Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The Ziploc is off . . .

The Ziploc went off yesterday and already the bed feels empty. Amazing how the absence of a little 15-inch square piece of (really, really soft) cloth can create such a void. Amazing how a little girl who weighs less than six pounds can inspire such vast love. Thank you to all of you who sent us your suggestions and input. Keep 'em coming, we've got a few shots at these over the next few months.

In the end, we settled on these items:

* The blankie. We ran into a little glitch when Christopher was polishing his shoes next to it on the kitchen counter (don't ask) and the blankie still smelled like petroleum two hours later. We were mortified that we were going to have to wash it and lose the precious 'scent' that we'd imparted on it over the past week. Thankfully, a little stint in the dryer took away most of the stench (of the shoe polish that is, not of us). Christopher will be oh so pleased I've shared this detail with you ;-).

* The onesie. True proof we're morphing into parents. We went into a baby store last weekend and actually cooed at the little onesies before picking out a snazzy little pink and white striped number for Noe. And, yes, there were several moments in the following days when we'd slip it out of the bag and just smile at it, picturing Noe's little head and arms and legs populating it.

* The picture book. Is it gauche to show up at a dinner party with a camera . . . and ask the host to take photos of you? Probably. But Jan and Brent are good friends and crazy excited about little Noe, and Brent did a great job taking the first close-ups that our daughter will ever see of us. Unfortunately, I came up with the impromptu idea of taking another photo of us holding Noe's photo the following night; no shower, no makeup . So she'll be seeing both sides of mommy.

* The camera. We also sent a disposable camera so that Noe's foster mother (Virginia) can take photos of her and send the camera back up to us. So stay tuned for the results!

* The tape recorder. Christopher and I got totally in to recording things for Noe on a mini-casette recorder. We talked to her, we read to her, I sang to her, we just chatted to her while doing various things around the house. But, alas, that's going to have to wait for the next round. Kelly Jo suggested, wisely, that we send it down with her in January so that she can show Virginia how to use it.

* Christmas cards. We also sent cards to both Noe and Virginia. It hit home for me as we were picking out a Christmas card for our daughter, that she wouldn't be with us on her first Christmas. But it is what it is, and she'll be home when she's meant to be. In the meantime, we'll celebrate the gift she is to us.

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