I’m uploading this comic crazy late on Friday night, but I wanted to get it up there before the weekend.

Yeah, I know that this comic is totally schmaltzy. But I felt since I had been building up the pregnancy question throughout this entire year-long arc, it was important for there to be that confirmation and pause to celebrate.

Frankly, I’m finding it hard to put my sentimentality in my back pocket as we’re rocketing toward the end of the comic on Monday. I can’t believe it’s actually happening.

I had to kind of force myself to do it, you know – end the comic. 2012 is creeping to a close and it just sounded profoundly lame for me to stretch out this conclusion into 2013. But as lame as I found it, I could easily see ways I could have made excuses for myself and keep the comics going.

But facts are facts. I can’t do that to these characters, to you readers or to myself.

This entire year has been about the long, slow process of letting go – both for yours and my benefit. I guess with the crush of the holidays weighing on my shoulders, I haven’t been able to look back and take stock of the last year like I wanted to. I’m feeling a little rushed, to be quite honest. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. In some ways it feels like the tearing off of the bandage that I wanted to avoid all year. I wanted things to be peaceful. Instead I feel like I’m driving a car without brakes.

It will all be over soon – and I’ll be okay with that. It hurts now, but it’s the right thing to do. In the very least, I’m confident that I’ve gone about it the right way.

Thanks for putting up with all of the “flying by the seat of my pants” antics the last few weeks as I bring the comic to a close. I hope you’re not feeling as hurried as I do. I swear I’m not trying to push these characters out the door.

If anything, I feel like I’m clutching their pants cuffs and they’re dragging me out the door with them.

See you Monday.