A few weeks before Beau was born I was in a nesting frenzy. I went to Bath and Body Works to stock up on hand soap and sanitizer in hopes that the alluring scents would encourage my guests to wash their hands before touching my delicate little baby. I had a coupon that granted me a “free gift” if I spent over a certain amount. By the time I reached that magical increment, I couldn’t possibly find another scent that appealed to me. I impulsively grabbed a hand lotion and quickly gave it a sniff of approval. It was one of their new lines, “In the Stars” it was called. I figured if I didn’t end up liking it, I would gift it to someone.

My hospital bag had been packed for weeks. Everyday, I would add to it until it had finally reached capacity. Before we went to the hospital for my induction, I thought to myself that I might want some lotion so the nurses don’t notice how dry the skin on my legs is (boy was that the least of my worries!). My new lotion was sitting on the kitchen counter still unsure of its fate. Given its convenience I stuffed it into my hospital bag as we were walking out the door.

Three days and a 36 hour labor later, I am finally granted passage to take a shower. Alllll the things I packed and I forgot body soap! The hospital is one of the most expensive hotels you will stay at that doesn’t have body wash! Who knows, maybe they do, I didn’t ask. They did give me some complimentary mesh underwear though. They even wrapped a ribbon around it, no joke!

Anyways, I ended up using shampoo as body wash, you know making use of my resources. I get out of the shower and still don’t quite feel like the maternal goddess that I should, so I used some of that lotion I packed. I’m not sure if it was the shower drought that I had been experiencing or maybe my senses were augmented because I just birthed a baby, either way that lotion smelled devine! The scent was so light and whimsical. I was transformed. One of the nurses came into my room and the look on her face conveyed that her first observation was that I no longer looked like I had been hit by a bus followed by how amazing the whole room smelt. She said, “this is just one of the happiest smells, I could hang out in here all day.”

Yes, the lotion was a life saver but we left the hospital and resumed our lives without me giving it much more of a thought. That is until I started using it again months later. I casually put some of the lotion on my hands and as the scent greeted my nose I was immediately taken back to those precious days in the hospital with my son. It evokes some of the most vivid moments of those couple of days. It almost feels like I was reliving it again. I know it’s only been about six months since those memories were made, but I love being reminded of the day I met my son. Who knew that an impulsive choice of lotion would end up meaning so much to me.