July 1, 2009

Test Letter

Dear Baby,

When I first found out that I was pregnant, I swore to myself that I wasn't going to get into the habit of writing to you on the internet. I really wanted to keep a hand written journal- something that I could give to you when you were ready to have your own child- but honestly, I haven't had the time or the discipline to write things down on paper. Between work and life, I will sadly admit that the computer keyboard has won out. So, here I am.

Here are a few things that have been happening lately:

Names. Your father and I have actually found a name that we agree on. Of course, that might not amount to much in the long run, but I find it exciting. If it were up to me solely, I'd give you that name right now for good, but your dad wants to meet you before sealing the deal and I respect that. In the meantime, we've been calling you Ro-Ro, as is Ro-Ro Robie, or Hey, yo, Ro-Ro! This has no correlation to the actual name.

Always moving. It feels like you are always on the go inside of me. I don't know if it's your feet or arms or elbows, but something is always moving and rotating. We can see you poking around through my skin now, which is kind of weird but entertaining all at once. Your favorite time to yoga stretch in my belly is when I am in meetings at work.

Your new environs Your dad and I have decided on a simple theme for your nursery. It's a teeny, tiny room- barely 5x7- and we plan to paint the walls a pale sky blue. A few weeks ago I bought these great white cutouts of a flock of birds which will start on the wall above your crib and stretch across the window frame and onto the opposite wall where your changing table is. Your grandfather framed two wonderfully whimsical prints for us- one of a city street and another of a cat smoking a pipe taking little cats to school. We are going to get a plush green rug for the floor. Hopefully we'll have this all assembled by late August. In the meantime, we need to figure out where to put all of the stuff that you seem to be accumulating.

Your big orange brother. We have been growing increasingly concerned about Uncle Irving. He is currently the big baby of the household, crawling onto my chest every night before bed and burying his face in my neck. We're not sure how to prepare him for your arrival but know that we need to do something. While I am sure at some point it might be possible to have a baby AND a cat nuzzling each side of my neck at the same time, I know that the likelihood of this happening right away is next to impossible.

Feeling more real. Over the past week or so, your coming into the world in October has begun to feel much more real. Last week we visited with our LA side of the family and I had a wonderful time watching your cousins run around and laugh. It still feels really strange to me that right now you are floating around inside of me, but in a year or so you will be running around with them. I had the same feeling this afternoon when I was weeding our front garden after work while watching our neighbor's kids run around in circles chasing one another. One of my favorite things about this pregnancy has been my ability to slow down, watch my surroundings, and enjoy thoughts like this. I hope that it's a habit that I keep once you are born in one form or another.

love,
me

Comments (3) | Baby | Link

June 30, 2009

Towers

When I was about ten I saw a movie via Wonderworks (remember that show?) called Daniel and the Towers about a little boy who befriends Simon Rodia, creator of the Watts Towers. I don't really remember much about the actual movie other than the towers themselves-- I was completely enamored by the structures. I remember feeling such an incredible sense of excitement over the fact that one man could create such a magnificent, fantastical thing, and particularly that it all could be constructed out of found materials.

Finally, twenty or so years later, I finally got to see the towers in person. They were just as wonderful as I had perceived them at ten years old. Hearing the story of how they were built sent shivers up and down my spine. I just love it when people create things simply for their community, particularly when they are built to last. Even more so, I love it when something continues to feel magical, even twenty years later. I can't wait to take our little one there.

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On a completely unrelated note, something is drastically wrong with my laptop's screen configuration. The colors are totally off, screwing up all of my photos. How does one fix this on a Macbook? I feel as though I have tried everything with no success.

Comments (1) | The World Outside NYC | Link

June 23, 2009

Pauses

I am taking a brief breather at my desk at home. The sun is filtering through the front window and making Irving into a golden, glowing statue. In a few minutes I will head back into Manhattan. This trip home was unexpected; when I got to work this morning I discovered that I did not have my wallet. I tried to ignore the fact that it was gone for several hours, but the reality of dinner plans and needing to get on a plane tomorrow (with my license) won out. Of course, it wasn't lost- just left on the kitchen table by its absent-minded owner who continuously catches herself halfway down the block en route to work wearing her slippers. By this evening I will have spent almost four hours commuting back and forth into Manhattan. That seems something just short of ridiculous.

The one benefit of this extracurricular jaunt back to Brooklyn was seeing the sun glint off our garden. I really do not think that our plants have gotten a strong dose of sunlight in several weeks and I figure if that gets me down in the dumps, it must really bum out our tomatoes. When I arrived home the green stalks and vines were encased in golden afternoon sun. The yellow cucumber and tomato blossoms were tilted upward toward the sky and little green fruits hung from all of the tangles. I am so excited for our beans, peas, cukes, peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Each time I look at the garden I beam.

This week I picked up my first pleasure book (as in a book read for fun, not work or school) since December. That must sound terribly pathetic..but I take what I can get. I absolutely love Novella Carpenter's Farm City. It is the perfect blend of humorous memoir and useful, well researched information. Mostly, though, the book has made me think a lot about process- or, more specifically, how different people go about learning and doing things. Shocker of shockers, this goes hand in hand with my dreaming of what our little one will be like.

I am a messy learner. I generally work backwards. Or sideways. Usually it's any method but the classic one. When I see a building that I'm curious about, I scour it for details first, then go home and research the crap out of it. When I wanted a garden, I starting digging...then I read about how it should work. I like learning by doing and am generally not afraid to bungle an effort, as long as the consequences aren't grave. Alexis, on the other hand, is a researcher to the core. When he wants to do something, he will spend weeks reading about every angle of the endeavor. Then, carefully, he will implement his plan. Sometimes we drive one another nuts, but mostly, we are oddly complimentary. The insanely impatient paired with the extremely patient. I can only wonder what Ro-Ro will be like.* And I am impatient for that, too.

*No, that is not her name, though we've taken to calling her that, as in "Hey Ro-Ro, where you at?" Ro-Ro Robie also reminds me of the Go-Bots. Remember them?

Comments (2) | Baby , Garden , Home , Introspect | Link