Babies, Babies EVERYWHERE!

[kudra]

Oh, man. Our friends Jess & Jon moved back from Alaska about a month back. They lived in our old apartment building for the first year we were there, and we had a lot in common- twentysomething couple w/ dog(s) and similar quirky interests. We'd hang out in one another's apartments in our pjs, sometimes cook together, and had a few really great camping trips. In the year they were out in Alaska though- a lot changed! They got pregnant, got married, and had Eve! Even their dog Lucy got pregnant, and I'm slated to help whelp her pups in about ten days. Eve was born in April, so now is a wonderfully squirmy six-month old. Yesterday I met up with Jess, Eve and Raina at the local falafel joint and we ran into Lauren....a friend of ours who's daughter Gabi is seemingly turning into a full-on little person as her first birthday is in a few weeks. They both look a lot like their papas, to me. Lastly, it would seem that we now have the all-clear to announce that Gavin is going to be an uncle next spring! When Brent and Jen came to visit about a month back I had this really weird moment where Jen was looking out across the river with this pensive-but-happy look on her face and I just knew what was up. Just a few hours later, once we were back at the house with Gavin, they told us! Everytime I bring up his impending uncle-hood, he gets this enormously dorky smile. Though I am BIG FAT NOT READY myself, seeing these little glimpses of new life provides a really nice counterbalance to working at the nursing home. It also reinforces for me just how similar the opposite ends of life cycle really are. Your needs and wants are so in the moment, usually simple but can be terribly difficult to convey....and a huge part of it is just knowing that someone is there to take care of you. It's really just here in the middle that things are so complicated.....

Happy October, everyone. Keep on keepin on.