And baby makes four

Today I heard that the first of my NCT group is pregnant for the second time. It's amazing how quickly our talk has turned from 'I couldn't even think about having another one', 'chance would be a fine thing!' and 'I'm barely managing with the one I've got' to broody murmurings. We hover over our toddlers in cafes, trying to restrain them from eating stray chips from the floor, poking a dog in the face or blowing kisses to the waiter, allowing ourselves envious glances at the quiet corner of new mothers with their snoozing babes-in-arms. Suddenly we can see all the advantages that we were blind to at the time: the constant napping, the convenience of breastfeeding and the ability to sling them in the sling and walk out of the door.

So I await news from the other girls. It won't be long before more messages of the 'I have some news...' variety make their appearance and we're once more embarking on baby massage classes together and comparing notes on newborn nappies and top tips for getting rid of colic. It takes me back to the time around our due dates. One by one the emails arrived, glowing with pride and relief in our inboxes, a hastily taken photo of a still-squashed newborn attached: (s)he is finally here!