Face The Music

Baby Shower Bonanza

You've heard of destination weddings, but when you're an Andrews, we do a destination baby shower. It was way too cold in the first week of April up in Oak Falls to do the cute, Easter-themed outdoor baby shower I wanted. So, we all packed up and headed to Florida.

My mom and the rest of our family were flying commercial, but my family gave me a special gift: a private chartered flight for me, Hudson, and Natty. I grew up in a wealthy family and had a lot of special privileges in life, but I'd never flown private before.

The private jet we were taking was a whole different ballgame, even from the first class seats I was used to on commercial. We had the whole jet to ourselves and an assistant who waited on us hand and foot, bringing us sodas and ice cream. It was wild.

We played all of our favorite songs and just lived it up during our three-hour flight. Once we touched down in Davis Island, where my grandparents had their summer home, I was so happy to trade the slush-filled streets for palm trees.

"We've arrived, bitches!" Hudson said as we stepped off the plane, causing Natty and I to chuckle.

My grandparents were waiting at the airport to pick us up. They drove us to their house a few minutes away, which was right on the water. I always loved my grandparents' summer house. It was all white and sleek; totally modern-looking. It had a back courtyard, along with an inground pool and a hot tub, just like at my house.

I picked out one of the guest rooms to stay in, while Hudson and Natty picked out two of their own. My mom would be staying in the last available room, and the rest of my family were spread across a few hotels on the other side of the river.

As I was getting my suitcase unpacked, I heard screaming. Natty came running down the hall and burst into my room.

"Dolphins! I saw dolphins outside!" she said.

"Welcome to the tropics. There's dolphins everywhere," I said.

"I just can't believe it's so...warm," Natty said.

I couldn't believe she'd never been down south. Her parents were avid skiers, so all their vacations were to places that were freezing cold. Iceland, Alaska, the Swiss Alps, etc.

By the time we were all unpacked and settled down, my mom arrived with the rest of my family, some of which were staying for dinner. My grandparents had a special treat brought in for us: sweet, sweet Chick-fli-A. Baby and I were thrilled to have those spicy nuggets and waffle fries. We all couldn't wait for the day when one finally opened in Oak Falls.

After dinner, Hudson, Natty, and I relaxed in the hot tub, talking about our plans for the next day. It was going to be a long day, but it would be full of fun, too. My family wanted to treat me to all the fun and excitement I could have, because once baby girl was here, she was going to take up all of my time.

I went to bed, and when I woke up the next morning, my grandma made pancakes, eggs, and cinnamon rolls for all of us. She was seriously the best cook I'd ever known. We all ate as much as we could, and then it was time to set up for the baby shower.

My grandparents called in a caterer, but they weren't able to get an event planner, so we had to do everything ourselves. I wanted to help, but everyone insisted I just put my feet up and relax. At thirty-one weeks along, my feet were really starting to swell.

My aunts and uncles got all the tables and chairs set up, while my cousins helped blow up all the balloons. Once everything was done, everything looked so cute. There were all sorts of pastel bunny decorations, easter grass, confetti, and balloons. But my favorite area was the present table, which was so full that not all the bags and boxes could even fit on it. People were putting presents on the ground.

On each side of the table there were light up building block decorations. The one on the left spelled out "Baby" and the one on the right spelled out "Mia". I rubbed my baby bump as I looked at that table. Mia. That was my little girl.

Mia Jade Andrews-Wong.

And she was so loved already. I couldn't wait for her to have a life full of love with every single thing she needed. She'd be born right into a perfect family. No losing her siblings or becoming an orphan. Her mommy and daddy would always be with her, even if we lived in separate houses.

"Deni, let me take a picture of you! Stay right there!" my grandma said, coming up behind me with her camera.

I held my baby bump in my pink sundress and smiled as brightly as I could while my grandma took pictures. Something about this felt amazing, but it also felt off. What if this was all too good to be true? Mia squirmed around and happily kicked me, reassuring me that there was nothing wrong.

We played music, danced in the bright sunlight, and enjoyed all the food. My grandparents knew me well, and they had Italian food catered again. I think I ate at least five meatballs.

After the food, it was time for cake. My grandparents arranged for something special, because I didn't want Mia to have an ordinary baby shower cake. They got her just what I asked for: a custom, three-tier geode cake with green rock candy crystals. Since she was Mia Jade, I thought it would be great to have a cake as unique and special as she was. Everyone else seemed to love the cake, too. I chose a marble cake this time around, since I did have a few family members who didn't love chocolate.

As the afternoon was starting to move into the evening, my family members started heading out, and we all began cleaning up. We were rushing, because the three of us had a big night ahead. Even though the baby shower was done, for us, the party was just about to get started, and we had to go get ready.