The Best

I happen to live in a really great place for friends.

I didn't know it when I moved here. When I moved in, I was pregnant with Leena and knew no one.

I will never forget the time after she was born. I had 4 little ones, four and under. It was hard. Leena was not doing well. In fact she was failing to thrive and we didn't know why. The Emperor was just starting a new job and couldn't take much time off. It was so hard.

I will never forget the one woman who barely knew me but brought me a casserole. That support meant so much to me at a time when I felt very alone.

Things got better, of course. A shrewd lactation consultant figured out that Leena was tongue tied. The kids got bigger. I met a wonderful group of friends. Things got easier.

That group of friends turned out to be a loose community living in Hyattsville. Our co-op sprouted from that group. One of my favorite things about it, however, is that, whenever a new baby is born, everyone cooks a meal for the new family. Spaced every other day, it makes world of difference for a new mom.

One of my friends just had a tough birth. She and the baby are fine, but she'll need to be off her feet for a few weeks. I sent out a sign up sheet on Sunday morning and by this evening (Monday) she's set to have about six weeks of food. Six. Weeks.

I know that a few of them see this blog occasionally, and I just wanted to say: You guys are the best!