A letter for Christie

My dear friend Christie,

I cannot believe that in just a few short days you are going to be a Mom! It seems like just yesterday we were living in Charleston, spending Saturday nights hopping from bar to bar and Sundays on the beach at IOP - being lazy and recovering from the night before.

I actually don't want to think about how long ago that really was. I prefer to think of it as just yesterday. Now, here we are, all grown up with wonderful husbands and starting families. Who'd a thunk it?

There is so much I would love to tell you about the journey you are about to start. You have been told, I am sure, that your life is about to change.

It is.

And, I am sure you are aware of all the obvious ways that is true. You are going to be up all night and more tired than you have ever been. Date nights will become more important and yet much harder to organize. Your bedtime will get earlier and holidays will become more fun. Your priorities are going to be different, of course. Blah, blah, blah. No revelations there.

There are, however, the ways that being a parent will change you that no one tells you about. They don't tell you because there aren't enough words. These are the deep, profound changes that occur and are unexpected.

Its the way that suddenly you cannot tolerate to hear any story that involves a hurt or hungry child. And probably even more startling is the way your husband who formerly may have thought those stories were  sad but now hears them and it brings tears to his eyes.

Its that you don't think that your child's shit stinks... well, at least until s/he starts eating solid foods.

Its that you can contemplate driving your car into a tree after hearing your baby scream for thirty minutes while you are stuck in traffic and NOT be the least bit suicidal.

Its when you are in line at the grocery store and the woman in front of you dressed in what looks to be pajamas is holding a baby dressed only in a diaper and she is buying formula and a six pack of beer and you don't judge her because you can actually come up with a scenario in which you could see yourself doing the same thing.

Its when you you applaud the guy who got on his kid's school bus and threatened to beat the crap out of the boys who were bullying his daughter and after he was released from jail said he would do it again.

Its when hearing the words Hi Mamma and Hi Daddy become your favorites.

Its when you realize that Dr. Seuss books have really thin plots but you will read Go Dog Go 84,000 times because your baby squeals with delight when you get to the part about the party in the tree.

Enjoy it my fiend. You will be great!

XOXO