Son’s Birth Has Been Immortalised On A Cushion

[WheelieBinPrincess]

Let me preface by saying I love my father in law.

But he’s of the sentimental tat type. Blue ‘I love you’ bears, photo frames and key rings and the like. Forever Friends stuff from the early 90’s. Things in baskets. Ornaments of animals hugging each other for no reason, wearing tutus.

We said no presents this year because I don’t want the tat. But we said it was because we just moved and didn’t want more stuff. He didn’t listen obviously, the baby has about ten ‘baby’s first Christmas’ outfits now. We didn’t even see FIL until Boxing Day.

But the icing on the Christmas cake of tat this year- a cushion he’s had printed, with the biggest picture of me holding the baby about two minutes after he was sliced out of me 😂

And lots of little pictures around the edge of me and the baby looking rough on the ward because it was hotter than the sun and everybody was crying. And one of the baby naked and bewildered getting weighed.

Now, I don’t have much issue of him being in possession of these pictures, DH sent them because he was going nuts asking for updates and crazing the ward to let him visit.

But on a cushion?! It’ll have to go in a cupboard and put on the sofa when he visits because he will ask where it is.

What present did you get that you can’t get rid of but will be hiding away?

Like an antenatal shroud of Turin @WaspRelatedEmergency

@Puddingypops

Welcome to my world my friend. If you like we could swap cushions, I have 2 in my wiring cupboard woth very large pictures of my face on.

I also have a sixpence and a walking stick up for grabs.

What not that extra special sixpence from the 1500's and the walking stick with dogs heads on it?

I love your FIL.

Some of the things I complained about years ago have become most loved treasures now that my parents are gone.

The Christmas stocking my grandmother made for me when I was born nearly 60 years ago.
My dad's favourite fishing rod and lure.

My first grandchild is due any day - I’m sure ds and dil would love such a ‘unique’ gift

My image of what was going to be on that cushion was much worse than what it turned out to be.

@lazarusb consider socks; practical and for every day!

That is very sweet. Massively OTT for me, but just lovely.

I don’t think I’ve seen my FiL show any sentiment about anything other than cricket in the 25 years I have known him. Even when DS (his first grandson and 2nd grandchild) was born - in Yorkshire - his reaction was “long legs, he’ll be opening the batting at Headingly by the time he’s 18”.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads
I read that in the accent 😂👏🏻

Not as bad as I was expecting....which was a photo of your baby coming down the birth canal. On a cushion.

Aw, that is so sweet!

I thought it was going to be that your waters had broken, or you had had your bloody show on the cushion, or the baby had been born at home and landed on the cushion and it would be forever covered in blood and goo!

I genuinely found myself weeping with envy as I read your OP, @WheelieBinPrincess.. I know it’s light-hearted, and it is very amusing, but what I wouldn’t give to have a family member who took such pride in me and my child.

Howling at animals hugging for no reason wearing tutus @WheelieBinPrincess

It's adorable. But I understand its not to your taste, its not to mine either. But as someone who's "dad" never bothered with me, let alone my son, im feeling all the aws and lovely feelings!!! Misguided loveliness

I think that shows real love from him although maybe not a gift to have on display. It’ll make a great gift to your ds on his 18th birthday or similar x

You have a gift for words OP and this is a very joyful thread. Good work everyone

These places that do cushions also do t-shirts, shopper bags and face masks. You could have the whole ensemble for popping to the shops.

@WheelieBinPrincess might be getting these for many birthdays and Christmases to come…

If it helps to make you feel better, my MIL bought me pants. When challenged, she said she was proud that she knew the style and size of pants worn by everyone in the family

I’d have had to stare her down on that one, @User154871: “Sorry MIL, I don’t think these are for me. They’ve got a crotch.”

At least he’s put it on a cushion and not on Facebook

I don't often laugh at stuff on MN, but this did make me laugh @WhatScratch

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads I think that’s really sweet DH has got me into cricket!

@User154871 I have a MIL who likes to buy pants, too. She gave me a small bag of them once. No idea why, it wasn’t a special occasion… she said she’d just seen them when our shopping. They were just bog standard thongs from a high street shop. They were even individually wrapped in tissue paper. Bizarre.

@Orphlids you are absolutely right abd I get you totally- my dear grab would have wept with joy at meeting my DS, and told everyone in the hairdresser’s all the boring details about him like she used to with me, and I’m very sad she’s not here to do that. I know I’m lucky that FIL loves him so much.

GRAN not grab

My lovely MIL (who was always 100x nicer to me than my own "D"M) was very given to tacky-but-meant-with-love presents. My DDs (now teens) were her only grandchildren and were showered from an early age with personalised teddies, lace-edged photo cushions, and all manner of stuff with Best/Darling Granddaughter on it. Despite having inherited mine and DH's tendency to cringe at such stuff, they were brought up to be very polite about it because she was just so lovely and well-meaning that no one could possibly hurt her feelings. She died earlier this year after several years with dementia and both DDs and I now treasure some of those tacky things she gifted us when she still had the capacity to do so. In her nursing home she still had the lacy Christmas cushions which used to adorn her sofa each year. They came to us along with all her other possessions when she died. This Christmas, although I'm not at all the sort of person who invests in "Christmas cushions", we got them out and put them on our sofa and it really felt like a way of remembering her on our first Christmas since she died.

Just to add that MIL's Christmas cushions obviously have little jingle bells sewn to each corner, in case anyone was wondering.

A hand painted portrait of DP and I at our wedding, it's massive (3'x2') and quite unflattering! DP looks like Austin powers!

This is a lovely well meant gesture OP. I know it may be a bit twee but it was a present.
I never knew my FIL, he had died before I met DH, and my own father showed little interest in my children.I am very old and gave birth to mine as husbands/partners were just starting to be allowed to watch births and long before cameras were allowed in.Both of my two were also sliced out of me, but I was under GA and fathers were not allowed in theatre at all.I must have looked a very pretty sight.
One of my sisters worked in a photo developing lab, and she could tell some tales!

Keep in in the nursery. It's lovely, I love the picture of me holding DS. My actual favourite picture is of his head sticking out of my belly. I show it to everyone 🤣