September 11.

...the long-awaited due date has arrived, but so far, no signs of the baby actually arriving. We're ready and waiting. and trying to be patient.

It's weird having a joyful event to (potentially) celebrate on this day. There's still so much sadness and loss fresh on our minds. Certainly those feelings won't fade for anyone who remembers that terrible day 13 years ago. For me, the words "nine-eleven" evoke those memories.

When I started sharing Katie's due date, I purposely said "September 11th". A few people commented about that being unfortunate timing. I replied that I thought it was wonderful to add some happiness and joy to the world on that day (I'm not sure any of those commenters were actually friends...in fact I'm pretty sure they couldn't have been, right?!)

And now, after eight or so months of practicing "September 11th", it's a habit. It appears we won't be celebrating a birthday today, but I'm still going to keep saying the date that way. To me, it's an acknowledgement that there is much to celebrate about our country, on this day and every day. This morning, I shared the photo above on Instagram with the caption "11. how I feel today #proud #hopeful #grateful #American".

On a somewhat lighter note, and I hope Katie won't feel too "out in the open" if I share, here's a snippet of the text message exchange we had early this morning.

She was headed into the office for a meeting; thankfully, much of her work has been from home these past few weeks. And with a little more luck, this will be her last in-person appearance until next year!