Back when I was pregnant with Meredith I read the book Great With Child by Beth Ann Fennelly. I loved it so much, and it remains my favorite “parenting” book although it’s so much more than that. It’s a series of letters that the mother of a preschooler wrote to her former student while the student was pregnant and living in a place where she didn’t know anyone and didn’t have any support. The letters are true and honest and also beautiful and poetic. After I read the book I wanted desperately to write real letters again, and I tried to cultivate a pen pal but it never really worked out.

Fast forward to last year when my friend Maggie was pregnant with her first baby boy. I knew right away that I had to give her that book. Her son is almost six months old now and much to my surprise and delight she emailed me telling me how much she loved the book and asking if we could be motherhood pen pals. Apparently it had the same effect on her. :) So now, even though we live twenty minutes away from each other and are connected in so many digital ways, we are taking the time to hand write pages of thoughts and feelings about our lives as mothers. It’s exciting and slow and therapeutic and amazing.

And who doesn’t love an excuse to buy some cute stationery? ;)