Party in Pink

Saturday saw us up and shining at about 10h00 in the morning. Most unusual as both boys managed to get themselves breakfast and keep quiet since they awoke. Donna and I needed the extra time as we were both utterly exhausted; Donna because of being 10 days away from giving birth and myself with reasons unknown!

Then the doorbell rang, forcing me to put down my book just pages from its conclusion. At my front door, a lady presented me with a bunch of flowers. The attached note told my wife to enjoy her special morning and sorry that the sender could not make it. I asked my wife what was happening this morning. She said she had no idea. We left it at that!

Donna had invited some people over for a late afternoon braai, and so we spent time cleaning the house and getting ready. I made potato salad, just rescuing the potatoes seconds before they boiled to mash and we put the bread maker to work. The doorbell ringing again signalled that our never early visitors were early; who then proceeded to have an amazing argument about who had left the bag containing the meat at home. The clear winner seemed to be his wife; although he nonchalantly popped open a beer and then his wife took my wife to go back to their place to fetch it.

Then chaos erupted! Operation ‘Donna’s stork party’ was underway! With the unsuspecting mother to be again out of the way, and reinforcements in the form of neighbours and friends, it was time to turn my house into a pink sanctuary of fun for women. Just under 30 minutes later and all signs of braai preparation had been replaced by cupcakes, cheese platters, pink champagne, and enough pink presents to make my eyes water.

Soon 28 women crowded into my lounge and I found myself alone and rather disturbingly in my element! My wife arrived and was visibly surprised. Having gone with her friend to collect the missing ‘bag of meat’, she suspected that she was being taken to her stork party. Only to find the missing ‘bag of meat’ as promised at her friend’s house, which as you can imagine was a little disappointing. After much dilly dallying, including wasting a desperate couple of minutes by returning a DVD she had only just rented, friend and Donna arrived home to all of her friends whipped into a frenzy by yours truly. Or perhaps I was imagining things, too much pink champagne!

Somehow despite a number of people RSVP’ing to my wife about her surprise stork party, we still managed to keep it a surprise. She had a wonderful afternoon and our new daughter has been spoilt pink!

I cannot help but thinking back to when our second son matured into toddlerhood. At that time we gave away every bit of baby paraphernalia that we owned. Now, we have been given absolutely everything we need for this baby and more! Most of it better than the stuff we had for both our children! Makes me believe that there is something to the principle of giving to receive!

My family certainly has been blessed. Not because of stuff, but because of the incredible family and friends that surround, care for, and love us. I am not sure how we will ever thank you all!