Signs of Incipient Parenthood

And so it begins...magazines with names like "Baby Talk" and "Motherhood" appear mysteriously on the coffee table. Yard sale purchases move from books and kitchen gadgets to onesies and crib bumpers. Packages show up at the door, with little bathtubs and diaper covers in them. A shelf in one of the bookcases fills up with parenting books. The crib is assembled; the alphabet quilt is hung on the wall; the changing table drawers fill with baby clothes. Like a werewolf at the full moon, I am transforming into another kind of being.