Edilma's Baby Shower

Room service! Athena and Natalie arrive at the Best Western with some of the gifts for Edilma.There were no conference rooms or common space available in the hotel, so they gave us a standard room in which to throw the party. Not a problem! We set up a bed with a portion of the many donations we received.

In the frantic final minutes before Edilma and her husband arrived, George Escobar graciously volunteered (or was drafted depending on how you look at it) to assemble the Graco stroller.
Athena and Henry helped too. We had no tools, so it was a bit of a MacGyver situation. At one point, George yelled out, "We need something that can function like a hammer!" And two of us threw him our shoes. It was that kind of a warm, fun, collaborative vibe in the place.

We got the word out through the grapevine and invited the residents who were staying at the Best Western. We got a really good turnout in the small space. In addition to it being a joyful event for Edilma and her husband, I could see that it was a relief for the residents to be assembled together for something happy like a Baby Shower. Funnily enough, there were more men there than women! But they were all very cute about the baby stuff and playing with the kids who were there. It wasn't a very big room, so the party spilled out into the hallway. People were laughing and joking and eating cake and teasing one another.

Natalie got Heller's Bakery to donate a sheet cake!

Everybody ate it up! And then, there was a knock at the door and we all yelled, "Sorpresa!" Edilma had arrived. She walked in slowly (okay, waddled) and looked around shyly. When she saw all the baby gifts on the bed she smiled. I think she thought that she would be able to pick a few things from the pile, but we kept telling her, "No, it's all for you and your baby."

At this point, her husband thanked us all and she withdrew into shocked silence. I really, truly think she was stunned. She sat and looked at each and every baby item. She had some cake. And she had some contractions. (!) Nothing too serious, but you know how it can be at the end of your pregnancy. I was really wishing my sister the midwife was in attendance.

We organizers had been told that this party was NOT a surprise to Edilma, that her husband had told her. But he wanted to surprise her and got her to the party under some pretense. I don't think I would have condoned a suprise ANYTHING for a 10-month pregnant lady. ;) But regardless, it really turned out to be a happy, happy, emotional, occasion for everyone involved.

Here is Edilma with Jasmine, the organizer of the residents. She had been fighting for almost 5 years to get the apartment building to go co-op. She was weeks away from reaching that goal when the fire happened. Now Jasmine is using every ounce of her 100-pound scrappy self to tirelessly organize and lead the effort to get help for the residents. She was on her little pink cell-phone non-stop....finding out where a donated lunch would be served, getting the El Salvadoran Embassy to commit to a visit, getting Bank of America to set up checking accounts for everyone. She had lost her voice from making so many announcements to groups of 50 or more people. She is a sassy, mini-dynamo, god love her. She is exactly what these people need to get their needs articulated and met.
On the left is Ceci from the Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (appropriately known as OLA). She is seen here with one of the elderly residents she's been helping. The shower for Edilma was originally Ceci's idea. We thought it was a good one and sprang into action. Since the fire, Ceci has been spending 80% of her waking hours helping these displaced Mt. P residents. As exhausted as she must have been, she never for a moment lost her grace, warmth and personal touch.

The Mama and Papa to be! Here are Edilma and her husband Cristobal. There were so many adorable baby girl clothes and shoes. At one point Cristobal asked, "But what if they're wrong and it turns out to be a boy?" Some wag shouted out, "Well then, he better like pink!"

Both Edilma and Cristobal are shy, modest people. But they both sought me out to explain how deeply grateful they were. When I explained that dozens and dozens of people had donated, and that they were only seeing HALF of what we had for them, they couldn't believe it. The idea that so many strangers had mobilized to help them genuinely touched and moved them.

Edilma had an appointment Monday with her OB/GYN. She is scheduled to deliver any day now at Providence Hospital. I will post here the moment I find out she's had her baby.

SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

As mentioned, we received SO MANY DONATIONS from you amazingly wonderful people out there, that we cherrypicked what we thought Edilma would need most immediately. Someone donated a gorgeous blue jacquard diaper bag, and we helped Edilma fill it with things she would need for her hospital stay and immediately afterward.

Everything else we brought home and put in my basement for safekeeping until they know where they will be living long-term. Then we will deliver it to them.

Say what you will about DC, (and I have done my share of griping in the 10 years I've lived here) but what I saw with my own two eyes about the way the city is handling this situation is impressive. Mayor Fenty wants to find affordable apartments for these people, not a short-term solution. So I assume Edilma and Cristobal are on the top of that priority list.

Any donations we received at Pfeiffer's Hardware that were duplicates or overflow, we have donated to The Family Place, a nonprofit helping low-income families. http://www.thefamilyplacedc.org/

Every bib, every baby bootie, every bear went to a deserving, grateful family. Thank you for opening your hearts (and your attics, and your basements, and your garages, and your billfolds) and giving so generously.