Babies

The world of Babies is crazy, wonderful, and annoying to those not in the club ;) I got back from North Carolina and had a wonderful time taking a glimpse into the baby world. Watching my friends, the new parents racing to change diapers quickly before they get peed on. We googled questions about storing breast milk and put on crazy outfits the 2 week old and took tons of pictures. I sat in the car when my friend took her new born to a doctor appointment. I don't think I've ever seen her drive so slow ;) It changes your life forever. One of my other friends who had come over to see the baby is 6 months pregnant.
Then there is the non-baby couple. They have a dog and a cat and they are wonderful parents to their pets. But the baby divide can be far greater. They have found some new couples that do not or are not planning to have children in the near future. They travel, have active social lives, and still have a desire to explore other places. Being their friend exposed me to wonderful new things to do and places to go.

My grandma was on the phone with my cousin. He and his wife have a son about 9 months. When she was asking him about the travels of his family, his father had been in Namibia, his bother in kenya, his sister spending time in europe. She asked if he was coming to visit anytime soon, he admitted to no trip planned. To which she responded "I guess you're kind of stuck." Leave it to Grandma to state the obvious, but sometimes things are not as they seem. Being with my friends as they embark on their journey into parent hood was a true blessing. And as my Grandma said those words I wasn't sad for my cousin. I knew that he and his wife were on a journey of their own. There might be an element of being physically stuck... I mean you are not going to take a 2 year old on an african safari. But my friends did not seem stuck, they seemed to be on a new type of adventure.

There are some really funny things going around social media to address the baby pictures overload. Like the app that changes all the baby pictures to pictures of cute cats... Things that those of us who do not have children or plan on them in the near future find funny or amusing. My conclusion is that everyone will go through these different stages at different times in life. The question to ask yourself is if these friendships are situational or long lasting. When you live and work in certain places you naturally build a community around yourself. But the true friendships are realized when paths diverge and situations change. Even though you're not spending as much time with these friends it doesn't mean that you care about them any less.  Be tolerant of little annoyances that don't matter, be excited that they are sharing this wonderful time in their life with you. And some day if you are in the same position, hope that they will return the gesture of support and positive thoughts as you embark on your own life journey.