Thursday we celebrated Andy’s 29th birthday.
Always lamenting how close my birthday is to Valentine’s Day, he thought it quite fitting that his birthday is now so close to Father’s Day.
Here’s to many more, my love.
“Whatever with the past has gone, the best is always yet to come.” —Lucy Larcom
I don’t know Matt. I didn’t know Liz. And I don’t know Madeline. My friend Dara first told me about Matt’s blog. Only this morning did I check it out. You’ll cry, but it’s worth reading.
“Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.” —Emily Dickinson
“No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap.” —Carrie Snow
Last weekend Sophie, my mom and I attended Erin’s bridal shower.
Kathy, Erin’s mom and my former Girl Scout Troop Leader, held Sophie much of the time—Sophie either smiled or slept.
Here I am with Erin and Rachel—we’ve known each other for more than 20 years.
Sophie got hungry. I had prepared some bottles at home so Rachel was able to feed her—her daughter, Charlotte, helped.
While visiting Whitney and Lauren, Mom discovered how much I liked their playmat, which was passed down to them from another kid who also loved it. Not wanting to spend a gazillion dollars on one, Mom decided to make a playmat for me using my playard, paper clips and toys I already own.
At first I was a little overwhelmed. I mean, didn’t she learn anything when reading about overstimulation in all those books she’s always reading about babies?
But I love it.
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” —Thomas A. Edison
Last week we met Sam, Karen and Kelly’s new son. Sophie was smitten.
We also met Whitney and Lauren, Tari and Scott’s new daughters. They had so much fun playing (i.e. flailing their arms) with each other.
“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.” —Douglas Pagels
She’s especially happy when near her stuffed monkey from Brady and Alicia.
“Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.” —Richard Bach
Monday I made a quick trip to Barnes & Noble to pick up The Vaccine Book by Robert W. Sears. (For those wondering, we plan to fully vaccinate Sophie but we’re researching alternative vaccine schedules.) Anyhow, armed with a generous gift certificate from my colleagues, I got sidetracked in the children’s book section and got home later than I expected. Because Andy kept thinking I would be home anytime (and because I forgot my cell phone), he resisted giving her a bottle. But she was inconsolable, and to prove to me how upset she was, Andy recorded her. You can watch a clip here:
When I got home, I felt terrible. Nursing her immediately calmed her. That night, when getting her ready for bed, I read to her a book Nini bought for her by Molly Bang:
After the book and our bedtime poem, I rocked her to the first song on her lullaby CD. Usually, after the first song, I put her in her crib. Maybe it was because I was feeling guilty for lingering in the bookstore a little too long or maybe it was because I knew, 20 years from now, I’d give up bookstore lingering any day for one more chance to sit there, rocking, her head heavy on my shoulder. So I rocked her through another song. And then another.
“Lips that taste of tears, they say,
Are the best for kissing.” —Dorothy Parker
This picture was taken several weeks ago but it’s pretty accurate in terms of what Sophie does when I pull out a bunch of toys. Although now, upon hearing a rattle, catching her reflection in a mirror or touching something soft, she’ll sometimes—sometimes—smile.
“When I bring you colored toys, my child, I understand why there is such a play of colors on clouds, on water, and why flowers are painted in tints.” —Rabindranath Tagore
I wanted a prettier template. So I found one. And Andy spent much of the evening making it work. (Thank you, my love.)
“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” —Juan Ramòn Jimènez
