Everyone's having babies. A couple years ago, it was everyone getting married...and actually, a lot of people are still getting married. But, we've definitely moved onto THE NEXT STAGE. Babies.

It's a little frightening to have so many friends getting pregnant. On the one hand, it raises all the "aww...a baby...I want one!" kind of feelings, but on the other hand, I still feel like a kid. Can you have a kid when you are a kid? Fortunately, I don't really feel too much pressure from anyone right now, so I can still stick to the Kathy Chi Master Plan. What's that, you ask? Well, do you remember playing M.A.S.H. when you were little? Not the tv show; the game, as in Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House. We'd play and play, gleefully discovering what laid ahead in our futures. Would I be rich? How many children would I have? What kind of car would I drive? Every detail would get scribbled down and laughed over, set in stone until the next time we played.

It was while I played M.A.S.H. that I came up with my Master Plan. I'd grow up, go to a great college, meet a great guy, get married when I was 25, buy a lovely home, and have my first child when I was 30. Well, now that I'm actually mostly "grown up," I'm really rather surprised to see that life is pretty much on track. Great college - check. Great guy - check (I absolutely adore Felix). Married at 25 - check. Lovely home - not what my 10-year-old self had in mind, but I love it, so check. First child...hmmm. Turning 30 seems to be approaching both a bit faster and a bit slower than I expected, and I find myself in a tug-of-war with myself. Start a family now...later...much later...no, now...you get the picture.

Fortunately, the Plan gives me the leeway to waffle for another year or so before I start to fall behind. In the meantime, I'm having lunch next week with my college friend I-Han and her 9-month old daughter Mia, and tomorrow, I'm going to visit another college friend Lisa in the hospital. She just gave birth to her first child - Alan Michael. Got any suggestions for baby names? I might as well start thinking about it.