Emilio was delivered to us in bed at 7:30 this morning. “We’re off to work,” Adrienne said and she and Matt were gone. David and I handed him back and forth as we made coffee, then put him down and watched him squiggle and soldier crawl across the floor, occasionally doing a plank stance with his hands and toes touching down as his diapered baby butt rose in the air. We went for a short walk with Emilio in the Ergo (this generation’s version of the Snuggli) and Khadijah on the leash, admiring a garden down the street with pear trees, amaranth, sunflowers, giant tomato plants and dahlias.
Then it was time for the 9:00 bottle and the rocking down for the first nap of the day. The unsuccessful errand I did (involving trying to get something positive out of Verizon to help fix a phone problem) while Emilio slept isn’t worth even thinking about in reflecting on a pure Mimi-day. When Emilio got up, we packed up and drove to Fire Island, stopping at a state park to have a picnic in a shaded pavilion, overlooking the bay behind the island. The air was warm, the breeze strong, and Emilio had his second bottle, though he seemed too enthralled by the beautiful day to finish it, then gnawed on a red pepper and a peeled New Hampshire peach.
Back in the car, Emilio napping again, David and I explored the barrier beaches of western Long Island, looking for possible kayaking spots (not much luck there). Emilio woke up when we stopped to get gas and got fussy, so I sat in back with him while he finished his bottle (breast milk, so I was motivated not waste any). Back at the house Emilio played on the floor again and in my lap and David’s, making little animals pop up on a toy with big colored triggers. A bit more milk, more rocking as he sucked my shoulder, then sleep again.
Right after Emilio woke up, Adrienne got home and he pumped his little body up and down and smiled and cooed. She left the room for a minute, and he went back to popping animals out of the toy, then focused right in on Adrienne when she came back. We made dinner and ate in the yard, Emilio sitting in his high chair smooshing cherry tomato halves into his mouth, mashing peppers and bananas with his gums and taking in some turkey burger. Good and dirty for bath time, Adrienne took him to get ready for bed.
David and I sat in the yard for a bit longer, watching the clear sky get dark and talking about the day, what it feels like now that his father is gone, our upcoming trip to Kigali, our plans for this week with Sam here, when we’ll fit in our next hike — random musings of contentment.
Grace Mattern 