Letters to my Baby Boy - Week 21

Hello Sweet Potato,

Yup, we're back to the wonderful world of edible euphemisms for your size! But that's ok, I like sweet potatoes.

Your dad is off in Pennsylvania this week on his annual deer hunting trip. He keeps saying it's the last one, but I doubt it. Truth be told, I'm really enjoying the solitude. I played hookey from work yesterday to get some much-needed house cleaning done. There was so much to be done in preparation for winter, especially outside. So we hauled and put away and cleaned up and organized, and by two o'clock, I was totally out of steam. It's hard to remember sometimes that I can't just go and go and go like before. So we took a nap with the Woobie and Lola–well, I took a nap. You did gymnastics. It's nice having the bed all to myself. I've been experimenting with all those pillows I'm supposed to sleep on, and it's doing nothing.Nadaa. I'm not more comfortable at all.

How are we physically? Pretty darn good. The insomnia has let up, and I'm a lot more used to getting up frequently without really waking up...a good training habit, I'd think. I still have two complaints. My feet are KILLING me. My poor arches have collapsed again and it's really hard to spend more than an hour on my feet without pain. But that nothing compared to thesciaticc nerve pinch from Hell. Thank god it's not all the time. Like right now, at my desk at three in the afternoon? I'm just fine. It's only when I get up from sitting on the couch, or, worse, get up out of bed. Then I look like a crone hobbling towards her gingerbread oven. Owweeee. So, I'm going to try some prenatal massage therapy. Doesn't that sound good? Mmmm-mmmm.

Let's see. I've decided to decorate your room in "Starry Night" which is a really cool ark full of animals on a nighttime sea. It's made out of denim and I really like it. So naturally, it's on closeout, and I have to scramble to get all the pieces I want. There's this small-person-sized rocker that makes me want to weep, it's so cute. But at least it's forcing us to get a move on with your room. That will be so much fun. Except I can't paint, grrr. I bought a bunch of pieces and registered for the rest. Fingers crossed.

You and I went to have dinner Monday with the excellent Briggs/Heffernans. We talked garlic and babies and books. Nora and Briggs are feet taller than last time I saw them. They were very excited about you, and they've given you most of their baby furniture collection, which I could not be more grateful for. I'm most excited about the Pack'n'Play with a bag full of accessories, and a really nice swing and a crib! And that was only half the booty. Hurrah for Barbara and company. We love them.

I'm going to fess up to one of the more bizarre things I've done with regards to your upcoming arrival. I'm really wanting you and Murphy to be friends right off. Around small people, Murphy seems to be happy, but he got pretty anxious when he heard a friend's infant start to cry. So today I went online and downloaded a couple mp3s of babies crying to get him used to the sound. You might as well know right off that your mother tends to think too much.

Bringing you to work with me is still under discussion. The word is that people are 'getting used to the idea.' Apart from an outright go-ahead, this is about as good as we can hope for. I'm still very committed to the idea, and so I'm going to get back to work now. Besides, it's too hard to concentrate on this letter with you beginning your afternoon stroll.

Love you to pieces,

Mama