After unexpectedly giving birth to baby Maxwell Michael Hardy in December at only 24 weeks, Floribama Shore star Candace Rice was finally able to celebrate her bundle of joy with a shower, which was attended by a number of her MTV costars. For Candace, the past three months have been bittersweet — while she's overjoyed to be a new mom, her son has been forced to stay in the NICU, where she's had limited physical contact. Candace wasn't able to experience a typical pregnancy, but her friends and family recently ensured she didn't miss out on the highly-anticipated tradition of a baby shower.
Maxwell, who Candace shares with boyfriend DJ Skar, entered the world at 2:30 a.m. on Christmas morning. The night before, Candace took to Instagram to share that she was in pre-term labor. This was a major shock to Floribama Shore fans, who had no idea that Candace was even expecting. Ever since Maxwell's birth, he's been growing and improving his health in the NICU. Candace shares tearful updates on his progress, such as being almost ready to breathe on his own, on YouTube and Instagram. She previously revealed that he's scheduled to come home in April, which means a celebration was in order.
On the heels of Maxwell's birth, Candace asked on Twitter whether or not it's "appropriate" to have an after-birth baby shower. With his homecoming on the horizon, her friends and family certainly thought so. The festivities took place in Memphis, Tennessee on March 27. Candace said on Instagram, "Maxwell shower today! Celebrating his life and enjoying this day since I didn't get to have a full pregnancy experience. #nicumom." She looked stunning in a bright, red dress, in which she placed a fake baby bump for the occasion. Though this confused some of her followers, Candace explained that she was wearing one of the prosthetic bellies given to the cast by Nilsa Prowant.
Nilsa, along with fellow Floribama Shore stars Codi Butts, Jeremiah Buoni and Kirk Medas, were in attendance. Nilsa posted a group photo and captioned it, "We are so grateful you had us apart of this special day." Kirk shared on his Instagram Story a sweet video of Candace making a toast to Maxwell: "Whatever y'all believe in, thank God because he will be home and my little baby Maxwell Michael Hardy is going to be something amazing." In true Floribama fashion, the crew arrived carrying boxes of White Claw and Natural Light. One of the perks of an after-birth shower, Candace was able to partake in the drinking fun (and dance to Beyoncé) with her roomies.
Not surprisingly, castmate Gus Smyrnios, who recently got engaged to girlfriend Samantha Carucci, was not present at the shower. Throughout the show's five seasons, Gus has had at least one altercation with every costar. As for Candace, they butted heads on numerous occasions, such as when a tiff over a hairdryer caused Gus to flee the house in freezing temperatures wearing shorts and a tank top. Aimee Hall wasn't there either. But given the fact that Candace and Aimee typically get along well, it's likely Aimee was simply unable to make the trip. Regardless, the group can't wait to meet Maxwell, the latest to join the next Floribama Shore generation following Nilsa's son Gray Allen Gazda.
Source: Candace Rice/Twitter, Candace Rice/Instagram, Nilsa Prowant/Instagram, Kirk Medas/Instagram,