Our sitcom

I found myself watching reruns of Friends yesterday as I ate dinner. To no one's surprise, the episodes I chose to watch were the ones where Rachel has her baby. Two plot lines really struck me: Rachel's labor/delivery/etc (obviously) and Chandler and Monica deciding to start trying for a baby. I found myself somewhere in the middle of their two worlds. I don't really feel the overwhelming excitement of newly trying to conceive anymore, but I've not experienced Rachel's excitement, either.

Monica and Chandler can't wait to start trying. Literally. They decided together that they were ready to have a baby, too and decided there was no time like the present. As I watched the sitcom antics unfold, my heart went out to these fictional characters. I remember when Ben and I started trying. We had waited so that "just in case" we got pregnant right away, we'd be in a comfortable place when the baby came. I knew the chances were slim, but I hoped we would get pregnant in the first few months. I wondered if Monica and Chandler have the same hope I did. I wondered if they would have the same frustration I do, or if their hope would become a reality. It's hard to accept that everyone's timing is different.

Rachel was going through eighteen hours of labor, watching a parade of other pregnant roommates come into her room, then out as they were taken to deliver their babies. After four new moms, she gets clearly upset that it's not her turn yet. Oh, believe me, Rachel, I can relate. When she is finally ready to have her baby, the doctor told her "You're about to be a mom." Wow, what a statement. I can't imagine what it will be like to hear that and know that your life will change in a matter of a few minutes. I'm looking forward to hearing those words.

Ben and I have heard before that our life could be a sitcom, based on how we met, some of our affectionate conversations, some unique experiences we've had, among other things. I'm interested to see how what happens on the next episode of our sitcom. No spoilers!