A Week and A Day

I guess I forgot to post all the details so....

Tessa Cairn was born!

Monday August 6th

at 6:45 pm

weighed 8lbs 6oz

measured 20" long

Her eyes are a deep midnight blue, her hair ashy blonde, her feet and hands long and thin. Every night she seems to sleep in longer stretches - yay! Last night she slept for 4 1/2 hours! Jason actually woke me up before she did! We're typical nervous new parents but we've only called the pediatrician once. When she sleeps we worry she's sleeping too much and when she's awake we're worried she's not sleeping enough. Most of yesterday we spent trying to passively keep her awake but she's pretty determined to sleep when she wants to. Nursing has gotten progressively better to the point I don't even wince when she latches on any more. When she's not sleeping or eating she's usually in a state of active quiet consumption of the world around her. She's highly attracted to natural light and the polka dots on the blanket in her bassinette. She seems only to get really upset when we change her but not always.

Hands down she's the single most incredible thing I've ever seen in this world and if there's anything that's made me think there's such thing as soul or spirit it's her. So, yes, we're all happy and healthy here. Doing great with the support of our family and friends. Our birth story is still getting worked out but I'll be sure to post it when we figure out what happened and in what order (warning: it's a long one).

guess what!

The River

I haven't posted in a long time. Mainly because I feel a little at a loss for words. Frankly, I'm bored. Of course there's a baby coming and I should be relaxing and relishing in these last few moments of quiet and relative peacefulness but..

I've done it to death.

The one thing really saving me from going absolutely batty is the river. It's officially called Sunny Side Up to the locals but to Jason and me it's just the river. It's an amazing spot a few minutes drive from our house with clear, clean water and pools of varying depths. It's hidden in the woods just off a dirt road with a cow pasture on the other side. There's rarely anyone there so Percy can run free and we can sunbathe however we like. My big exposed belly as no one's concern. Whenever anyone asked me over the cold winter and spring months how I expected to handle the summer heat while extremely pregnant I explained I would be spending my days in the river. And I have. When Jason's been available to escort me.

See, we have a little snorkeler problem. (Snorkeler is our word for creep. Watch Little Children and understand.) He's a local nudist which I'd have no problem with whatsoever if he didn't also happen to try and engage the people around him, or get off in his car. I've only seen him up close two or three times and seen his car parked a few more, then opting to find another dipping spot. It drives me nuts. Why, oh why does one bad snorkeler have to ruin such a naturally beautiful and serene spot. A spot where otherwise I could lay all day in the sun, reading and writing and contemplating all the wonders of motherhood. This is why we live in Vermont! But no. Just because I'm a woman in a somewhat vulnerable situation (read carrying child) my access to places of natural beauty by myself are limited. I can walk around town all I like and sit by the fountain or in the cemetary but I can not cool off on a hot day alone without being afraid.

Blah. My little rant.

Otherwise, things are great and how are you? I'm just waiting, waiting, waiting for this baby to arrive and fill my days with new life. Till then I'll force myself to relax, to sleep while the sleeping's decent, to fill my freezer with baked goods and hummus, to walk Percy around and around and around town, to change my answering machine message to "no baby yet, we'll let you know".

This Summer's Hike

Baby's first attempt at Moosilakee. God, I love that mountain. This past weekend we wanted to show Evan and Tina some great falls in the White Mountains. Of course, I forgot that it's a 1/2 mile hike up to the base of the cascades. At the start you are warned : THIS TRAIL IS EXTREMELY TOUGH...

Of course now Jason says I can't use the excuse that I'm too pregnant to take Percy on a walk around the block or park down the street from where ever we're headed. Then I remind him that next summer he'll be carrying this baby up and down mountains himself.





This picture was taken with the sole aim of getting a reaction out of my mother. I'm such a child.






I definitely got a rush off of the little bit that I did hike. I didn't want to stop! I could just see that mountaintop with all those cairns, surrounded by those beautiful peaks!







And this is Percy at twilight. After a good day of hiking and swimming there's nothing like a good local brew.

Rated PG-13 for Language

I just twisted my ankle and damn it it hurts. I actually exclaimed, "SHIT!" very loudly as the 90 year old sweet neighbor lady passed by. I cringed for a second, more out of shame than pain, but then I thought "yeah, that's right. SHIT! it hurts! Goddamnsonofabitch!" I need to either try to start and censor my dirty mouth or wear it out and wearing it out sounds like more fun. I don't really want my child's first word to be something that would forever label them as "that foul mouthed little thing". I'm sure it won't but these are my fears these days.
I guess all these new paranoias could be labeled under "what the hell kind of parent am I going to be anyways and who's gonna let me get away with this?" I'm sure it's totally natural to feel like this when you're just what... 8, 9, 10 weeks away from bringing a new person into this world!? Jesus. Seriously, time is just flying by and I'm trying, really, really trying not to freak out. I popped a gasket (is that the term?) the other morning somewhat to the surprise of dear, sweet, unassuming J. It just happened all of a sudden. On a beautiful early summer morning with wonderful plans for the day every piece of my body seemed exhausted and anxious and tense all together and my head spun and I thought I'd just crumble. But after talking and talking and drinking some good iced tea I felt much better. I know I need these breakdowns, I always have. They're like the very end of a very long run that I've been somehow going on while asleep and suddenly I wake up and I can't handle it for one more step and somehow I make myself (by not curling up under the covers and escaping the world and those I love) finish the run and I feel so much better (although a little confused to how I got there but certainly a lot stronger).
I think we've both realized now that this is really happening. It had to hit us at some point, although I'm sure the real kicker will be when little babe is actually out of my body and in our arms. So, trying to sell a house and move in the next 8 weeks is probably unprobable and weighing us down with an inordinate amount of stress. We don't want to struggle through another winter, especially when I won't be working as much and our bills will be higher, but we also don't want to miss out on all those important little things people do before a baby comes. Like getting all their tiny little baby clothes ready and organizing and checking off all the essential baby needs. I can't even start to do these things when I think about having to pack it all up and move it somewhere else. So we're going to passively try and sell for the time being and then try it a bit more aggressively after little one is here. That's the plan as of today anyways and I'm able to be more relaxed just not having to think about it. Now, we can hang out in the house and enjoy it and make it more the kind of first home we want for this baby. I still want to move towards Burlington very soon but one day at a time right? We're spending all our weekends there anyways so we'll think of it as a commute for now. A commute to where we live two days a week for fun.

Break's Over...Almost

We had a wonderful vacation full of all sorts of varying experiences and places that make a break memorable. This particular 'holiday' will stick out in memory from our many other vacations we've taken over the past 5 years together for a number of reasons. For one, it's our last long trip we'll take just the two of us for a very long time. No doubt I'm really looking forward to family vacations and sharing new places with this new little person but there's something easy going in two people deciding what to do with their day without taking into consideration all of those essential baby details I have no clue yet about. How many diapers to bring? What kind of clothing? On and on.
I'm thinking wishfully though. This babe is due to be born end of July/early August, my birthday is at the end of September and I'm already planning a trip to Montreal for the weekend. I'm thinking if I just go ahead and plan on doing these things I'll be more likely to go through with them. Instead of, say, not planning anything for the next year and a half and just hoping I get out of the house. That said I know it's a dangerous thing expectations. I'm trying not to have any except that I won't be sleeping for the first few months. Which is why I'm getting it all in now.

I don't go back to my night job for another four days! Fabulous but somewhat boring. This town is not known for it's night life and even if it were I'm not sure what I'd be so interested in doing. People watching perhaps. Oh, like the old days in my big city life. Ah, yes, when options were plentiful and even relaxing at home meant sitting on the roof, margarita in one hand, book in the other and the lake giving me a private light show at sundown. Well, I suppose I wouldn't have a margarita at this point and maybe at 6 months pregnant it would be unwise to climb up on a roof but still. There'd be people walking the streets. I'm lucky here if I get the same shady guy walking past the house with his dog dragging it's foot long cut off leash behind him.

So, what am I going to do here when I have to stop working before the baby comes!? I'm sure there'll be lots of preparation but it's so hard in a house that we're not sure we'll be in for much longer. Start packing perhaps? Oh, life is not so bad in this sweet old house. It's actually quite peaceful. It's certainly quiet. I'll look back to this time when we've moved into an apartment, baby crying, dog barking, neighbors banging on their ceiling with a broom stick to shut the hell up and I'll think "wasn't that peaceful back there in that house?" Someone kick me then. Smack me upside the head and tell me to be careful what I wish for.

For now though, I think I'll walk down to the Family Dollar store to buy some shower curtain rings. Yay! (shiver) Or maybe I'll pretend to read the rest of the New Yorker and sleep this grey afternoon away.

Baby's Coming! Time to Gamble!

I'm so excited... gambling. Ah, yes. One of my ultimately most ridiculous secret pleasures in life. I love to gamble. Back in the day I was the Black Jack Queen. Now I've resigned myself to Powerball tickets and the occasional scratch off. I haven't won yet but I've been brainwashed by the slogan "you can't win if you don't play". It's so true! I can't win if I don't play! I must!

Anyhow, I've brought the little bear in my belly into the scheme. We've officially started a pool tonight at work. So, who wants in!? I haven't even put my bet in yet. I could guess a date but not the sex. I don't know and I really, honestly, don't want to be wrong. Although I know how silly that sounds it's true. I hate the thought of having my first maternal instinct be off. But, for the love of the game I just might have to take a shot at it. So if any of you five people reading this blog want in... let me know. It's a $5 toss in. You can bet on the same day as someone else but only if you guess the opposite sex.