I had waited a long time to become a mother. Not the dramatic, movie-montage kind of waiting—just the quiet kind, the kind where you smile at baby announcements and tell yourself someday, over and over, until the word starts to feel fragile. Raymond and I talked about it late at night, whispering like the dream might vanish if we said it too loudly. When it finally happened, I was both terrified and euphoric. Pregnancy was hard on me. Bone-deep tiredness. Ached joints. Swollen feet. Ray tried to be steady for both of us. He downloaded apps, read articles, talked to...
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