ChezPerky

One of the best things about blogging is that I've gotten to meet all sorts of really amazing women, both online and in person.  I have built relationships that I never would have had the opportunity to build otherwise – I have made friends that I never could have hoped to have made otherwise.  I first started making new friends through the infertility blogosphere, and let me tell you – the infertility blogosphere is made up of some of the most incredible, strong, supportive women on the planet.  They are funny, they are intelligent, they are empathetic, they are generous and they are kind.  I never thought I could be more blessed with such a strong sense of community within the blogosphere. 

Then I found myself pregnant with triplets, terrified and alone.  I found Jody's blog first and she helped me wade through some of the first scary weeks and decisions and concerns.  Jessica found me next and she's become one of my closest, dearest friends ever.  Then Cherie emailed me, and gave me lots of good advice and told me about all the other great blogs of lots of other local triplet mamas and we eventually formed a google group to keep up with one another, and have even had a picnic together last summer.  I quickly discovered that the triplet community was every bit as supportive and wonderful as the infertility community.  We reach out to each other and share a common bond and it is a beautiful thing.  I love that when I meet someone with triplets we instantly connect and we can talk as if we've known each other our whole lives. 

Even as I've started writing more about the J-man and his ADHD, I've had people email me and support me in ways I never could have anticipated- locals and non-locals.  Women who have been where I am and who can tell me that there is a light further down in the tunnel.  People who support this parenting journey that I'm on.  People who haven't been there, but who want me to know that they respect what we're going through.  It's astounding the level of support that the blogosphere is bursting with.  I am ever so grateful for my friends inside the computer, and if I don't say so often enough – THANK YOU for everything you do for me, for each other, for everyone each and every day.

I love having the opportunity to meet my friends inside the computer in real life, so when the beautiful and charming Helene emailed me and said she'd be in town this week, I knew I couldn't pass up an opportunity to grab a cup of coffee with this delightful mother to triplets plus a bonus baby!  I picked Helene up at her hotel while her kids were napping and we went over to Starbucks to grab a cup of coffee (she grabbed something that wasn't remotely coffee, but what EVER, give a girl some literary license here, okay?).  We had such a delightful time just chatting away about our kids, babies, time passing, NICU days, blogging…  It would have been the perfect way to spend some time, if we weren't for the conspicuous absence of our triplet mama, blogging partner in crime, Jessica.  Oh sure, Jessica had the world's best excuse, what with her husband being in the hospital with meningitis and all, but come ON!  This was a couple of bloggin' triplet mamas!  It was a pretty piss-poor excuse to miss out on THAT kind of fun, don't you think?  Seriously, next time you don't want to have coffee with us, you might want to come up with something a LITTLE less dramatic, dear.  Anyway, we missed you, but we still had a good time.

Fortunately, Helene remembered to bring her camera (me?  Not so much).  Unfortunately, neither of us remembered to bring our life sized cardboard cut out of Jess to pose in the picture with us, so the picture is just of Helene and myself. Ah well: