The first step out of the nest

I did it! I moved the bed out of the nursery, with fantastic results (I say that now, since night has not yet fallen, and I have not gone to sleep in the room across the hall from sweet Bug). I am very pleased with how the nursery looks though. The changing table is now next to the bathroom door, which is convenient for rinsing dipes and the too-frequent occurrence of Annabel peeing during changes. I hung watercolors of Seattle and Verona, purchased on trips to those respective cities, over the changing table for Bug to look at during changes so she will appreciate the importance of travel and seeing the world.

I'm also thrilled with the $25 chair I scored from a moving sale on craigslist. It made a perfect nook for nursing and reading books. I hung Annabel's art from the Dogwood festival and her first roller derby over it.

I think I'm ready for Annabel to have her own room. I know I've used the blog to indulge my feelings of not wanting Bug to grow up. However, I'm really very excited to meet the little girl she grows into. Sure, a huge part of me wants to stay curled up on the couch with her in my arms forever. But that is selfish. The more rational side of me is terrified of smothering her and wants to fling her headlong into the world screaming "Fly, Bug, fly!" I suppose that is the age-old tension in parenthood --wanting your child to flourish in the world while simultaneously wanting to hold her close and baby her, and I have not stumbled onto something new. It is new to me, though, and even as I type this, she is asleep in the crook of my left arm, which is perhaps what has emboldened me to say I'm ready for the next step.

Regardless, tomorrow is a big day too. I'm dropping Annabel off for two hours at my firm's daycare for a trial run. I'm so lucky to have that perk -- it is such a nice facility run by lovely people. I know Annabel will enjoy the company of other kids. Then in two weeks I'll be enjoying the company of other lawyers.