Joanna and Rebecca(Reba), who are 7.5 months and 17 weeks pregnant respectively, came over to visit on my last day with Matt, Jackie, and Sydney.
Sydney Bear was not on her best behavior, though we did get to demonstrate the powers of Fleetwood Mac to the astonished mommies-to-be.
As my sister and I sat with these lovely ladies, bleary from lack of sleep and fighting the lack of personality that comes after hours of diaper changes, rattle-shaking, funny faces, and general distraction that comes with a 4.5 month old colicky baby, I wanted to tell them:
"I know something you don't know about this whole baby thing - for one, you NEVER sleep. In theory you get about 4-5 hours, but the sleep is so shallow as you listen out for the peeps from the monitor (and what IS it about the clang clangclanghissssbangbang of the heating systems in NY apartments?), you never get REM sleep. Even showers are luxuries that need to be tag-teamed."
But then I thought about those 2am feedings. Having a sleepy-yawny-thirsty baby in your lap, drinking deep, touching your face with tiny fingers, and looking at you with these preternaturally wise eyes. It is as though everyone - all your relatives - are looking out at you through those eyes. It is, at the risk of sounding religious, what I would describe as a moment of grace.
