The nesting season

So, the nesting season has nearly passed, amid much sadness and rejoicing. Natasha proclaimed us “almost ready” this morning, which I will be interpreting as way more ready than we actually need to be. Almost all of the wonderful presents that you fantastic people have given us have found their space within our home, which sadly was not the case until very recently. Mostly, it was piles of presents stacked in awkward places throughout the apartment. No longer, though. It actually resembles a home, and even feels as though we live here.

Natasha’s last day of work was Friday, and so this is the first day that we are both here at home during the week. We’re going to try to take advantage of the time before we are slightly more encumbered. Shopping at the co-op without all the crowds, and, even better, a daytime movie. Yesterday, at the tail end of a, um, discussion, I decided that it would be a wise opportunity to avail myself of the local tavern, The Toronado. I realized that I need to do so as much as possible in the coming days, as I assume that my opportunities will diminish considerably, if not to the point of extinction, very soon. It is generally considered the best beer bar west of the Mississippi, and only a couple of blocks away, which I have, of course, taken largely for granted. Not this week. I will enjoy it fully. I also noticed yesterday how much we have become a part of the neighborhood, as I ran into three friends as well as many familiar faces on my journey there and back.

The first day of maternity leave...

Hello!

Alright.

Here we go. News for the future Grandparents, and any others who might be interested.

I figured that we’ve been so busy and tired, that it’s been a bit of a struggle to keep in as close contact with you all as we’d like. I, for one, am not much of a phone person, either. But I can write, as can Natasha, and this may prove a little bit easier a way to get our thoughts out while our energy is so low and schedules so erratic, etc. So, we’ll start this little experiment. I’m not sure how well pictures work in this program, but I’m very sure that it handles words well, so we’ll start there.

We invited some friends over today, Sunday, to help with some moving around of stuff. Jon helped do the huge move of the bedroom a couple of months ago, so this was a bit more of a tidying up of that job. The crew ended up being Chops, Jane, Karen, Ksuhail, and of course Aubrey & Jude. We still have to get it completely straightened out, but this gets us 90% there. Earlier this year, we had hoped to move before the baby came, but that obviously didn’t happen. So, we decided to do the least amount of rearranging possible to get us through. Which, of course, turned out to be a lot. But, realistically, it’s hard to imagine that we’ll be able to work up the energy to start looking for a new apartment for quite a few months, so we’re trying to pretend as best we can that this is our home, and not just some place that we’re at until we find some place better.

In any case, it was nice to get the help, as we couldn’t have done it alone. It’s no fun having two invalids in the house. And we’re about to add another. Oh well. I think they all had fun, and it felt good to know that we have people willing to help. As corny as it sounds, it’s good to know that if it takes a village to raise a child, we have one, however odd it might be.