A world of elastic!

Elastic waistbands, that is.

As I write this, I'm sitting in new found comfort. No more constricted waist, holding my breath, and wondering if my pants will stay up unbuttoned. (The answer to this, I learned recently is, no, the pants will not stay up because the zipper will fall. And then I will need to hold something in front of me and rush to the bathroom to hold my breath, yank the zipper up, and squish the button into the buttonhole.) Alas, those days are over. I have entered the world of maternity wear. And it's a surprisingly fashionable world. I owe my comfort and new fashion sense to the generosity of recent mom-times-two, Julie. Julie's husband Paul dropped off four large containers of maternity clothes for me this weekend, after Julie gave birth to their second child a few weeks ago. It didn't take long for me to open these boxes and bags with the eagerness of a child on Christmas morning. As I oohed and ahhed over my new wardrobe Brian thanked his lucky stars that this in-home shopping spree hadn't cost him a cent. My Mr. Cheap, Green, and Happy. And so, getting dressed in the morning is now a matter of excitement, rather than dread. No further need to contemplate which clothes I'm most likely to squeeze into, only the thrill of glimpsing an array of new items from which I select a comfortable, flattering ensemble. Thank you, Julie and Paul!

While I clearly value the material support offered in the form of these new clothes, this experience has also introduced a new element of being a cared-for member of a new community--a community of mothers. Being the oldest child, I've only occasionally been the recipient of hand-me-down clothes or hand-me-down advice. Surely I would not have valued the second-hand nature of clothes, furniture, or worldly wisdom quite as much as a younger person. But as I enter this new phase of my life, I've felt very thankful to be embraced by this constellation of mothers. Whether it's the maternity clothes, the knowledge, the offers for trading child care, or just the sense of being thought of by others, it's been an experience that provides even more a feeling of relief, comfort, and support than those wonderful elastic waistbands.