By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer
Northborough/Southborough – For five local families, Lamaze class proved more than just a lesson in prepared childbirth. Following the birth of their babies at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham in late 1993 and early 1994, the five families became fast friends sharing many developmental milestones, birthday celebrations and holidays. On June 3, the “Lamaze friends” will be celebrating yet another milestone together as the babies have grown up and will be graduating from Algonquin Regional High School.
At the suggestion of Lamaze instructor Lynn Marks, the group began meeting after the birth of their children. The first gathering for the entire group was a Sunday brunch at the Polymeros” house in January of 1994. Soon afterward, the stay-at-home moms began meeting Thursday mornings for playgroups at each other's houses.
The families include Matt and Allisa Pietro (Alexandra), of Southborough; Dave and Deb Allor (Zachary), of Northborough; Dean and Harriet Polymeros (Athena), of Northborough;?Ron and Helen Leger (Linnea), of Southborough; and Kyle and Jade Meath (Zach), of Northborough.
With each passing year and as each family grew to include additional children, the bond shared by the five families never waned.
“We played indoors in the winter but started pushing the baby carriages as soon as the good weather came.?As the babies grew, we shared in all the milestones from breastfeeding to potty training,” recalled Harriett Polymeros.?”We took them to local playgrounds and field trips to the children's museums, the zoo and the beach.?Most memorable though, have been the annual get-togethers at the Pietros” house.”
From New Year's parties to bowling excursions during February vacation to summer cookouts and beach trips to the annual Halloween party (which turned into “Fall Fest”), the families remained connected throughout the seasons.
“Over the years we definitely learned from one other, comparing notes, trying not to compare kids. We try to be supportive and helpful, without overstepping bounds,” said Helen Leger. “It was fun watching the babies grow, and grow into big sisters and brothers as more were added to the crew.”
The families grew to include 15 children collectively.
When Helen was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease/ALS) in 2010, her “Lamaze friends” were by her side, cooking meals and offering emotional support.
“We met randomly, at a similar point in our lives, and connected on some levels that made this happen. Allisa is primarily the reason this happened. She has been the driving force in keeping this group together and making sure that we schedule events despite busy schedules and kids growing up and apart,” Helen said. “It was nice when the kids went to Algonquin, as they already had friendships formed with kids from both towns.”
Following graduation, the five friends will go their separate ways to college: Zach Meath to Marist College, Linnea Leger to Wagner College, Athena Polymeros to the Honor College at UMass, Allie Pietro to Elon and Zach Allor to UMass. But the odds are good they'sl remain close in spirit.
Photos/Courtesy of Harriett Polymeros