Life with Ivy is good. She is a very easy baby-the only complaints she has are about gas and burping. Seems she can suck in quite a bit of air-perhaps her latch could use some work. Easier said than done in the dark in the wee hours when it's just she and I tapping out the soft rhythms of the new mama/new baby dance when the world is silent and sleepy. I actually had to go online to try to find some new burping positions and to be reminded that it takes some time. I love how tiny the details of life get when a baby is born...
I gave her her first bath tonite. She kicked her little froggy legs back and forth and I told her stories of swaying jellyfish and songster dolphins and she fell asleep as I poured cups of water on her back. She's a total goddess and I love it. I love treating babies like the sacred little buddhas they are-it makes me feel so honored to be one of their guides. It's odd to think of how babies come to us, in their own perfect time, not to be possessed, nor as our property-but to be guided gently into their individuality so that they can be healthy people in the world.
We chose her name, Ivy, because it symbolized climbing, a certain verdant growth-far beyond us -and because it had the feeling of a cool and magical forest where moss grows on all of the tree trunks and rocks, and little streams trickle through.
I keep finding myself saying to Miles over and again, "I'm so happy to be yours and Ivy's mommy!", and I'm sure he thinks I'm perfectly insane.
These are some little legwarmers I knitted for the babette yesterday-super easy, using organic cotton yarn that is beyond soft for as cheapo as it is. I cast on 16 stitches and split them somewhat evenly over three 10.5 double-pointed needles, knitted 8 rounds then knit two together on stitches 1&2 then 8&9, then knitted 22 more rounds. (I did knit two more together just two rounds before I bound off, but then I undid it because it wasn't easy enough to get them over her feet.) They're totally no-frills. Might have been lovely with some stripes in other colors and the yarn does come in green and an earthy tone that actually grows that way. These things keep her little stems toasty, yet I don't have to wrestle every time she blows out her diaper-which is often.
And the most magical, proud magnadoodlerific moment of the week was this:
"Mawma, this is your big fat TB from when the baby was inside. And these are your stretch marks. And this is your VAGINA."
Can I hear an "Amen" ?
