a blog hijacking for a good cause

Hello! I am Z's big brother A and I would like to share the happy news that yesterday, Z and T became proud parents of a healthy baby boy. Open thread for mubarakbadi!

36 weeks

in a matter of weeks, everything will change drastically and i find myself wavering between a semblance of preparedness and a panic attack.

of course, i'm not worried about how i'll feel once i see this baby's face and hold it for the first time. once that happens, i fully expect biology and instinct and love to take over and i'll welcome the chaotic rollercoaster to whisk us away as we become parents. but having never been there or done that, all i can do is anticipate at this point...

as i contemplate our last few weeks of being alone together, with our relatively carefree existence intact, i cannot believe months and months and months have gone by. and that somehow i have managed to create a fully formed human being inside my body from nothing but pure potential. and that now it's almost ready for the world! it's fascinating. and it motivates me to take not only fantastic care of the brand new human, but better care of myself as well. this magical machine that can somehow manufacture newborns deserves a better regimen of diet and exercise, and with all the changes that are soon to come about, i think i'll add this to the list.

anyway. the next time i blog, i suspect it'll be from the flip side of this experience. stay tuned...

the world of women

this past year, several of my friends have become pregnant or had babies. it's been a very festive atmosphere, at least in my opinion, as i have watched my friends' tummies - and mine! - grow larger and adorable, tiny babies appear out of nowhere.

with each baby, we have had a baby shower and a mithi sitabi to celebrate the coming child. we have shown up bearing gifts and well wishes and have worked together to make sure each individual knew that we were happy for her.

the guys, of course, have felt happy for each other as well, but this past sunday, as i attended another baby shower and played familiar baby shower games and watched a close friend open presents that we had piled around her, i felt very lucky to be one of this tribe of women. we have set in place certain traditions that actually formalize how genuinely joyful we feel for each other, whether we are mothers already or soon-to-be.