“Mom, Lily had a baby sister over Christmas!” my nine-year-old daughter exclaimed breathlessly.
“Wait. What?” I questioned.
“Yes! On New Year’s Day. Her name is Lace.”
Huh, I thought to myself. I didn’t know Lily’s mom was pregnant. I had seen her before Christmas when she hosted Lily’s birthday party at her house. She didn’t LOOK pregnant. And if she was pregnant, why on earth did she host a nine-year-old’s birthday party so close to her due date?
Well, it had been a cooking party, so Lily’s mom WAS wearing an apron. Plus, maybe she’s one of those lucky ladies who runs small when it comes to pregnancy. I didn’t really know Lily’s mom that well either. Finally, even though my kids are ages 9 and 12, it doesn’t mean that all their friends’ moms are done having babies.
Still, I was astonished.
“Are you sure?” I implored.
“Yes. It was a total surprise. They didn’t know she was coming.”
Wow. Ok, so I’d seen that TLC series before, “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant.” The fact that they can have a whole series, not just an hour special, means there are plenty of women out there who didn’t know they were pregnant.
So when I dropped off my daughter for a playdate at Lily’s house last week, not only did I silently question the sanity of a woman who just gave birth for hosting a playdate, but I publicly offered her a hearty congratulations at the door.
“Oh, you mean Lace,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Yes! So happy for you.” My eyes scanned the room. No trace of baby gear. However, my daughter had said that Lace’s arrival was a surprise. Still, didn’t they need to borrow a swing or something?
“Well, thanks,” said Lily’s mom.
Then I left.
Five minutes later I got a text from Lily’s mom:
Too funny! Lily told your daughter she has a new baby sister. It’s a doll she got for Christmas!
Aha!
I texted back that I, too, thought the family had welcomed a new baby over the holidays and that’s why I had said congratulations.
We then exchanged lots of smiling and laughing emojis.
I didn’t know she was pregnant, but then again, she wasn’t. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about baby Lace’s spartan environment anymore!
What about you? Have you ever mistaken someone for having a baby when they didn’t? Or congratulated a woman for being pregnant when she was just bloated (my bad)? Please share and make me feel better about myself.
Too funny! A doll? I love this. And Lace? Well that is the perfect name. You must have been astounded. Thank heavens you’d not organized a surprise baby shower. Wouldn’t that have put the cat amongst the pigeons. Would have made for yet another great blog post though.
Kelly l m kenzie recently posted…Apparently I Needed Yet Another Wake Up Call
Did you know there is some entertaining girl named Lace on this season of The Bachelor? So obviously I thought it was a hot, trendy name rather than the BIG RED FLAG that it should have been.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…I Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant
Haha! I could see my daughter telling people that and it ends up being her American Girl doll or something.
Amber recently posted…Hey, It’s Okay Tuesday!
Well, just try to be polite when a well-meaning neighbor offers you congratulations!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…I Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant
Hilarious! I make it a point to never, ever, ever ask someone when they are due unless they are the guest of honor at their own baby shower. I’ve seen that play out badly too many times! But here you were told there was a baby! How were you to know that your daughter and her friend left off the second part: doll. Glad that you and Lily’s mom had a good laugh – and that her credibility has been restored allowing for future play dates. 😉
Mo recently posted…My Childhood From A To Z
I’ve been burned before (another story) so I’ve been so careful for so many years. I really thought the right thing to do was congratulate the new mom! Er, oops! Yes, glad she and I could laugh about it.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…I Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant
Hilarious. Sounds like you didn’t make too big of a fool of yourself, though! When we first told my preschooler I was pregnant she was announcing to everybody “We’re having TWO babies!” Not realizing that she was counting her 1-year-old brother as one of the babies, most people assumed we were having twins so I had some explaining to do.
Out of the mouths of babes! I might have gone with the twins thing for a few weeks just so I could eat more, BTW. But that’s just me. 🙂
Ahahahaha I was pondering all these possibilities…. adopted?? a puppy? (a little boy in my kindergarten class had what he called a “sister-dog” ;P) Hadn’t gotten to “doll” though! ;P
Sarah Eliza recently posted…Crazy Stuff I’ve Seen in Texas: Freaky Signs Edition – The Skin Art Gallery, Legal Drug Store, & Cajun Fried Turkeys in a Warehouse!
Oh that is funny!!! I once asked a parent of two girls I was teaching when she was due. UGH. I KNOW BETTER!!! Yeah. Incredibly awkward moment there. She wasn’t pregnant. I still think about this, and it happened YEARS ago. I feel AWFUL!!
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