Hello

Natanya sleeps in my arms. I'm not sure what to write about, but here's an opportunity to try at least say hello.

So much goes on.

I'm months behind in the baby book with bits of this and that stuffed inside to be glued in/expanded upon somewhere down the line... Piles of projects in the making fill my studio creating road blocks to even the most basic of supplies; glue, scissors, tape... Screens for the storm windows beckoning against the stroller in front of the fabric case behind the 6-9 month old bags of clothes.... A sink full of dishes from dinner last night and an assortment of toys artfully strewn across the floor...

And in the foreground, this baby girl who grows and gives and changes like the spring flowers all over town. As Jono says, it's so exciting as she shows us more and more who she is.

And love prevails. If I go through Natanya's entire childhood without having time to create a single new thing, I want it to go on record as being the most fertile and verdant time of my life!

Jono is fifty! We're having a gigantic party for him this Saturday. Pot luck bbq with a sno cone machine, a popcorn machine and music all day long... We're gearing up for over 100 people & hoping for a warm, clear day! I love a good party, especially one where I don't have to drive home at the end of it.

Our trip back east was really, really wonderful. Natanya manifested her inner gypsy and adapted to every new environment with curiosity and grace. Seeing family and seeing friends felt so good! I missed so many too so we'll just have to go back soon...

Mother's day, a holiday that I never put a lot of importance on, felt good I must admit! Natanya started calling me mama deliberately (not just as a lesson in making sounds) and it just about knocks my socks off! Is there anything I wouldn't do in response to that? NO!!

She's also quite adept at crawling, lifting herself up on anything she can and is ready to walk. Her words rest just below the surface, even emerging once in a while. She says dada, nana (for banana) and will mimic our words from time to time. Still no teeth. Our gummy wonder with a smile like the sun!

She stirs, begins to surface from the dream.

I will be ready

with a greeting

love, a smile

a kiss

I will be ready

to play.