Athenae, Diary

Stay on Target

Mr. A and I kept repeating that to ourselves this week, as we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned the house and I wracked my brain trying to think of who I’d forgotten to send thank-you notes to for various acts of kindness since May 16 of last year.

That was the date of the embryo transfer. Two days before Mr. A’s master’s degree graduation, and about a week into a combination of work/family drama meltdowns that made this summer into a blur. Mr. A changed jobs twice in four months. In July I worked 28 days out of 31. We almost moved to Seattle in September and then, a week or so later, we almost moved to New York.

A week after that we settled on remaining where we were, which involved emptying half our hole in the wall to make room for a kidlet, moving a storage space into another storage space, and throwing out our last piece of authentically dumpster-dived furniture. Chicken died. I took on a writing gig I had absolutely no way of fulfilling and biffed it so badly I can’t even think of a way to apologize.

This has been, compared to all the horror stories people have told me, a very easy pregnancy. She’s been very well-behaved: No drama, no scares. No bed rest, I could work right up until today, she’s mostly let me sleep. I’ve been the problem: I sprained my ankle the first week of August, then developed a vicious sinus infection that still hasn’t gone away. I took the hint when the mercury dropped below zero and it wouldn’t stop snowing: Stay inside, already, and rest.

People kept telling me to slow down and sit down and put things down. Friends and family came to visit, to keep me from going absolutely bonkers. You all, with your support and your messages and your boundless good will and energy … I can’t even say. Before we told anyone, I felt so locked down, as if one errant word would doom the whole thing to disaster. After, all I could think was how lucky this kid was, to have so many people she’d likely never meet in person cheering her on.

Tonight, there’s not much more to do. Her nursery is done, as outfitted with what we think she’ll need as we can make it. The house is as clean as we can get it. The car seat’s installed in the car, and at the crack of dawn, we’ll be off to the hospital.

See you on the flip side. And thank you all.

A.

42 thoughts on “Stay on Target”

  2. Just make sure you have a drawer to put her in. With lots of towels.
    Peace, love and whatnot to you and your growing family.

  3. Lots of great energies coming your way! I’m so excited for y’all!!! Mwah from myself and Dan!

  6. Best wishes to you, A, and to Mr. A. and the ferrets and the new family member to come! (From a long time lurker, met you briefly at the very first Eschaton in Philly.)

  8. Thinking of you and gleefully awaiting the kidlet. How long until we let her drive a crack van?

  9. Good luck, sweetie. Kick ass and take no prisoners. Oops, wrong pep talk. Cannot wait to see Little Kick, blog niece and future crack vannette.

  11. Good luck, sweetie. Kick ass and take no prisoners. Oops, wrong pep talk. Cannot wait to see Little Kick, blog niece and future crack vannette.

  12. Everything leading up to today will be forgotton when they put that little bundle in your arms. Best wishes to you.

  14. How wonderful! You are travelling the shortest distance (to the hospital) but starting the most glorious journey. I am so thrilled for you three. Be well and kiss the baby from all of us.

  15. Look, I know you and Jude are friends and all, but calling him a saint is going a little far, don’t you think?
    We’re all pullin’ for you up here. Come celebrate being able to drink again sometime soon! (And possibly also celebrate having a kidlet, but there are priorities.)

  20. Forgot to add. She shares a birthday with, quite possibly, the most honorable and decent man I know: my dear Brooklyn six-degrees-of-everyone-else-I-knew-in-New York neighbor, Jeff. Fiercely devoted to boyfriend-later-husband, world traveler, courageous, maker of amazing latkes, sweet friend, old soul.
    I see this as a very auspicious synchronicity.

  23. Thoughts and mantras, of course, and good/warm ones on both counts. A whole new world awaits…

  27. All positive energies to you, Mr. A, and the emergent biomass. Hope we can cross paths in warmer weather!

  28. I knew nothing of this, but it’s easily the best news of 2014. Best of wishes for Family A!

  31. Ditto iceblue2 above. All worth it. Kidlet! And an AQU, too . Cheers & blessings to you all.

  34. Not sure why earlier (v. long, which may be the reason) post won’t show up, but here’s my spell for Baby Kick & assoc. family members:
    May Demeter, who stopped the world to find her own missing daughter, gird her mother’s loins to protect this babe from all harm.
    May Sarasvati bless her with wisdom, a love of learning, and a desire to share her wisdom with the world.
    May Aphrodite bless her with beauty, even today when she is most
    beautiful in the eyes of all who behold her, and may her beauty inspire
    all who see her to create and foster beauty in her world.
    May Vesta bless her home, creating a place where she feels safe, secure, and able to grow in strength.
    May Nuit arch over all of her sleeping, giving her restfullness to restore all of her cells.
    May Brigid grant her a facile tongue, a love of poetry, a love of rhetoric, and lakes of beer.
    May Hygeia make her love movement.
    May the genus locii of her place embrace her and become her friend.
    May Columbia, Goddess of America, bless her with the ability to always
    grow in freedom, justice, and liberty. May Athena’s baby, like
    Achilles, become stronger every time that she contacts the ground.
    May Freya bring her beautiful jewels, especially in necklaces, and make all her Fridays carefree and happy.
    May Ceres make her gardens prolific and may Flora make her gardens lovely.
    May the Turning of the Wheel bring her always to greater growth and
    may each Solstice find her happier, stronger, healthier, and wiser than
    the last.
    May Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads, help her to always choose the
    best path in times of uncertainty and midwife her at the birth of her
    own children.
    And, in the words of the poet Wordsworth, may, a century or so from
    now, “an old age serene and bright, and lovely as a Lapland night,” lead
    her to her grave.

  35. To be born to two wonderful people, and during the coldest winter in years you know she’s gonna be cool.
    Health, Happiness, Love, and Peace to you all.

  39. Back in my day, we would have said “this is so neat!” And it still is. So happy for you guys. 🙂

  40. Well, by now it’s all over (or God I hope it is) and you’re exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. congratulations, kids, and may your new sweetpie sleep through the night after the first week. May I suggest a new feature on First Draft–Baby Mondays?

  42. Let the really good times (some of which you won’t know are until you’re looking back at ’em) begin.
    Congratulations, Athenae and family.

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