“I don’t know,” he whispered back jokingly. “Maybe she wants to congratulate you?”

I took the phone and put it to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, Sarai,” Morgan said. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” I couldn’t think of anything more to say than that.

“You freaking out?” Morgan asked, her voice low.

I glanced at Alex and gave him a small smile.

“A little,” I said. What an understatement.

Morgan laughed quietly. “Yeah, I’ve been there.”

“Yeah.” I glanced at Alex again. “It took a minute for it to sink in.”

“Been there, too,” Morgan replied. “Look, everything probably seems scary right now, but thankfully it takes forty weeks to grow a human, so you have time to figure it out.”

“Okay.”

“And you’ve got a good guy, which makes things easier. At the very least you’ll have someone to run to the store for late-night cravings. I don’t know how many times the corner-store guy saw me in my pajamas.”

I chuckled. She was so frank that I was instantly at ease. I also felt grateful. Unlike Alex’s sister, Kate, who I’d never met in person but who had already texted me a few times just to chat, Morgan was reserved. The fact that she’d asked to speak to me felt special, I guess.

“Just a few words of advice,” Morgan said. “Don’t join any mommy groups—those women are barracudas. Find a doctor that you like, because all sorts of weird shit is going to happen, and you want to be able to tell them anything without feeling self-conscious. And just so you know—because I didn’t—you’re going to come home from the hospital still looking about six months pregnant.”

“Good to know,” I replied.

“Oh, and if you’re interested in cloth diapering—”

“People still do that?” I asked in confusion.

“Yep. They still do it. I’ve cloth diapered Etta for years. Super easy, cheaper than disposables, and saves the environment.”

“It’s not gross?” I asked, intrigued.

“Your definition of gross is going to change dramatically,” she said, chuckling. “It’s really not a big deal. We used pockets on Etta for a long time, but I’ve just discovered flats and wool, and I’m in love. I’ve got an awesome hookup in Germany that makes the cutest baby pants and diaper covers that I can send you to, if you decide to go that route.”

“I only understood about half of what you just said,” I confessed. What the hell were pockets and flats? And why would I need wool?

“One thing at a time,” Morgan replied. “But I’m going to be honest: knowing another mom who cloth diapers would be awesome. I tried to get Ani to convert, and she acted like I was crazy.”

“Uh,” I said. It did sound kind of crazy. “I’ll let you know if we decide to do that.”