I’m still thinking about the
pregnant woman at the dog park

She’s due in 2 months
Her dog has 2 months
to live

She had been expecting adorable
Golden and baby days
And now she will be saying goodbye
to her fur baby and hello to her new baby

“We don’t know,”
she says,
“Would we be crazy
to get a new puppy?”

I paused
I’m too young to be the old woman looking back like this—
advising

“Well,
people do it,”
I landed on
and then quickly added,
“but I don’t recommend it”

A father and a toddler brought their husky
and he leaned down with his daughter
who said,
“Dog!”
“Dog!”
“Dog!”
as dogs ran and jumped and played
and came by her to say hello
“Kiss!”
she said when my dog sniffed her cheek
I apologized of course
”It’s okay,” her dad said,
”I’m here and we’re just setting our own boundaries
We’re okay”

Later he let his daughter roam a few steps ahead of him
she pointed at each dog
”Friend!”
and wanted to share their toys

“Do you miss that age?”
The pregnant mom asked me

My mind imploded with that thing movies try to show you —
flashbacks through your whole life

It’s really an unanswerable question –
Do I miss that age?

Yes
there is nothing like it
I would go back in time if I could to get another
snuggle filled day
middle of the night feeding
walk with my two-year old’s hand in mine
a baby in my lap talking to me, nose to nose

Of course it was exhausting
a decade of sleep deprivation
touched out days
so much taking care
of
all the little people

And
now there’s magic in
older kids —
hilarious
smart
independent
older kids

Do I miss that age?

I finally answered
“Yes.
It is the cutest time
with all the words”

“So cute,” she said

“And hard!” I added
and we talk about the middle of the night feedings
all the rocking
I tell her about how after I read something about moms all over the world up feeding and rocking in the middle of the night, I never felt quite as stressed about it
I wasn’t alone

I laughed to this soon-to-be-mom,
“Now I’m the old woman with advice again…
It will go so fast
Enjoy those baby snuggles
Sleep when the baby sleeps!”

I wonder if she was sad
I think she must have been
as she watched the the toddler point at the dogs

Her dog will be
gone
long before
her baby has a chance to say
“Dog!”
”Kiss!”
“Friend!”