As the baby kicks get a little stronger and I share the news with all the students at my school this whole pregnancy/impending baby thing keeps getting more and more real. What’s really fun is how excited everyone seems to be for us (even when my excitement wavers and I start to get a little scared). So many people, friends and family and colleagues and mere acquaintances, are eagerly anticipating this arrival and are happy to be a part of our joy.

Four of my students, four wonderfully delightful girls in the first year at the high school I teach at, decided to surprise me and share their excitement about our baby. Today, at the end of class, the girls came up to me and gave me this beautiful poster that they had made to congratulate me.

Never mind the misspelling, they are just learning English after all. The gesture itself was enough to bring the hugest smile to my face and a bit of a tear to the corner of my eye. It is so nice and reassuring to know that so many people are behind us in this journey. I know that all those people will be there to support us when we waver, when we don’t believe in ourselves. Right now they are our village, and I am hoping that as baby grows he/she will have a village of his/her own.