Year: 2008

“Earth laughs in flowers.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday Maria and her son, Vincent, and Tari and her daughters, Whitney and Lauren, came over for a play date. I made open-faced turkey, brie and nectarine sandwiches, and apple pie for dessert (a big accomplishment for me as I rarely cook). Here’s Maria, Vincent and Whitney.

Vincent and Whitney

Vincent and Sophie

Sophie, Vincent and Maria

Tari and Whitney

Maria and Lauren

Tari and her daughters

That evening Andy sang Hoyt Axton songs to Sophie.

Then we went over to Angel and Marty’s to play Euchre. Sophie, of course, convinced Angel to rub her feet.

“Constant use will not wear ragged the fabric of friendship.” —Dorothy Parker

Last night Andy came home with 12 roses,

two potatoes and

two steaks. I put Sophie in her carrier so she could sit with us in the sunroom while we ate. I guess she didn’t like that plan, because she got sick. All over herself. And the carrier. And the nursery rug. Seriously. I don’t know how it was possible she had so much in her.

So then, while our steaks and potatoes grew cooler and cooler, we washed Sophie. And the carrier. And the nursery rug.

We had wine with dinner.

“Sleep, riches, and health to be truly enjoyed must be interrupted.” —Johann Paul Friedrich Richter

Thursday Linda and I celebrated her 60th birthday at Pompilios. After dinner Linda stopped by to see Sophie. Saturday, Linda and her sister, Lisa, who was visiting from Chicago, stopped by again. And Sunday Linda brought me two delicious cupcakes Megan made for her birthday celebration at work! I miss working with Linda at Popular Woodworking, so it was great to spend time with her.

Friday my parents gave Andy and I some Reds tickets and volunteered to watch Sophie while we went to the game. Sophie cheered for the Reds at home, in her first Reds T-shirt.

Saturday Sophie, Andy and I met friends for dinner at a great new Greek restaurant in Liberty Township, Greek Isles. I took full advantage of the fact that I’m allowed 500 extra calories a day because of breastfeeding. We saw Dave and Danielle, who just returned from their Hawaiian honeymoon, Matt, who was in town from Michigan, and our good friend John (seen behind the counter in the first picture) waited on us.

This weekend I also took some clothes to a local consignment shop and was pleasantly surprised to discover that they sell children’s clothes. I bought this great, red jacket from my favorite I-love-everything-but-can’t-afford-any-of-it-unless-it’s-really-on-sale baby clothes store, Janie and Jack.

Saturday, when driving home from dinner, I saw a big, beautiful rainbow. I immediately squealed in delight and said, “Sophie, look! Your first rainbow!” She continued sleeping in her car seat. And while the last thing I want to do is wish her life away, I thought how fun it’s going to be to someday say, “Sophie, look! A rainbow!” and for her to see and comprehend it. If Andy’s in the car, I’m sure she’ll get some scientific explanation about why rainbows exist. And if I’m in the car, I’m sure I’ll babble on about the sun, the rain, luck, pots of gold and happy endings. But I have to say this is one of my favorite parts of motherhood—being able to introduce to someone, for the first time, bits and pieces of this world I love so much.

Sunday Andy helped Sophie nurse her cold while I did some freelance editing.

Despite the cold Sophie is still battling, it was a good weekend.

“The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.” —Henry David Thoreau

“You ask of my companions. Hills, sir, and the sundown, and a dog as large as myself that my father bought me. They are better than human beings, because they know but do not tell.” —Emily Dickinson

I’m jealous of Sophie’s long eyelashes.

In other news, she slept eight hours last night. Andy woke up, ran in and checked on her. I woke up, ran in and checked on her (and then pumped!). But she was fine. Her little chest was rising and falling, and her lips were doing the cute sucking movement they do when she sleeps.

“What I have to say is far more important than how long my eyelashes are.” —Walter Scott

Earlier this week Andy, Sophie and I went on a walk. We decided to stop by Marty and Angel’s house to check out their newly painted dining room. It was 6:15pm and Angel was just finishing up cooking dinner. She invited us to stay. I think we’re going to start taking walks past Marty and Angel’s house every evening around 6pm.

Sophie was completely mesmerized by the colorful lights hanging from their patio ceiling. You can see her looking up at them in the first picture, as well as here.

“I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited—they went there.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” —Elizabeth Stone

Sunday the Mangan’s, Capista’s, Gebhart’s and Uhl’s got together for a cookout at my parents’ house. We had chicken, pulled pork sandwiches, deviled eggs, fruit salad, potato chips, homemade baked beans, watermelon and homemade ice cream sandwiches (with vanilla, chocolate or Graeters black raspberry chip!).

Sophie ate dinner with Grandpa.

Great Grandma got some holding time, too.

After lunch we walked around the neighbor’s pond, looking for bullfrogs.

Then we played the first game of the season on Detling Field. The field is named after my Grandma Gebhart’s father—so that’s Sophie’s Great Great Grandfather!

Grandma protected Sophie from fly balls.

Nini, Great Grandma and Great Aunt Alise cheered the batters on.

My dad found a baseball in the shed with a wasp’s nest on it.

It was the first time my cousin Ben met Sophie. This was about as close as he got. 🙂

He did, however, wear her hat.

John loved making silly noises for Sophie. Every time he did her eyes got so very wide.

I hope Sophie has many summer days like this one.

“Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.” —Ada Louise Huxtable

Andy’s parents, who live in Boston, flew in for a weekend visit. It was so good to see them, too.

Sophie had three firsts when we picked up Andy’s dad at the airport: (1) her first trip to an airport, (2) her first walk through a revolving door and (3) her first time on an escalator (we carried her instead of lugging around the stroller).

After dinner at The Pub (I guess you could say Sophie had fish and chips, secondhand), we drove back to the airport to pick up Andy’s mom. She flew in from Phoenix where she was working all last week.

Grandma had to spend a lot of time consoling Sophie, who had a bit of stomachache. In fact, the first thing Sophie did to Grandma Saturday morning was throw up all over her—I’m sure Sophie’s going to hear that story for many, many years.

Grandpa loved singing songs to Sophie, especially in the car. And Sophie would just smile and stare and smile and stare … she loved Grandpa’s songs.

Grandma says Sophie must love to shop, because Sophie’s always getting packages from Boston filled with clothes. But Grandma was able to give Sophie this outfit in person.

“One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather.” —Joy Hargrove