02.15.06
Like we never loved at all
I always find that the first day after your company leaves is so quiet. Yesterday afternoon I swept and did a load of laundry, watched Oprah and practiced knitting my patch of fabric I have been working on. Today has been mostly quiet, with the daily doggie walk and trip to the gym.
My mom taught me how to knit while she was here. I use the term taught loosely, because I definitely need practice. We started with a dish cloth, me knitting one row, her knitting two. It has a couple holes in it and is not quite square. Then we decided that it might be best to just work on a patch, so working I am. I watch Oprah most days, so I decided to make Oprah my knitting time. The only problem being that I forget how to cast off, so this patch of fabric might end up going on forever.
I am tired today, but it was so good to see and touch and feed my family. We went through a phenomenal amount of food, but fed them well, showed them around town, bought some baby sleepers and blankets and got the stroller we had been admiring. And it was almost one hundred dollars cheaper because the new model had come in. The only difference was the fabric. Ours is dark blue with some lighter blue and gray plaid, while the new model is light gray with light blue and yellow. Perhaps a little more gender neutral than ours, but we liked ours better anyway.
Yesterday afternoon I unwrapped all of the receiving blankets we have, all the sleepers and scratch mitts, all the onesies, and spread them over the air mattress we had set up in the nursery for Liam to sleep on. I looked at them and folded and refolded them, and imagined a little baby filling out the soft cotton. Numerous people have told me that they could not believe I was going to be a mommy, but everyday I feel more and more ready and excited for this. I have gotten to know my baby a little more, when she will probably start kicking or where to expect the movement inside of my body. It is strange to see already the patterns that she takes, waking up around the same times everyday.
We still have quite a few things to get, like a change table, bottles, breast pumps, a diaper bag and a monitor, but Steves mom gave us so much (crib, playpen, bathtub, diaper pail) and my parents bought us the stroller, that we are so lucky not to have to worry about stretching our money much more than we are used to. Mom and I are planning on finishing up the clothes shopping while I am in Florida because everything there is so much better priced. When I come home from there is when I am planning on starting to wash blankets and clothes and really getting everything ready for the big day.
We decided to put off our Valentines Day date until Friday night when we are going to go out for supper and then to see 8 Below, which looks so cute and sad and good, but when Steve got home last night, he spread six red carnations over the house for me to find. I was totally surprised and happily put them into a little vase on the dining room table. He said I must have suspected something since it was Valentines Day and he was twenty minutes late from work, but I thought he was stuck behind an accident or stayed late at work or traffic was bad and really had no idea. I love suprises!
Anyway, I need to wash and think I might take a bath instead of a shower. I really need to get around to buying some grips for the bottom of the tub since it is treacherously slippery and I am afraid of falling for obvious reasons, but maybe that will happen tomorrow. Until then I tread lightly and hold onto the side for dear life.
wunderwuman at 2:20 p.m.