By Charlene O'Hanlon
My family lives, breathes and sleeps baseball - specifically, the
hometown team for my husband, who grew up in the Bronx. He and I are
season ticket holders (with a group of friends - who can afford it
otherwise?) and every year we count down the days leading up to Opening
Day like a kid counts down the days until Christmas. So it was only
natural that our baby shower pay homage to our beloved home town team.
Our friends are well aware of our love for the Bombers, even going so
far as to suggest "Derek," "Alex," "Andy" and even "Mariano" as names
for the youngest fan-to-be, who we knew was going to be a boy. (We chose
none of those names, but that's another story altogether.) Our
blue-and-white pinstripe theme was perfect, with cupcakes decorated with
baseball toppers and "stadium food" - hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, beer
(for everyone but me) and ice cream - served. Classic games were shown
on the television (it was the offseason), complete with a seventh-inning
stretch. Everyone who attended showed up in team gear.
Our pinstripe theme also made it easy for folks to find the "perfect"
gift. You can bet we got our share of team logos on onesies, baseball
caps, receiving blankets, pacifiers, sippy cups and slippers, not to
mention a nursery lamp, crib bedding, a teddy bear and even a Derek
Jeter bobblehead.
The motif was great, the food was yummy and the gifts were awesome,
but what made the day extra special for me was seeing my friends and
family gather together to celebrate the impending arrival of our "little
slugger." Friends old and new - even those who are fans of the
arch-rival team - joined in the fun. Relatives flew in from out of town.
My husband's childhood friends arrived together in the same car. Folks
from the neighborhood stopped in to wish us well. It was at once
exciting, joyous and humbling to see everyone gathered together for us.
That, for me, was the best gift of all. Except maybe box seats - those would have been good as well.
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