I wanted to take the time to properly thank everyone who came to see us, support us, encourage us and coo at the baby this past Friday at our You Get Well Soon display table (where we were selling our hospital readiness/ get well soon gift packs and new baby packs) at the Peter Lougheed Centre. As I’ve mentioned here and more expansively on my personal blog, I have a young baby and I nurse her. So a day away from baby was never in the cards. We went off to the PLC with baby in tow.
The PLC is a wonderful facility in the NE of Calgary and I got to learn that it was an offshoot of the now non-existent Calgary General Hospital. (Back in the days of Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, when the city’s population was hovering at 1 million, dear old Ralphie decided to cut costs of running the city by shutting down 4 of the 7 emergency centres in the city including the General which was later blown up. Oh, and 1 of the remaining 3 emergency facilities actually closed overnight. So 1 million people had to rely on 2 Emerg Centres for the overnight hours – and this includes all of the neighbouring towns and hamlets and mountain regions because the major trauma centre was one of those 2 – the Foothills Hospital.)
Back to baby. The PLC has their display vendor tables right out front, just past the info desk, by the stairs to the cafeteria, across from the shop and beside the washrooms. Oh and the elevators are right there too. Basically, everyone in the hospital, be they staff, visitors or patients passes right by the table. Having a baby with us was a genuine distraction for us but a real draw for the people. Some asked us if the baby was a prop. Say what? No way. Babies are not commodities to be traded. Unfortunately for one fellow who was asking about this - he did so while I was nursing and decided to move closer to see if the baby was real. (I always use a special cover that I’ve made while nursing in public. There’s natural and then there’s N A T U R A L. ) Poor guy, so as he’s coming closer he realizes that not only am I not moving or getting up but he clues into why and nearly trips over himself to apologize and get away.
Then there were the ladies who stopped by to see us. Now I can see that my particular baby is like a Gerber baby come to life. Fat and blond with blue eyes – oh yeah the whole healthy baby visual package. So the ladies were coming in droves – calling over friends and colleagues alike. 2 even offered to buy her. Woah Nelly! We’re selling hospital gifts not babies. And given how much effort it takes to bring a baby to life and get them to the healthy little package seen on that day (I can see my husband’s eyes rolling in my mind) – not for any money! The ladies would return again and again – and I’d make a production out of hiding baby. We had fun. I’m always a big fan of having at least one happy distraction a day. I think it improves the mood such that, for me at least, I can do a better job at work and with my personal connections later. I’d love to see a late night show with video of babies – no talking or narration – just the babies. Like the movie Babies but more random.
Once again, Thank You. We truly appreciate everyone’s comments and well wishes. We also appreciate your business. Thank You. I hope your loved ones receiving the gift packs will have a short and uneventful stay in hospital.
