My mom was able to come out and stay with us for two whole weeks. She came around three weeks after Sadie was born, when I was still wandering around the house in my robe and underwear in a newborn haze. We were coming to the end of our meal deliveries from friends, Sam was going back to work, and Eliza was starting to have all the feels and verging on cabin fever. We were ready for Grandma to step in.
My mom washed my dishes all day long. (Thank you, old house with no dishwasher or disposal.) She set up the sewing machine in the dining room, and made Sadie a beautiful blessing dress (more pictures to come), mended everything in the house, and made Eliza a pair of sparkle denim jeans. (Guys, she made jeans. Like, with pockets and everything.) She took it upon herself to bring our garden back to life, by removing an entire compost bin of weeds and embarking on a personal vendetta against the bugs plaguing our plants. (She concocted her own bug repellent, sprayed the entire garden, and perhaps had way too much fun watching the bugs disappear.) My mom entertained Eliza, cuddled Sadie, and worked as my personal pack mule anytime we left the house. She read Eliza countless books, put in hours on the rocking chair with the baby, and even stayed up into the late hours of the night helping Sam make a lemon meringue pie (because, apparently he had a mission to make this pie). She let me know it was ok to cry when I was overwhelmed, and she didn't act like it was weird that I would disappear to bed at random early hours when I was exhausted.
And, through all of this, she slept on an air mattress in my living room without complaint.
She helped us so much. My mom was the one that discovered that Sadie loves music. We were driving somewhere, and Sadie was out of her mind crying. My mom put the phone right up close to her carseat, and played music for her. Sadie instantly calmed down. That's one more trick to add to my bag. She especially loves Elizabeth Mitchell.
My mom also gave me the courage to get out. I was nervous about even getting to a doctor appointment before that. I mean, how was I supposed to juggle two children like that!? But, she helped me develop my routine for getting out the door, and into/out of the car that took me into the next few weeks and helped me to feel somewhat normal again. We took it pretty easy while she was here, but did go on several walks and mini trips around the Bay Area. We took Eliza to Fairyland, and my mom loved all the whimsy and magic there. We went on a day trip to Half Moon Bay, took the girls to the Exploritorium in San Francisco, and played at parks around Berkeley.
One of my favorite days was when my mom and I (and Sadie) explored this amazing button shop in El Cerrito, overflowing with vintage buttons spanning decades. My mom has an Etsy shop, where she sells beautiful vintage children's clothing that she finds and fixes up, so she shopping for business. But, beyond that, this button shop was her version of heaven. The walls were lined with button cards of every color and size imaginable, from every decade. The drawers were stuffed with fancy Czech Glass buttons, that sparkled with winks of iridescence, thick woven leather buttons, and buttons made of cream-colored shell. The newspaper clippings that lined shop were filled with fun tales, and the woman at the counter was ready to chat. We left with a bag of tiny buttons, and several great stories.
We also went on a mother/daughter date night to the Grand Lake Theatre to see Florence Foster Jenkins. We sat in the main theatre, with the live organist pre-show, velvet curtains, and gold-gilded walls- with a huge bag of popcorn, and a newborn baby who graciously slept through the entire movie. Oh, and Meryl Streep- a genius. I haven't laughed that hard in a movie in awhile.
It was a lovely trip. I think my mom and Sadie Lee have a special, little bond. Maybe it's because she is named after her, or maybe they are similar souls. I am so grateful that my mom came out to be with us. I honestly couldn't believe how incredibly patient and kind she was with my entire family through our roller coaster of crazy. Thanks goodness for selfless mothers. She is such an example to me.
Thank you, Mama. I love you!
No comments:
Post a Comment