In Waiting

It is a pivotal time here at Simplestead, a quite time, a time of rest and reflection right before a time of huge change and massive activity. We are enjoying these days by reading, making and just being with each other. We smile, laugh and reflect about our lives together for the past nine years before the days of "just us" come to an end.

In a month or less our daughter will be born and our lives will forever change. We are so excited and welcome this change with open arms. We want to be the best parents we can possibly be and give our baby girl all the wisdom and love we have created over the course of our lifetimes, plus share our journey with her with all the years that lay ahead. We also can't help but be a little nervous but I think that is normal for any first time parents.

We are also introducing another little soul into our lives, a black lab puppy. If you keep up on the blog, you would know of the loss of our dear Marci Dog. It has been a little over a month since losing her and I have to tell you, daily life without a dog is extremely hard for us. We have the cats and rabbits to love and snuggle with, but nothing replaces the love and security of having a dog. 

Yes, we know we are crazy to have a newborn and a puppy, but honestly I am not concerned. We have been through many hard things in our lives and this is a challenge we want. I have raised many puppies in my life so I know what I am in for. I have no false expectations about training a new puppy, it is not easy, it takes time, it takes patience. Jake will also be home for paternity leave after the baby is born so both of us will be present to care for everyone. The dog also comes next week so we will have a few weeks to acclimate before introducing Baby. I know having a newborn will be challenging as well, but I still want to do it, same with getting a puppy. The way rationalize it, if I never did anything because it was hard, I would have done nothing in my life.

But until the dog and baby arrive, things are very quiet. It is hard for me to just relax in the quiet, I like to have a lot of activity going on and believe me, I am going to get my wish soon. On the other hand, I think Jake enjoys the quiet but also likes activity. He is very adaptable. I try to quiet myself with reading, spinning and knitting (my lower key projects I call them) while Jake can easily curl up on the couch and read for hours. Jake has taught me to slow down and relax this winter. I have to remind myself that spring will be here soon and we will be with the dog and baby, planting the garden, going to the farmers market, hiking, and camping. I need to savor this quiet time because spring will be busy and perhaps exhausting.