Report on Mother's Day 2014

I've been meaning to write nearly every day for the past week, but either I've had other things that I had to do or I was too tired to sit down and write.  For the former, it almost always involved holding Seva and caring for her.  For the latter, it was a result of the former.

But here I am on a Tuesday night, hoping to finally catch up on this diary, to document my life over these last few days before it begins to fade into oblivion.  And these are days that are important to remember, since they're Seva's first days of life.

Two days ago was Mother's Day, Jeannie's first as a mother.  After morning mass at St. Charles Borromeo -- at which I read the rosario to the whole parish from the lectern before mass began and at which Jeannie received her first communion -- the three of us came home to our usual morning routine: I ate breakfast, made the bed, and watered the plants, while Jeannie ate breakfast and cleaned some dishes.  Although the plan at that point was to hit the road to meet up with Jess and Mita and Eric, I told Jeannie that I needed a nap before we left (and I thought she needed one as well).  So Jeannie handed Seva to me on the couch.  Jeannie went upstairs and fell promptly to sleep in her bed, while Seva fell asleep on my chest and I quickly followed suit.  Man, did we all need that nap!  It felt good.  I commented to Jeannie later that I'm sure it made a huge difference in my ability to enjoy the day; I just felt so much better.

Since it was Mother's Day and the next day was Jess's birthday, we stopped at a great store on South Street, Mushmina, to buy gifts for Mita and Jess.  For Mita, we bought a multi-colored scarf.  For Jess, we bought a clutch and a set of five casual wristbands.  Jeannie was lucky enough to get a parking spot directly in front of the store, where she waited with Seva in the car seat in the back.  I enjoyed a conversation with the shop owner, Katie, who told me the story of how she and her sister began the business and encouraged me to begin my own small business.  It was a nice talk and really helped to set me in a good mood for the car ride north to meet Mita and Jess.

It was a beautiful day: sunny, blue skies, moderately warm temperatures, a gentle breeze.  In short, a perfect day for a drive, Seva's first road trip at that.  The first part of the trip was driving northbound on I-95, but the drive became much more enjoyable when we exited and took local, winding roads through New Hope and northbound along the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River to the small, previously unknown town of Erwinna.  In the shade of the small cliffs and hills to our left, populated with newly green trees in their springtime prime, with the wide river to our right, the drive was spectacular.  Its moments like that when I think of my family in Costa Rica and wish they were there to experience a piece of America not usually thought of as part of the stereotype, which usually consists of big cities, skyscrapers and large, lavish suburbia.  The drive exemplified one of those experiences that make you feel good to be alive, and thus one of those memories which will leave an indelible mark on the soul, though not easily related to others ("you had to be there to see it").

We met Jess, Mita, and Eric at the Golden Pheasant Inn, 763 River Road, Erwinna, Pennsylvania.  It was a beautiful location, just past a bend in the road characterized by a one-lane bridge.  Just across the street from the restaurant, on the other side of River Road, was the Delaware River itself.  Just behind the restaurant was the Delaware River canal, with a narrow red gravel riding path in between, on which at least one bicyclist passed while we were there.  By the time Jeannie, Seva, and I got there, we saw Jess, Mita, and Eric already sitting at a table in the back patio.  Mita and Jess were especially excited to see Seva.  Jess hadn't seen her since her visit to the hospital on Seva's second day of life.

Since our meal was a late lunch or early dinner, I suppose I should say that we enjoyed a nice supper together.  Jeannie and Jess ate duck breast, Mita had scallops, Eric had mussels, and I ate lamb shank.  Overall, we were all pretty pleased with the meal.  As we were finishing our food, I ordered a bottle of malbec to top things off: Trapiche Broquel, 2011 vintage.  It was pretty good, though still leaning a bit on the dry side.  Jeannie and I presented the gifts to Mita and Jess, who both seemed pretty happy.  Even though, we were tired on the drive home, it was a special day that was absolutely worth it.

When we got home, Jeannie and I watched the movie Ender's Game.  I had been wanting to see the movie, since I read the book about a year and a half ago, only a few months after I started dating Jeannie.  I remember still living at Bainbridge Street when I read the book.  We enjoyed the movie last night.  My main critique is the typical one for a movie based on a book: the book was better, since it was more textured, more detailed, and just more well-developed.  But for a movie of two hours or less, it was entertaining and kept us captivated for that time.  Ender's steadfast confidence and leadership effected my mindset at work yesterday.  While at the unit meeting and walking the halls afterwards, I felt a level calm that I don't usually feel at [...].  It was a good feeling, one that I hope to feel more often.

Anyway, getting back to Seva, it's been tough in some ways.  She's a beautiful girl and a good baby.  But like any baby that gets hungry or needs to be changed or simply wants to feel comforted and loved, she cries a lot, and it seems to be more so at nighttime.  Since I've been back to work for the past three weeks, it's hard.  I haven't slept a full eight hours, and probably not even a six-hour stretch, since she was born.  Jeannie has borne the brunt of the child-giving responsibilities, mainly because she's Seva's mother and can feed her, but also because she's on leave, so I guess she's the frontline these days.  I do what I can to help Jeannie, and on that I'm better on some days than others.  I give Jeannie a lot of credit.  She's done an amazing job so far stepping into and growing into the role of mother.  I'm so happy and proud that she's my wife and that she's the mother of my child.  My dear Seva, if you ever read this some day in the future, please know that your mother and I lost many hours of sleep, were sometimes pushed near the limits of our patience and endurance, and sacrificed our personal desires to care for you.  Of course we did this willingly.  We love you so much already, Seva, and I pray to God that our love continues to grow as we grow every day as a family.  But just like I didn't fully appreciate the difficulties of parenthood that others around have been through (not to mention my own parents!), I know that it may be hard for you to understand what we've done, until you become a parent one day, God willing.  I guess all I'm saying is that it's been hard, but it's very much worth it.  In fact, as I'm typing this, I can hear you crying upstairs, your mother talking calmly to you, trying to comfort you.

Well, what else can I write about at this point?  It's 11pm and I have to be up early to meet a law student intern at Family Court tomorrow; I'm supervising her to represent a client in a custody hearing before a judge.  I've thought about memorializing some of my interesting stories here, as well as some of my regrets (stated positively, my lessons learned from mistakes made).  But, as I just alluded, now isn't the time.  I've got only 30 pages left in the book I'm reading, Blindness by José Saramago.  I think I'll read the penultimate, 10-page chapter now, so I can hopefully finish the book tomorrow night.

May God bless you, dear reader.  Until next time.