old friends

or are they new friends? Though we had never met them before yesterday, I’d definitely have to say they are old friends.

When I was pregnant with Camille and back home from ICU and the hospital, I was busy reading and learning all I could. With no family and very few friends around, I felt quite isolated. I started posting on the usenet groups (who remembers those?) until my grad school friend told me about the Pregnancy Today email lists. I joined the Sept98 list and really felt connected. So connected that 11.5 years later, I am still a member of that still active list. Our list has moved from Pregnancy Today to eLists, to eGroups, to yahoo, etc. The members of our list have moved all over the country, had major changes in their lives, etc. But we are still there, supporting one another as our kids grow.

As with any group, there have been arguments and heated discussions and splits. But a nice sized group of us are there and once in a while a “long lost” friend will appear back on the list, which is always fun. We’ve put together yearbooks a few times; I have mine tucked safely away. But one of the most fun things is when we gt to finally meet in person! I’ve been lucky enough to meet quite a few of my fellow Sept98Moms through the years.

And yesterday, I got to meet yet another! My friend Kelly and her son (not her Sept98 “baby”) were in the area and came by for a few hours to hang out. We’ve known each other for so long, yet we were meeting for the very first time. It was wonderful!

I hope that one day there will be a big “reunion” where we can all get together in one place and have a great big party with our families. What a blast that would be!