In mid-July, just as I was returning from my family vacation, the news broke about Yahoo's new CEO, 34 year-old Marissa Mayer.
She's pregnant, and was about halfway through her pregnancy when she was offered the job.
Lots of writers have parsed Mayer's happy news and its effect on other women in the workforce and on the executive culture.
I've been shamefacedly laughing at her for two weeks.
Oh, Ms. Mayer, I don't mean to be superior or mean, but you're funny. I think you'll understand my laughter in about four months.
You see, Mayer has the whole thing planned and figured out. She'll work throughout her pregnancy, she says.
"My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I'll work throughout it," Mayer said.
That's a great plan. Here's the thing: Pregnancies and babies don't follow plans, no matter how meticulous.
We can talk about equality all we want, but as a woman who has given birth four times, I can tell you there are some realities about pregnancy that no amount of open-mindedness can erase.
Growing another human being is hard physical, mental and emotional work that can and does affect most pregnant women in one way or another.
Sometimes, you get sick when pregnant. Sometimes you throw up hundreds of times a day, or swell up like a balloon, or have your blood pressure skyrocket. Sometimes, baby tries to come early. You may need an emergency C-section and a six-week recovery.
You may suffer from postpartum depression. There is no predicting this, no scheduling this into a busy day.
So, Ms. Mayer, go ahead and talk about working until you give birth. You have no idea right now if that can or will actually happen. If it does, great - but if it doesn't, and you've set your heart on it, you're going to let yourself down over something you can't control.
Even if she continues to be healthy and well, no woman can predict how stress, even the normal level of stress in her job, will affect her while pregnant. I usually thrive on stress and last-minute deadlines, but it undoes me when I'm pregnant, especially in the third trimester. Your body is not your prebaby body anymore. It processes adrenaline differently. And that may make working at 110 per cent impossible.
Pregnancy is just the beginning. Ms. Mayer, I've learned this the hard way.
You cannot predict who you will be once you've held your precious boy the first time. The old Marissa Mayer will be gone, the new one as untested and blinking as the infant cradled in her arms.
The new Marissa Mayer may no longer want a short, working maternity leave.
She may need a few months, or longer, to figure out this new life as the mother of a baby. She may be unwilling to be away from him for more than a few hours. Even that long may physically hurt.
I was a young and ambitious reporter when I gave birth to Alex. While I still loved my job after becoming a mother (and, I think, became a much better reporter, too: every accident victim and murderer is someone's child), it was not a visceral part of my identity the way it was before.
My career path could meander while I did something more important: be present for Alex's life (and his siblings after him).
Stepping away from my relentless ambition was the best decision I ever made. I have truly lived in my communities, instead of seeing them as the next stop on my way to the big leagues.
I saw different stories around me once I was a parent. I started a second career, met great people, learned new things. The old Cindy would have been horrified by me.
So, I'm sorry to laugh, but I'm really laughing with you, Ms. Mayer. You'll get the punchline soon enough. At least the new Marissa will.
Listen to her - don't push her away and force her down under the weight of your plans and expectations. She's your son's mother, and he'll need her around. Give her a chance; give yourself permission to look around through her eyes. You may like what you see.
