I know so many people who’ve had children before marriage.  Then I look around and see it still happens no matter how much you teach sex education in school, no matter how much you talk to your children about sex before marriage, and no matter how you lecture about using protection.

My nephew and his girlfriend are now expecting.  His sister had two babies but did marry the children’s father last summer.  Another friend of mine just announced on facebook that her ninth grader is expecting in August.  I understand the infant didn’t make the decision to be conceived and come into this world, so I say there’s no shame in their existence.

However, are our children not hearing the message about celibacy and waiting until they are married to have children?  Are they not hearing about how difficult is to raise a child when you’re a child yourself?  Do they not understand that when they have a baby when they are still in their young teens or unmarried, that their lives change completely?  That they must give up their own childhood?

I’m excited for these young parents-to-be, but I’m also sad for them.  It’s a long, difficult path they must now walk.

My pregnancies were - in hindsight - pretty regular.  I craved potatoes with my oldest daughter and the cliche’d pickles with my second kiddo.  Fourteen years later, I no longer care for dill pickles at all but my daughter could eat a full jar in one sitting.  Weird, isn’t it?

My friend Lesley is finding pasta pretty tasty right now.

I discovered my new issues after visiting my favorite Indian restaurant, Woodlands last week for what will probably be the last time for several months. Onions and tomatoes–not the best friends of a third trimester pregnant woman. Dinner was delicious, though. And by Thursday evening? I’d taken off my shoes and noted my socks looked funny. But then I took off my socks to reveal ankles that looked as if they had tumors. They’d swollen around the opening of my shoe. Fantastic.

Lesley found that fresh pasta is just what the baby ordered.  After making some fettucine with olive oil, a touch of truffle oil, and shaved parmigiano, both she and the baby were both able to sleep that night.  Now you know!!

Photo by Community Steps and Flickr Creative Commons.

I’m pretty excited this afternoon… one of my colleagues told me that if I wanted to come into the delivery room with her to take photos, she’d let me!  I don’t know if she’ll remember to call me when her time comes - and it’s getting pretty close - but I told her if she did I’d bring my camera AND extra batteries.  I also promised I wouldn’t take pictures of “her” … just the baby boy she’s expecting at any time.

After what seemed like years of no babies in my life, it feels like everyone is having babies.  My friend Lesley is entering her third trimester and she talks about her vegetarian cravings at Lesley Eats.

I’m now 26 weeks pregnant and have an obvious orb in my torso. I’ve gone from just looking fat to looking obviously pregnant. So I get a lot of questions from people who know I’m vegetarian. The most common? “Have you craved meat?” The answer? No.

My husband was really hoping I’d crave meat.

I have a lot of admiration for Lesley, but for me?  Hand over that chicken leg.