What 8 Years and 5 Kids Looks Like

What do you get for 8 years friendship that started at my first school? A treasured friendship that started when I was assigned to teach/suffer through a windowless, cinder block paradise. Most days we came up with ways to try to stay cool and come up with some way to survive the administrations penchant to watch Love Connection during the school day more than assuring that the teachers they were backed up.

Over the past 8 years we have we been through too many school discussions, shared infertility in our own ways, the deaths of parents and grandparents, issues with siblings, complaints about spouses that need common sense knocked into them at times, the sadness of miscarriages, a shared RE, many a trip to the beach to catch up, 2 sweet babies born 9 months apart and now a pregnancy together.

Laura is due with twins around Valentines day to my Easter baby. Had we been able to do our IVF as Bill and I originally planned in June we would have been going through all the shots and procedures on almost the same day. Having Laura as an IVF resource made the process more manageable as I knew what to expect knowing she had been through it with the beautiful outcome that is her son Eli as well as her future sweet sons to come.

She drove up yesterday to hit Triangle Area consignment stores for extra baby gear as well as pick up the GENEROUS amount of items that friends had donated.

By end of day we had picked up 2 mobiles, a double stroller, a pack/play, breast pump, bouncy seat, jumping exersaucer, a swing, preemie outfits, clothes for Eli, another bouncer/glider that she swore by with Eli's infancy. Add to that lunch and a Trader Joes Run and we made the most of 5 hours to catch up.

There are friends that pass out of your life and only keep up through obligatory holiday card. When Laura's husband famously mentioned that they were moving to the beach because, "the fluorescent lights are sucking out my soul," we somehow managed to keep our friendship going.

For all the discussions we've had over these years, many when we were at a point of despair and frustration, I cannot begin to express how happy I am for her family and to share the same joy. I would do just about anything to be able to go next door at school any given day, question why there are 25 paper mache mummies littering her back wall due to another project that surely surpassed any and all teaching techniques.

She is an amazing woman, mother, spouse, teacher and I am very proud to call her one of my oldest friends. Lots of love to you and the babies-