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| Hanging with Nora and her canine brother |
Each year, three of my closest girlfriends from college, our significant others and I get together at New Years. Some years it's all eight of us, some years it's fewer. At New Years 2011, it was six of us. We got together for dinner in Portsmouth and, before leaving for the restaurant, my fabulous friend informed us that she was pregnant! With our wedding date already set and her already lined up as a bridesmaid, I instantly started doing the math. Okay, it's December 30th. If she's telling us, she must be 3 months pregnant. That means she'll be due in June/July. No problem! All of this is going through my head as our other friend pipes up "When is your due date?" and I hear "August 18th". Wait, WHAT? Not one to keep a secret (and taking advantage of us all being together), they decided to tell us their big news at just 7 weeks pregnant. So, instead of a baby due 6-8 weeks before our wedding, it would be two. But this wasn't a time to think about myself. This was a time to celebrate! She was the first of our group to be pregnant, the first to be a mommy. How exciting! The next generation of our little gang! Woo hoo!!
We had a wonderful dinner with lots of toasting to the life events of 2012. That night, we got back to our other friend's house outside of Boston and all headed to bed. In the privacy of our guest room, I started to bawl. I knew I was being irrational, felt like a horrible friend but nonetheless, I was bawling. My perfect wedding with my best friends as my bridesmaids would no longer be. We've been there for each other during some of the best and worst times of our lives. And I wouldn't have her with me. I knew I was being selfish but I didn't care. I was sad. And I gave into a bit of self-pity. It was a complete woe-is-me moment. And God bless Rich for laying there with me, petting my hair while I cried.
Luckily, with the morning sunrise came perspective. I picked myself up, dusted myself off and kicked my self-pity out the door. A few weeks later, I called my dear friend and we made a game plan. I would do whatever she wanted - include her as a bridesmaid or not. I let her decide knowing that if any of my friends could make it to a wedding with a two week old on their arm, it'd be her. So we made a pact. She bought her bridesmaid dress and reserved a hotel room and said she'd be there if she could be. And I'd just roll with the uncertainty of it all. I found out this weekend that she even went out and bought a car adapter for her pump and a car charged cooler so she could pump on the way to the wedding and store the milk. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I should have felt honored and amazed to have such a wonderful, generous, dedicated friend.
In the end, little Nora was 12 days late - arriving just two days before our wedding. I got to talk to my dear friend on the day of my wedding and hear the joy in her voice as she talked about her little peanut. And this weekend, I got to meet the cutest little 5-week old and spend some serious time bonding with the next generation of our little gang of friends. I'm amazed that my dear friend and her husband created such a beautiful little creature and am impressed by the grace with which she's conquering motherhood. Little Nora is lucky to have such spectacular parents and I'm lucky to have such a kick-ass friend.
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