My Mother-In-Law Demanded A Boy, My Husband Hoped For A Girl, So I Threw A Baby Shower They'll Never Forget

I spent years dreaming of this baby until the moment I told my husband, and he asked if it was too late to undo it. Days later, his mother gave me her own condition for staying in the family.

Most of the women I knew had already stepped into motherhood. And there I was, running from one fertility clinic to another. The doctors kept offering different explanations and little hope.

"Maybe yes, maybe no."

I was stuck in those "maybes.". I was too scared to imagine the future clearly. I didn't even allow myself to think about it out loud.

My husband, Aiden, and I had been trying for what felt like forever. We tracked cycles, visited doctors every week, and held onto a hope that seemed to rise only to crash again.

He stood by me through every test that came back negative… until the day everything changed.

When I finally saw those two lines, I couldn’t believe it at first. I sat frozen, clutching the test like it was a fragile miracle.

"Aiden?" I called out to my husband, my voice shaking. "We're having a baby."

He walked out of his office slowly, like he had just been called into an awkward meeting he wasn’t ready for.

"What? I thought you said it wouldn't work anymore."

"I thought so too. But look…" I showed him the test in my hand. Then I pulled out another one for proof. "And the doctor confirmed it—almost nine weeks now."

He stepped a little closer and managed a smile. But something in his eyes didn’t match it. They looked like they were somewhere far away.

"So… you want to keep it? Maybe it's not too late to reconsider?"

"What?! Are you serious?! Aiden, this is what we dreamed of!"

"We used to dream. Things changed. Life changed."

I didn’t know how to react. I told myself he was just overwhelmed. Maybe nervous. People sometimes say the wrong things when they’re caught off guard. But deep down, a little alarm bell started ringing.

I reached out to hug him. He let me, but his arms stayed limp by his sides. He didn’t hug me back.

The days that followed should have been filled with joy and excitement. But instead, they felt cold and unfamiliar—like a breeze had settled into our home and refused to leave.

Aiden grew even quieter. He barely spoke and drifted around like he was avoiding something.

The baby books I left on the couch stayed unopened. Even the tiny onesies I proudly showed him didn’t spark a reaction.

One night, I sat next to him on the couch, holding two paint swatches in my hands. I wanted to talk about the nursery.

"Sunshine Pearl or Soft Meadow?" I asked gently, trying to sound cheerful.

"For what?"

"The nursery. You said you liked yellow last year…"

He didn’t even bother to glance at the colors.

"I'm too tired to think about that now, Lynn. Can we not do this?"

"It's our baby, Aiden."

He sighed heavily, as if I had asked him something impossible.

"I know. But do we really need to plan the entire future in one week?"

I stared at him, a lump forming in my throat.

"I just want to feel like you're in this with me."

He didn’t say anything back. Just silence.

The next day, Aiden suggested we go visit his mother, Gloria.

"My mom's been gone for years," I whispered softly. "I wouldn't mind some advice."

Aiden gave me a vague nod and picked up the car keys like it was any other day.

"You two should talk. Woman to woman."

I followed behind him, holding on to the hope that maybe this visit was a step in the right direction.

Gloria opened the front door with a thin smile. She led us into the living room—the same cold room that hadn’t changed in years.

She didn’t offer me anything to drink. Not even a glance of warmth.

"Congratulations, Lynn. So you got yourself pregnant after all."

I blinked in disbelief. Her words weren’t just cold—they were a slap in the face.

"Yes," I managed to reply, forcing a smile that felt like it might crack. "I'm really happy about it."

But Gloria didn’t soften. Her tone grew sharper, her eyes narrowing like she was delivering a warning.

"Well, I hope it's a boy?"

"I don't care either way. As long as the baby's healthy."

Gloria turned toward Aiden, ignoring me completely now—like I wasn’t even there in the room.

"We agreed—only a boy. You know how important that is."

I looked at Aiden, stunned and confused. He gave me that same lifeless shrug I had come to dread.