Even God took a day of rest on the seventh day, so I certainly had no qualms about taking a day off today. Yeah, I know today was Saturday, but I’m Jewish, which means we do Sabbath on Saturday, not Sunday. If you see God, please don’t tell Him I worked at the hospital all day;)

Not quite all day, thankfully. I had big plans to get to work way early so I could log my eight hours and still make it to our friends’ party, which ended at 4:30. Unfortunately I drank too much wine with said friends the night before, plus Sweet Pea seemed to be having a bad case of FOMO, which found her (and me) up a couple or maybe three times last night. These factors, my natural predilection for hitting snooze, plus my failure to prepare anything the night before- I hadn’t even washed my pump parts- found the time clock flashing 8:30 as I swiped my work badge. So much for arriving way early.

The schedule at the hospital was surprisingly light however. Even with a leisurely lunch (during which I delighted in a cup of black coffee and a slice of banana cream pie- not as good as my beloved coconut cream pie, but a close second), I was able to finish my work and arrive at the party by 3:30. Score!

By 5:30, several hours of being passed around and fussed over found Sweet Pea totally worn out so we made our exit and headed straight for the bath/bedtime routine. The bath featured enthusiastic grasping of the rubber duckie and the parmesan cheese container (by Sweet Pea, not me). BTW, I can’t really say whether she has a preference for one over the other. I’m finding that toys for babies are overrated. Not that we don’t appreciate the toys we’ve received as gifts, we really do! But Sweet Pea doesn’t seem to care what she’s playing with, as long as she can bang it against something and/or put it in her mouth.  Last week, I put her down on my bedroom floor while I packed for Aspen. While I pored over every outfit, and each accessory, then folded, packed, organized, and reorganized, she sat on the floor and amused herself with a Brooks Adrenaline running shoe and a plastic hanger.

The highlight of bedtime was the story I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. I used to read it to my little sister all the time. It’s a sweet story of parents’ enduring love for their children with cute, clever illustrations. The first time I read it to Sweet Pea, I got a lump in my throat, which surprised me. I had read this story dozens of times but I had never realized how heartbreakingly tender it was. Perhaps it was a fluke.  The second time I read it, I could hardly finish it. The third time, despite my efforts to stay strong, my eyes filled with tears. Tonight, it was the same thing all over again. I keep thinking the more I read it, the more desensitized I will become, yet the opposite is proving to be the case.

I can’t tell you what a relief it was when we were in the car on the long trip home from Aspen when Dan asked me if I could get through that story without tearing up. So it wasn’t just me. Have you read this story? Did it make you cry? It’s ok to admit it!!