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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Preparations.


A blue baby tub is hanging on the back of my bathroom door.

The grandparent bed is piled with gift bags and giant boxes. This is thanks to my mom and stepfather loading up their truck and stopping at our house--we never would have fit all that in my car!

About ten moving boxes remain in the house.

On Sunday, we worked on the house, cleaned out the cars, and went grocery shopping. We bought various Tupperware containers: one to hold bottles of milk in the freezer, one to hold thawing bottles in the fridge, one to hold clean bottles in the designated cabinet, and one to hold extra nipples and rings and such. I realized that having all that toppling over would be a disaster. Josh would open the cabinet, and bottles would fall on his head. Milk storage containers would roll around and get lost in the freezer. Organizing all that felt nice. Closer to time, we'll boil everything.


I also worked on the breast pump. Our skittish little lady cat took up shelter in the box. I put batteries (eight AAs!) in the battery pack and stocked the backpack with extra batteries, wet-erase markers for dates, bra pads, and cream (a tiny sample came with the pump). A pocket on the back will hold a book. I'm building at extra half hour a day into my work schedule, and I will not be checking E-mails while I pump. Josh will probably have to feed Oliver three or four times during the day. I hope I can keep up. I plan to get a jump start during my three-week leave (I'll be three months shy of a year at my school, so no FMLA for me). We'll get some formula too as a back up. I just added a case of Similac Nursettes and disposable nipples to our Amazon registry...they will be quick and easy when Josh runs out of my milk (he'd already be in a panic), or we're in some sort of bind.


I found cute green baby-themed thank you notes at Wal-mart and bought stamps...I plan to knock those out this week. Next week will be a bit wild since summer grades are due on Thursday. And then...time to return to work for real. I won't think about that just yet.

I'm anxious to get the house and as much baby prep as possible done before then because I know so little will actually happen after that. Organization will crystallize; corner messes will fossilize. Until I got back from the shower and looked at the house anew, I didn't realize just how much I still have to do. Luckily, Josh is keeping the laundry, dishes, sweeping, litter box, and other daily bits under control while I figure all this out. You know what is soothing when you feel overwhelmed? Alan Rickman reading Shakespeare.


Is his voice not perfect? I fell a bit in love with him as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility. I imagined watching all my favorite movies this summer, but I haven't even been reading well. Well, I have few seated classes this fall, so I'll be able to spend lots of time in my office and bring less work home. That should help me make time for Little Women and I Capture the Castle and reading at least a few of the books in the towering stacks by my bed. I survived the busy and nauseous (new job+first trimester=madness) spring semester by reading for hours on the weekend. Going back to Alan Rickman: ALA has a "Read" poster of him with Catcher in the Rye. I need that for my office. Going back to Sense and Sens: I always identified with Marianne. I certainly had a Willoughby or two. I like how Elinor becomes more in touch with her heart while Marianne becomes a bit more calm and can appreciate real, steadfast love.


Going back to thank you notes and letters: I realized while unpacking two boxes that the drawers in Josh's big desk are no match for my stationery collection. I've long assured myself that I would have several devoted penpals and use all those gorgeous cards. It may yet happen, but I've definitely disappeared from the mailbox over the last couple of years.

We got to relive the shower a bit on Saturday night with a plate of leftovers that Susan made (more for the purpose of me not starving to death on the drive home. I made it, though). We shared the fruit, cheese, and cupcakes while I ate the mini chicken salad sandwich, and Josh made quick work of the pasta salad. After the shower feast, brown rice bowls with corn, boiled egg, and Parmesan on Sunday were humble but still very satisfying. When I got hungry before bed, I filled a bowl with black grapes, three strawberries, and a tiny plum. I'd never had plums before, and I want to try new fruits while my palette is so accepting of them. Monday kept me busy with a telephone and web training session and grading, but I made banana nut muffins using Martha White Whole Grain mix. I added extra walnuts (I love them!) and dark chocolate chips. Oh, those muffins were sublime. I could make them every day this week. We had a lovely dinner of fruit and scrambled eggs with asparagus and crumbled goat cheese (bacon bits for me; soy bits and hot sauce for him). Mmm.


(I know it looks like green eggs and ham, but it's delicious. Really)

3 comments:

  1. I'll be your penpal! I love writing letters and I also have just stacks of notecards that need to be appreciated!

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  2. I love Sense and Sensibility! Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors.

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