OMGWTFBBQMIL!

My MIL is ridiculously, insanely excited for her first grandchild. She is so excited for her first grandchild, that I can no longer see my dining room table. The table is littered with packages labeled:



That are addressed to:
Oh yeah, you read that right. SHE'S SENDING PACKAGES TO THE BABY THAT IS NEGATIVE 2 MONTHS OLD. The week before last, she sent a 30+ lb package that was so heavy, I had to ask the UPS man to carry it upstairs for me. It was stuffed to the rim with baby clothes, hats, bibs, blankets...you name it. Baby clothes are small. So you can imagine how large a box of 30 pounds of baby clothes is!!! Last week she sent a box of BOOKS and more baby clothes. Apparently, I am the gestation tank for a Miracle Genius Baby who will be born knowing how to do the SpeedReading hand! I have a book of fairy tales (fairy tales for my SON!) bigger than a Catholic family Bible for the baby.

This is crazy. She is out of control. I don't have anywhere to put all this stuff. I don't even have a baby yet. Oh, and she's sending another package this week of 3 to 6 month size clothes, because Tim was a large baby so then therefore because only Tim's genes count towards the baby's size, my baby will also be a huge gigantic man-child. Hey, hey, never mind that I tipped the scales at a whopping 5 lbs, 6 oz. and that Jackson is perfectly on target for his gestation age based on all my sonograms.

I am frustrated. I am tearing my hair out. We are planning on moving 5 mos after Jack is born...and my mother in law *cries* HAS A PILE OF BABY CLOTHES IN HER HOUSE THAT REACHES FROM THE FLOOR CLEAR UP TO THE CEILING THAT SHE WANTS TO SEND TO ME!!!!! Every week, I am going through our stale crap we never touch to purge out what we don't need or use so we have less to move. But for every box of junk I get out the door, I get two more in! And I haven't even had my baby shower yet, nevermind actually purchased all the stuff we actually will NEED for the baby, like his co-sleeper, swing and bouncy seat. Where am I going to put all this crap? I'm going to have to balance it in a basket on my head like the Chiquita Banana lady.

I am SO excited for Jackson's arrival too. Having children is a dream I have nurtured for what seems like forever. Going through all the tiny-butt baby clothes can bring tears to my eyes because they're so wee and precious and I just can't wait to meet Jack. So I understand the excitement. But great googley moogley, I do believe that a pile of baby clothes that takes up an entire room in your house for a child that is two months away from being born is just a little bit excessive. I mean, don't you?

I'm nearly to the point where I have to tell Tim to tell his mother that if she sends anymore, I will not sign for the package and will send it back. Because after the 3 to 6 mo size box of clothes, guess what's next? Oh yeah, 6 to 9 month. And I know we'll use it...in about 8 months!!! In the meantime, it would sit in a box in my house somewhere waiting to put on a moving truck for when we relocate and that just makes me crazy.

Am I a jerk for being a wet blanket? Do I have the right to ask her to please stop, while adding that of course we really appreciate all the gifts and share in her excitement but she's going to make it a lot of extra work for us to move? Am I wrong for thinking a room full of baby clothes is just a little much? Should I just shut up and let her keep shipping boxes to me and send a thank you card week after week? If I do that, can I please use a spare room in your house to store all the excess baby clothes that are ahead of my child in size?

I think what is also irritating to me about this situation is that growing up, my father never gave me his love, attention or affection. But he always gave me stuff. I had every toy I ever asked for, every doll I ever craved. I never lacked in the Stuff department. But for all the stuff, I would have traded it all just to have my dad's time and attention. My in laws are closing in on retirement age, and have decided to retire to the Carolina coast. They have no family there, they just like it there. They have 2 children, my husband and my brother in law. My BIL is 30 years old, still lives at home, delivers pizza for a living and aspires to nothing greater. When it comes to who is going to produce the quality grandchildren, I think the answer is pretty clear. But instead of choosing to move closer to their grandkids, they're moving farther away but sending copious gifts...which in my mind, will never make up for the lack of grandparents in my son's life. I don't want my son to have a room full of baby paraphernalia from his grandparents. I want my son to have a close, loving relationship with his grandparents. How do I get them to "get" that?