I have less than I like of golden rest, but certainly I thank the Wren for occasionally being a late bird. She grunts through the night and avoids waging war with squawk assaults unless soundest sleep keeps me deep. Then she rouses the roost and raises the roof.
If the nurse can be trusted (because some can't be, you know), Susannah gained almost a pound and a half in ten days. Is that even possible? I am a supreme dumpling maker. Soon, she'll have fluffy legs instead of chicken sticks**, and I'll accept the blue ribbon with a bashful smile. (**I love this stage, though, when the area from her ankle to beyond her knee has the same circumference. I should take a picture before I plump them up...)
Two sisters give her kisses and squeezes by the baker's dozen, and life as five seems like an always-been. Learning to live as five has been much easier than learning to be three, or even four. Susannah came home, and within days, it seemed as if she'd never been anywhere else. Having already been accustomed to sharing time with two girls, adding a third hasn't greatly changed our days. And nights? Interrupted rest due to her belly's rumbles isn't all that different from interrupted rest due to her jigging within. And so life goes.
Abruptly shifting topics, we went to the circus last week!
(...which calls for at least three exclamation points.)
! ! !
Boy, do I love circuses! At 2 and 1/2 weeks old, this was Susannah's very first. She exhibited a disappointing lack of interest, as if she couldn't care less about where we were as long as she was fed, but Millie and Annika's glee (not to mention my own) more than made up for her lack.
John asked me to pick him up early on Friday and mentioned a surprise. I thought we'd just go for a drive somewhere, so I left the camera behind, hence the lacking snapshots of the razzle and dazzle. It's just as well. There's something about trying to capture just how much one is enjoying a moment that diminishes the enjoyment of the moment a bit. (We did, however, buy a junky disposable camera so that we could document Millie, Annika, and I riding an elephant; said picture will ponderously clump on over to shotsnaps after we develop it.)
Now's as good a time as any to mention that Millie is clairvoyant. Before we left the house, she said, "I think the surprise is an elephant." Not wanting her to be disappointed by our "drive somewhere," I told her it most definitely was not an elephant. She replied, "I'm sure it's an elephant. And maybe tigers. I think the surprise is tigers and an elephant." I think that children must have an extra sense-- a circus sense. They can taste circuses in the air without being told a word. I'm a bit sad that, despite my true-blue love of The Big Show, I seem to have misplaced my circus sense. (A "drive somewhere"... What was I thinking?)
Abruptly switching topics, John and I are on the move toward a move. Think of us as we tally up the pros and cons of living in Big Sky Country,
I must be off. The girls are abed (save the smallest one), and now's my time to fulfil duties of thank-you noting and mopping. I leave you with abundant and strangely similar pictures of a small, wrinkled face along with some sister double features and some snapshots from the pre-Berry backlog.
The cynical part of me wonders if perhaps Millie might have had a few well placed hints from the one driving you somewhere.
ReplyDeleteAnd "dumplings" is just the perfect word for describing happy, contented babies asleep on the shoulder.
(I once rode on an elephant. I'm not sure if we have pictures, though. The queer thing is, it sounds much more exotic than it feels. It felt more like the equivilant of riding around on someone's shoulers, except without so many good handholds. But it is so delightfully exoctic to say "Oh, yes, elephants. I've ridden them." As though riding elephants were so common place.)
Cynicism, avaunt! :)
ReplyDeleteJohn had mentioned the circus' soon coming to ME several weeks before (a fat lot of good it did me, too), but Millie was blessedly clueless-- apart from her sixth sense, of course-- due to John trying his utmost to keep it a complete surprise from her.
Elephants are such comfortable animals to ride as they lumber about. I told John it felt exactly like riding one of my family's horses bareback, except a lot bigger and a lot slower. I daresay it wouldn't be as comfortable if one were careening through an exotic jungle, but...
Okay. You have the coolest husband ever. It is a rare thing indeed to find such gems as spontenaity-and John has more than I have ever witnessed in a man. Not to mention that he comes home with the very bestest surprises EVER. Trips to aquariums-trips to the circus. Trips to the State Fair! You are such a LUCKY DUCK!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to here things are doing well and the adjustment has been pretty easy. I didn't really think about the fact that we preggers are prepped for newcoming newborn sleep interruptions by their jostling about and sitting on our bladders-but it is true!
We will be specifically hoping for a job in the 'anyplace a job appears' meaning PA. Either that or Ithaca, so that we might see you on our trips home.
Oh-and one more thing. Now that I know, I must call on your eldests' special abilities. Ask Millie please, WHEN baby Peanut will be appearing. Thanks. Oh-and will he have BLUE eyes like me or brown? These things I NEED to KNOW! ;-)
Well, I just put the eldest two down for an early nap (b/c Mr. Realtor Man comes today during their regular naptime), but Millie was still awake, so I asked her your questions.
ReplyDelete#1. Millie, when do you think Mrs. Newman's baby will come out of her belly?
A. Um, I think in four months. (!!!!!!)
#2. Will he have blue eyes or brown eyes?
A. I think he will have green.
So there you have it. For your sake, I hope her clairvoyance extends only to circuses, otherwise, your green-eyed baby boy won't arrive until you're nearly 13 months pregnant!
And you're exactly right about John's goodness. He surprise us with wonders both large and small. I love and appreciate his spontaneity and kindness, and I need to tell him so more often.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have recently heard, from a reliable source, that Mr.Owen will be "abandoning" his fold for some geeky conference.
ReplyDeleteSo it should be stated here that Mr.Owen is still a male.
Dearest Abigail -- I have found you! Your mother sent me to this site saying I could find pictures of your children. I must say, your looks haven't chaanged a bit! The children are beautiful - although obviously very different.
ReplyDeleteAs to the little sleep, my seven month old still continues to wake me up at approximately 2 a.m. each evening for a refill!
And as to elephants.... Well, perhaps I am the only one privelaged enough to have not only RIDDEN an elephant, but to also have a Grandma who is SO COOL that she rode it with me! It was, I believe my eighteenth birthday, and we wanted to do something silly and memorable.
....Silly and memorable, well Abby, that about sums up the years I knew you! Neat to catch up a little. KAren
Karen,
ReplyDeleteHow cool to hear from you (again)!
I have you on a list of people to write a real letter to, as oppposed to the mass Christmas letter, but, for some reason, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. (See, some procrastinators never change...)
I hope that if and when I reach grandma-hood, I keep the spark that your Grandma has!
And congratulations on your own babies (tho' one's not quite a baby anymore, from what I hear). As for your seven-month old snacker, if Susannah's anything like Millie and Annie were, she'll be doing the same! Ah, the sweet, sweet sleep that eludes mothers...
(This is just in case your mom didn't tell you.) Wanted to let you know that Annabelle Skye was born on March 27. She's very cute. Jury seems to be out where the big sister is concerned... THIS big sister is quite taken by the new little one. :)
ReplyDeleteExactly one month apart! My mom did tell me, and I LOVE her name. Give Amethyst and Shawn our best, and tell BOTH girls "hullo" from ours. We rejoice with you all and hope to meet her before she reaches toddlerhood. :) Hurrahs all around!
ReplyDelete