I spent a good while on the phone today with a friend who is due with her little one just four days before Baby K. It’s amazing how similar we are as people, but beyond that, it’s been surreal to observe how similar our bodies and babies and pregnancies have been in a lot of ways, too. We called each other months ago with the same news, “I’m pregnant…thirteen weeks…no way!…”
And now we’re hardly counting weeks, but rather days, and it’s exciting and marvelous and crazy to have the same stories to swap, the same hopes for one another–and for our babies.

Pregnancy has been a magnificent ride thus far–not only because it’s incredible to realize what our bodies are able to do and grow and sustain, but because I’ve been on this journey with a number of friends along the way. Some have just welcomed adorable little boys into the world; others are playing the waiting game like I am, wondering what our babies will look like and act like, and who they will become. Nearly everyone who is due within a month of Baby K is having a boy…if they know the gender. And there are a few of us holding out to see if we’ll be responsible for evening the gender score, or if we’ll be adding to the baby boy pool in the days ahead. No matter what, we’re all excited and filled with anticipation in the very best of ways.

On so many counts, carrying a baby around in your belly can feel like a solo act…you can’t pass it off to someone else to hold, you can’t share all of the changes taking place inside of you, and you can’t articulate how it feels to have human feet and arms and knees moving about and reminding you of what’s happening there day to day. But you sure can be supported–and being pregnant among friends is a delightful way to do so. (Having a husband who does his best to uplift and encourage and take on dishes and vacuuming when you can’t helps a whole lot, too…thanks, jmk:)

So this one’s for the girls tonight. For all of our cravings and heartburn and stretching and growing…and hormones and emotion and prayers and camaraderie throughout the process…And for Jason, who is going to make one awesome dad very soon! 38 weeks would not feel the same without you.

plotting play dates and arranged marriages and such 😉

mm