My god, they are everywhere this weekend. And it’s not like I’m hanging out at Baby Depot or anything, they are just EVERYWHERE.

We went to Portland last night for the MAB awards dinner at the Marriott at Sable Oaks. (Hi, Jo!) It was lovely, Dave’s work is awesome and I was glad he got recognized for it. (1st in Campaign, 2nd in Spot, and first in Self-Promo, technically — a coworker got the credit, but Dave walked him through concept, shooting, and production, and everyone at the station knows that, but whatever. He was not credited, and that’s fine. . . I’m just sayin. Dave’s #1. 😉 ) By the time we left, Dave had started to get my cold, so we went back to our room and sacked out.

This morning, he was DEFINITELY sick. so we went for breakfast at IHOP. In Phoenix, there was an IHOP in the parking lot of the store I worked at, and I fell in love with the place. This IHOP is one of the old school ones; it;s been in the same place for more than 30 years. It’s moving up the street soon, but ahh, the old A-Frame IHOP. MMmmmm.

Anyway, apparently IHOP is where the pregnant people go on Sunday morning. They were EVERYWHERE. On BOTH SIDES of us were pregnant people. When one left, another sat down. It was kind of freaking me out.

We went to Target after some Vive le French Toast and RootyTooty goodness, to procure some tasty DayQuil and Chloraseptic lozenges for Dave, and some Black Licorice Altoids for me. MMmmmm, I LOVE black licorice, and you can never find it anymore, and the altoids are great — they are white, too, which was a plus.

We headed up the highway to Freeport, where we seemd to be 2 steps behind tour bussers no matter where we stepped, and Dave felt like ass, but he did find some stuff at Gap for work, and then we left. I decided I really needed to come back with a woman who was not sick. I saw some neat stuff, but didn’t want to slow dave down by trying stuff on. We made it home relatively early, and Dave took a nap in the guest room while I washed the bedding in our room.

Then, I went shopping. I went to the health food store for almond butter, honey, and republic of tea ginger peach, and I went to Target for cleaning supplies. Babies, everywhere.

I went to the mall, where they were even more everywhere. I was excited to see somany people walking around HOLDING babies, there were a few stroller-types, but a lot of tiny babies, swaddled up in fleece and being held close. I saw several dads carrying around newborns, and women, too. It was just ALL BABY.

ANd when it’s all baby, I can’t help but think and wonder about myself, about my friends, about all those who are waiting to be that person in IHOP, cutting up pancakes for a toddler and passing on coffee because of the baby inside. Or to be one of those people in the mall, getting the glances from people like me, wandering around unfettered by even a handbag, enjoying the freedom while I can. The stores I noticed this time, on our overnight, were the Babies R Us by Target, and the outlets right off the highway, with Carter’s and Gymboree, and the Children’s Place. And those fleecy buntings, on sale at the LLBean clearance outlet, and that the Gap Outlet now has MATERNITY AVAILABLE UPSTAIRS.

Despite the huge surge in babyness, the cravings intensifying by the day, if I had to choose this month, between me and someone else, I wouldn’t pick me.

I have chicken soup on the stove, groceries in the cupboard. Today has felt like the first fall day of this year, and it’s time to snuggle in, get the down blanket from the dryer and make the bed up for a night of good sleep. And eat some chicken soup, and wonder, about everything.