I got invited to a baby shower by a friend I haven’t seen in years. She moved to another state but had apparently moved back and was now having her baby shower here. I was so excited since I hadn’t seen her in so long. She started a group with all the mutuals she invited and disclosed that this was going to be a quick and small one—since she had just found out she was pregnant when she was 35 weeks, with an induction scheduled on her 37th week.

We all started volunteering to be responsible for different things for the baby shower. I said I’d cook Filipino food and help pay for some of the decor. I sent money to the friend who was in charge of decorating. Plus, I asked the Mom-To-Be how many people were invited besides the ladies in the group chat. She told me 15.There were 10 of us in the group, so I thought I’d cook for 50 people to be on the safe side, just in case he invited a few more. I started shopping for ingredients. I started prepping and coordinating with the decor lady. We figured out where we wanted the food and grazing table and told the mother-to-be. She approved.Soon, it was the day before the baby shower, I spent the whole day cooking, taking a day off from work. I only work part-time, since I’m the primary caretaker for my baby while my partner works. Mind you, I had to arrange for my mother-in-law to watch my baby while I did all the cooking and for me to go to the baby shower. I didn’t want to bring my baby since I would be busy with the catering. It was by luck she was off those days.