Congratulations Kate!

OH WAIT I SAID THAT, WTF.

Ha! But hey, supposedly the second trimester is the best time to travel, so... what are you doing between, say, late October and late January?

Yeah, when I called you it was pretty hard not to tell you! Though I guess I hadn't taken the test at that point yet, so it wasn't confirmed, just a very strong suspicion.

I have been putting off emailing or calling other friends, though, because I want so badly to tell them and yet I really feel like I should wait. But then that makes me feel more isolated, so... perhaps not a great plan?

so... what are you doing between, say, late October and late January?

Hanging out with you, clearly! Let's make a plan.

I'd think there would be many couples with young children in your area, Kate.

I think there are; that's part of why we wanted to move to East Nashville. There don't seem to be just a whole lot in our immediate neighborhood, but I think we probably just need to branch out a little more and be more proactive. Thanks for the link, btw!

Kate! Baby! And yes, goodness, I had my two an ocean away from family and friends, and it was lonely and scary before we found a community to be part of. But there were also perks to being that far away from nanas who know best, especially with the first one. So, those scales will balance, you know?

I'm sorry you're feeling ooky, though, may that improve very soon.

Hanging out with you, clearly! Let's make a plan.

All right! I will start looking into plane tickets, or I might just say, fuck it, I'm about to take a whole lot of (probably unpaid) leave from my job anyway, what's another day or two?, and make it a road trip instead. I will let you know when I have a sense of which weekends might work. Woo!

Woo! Yay!

Excellent! I wonder how old they have to be before they can be really useful minions. 18 months, maybe?

Matilda would happily fetch the remote at age two.

Kate! I'm so very happy and excited for you. Sometimes the second trimester isn't just a relief from morning sickness but a kind of happy glowy filled with life-making hormones kind of time. And then the baby is kicking you in the bladder or headbutting your lungs in the third. But the second is often very nice. Anyway, I'm hoping you get one of those.

Anyway, I'm hoping you get one of those.

Me too!

Thanks so much for all the love and support, y'all. I was feeling pretty lonely and sad and crappy earlier this evening, but it's really helped to be able to talk about it with you guys. Group hug! (For those who are so inclined.)

Congrats, Kate! My summer neighbor was in a similar boat: new city (for only 3 months) with a newish baby, no friends nearby, after going through a pregnancy and birth in yet another new city for only a year. But one of the things she wrote in her blog was something along the lines of ' it was amazing to me how many people wanted to talk to me, i.e. see the baby. He is a people magnet, or as my neighbor called it..."a nice new accessory" :).' She got to know quite a few people in the neighborhood on account of walking the baby to get him to nap, or conversely, keep him up so she'd get more sleep!

She's now in TN, but not Nashville, damnit.

A lot of my early childhood friends were due to my mom being in LWV and joining La Leche (it was 1975!) and becoming friends with other pregnant women or being 'adopted' by elders jonesing to try out their grandparenting skills. They'd only been in town a few months when she got pregnant, but pregnancy and impending parenthood actually found her a community of friends she has to this day.

But it's a lot to take in, I imagine. Hell, when my SIL found out she was pregnant with their second, she burst into tears and yelled at the nurse. Even though they'd just started discussing trying for another (my SIL has a super bc-defeating reproductive system, apparently.)