Reply to "Thanks for giving birth" flowers for MIL

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]A co-worker's wife sent his mom flowers for co-worker's birthday as a "thanks for giving birth" gift.  Apparently others have heard of this as well (I had not).

My MIL isn't sentimental at all, but she loves things that she can brag about on Facebook.  I think sending her flowers on DH's birthday would be something she'd enjoy for exactly this reason (plus, I'd actually get credit for it-- even though I do all the Mothers Day/birthday/Christmas shopping, she only ever thanks DH for those).

We've been married a couple years, so this would sort of be out of the blue, but we're expecting our first kid, and I feel like I may need to do some nice things for MIL now, because I know that she and I have very different views on things, and I fully expect there to be some tension when baby comes.

Two questions:
1) If I do this one year and forget in subsequent years (because... baby/life/whatever), am I just setting myself up for drama? (I send my grandmother flowers every Valentines day.... and it went from being a nice surprise to a "oh, when your flowers came late this year I just assumed you forgot me," passive aggressive thing.)
2) Anyone have a similar IL situation, and is there a way to preemptively build up goodwill -- through something like the above, or something else entirely-- so that when I'm cranky post-birth and say something less than tactful, she'll be more forgiving? 
3) Are "thanks for giving birth" flowers just kind of stupid? (I sort of think so -- at least when we're talking 30+ years after the fact-- but then again, I haven't done it yet, so maybe I'll feel differently a few months from now). [/quote]

I think it is sweet. I try to write sweet special notes to my MIL sometimes to get the same point across, but not at a specific date. Just whenever. I also stash little gifts away for her that I can send when I'm feeling nice, just out of the blue gifts so she doesn't expect them.[/quote]

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