baby love

aaaah!!!! my best friend in the world - i've known her since i was three - is in labor right now! i want to be there so badly... she called at 6am, with contractions still a long ways apart but getting more serious, and this is the one day i'm absolutely essential at work, so i can't leave till 4pm. nuts!!! i'm so excited i can barely sit still.

i met G in the summer of 1981. my family had just moved to a brand-new community, where the houses on our court were still being built as we settled into our little rancher. i spent time with my mom and baby sister, i guess, during the day, and went on adventures with my dad on weekends and in the evening, tramping around the woods, picking wild berries, and keeping tabs on the construction around us. then, one magical day, a car pulled up in front of the house across the street, and a little girl got out. i, apparently, pointed excitedly and squealed, "oh, a girl! and she looks my age!" and then i ran across the street, in the most socially-bold move of my life, and introduced myself. we became friends immediately - it's so easy when you're 3! - and have never had more than a "i'm not walking to school with you tomorrow!" gradeschool tiff. i love her like a sister, and, indeed, my dad calls her "#3," short for daughter number three. she has the kindest nature, the most infectious, spontaneous laugh, a near-obsessive respect for organization, and a wonderful husband. i just cannot wait to meet their brand new little boy!