Cousin L

This weekend is the baby shower for cousin L and baby Ana. My entire family is really putting a lot into this and I really hope that everything goes well. We are having the shower at L's sister's house. We're worried about there being enough room. We haven't received hardly any regrets. I believe that people are making a concerted effort to attend due to the situation. It could be mass chaos. People that weren't even invited are coming. L used to live about five hours from where she lives now, well those people were planning on hosting a shower for her up there. Now with the baby already being here they just did a "gift" shower and are bringing all of those gifts to this shower. The love in the room is going to be overflowing. L deserves it...her husband does not. Ana definitely deserves it. Lord how I have prayed for that baby!

Just this morning I received two notices from people saying that they are getting a gift for me to take up to the shower for the baby. These people have maybe met L one-two times. They were not invited. The human spirit is a beautiful thing. I've been blessed to be surrounded by so many loving and supportive people who really come through for you in the tough times. These people that called this morning...they love me, not L. BUT, they see through me the hardtimes that L is experiencing. It is truly a beautiful thing.

So, L's husband is immature, bi-polar, obnoxious, ADD, not ready to be a father, unsupportive, and on and on I could go. Obviously the bi-polar and the ADD are not his fault....but the way that he chooses to deal with those problems IS his fault. L must act like his mother at all times. She is going crazy keeping up with her husband and her baby and the baby is not even at home yet. I worry about her so much. We all do. My mother keeps reminding me that L knew all of this before she tried to become pregnant. I know that too. Sometimes I don't know how I feel about that. They have marriage problems, they live in a big city basically in the ghetto, their home is unfit for a child to live in, they both work full time and barely make ends meet, etc. And yet they tried to have a baby and were successful. L is, by the way, going to be a wonderful mother. She is a natural with children. I know in my heart that everything will turn out fine. Yes, it is not an IDEAL situation, but for L...it doesn't matter. She's not like me. I plan, I clean, everything is in it's place. Not L. At 29 weeks pregnant she had done NOTHING to get ready for a baby. She hadn't even cleaned out the room that would be the nursery, she hadn't bought anything for the baby, she hadn't signed up for a birth class, nothing. Yes...we are not very much alike. Like I said before, though, she has been my best friend since the day that I was born. I can't and won't leave her high and dry. I have personally spent more money on this baby than I would care to think about. When her husband is being a douche...I'm there. When Ana has a setback I'm there. And I always will be.

I need to do an entire post devoted to my insatiable need to take care of people.