby shower is is someone hosting an event asking for gifts giving food and a couple games. Not the most important event in the world. Between going to the shower for my first grandchild or going out for the birth or right after, I'll skip the shower.

My office held a baby shower for an employee with some attendees off-site - they chatted with us over Skype. Could be the One Ton Ramp to the rescue!

Just thinking about that now, I wonder if NR Anna and Christopher perhaps Skype to Washington state just on a regular chat with the family basis, too. The internet really has made some stuff a whole lot easier.

(though perhaps that's the dreaded F*N...)

[tabitha2]

Only the Maxwells could suck so much joy out of something fun. A four-year old is reading those awful Moody books? Her mind is closed already.

The Maxwells have their own vision of the perfect Christian, the perfect child and the perfect woman.The Max daughters were/are prototypes,works in progress who had to buffered from other influences IE. the world;With the granddaughters all their theories,methods and teachings can be applied from infancy with no distractions-The Maxwell Frankenstein perfected. The same applies to sons and grandsons even more so.Most Fundamentalists do this to some extant but this family is beyond what is normal and appealing for regular ATI and VF followers.

[WonderingInWA]

My office held a baby shower for an employee with some attendees off-site - they chatted with us over Skype. Could be the One Ton Ramp to the rescue!

Just thinking about that now, I wonder if NR Anna and Christopher perhaps Skype to Washington state just on a regular chat with the family basis, too. The internet really has made some stuff a whole lot easier.

(though perhaps that's the dreaded F*N...)

I sure hope they do. Hopefully Stevie has managed to let Christopher allow his wife to be happy even if it means allowing her to communicate with her family. She really does look happy. Not that terrified look on her face she had in all those dreadful wedding photos.

[lilwriter85]

Only the Maxwells could suck so much joy out of something fun. A four-year old is reading those awful Moody books? Her mind is closed already.

Those are probably the only books she is allowed to read out of besides the Bible.

[tabitha2]

I am of the opinion that many Fundie mothers don't get to attached to their daughters because they know one day their husbands will come and take them possibly very far away to be part of another family and be absorbed by that families ways completely coupled with the fact that most have 6 or 7 more girls to fill the void And Sons that will stay and bring with them new daughters in the Daughters in Laws and then granddaughters.

[WonderingInWA]

I am of the opinion that many Fundie mothers don't get to attached to their daughters because they know one day their husbands will come and take them possibly very far away to be part of another family and be absorbed by that families ways completely coupled with the fact that most have 6 or 7 more girls to fill the void And Sons that will stay and bring with them new daughters in the Daughters in Laws and then granddaughters.

Hm, good point and you're probably right. Totally different mother/daughter relationship that what might be in a smaller family. I believe NR-Anna comes from a family of just 4 kids -- 2 boys and 2 girls -- so I wonder how close she is with her mom.

[ladidah]

I stand (sit) corrected...my oldest is 17, my youngest is 10, so my experience is out of date; all of my family and in-laws are hundreds of miles away so it wasn't even an issue, but yes, traditionally baby showers were hosted by close friends or maybe cousins. http://www.parents.com/baby/shower/plan ... ebrations/

However, that does seem to be loosening up. FWIW, when I'm invited to a shower, I take a nice gift no matter who is hosting. And a shower could be hosted by the expectant mother herself with a money tree and I think I would still be less offended than if I were a captive audience to an unexpected sermon.

:)

Two different friends offered to host baby showers for me, but they fell through. 90% of my friends were completely unsupportive of my pregnancy, which was medically very difficult. Some of my (former, I guess?) best friends didn't even offer so much as e-mail or Facebook congratulations when the baby was born. (The other 10% of my friends were wonderful but lived far away.) I did have one small shower thrown by my family members, and I was so grateful for that gesture. I wasn't about to stand on ceremony, and I didn't want to beg for presents; I just needed someone to acknowledge that I was going through 9 of the most difficult months of my life and that my baby really was worth celebrating. [/off-topic]

[fakepigtails73]

:)

D

Two different friends offered to host baby showers for me, but they fell through. 90% of my friends were completely unsupportive of my pregnancy, which was medically very difficult. Some of my (former, I guess?) best friends didn't even offer so much as e-mail or Facebook congratulations when the baby was born. (The other 10% of my friends were wonderful but lived far away.) I did have one small shower thrown by my family members, and I was so grateful for that gesture. I wasn't about to stand on ceremony, and I didn't want to beg for presents; I just needed someone to acknowledge that I was going through 9 of the most difficult months of my life and that my baby really was worth celebrating. [/off-topic]

Darn! You seem to need new friends! I'd ditch the 90% and keep the 10% who act like real friends do....

[Elle]

Ladidah, I'm so sorry you went through that. You know who your real friends aren't now. I hope you don't grace them with your presence.

[MamaJunebug]

Lady dog in heaven, NonReversal Anna has a beautiful, genuine, big smile! Makes me have hope that she and C. Maxwell have an actual marriage of affection and mutual enjoyment.

My delight is short-lived, however, when it seems that Abigail's usual nose-scrunched-up, mischievous grin is being replaced by the pasted-on Maxwell smile.

[NurseNell]

I hope Melanie gets her own shower, too. As much as I the Maxwells are deserving of our snark, though, I wonder if she is just afraid to celebrate too much. Completely understandable if that is the case.

Showers here are usually only given for the first baby unless there's a long span between births.

[StarrieEyedKat]

Showers here are usually only given for the first baby unless there's a long span between births.

Which is something I've never understood. Shouldn't all babies be celebrated equally? Sure, don't go all out on gifts like on the first baby since there's probably not a need, but you generally are going to need at least a few new things for a new baby. Around here, each pregnancy/baby is as important as the last, so they each get their own little party.

[WonderingInWA]

Which is something I've never understood. Shouldn't all babies be celebrated equally? Sure, don't go all out on gifts like on the first baby since there's probably not a need, but you generally are going to need at least a few new things for a new baby. Around here, each pregnancy/baby is as important as the last, so they each get their own little party.

I think in Emily Post days, a shower only for the first baby was what was considered proper etiquette. But these days and with safety regulations changing all the time, it's appropriate to help the new mama update her gear with subsequent births. Maybe not to the excess of some of the fundies who pop kids out every 18 months, but I know I was grateful to have showers for both of my boys who are only 2.5 years apart. It was nice to have some new clothes for the second child that weren't stained hand-me-downs. Although I could be projecting about that since I was the second child in my family and HATED having hand-me-downs!

[ladypuglover]

I think in Emily Post days, a shower only for the first baby was what was considered proper etiquette. But these days and with safety regulations changing all the time, it's appropriate to help the new mama update her gear with subsequent births. Maybe not to the excess of some of the fundies who pop kids out every 18 months, but I know I was grateful to have showers for both of my boys who are only 2.5 years apart. It was nice to have some new clothes for the second child that weren't stained hand-me-downs. Although I could be projecting about that since I was the second child in my family and HATED having hand-me-downs!

Try being the 5th girl. My oldest sister is 14 years older than me and there are pictures of me having to wear her hand-me-downs. Not a huge deal but styles from the 60's while living in the 80's? :(

[fluttershies]

And baby showers are almost unheard of over here! As are bridal showers.

[ophelia]

No baby showers in Germany either.. although I think it is a cute idea. Maybe I'll have one for my best friend when she is pregnant.. although it would be much different to the Maxwell-style shower.

[Zoom]

We don't do showers in Sweden either, but usually the baby and parents get lots of gifts once the baby is born.

[alysee]

I think in Emily Post days, a shower only for the first baby was what was considered proper etiquette. But these days and with safety regulations changing all the time, it's appropriate to help the new mama update her gear with subsequent births. Maybe not to the excess of some of the fundies who pop kids out every 18 months, but I know I was grateful to have showers for both of my boys who are only 2.5 years apart. It was nice to have some new clothes for the second child that weren't stained hand-me-downs. Although I could be projecting about that since I was the second child in my family and HATED having hand-me-downs!

I feel it's okay to have a second shower if you're having the opposite sex, but if you're having the same sex as the first one, it should be more of a celebration of mom(giving spa type things) or even giving books instead of clothing for same sex (which I always give for showers...because I have no idea what parents need) would be appropriate to me.

[kpmom]

You European FJers are lucky. In the U.S., if you're female, you go to tons. Family, friends, co-workers. It never ends. Although some aren't so bad. If there's alcohol that's a plus. But you have to play dumb games (yeah, I've played both of the ones Sarah mentioned), and then watch the guest of honor open gifts while everyone ooohs and awwws

[lilwriter85]

Which is something I've never understood. Shouldn't all babies be celebrated equally? Sure, don't go all out on gifts like on the first baby since there's probably not a need, but you generally are going to need at least a few new things for a new baby. Around here, each pregnancy/baby is as important as the last, so they each get their own little party.

One of my married friends has 2 boys and one girl. The girl was her recent baby. For the first boy, she had a shower. She had a boy#2 two years later. One of her sisters organized a diaper and wipes shower for her after that boy was born. The diaper shower was very nice and she did get some other gifts like bath supplies, baby washclothes, and some new towels. When she found she was having a girl this last time, her sisters got together with her friends to organize a shower before the baby was born. All the babies were celebrated, but the second boy's celebration was a bit different though.

[Feberin]

Which is something I've never understood. Shouldn't all babies be celebrated equally? Sure, don't go all out on gifts like on the first baby since there's probably not a need, but you generally are going to need at least a few new things for a new baby. Around here, each pregnancy/baby is as important as the last, so they each get their own little party.

Although the gifts might be for the baby I see a baby shower as being more for the expectant mother then the baby. It's not like the baby is opening the gifts or really cares about the adorable outfits. I do understand doing a second shower if there is a gap in ages and the parents need a lot of items.

[Justme]

JMHO, but I see nothing wrong with a shower for each child. If one receives an invitation to attend, one can decline if one believes in one shower per family. The showers I've attended have been a lot of fun. It's a nice chance to visit with friends/family and have a nice lunch.