Mona Lisa Smile.....

Being pregnant creates an energy in the atmosphere and it becomes infectious. No one seems to get more excited than people who have experienced the joy of parenthood. The nostalgia of a baby takes them back to when they raised their now 30 year old and you can see the glow in their eyes. The fond memories play across their eyes like a flip book. The stories of the cuteness, rainbows, bunnies and unicorns flow from their mouths like a Shakespeare monologue. Every trip down memory lane ends with them being so happy for you as a new parent and the streamers and confetti fall from the sky because you are about to experience that joy. At the baby showers everyone sits around and plays games, laughs, jokes, eats, hugs, rubs the belly, tell you how amazing you look for being a pregnant woman ( is that a compliment?), and the gifts roll in. This little cherub has everything he needs for months to come. Never did I notice in all of these encounters, that little smirk; that smirk of "oh boy, you are in for a ride," that smirk of "welcome to the terror dome," that Mona Lisa Smile.  They know some thing that you don't yet and they aren't going to let you in on the secret. It's like an unspoken right of passage that every parent must go through. You will know you are inducted into the club when you see them for the first time post-eviction and the first question they ask is, Are you getting any sleep? that smirk becomes a chuckle as they see the glazed look in your eyes indicating that you are a shell and your brain has left the building. The next baby shower I attend I will not be gifting baby clothes, I will be bringing the parents the best Bourbon I can find and a bottle of red wine.