Peach: Estoy embarazado y soy feliz

Estoy embarazado y soy feliz means I am pregnant and I am happy. I like the "estoy embarazado"---as a fun play in language. It's a "false cognate"----making it easy for an English speaker to attempt to tell someone in Spanish that they are embarrassed and end up saying they are pregnant---ooops!

I am pregnant and I am happy.

I am in Maine visiting my family. I've been staying with Mommer and Popper. Today my two older sisters, Jody and Christy, and I planned to meet at Jody's house, along with our mother. I was going to "teach" them my favorite bread recipe. They all feigned being very interested in making bread together. When Mommer and I showed up at Jody's, Jody had teacups and tiny sandwiches ready for a sweet, tiny, just-family Baby Shower. No bread-baking!

Now, I've been slowly easing myself into being OK with a baby shower. Peach, please understand. It's not to deny you any of the things you'll want or need. It has to do more with own dis-ease with consumption and, perhaps, with receiving gifts. But friends have assured me that friends want to give when babies are involved. Peach, you are pure innocence! Consumption is not a concept that I need to associate negatively with you! So if friends and family want to help me begin to provide for your comfort and safety, I am slowly letting that in. And we had fun today! Perhaps the grand gift of the day (they were ALL lovely!) were the onesies from Christy with every single one of Peach's cousins silk-screened onto the front--one onesie for each of the four cousins. These are especially sweet knowing that Peach will not grow up playing in the backyard with these cousins since they are a couple thousand miles away in Maine.

I realized some weeks back, and it hit home even more today, that I am joining my sisters in a very special way. I hadn't given too much (I'd given a little!) thought to the fact that not having children was one way that I was very much NOT like my sisters. I am joining their "club". I am joining mothers. I am joining motherhood. We are the creators. While I acknowledge the beauty in all paths chosen, I see immense beauty in this path of bringing life out of your own cells, your own body, your own womb, your own soul. This is a pretty damn special club. This is sisterhood at its most sacred. I am pregnant and I am happy.

Here are some pictures from our shower today as well as some pictures of Jody and Christy and I in years gone by.