Did you say baby?

I attended my sister's baby shower earlier this summer in London and well in addition to my sister being pregnant, out of the eight other women present there, three other young ladies were also expecting. Which leaves five. My mother and my mother-in-law who have already produced wonderful human specimens, my single second cousin who has not found the perfect man yet, my long time school friend who is a proud mum to her 1 year old boy.... and myself. With atleast four confirmed hormonal women present, I felt a kick coming on, and no, I was'nt 5 months pregnant without knowing it. Somehow being happily together with a guy for 4 and married to him for 2 years did not excuse me from not having a baby tucked under my arm.

Then came the big day my younger sister delivered her first baby, and the second kick came on. This one though emanated out of pure fear. Delivering a baby is painful, hard work and downright scary. And well, it oddly reminded me of a picture from when I was 11 years old and my mother got my ears pierced and I was standing there telling her much after all the howling stopped 'Why didn't you just get my ears pierced when I was a baby so it wouldn't hurt so much mamaaaaa...like all the other kids?' Moral of the story as I recall it from that time: it hurts less when you are young, spirited, easily distracted when in pain and have less control over your life.

The day I had to leave London and my 2 week old nephew, I cried like the baby. He was part of me, even more so, somehow, then the adults in my closely knit family. It was hard to keep the self composure as I proceeded on to check in and back to my life.

Oh well, I did. Work began and the weeks started to count away. I feel the same as before, but since that baby shower, and the days and months after, I do ocassionally feel a kick coming on smack right in the middle of my abdomen. Just my biological clock hitting the hour, I tell myself. After all it has to do its job.