May 27: Andrew is napping this afternoon. Sylvie woke up just as I was putting him down, and she is now rather happily perched on my lap as I type. It’s nice to be able to type and kiss bald baby head at the same time. I’m sitting here in the relative quiet and feeling a sense of a new existence. Like I’m at the ocean’s edge, and the tide all went out and I’m seeing that the starfish-filled tide pools are a very different landscape from the waves that were present a few hours ago. Life post-wedding; life with two kids; life not going to work at Gathering Waters; life being a full-time mom (with no immediate wedding planning) in the summer.
Yesterday (Memorial Day) I really unwound. Bryan was Mr. Accomplishing, mulching garden beds, cleaning the gutters, staining planks of wood to make a picnic bench. Me? I read a Barbara Kingsolver book and sorted through bags of 6-12 month clothes, pulled out 0-3 month clothes that are too small, and in general re-organized Sylvie’s dresser and closet. I should mention again that I LOVE baby clothes. I love touching them and folding them and creating new outfits. And I love putting them on my little ones. I think I decided to dive into clothes because it most certainly did not need to be done. And I wanted to do something that I didn’t need to do. The last couple weeks have been quite full of prioritized lists, so it felt good to pick an off-the-list task. Plus, I now have new things to put on my sweet princess pottywottykins.
My co-worker Pam goes back to work today. Her daughter Mercy is a week younger than Sylvie, and so her first day back at work makes me quite aware that I am not going back to work. I’ve got to say, though, that while I miss seeing my co-workers and thinking critically and having conversations that don’t involve kids and doing work that I really think makes Wisconsin a better place, I don’t really miss my job. It’s summer, and I get to be outdoors with the kids and have Andrew give me big hugs and say things like, “I’ll love you forever, Mommy.”
Last night I wrote up a list of meals to make for the week, and this morning the kiddos and I went to Woodman’s. They are remarkably good shoppers, and Andrew is even tending to leave the house cheerfully (AMAZING). Sylvie is happy in the front carrier, and we happily shopped together, purchasing over $200 worth of food. Good heavens, I must be crazy. On the other hand, I’m making lots of meals that will have leftovers, and I’m not eating out much for lunch any more. Because I am slightly compulsive and type-A, I made a Woodman’s shopping list laid out like the store is to try to streamline the shopping process. Feel free to copy and use yourself if you’d like. These are the kinds of things I do when I don’t have a job:) Oh, and my dad made a very similar list when I was a kid, so I come by it genetically.
Heather and Michael and Evelyn were in town for Maretta’s wedding, so I got to see them all, if only quite briefly. I’m going out to DC in August for Kacy’s wedding, and I’m hoping to spend significantly more time with them then. Evie is soooo cute and tiny. Just one month old:)
My stream of consciousness is faltering, and Sylvie would like me to interact with her now. The muffled explosions emanating from her nether regions may need to be dealt with on the changing table as well. Have a happy summer!