Apta 32: The Next Generation

I'm sure this happens with everyone, but there seems to be moment after moment that makes me feel "old" in some way. Maybe "old" isn't the right word, but I just keep realizing how long I've been on this planet and how each new phase seems to come faster and faster. Last night was another one of those moments. Ten years ago, I couldn't imagine throwing a wedding shower for any of my friends, much less a baby shower, but here we are!

Circa 2004, we had a large group of friends that we hung out with that were not in our sorority, so we decided to make an unofficial fraternity called APTA (code for apartment, so clever, haha) and 32 because that was our apartment number. I really loved living with the core of the Apta 32 group (Ami, Tami, Kellie, and Steph). The best part about living with a big group is all the downtime you have just to chit chat. If we were really bored we would talk about what each other's "Barbies" would be like. For instance, if Tami were a Barbie, she'd come with glittery shoes and a Build-a-Bear shirt (the accessory kit came with a Metallica hoodie and a blood drive t-shirt). Steph would come with a bunch of purses and accessories. Kellie would come with a glass of wine and her purse on her shoulder (the Christmas Kellie came wrapped in Christmas tree lights). Ami would come with a bunch of homemade confetti. I'd come with a large McDonald's cup and a cardigan. Oh yeah, and most of us would come with a Motorola Razor phone as well. Those are the tame versions, but you get the idea. 

Another thing we would do to pass the time would be to make jokes about what our kids would be like. Just like the Barbies, they were over-exaggerated, stereotypical versions of ourselves. We would just crack ourselves up thinking about it. For example, everyone said that they wouldn't want their kid hanging out with Tami's kid because they'd probably be a bad influence getting the others into trouble. My kid would probably tattle on the rest of the children and Ami's kid would be the messiest, but craftiest. Kellie met Eric way before the rest of us had met our soul mates, but if you had told us that in ten years we would be where we are, we probably wouldn't have believed it. I don't remember thinking much past my nose back in those days and even though I hoped I'd get married and have a baby, I couldn't really picture it. Turns out, it's better and more perfect than I could've ever imagined. 

So here we are pretty close to our ten year friend-aversary, and the jokes about what our children will be like are about to get very real. John Mark was born February, 2013. Baby Nathan is due August 2013, and now Baby Mapp is scheduled to arrive February, 2014. I'm sure the group of children will just get bigger and bigger and it will be so interesting to find out if our predictions are true. I love this group of girls so much and I can't wait to get to know the second generation of "Aptas."