United States of Uterus

I’m not one of those women who is constantly surrounded by other women – I’m no Carrie Bradshaw. I love having girlfriends but for some reason or another I have lost quite a few in my day. There was the group of girls in college who ganged up on me after I left a party early and they realized they were missing a few things. (Apparently if you leave a party early and don’t keep drinking until you throw up and pass out, you’re the scuz who stole the stuff.) There was the girl I met at a restaurant job during college who was always trying to steal my shifts, then I realized she had been stealing from the restaurant for years. Then there was the girl in LA who stopped taking her meds and thought it would be a good idea to go to a strangers party and steal his q-tips and toilet paper. Wow. I’ve known a lot of klepto’s. There have been others but their stories are a bit too personal to smear all over the internet, so I’ll take the high road…
I grew up in the small, but great town of Davidson with a small, but great group of people. We all knew each other and each others’ parents and played in the same pool together, on the same sports teams together and often snuck out at night to play a mean game of Capture the Flag together. There were Davidson boys and Davidson girls. But this story is for the girls, sorry fellas.
These Davidson girls have been in my life forever. And although we didn’t all keep in touch through college, something about the fact that we’ve watched each other grow up and have blown out countless birthday candles together has kept us bonded. When I moved back to Davidson after being away for 10 years, these beautiful girls were still here and it felt like a natural fit to become close with them again. I realized that what I went searching for all those ten years ended up being right where I began. Plus, three out of four of us are married to bald men, so it’s fate.
There’s Sally, the only one with a haired husband, who I’ve known since preschool. We played softball and did gymnastics together and I was always envious of her back-handsprings. She has one of those laughs that can bring the sun out and it’s incredibly infectious. We went to college together and I had the great privilege of singing at her wedding. Now she has 2 beautiful boys with another baby on the way. I have such a mom-crush on her, she seems to have all the answers. And since she’s the only friend I have with a boy older than my own, I’m always calling her for advice. Plus, this girl makes being pregnant for the third time look good.
There’s Beth, who I’ve also known since preschool…maybe even before. We ran against each other for student council something or other in elementary school (she naturally won because she’s brilliant), we played soccer together, completed against each other in a pageant (yes, a pageant…) and I was always envious of her talent. I missed the day she got married because I was in LA and I will always regret that. She has a beautiful daughter who is about a year younger than my son, with a boy of her own on the way. She and I have vowed to one day start our own rock band…even if it’s just a Patty Griffin cover band.
Then there’s Sarah, who became my best friend the day she stepped foot on the playground in 6th grade. We played soccer together, broke hearts together and got in loads of trouble together. This chick is a firecracker and I’ve always been envious of her spunk. She could outrun the boys, knock them over on the soccer field and somehow manage to brush the dirt off her face in time to make them drool over her. She has a daughter who is almost a year older than my son, is pregnant again with her second who is due the same time as my baby, and is a big reason why I decided to drop everything in LA and come home.
Why am I being so girl-powered and sappy all of a sudden? Because something has happened to all 4 of us Davidson girls that is almost unheard of. All four of us girls who grew up together are now pregnant together. It’s amazing, huh? Our first, and in Sally’s case second, children have all played together and have blown out a couple of birthday candles together. And now our second, and in Sally’s case third, children will now be in the same grade together, in the same town, just like their mommies were once upon a time. I can already smell the dirt on their Capture the Flag shirts.

(*from the left-Me, Sarah, Beth and Sally)
I decided to have them all over for a brunch to celebrate this momentous occasion. We sat around and talked for hours about our children (of course), our aches and pains, and how long we’ve all been friends. I forced my husband to take as many pictures as possible because I believe this moment will go down in history…even if it’s just small, but great Davidson town history.

Here is my Pregnancy Brunch Menu:

*Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche
I make my quiche with a lot of cheese like my mama. I line the bottom of the crust with cheese before I even add the fillings and custard, and then I add even more cheese on top. Whether you use store bought of homemade pie dough, quiche is a great thing to make for a brunch.
*Sweet Potato Biscuits with Honey Butter
I love this recipe, it came from my mother and it never disappoints.
*Fresh Peaches and Raspberries with Sweetened Homemade Ricotta
I recently made my own ricotta…you may have heard about that.
*Sparkling White Grape Juice
To me, the thing that makes brunch better than breakfast is that you’re allowed a cocktail. And most of you know how much I love my bubbly so this was my way to still get some bubble without the baby buzz… *Fill a pitcher 3/4 of the way up with white grape juice and then fill the rest with sparkling water. This is far better than buying the pre-made stuff.

While we all sat around the table bonding, talking and dining on yummy food, this is what my son did. He made a pillow fort.