E.T. PHONE HOME

I find myself thinking in terms of movies. The very first post I ever wrote on this blog was based on our lovable friend rat from Charlotte's Web. Well yesterday I suddenly became my very own version of E.T. (which I can't stand by the way, but it fits so I'll use it).

One of our best friends just had their first baby on Tuesday night! She came after 10 hours of not so progressive labor, the Dr. saying "I don't think this is going to work so it is C-Section time" a 'literally' shaky reaction to the anesthesia and finally after arriving at the hospital at 8 am, baby Kate was born around 7:30 pm. They called me Wednesday afternoon to see if I could come sit with mom and baby while hubby went to pick up the mother-in-law at the airport. Of course I was thrilled and couldn't wait to see them! I pulled into the parking lot, walked through the hospital doors and that is when it happened. My uterus started glowing. I was hit with an overwhelming sense of dejavou as I heard the sounds, smelled the smells and witnessed the sights that I had been a part of giving birth to Ryan just 10 short months ago. I found myself not even reading signs but simply following my glowing uterus down the hallway, up the elevator, through the locked doors and finally walking through my friend's doorway. I stood there, looking at her in that familiar blue/grey hospital gown, sitting on that stiff lumpy bed with the starchy faded knit blanket thrown haphazardly over her legs. And I got goose bumps. It was like every molecule in my body tingled and shivered at the same time, every cell dug down deep in the recesses of time and memory and my uterus glowed brighter. I was E.T. right at the spot when they all thought he was dead lying in his scientific coffin and suddenly his boy notices the flowers looking brighter, standing a little straighter and it happens--E.T.'s belly shines a bright lustrous yellow and they all know there is hope!

But the best part, there lay baby Kate, all bundled like a little burrito, tiny as can be (6lbs 11 oz) with beautiful skin and a small button nose. And call it a women's intuition, call it perfect, experience derived empathy, call it the spirit but in those few moments I knew a little piece of what my mom felt when she walked in my hospital room the first time and saw me sitting there in that same familiar gown, same terrible bed, same blessed little baby sleeping next to me. How her body must have tingled and how excited she must have been and I hope I have at least one little girl so that 30 years down the road I can go through this again with my own "baby" and her "baby". Maybe I'll even save this and read it to her--or worse yet, make her watch E.T. while we sit up late at night in the hospital and she can tell me all about everything. There is nothing like labor, delivery and POST EVERYTHING to help you bond with other women, especially your mom!

So ladies--cheers to all of you and your glowing uteruses(uteri)?. Just take a minute to visit a friend with a newborn and you'll know exactly what I mean!