Penny

Well, it was a big day for Penny: Her first day of daycare.

She woke up this morning at 5:15. She had breakfast and then I got her dressed while Matt was in the shower. The cat was fed, three bottles were prepared for her day, she had more breakfast, and Matt strapped her into what we've been calling the space-monkey seat - the removeable carseat that fits into Matt's car. I kissed them both farewell, told Matt to check in with me when he got to work, and watched through the blinds as the car pulled away.

Wow, I thought. I can surf the web and eat breakfast in a liesurely manner.

I picked up the bottle that held the remains of her second breakfast (why yes, she does bear a striking resemblance to a hobbit) and went to put it in the fridge. I opened the door- Bottles. Three of 'em. We'd forgotten the baby's food!

I called Matt's cell phone. No answer. Damn. Well, nothing else for it. I called the daycare center and told them to tell Matt not to worry - that I'd be around with the bottles ASAP. Then I ran upstairs, jumped in the shower, dressed, gathered my stuff, and hit the road.

I hit the daycare center around 8:15, and not a moment too soon. She likes small, frequent meals in the mornings, and was already starting to crank up when I arrived. I held her until the caretaker had warmed a bottle, then dragged myself away again by main force.

I missed her already.

Despite missing her so much - or maybe because of it - I had an astonishingly productive day.

I went to Target and returned some too-small (for Penny) diapers and a too-small (for me) shirt, and then bought bigger diapers (for Penny) and formula (for Penny) and some narrow masking tape (for labelling Penny's bottles as the daycare center requires).

Then I went to the SunCom store and waited five minutes for them to open and bought a new battery for my cell phone. It no longer turns itself off if there is a stiff breeze in the vicinity.

Then I went to the bank and deposited two of my last three disability/maternity leave checks, and grumblecursed under my breath about having forgotten the third at home.

I came home and logged in and ate breakfast (though I seem to have been trained out of doing so in a liesurely manner) and chatted with people between making phone calls to the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store (to arrange pickup of some stuff that's been in the garage for months), our cleaning service (refreshingly named Cleaning Services, Inc.), the hospital (to give them Penny's medical insurance info, now that she has some), and my mom (to arrange to meet her for lunch). I pumped some breastmilk for Penny's elevenses tomorrow, and watched about two-thirds of a movie while waiting for Mom.

Mom and I went out to lunch, and while we were out I dropped off my Return To Work Authorization Form at my doctor's office (so he can sign saying I'm medically fit once again to sit at a desk), and I dropped by the bank to deposit that last check. Mom and I even strolled through an overpriced junk boutique that's next door to the bank.

I came home, thanked Mom for lunch, chatted with Matt online about his lunchtime visit with Penny, and then got back to work.

I filled out a mailer to request some duplicate prints of pictures my brother had taken. I emptied the dishwasher and then filled it again, not neglecting to turn it on. I took half a basket of laundry upstairs and put it away. I went through all my clothes and pulled out the maternity clothes I'm not keeping (most of them) and put them in a stack to take to a consignment shop tomorrow; and then I pulled out a bunch of clothes I haven't worn in years and years (either because it's too uncomfortable or because it no longer fits) and will never wear again and put them into several stacks to add to the stuff from the garage for the DAV. I pumped some more breastmilk for Penny to have tomorrow, and watched the final third of the movie.

I tried to take a nap (I'd been up since 5:15am, after all) but couldn't sleep (I wanted my baby!) so I got up again. Puttering in the nursery, I found the questionnaire we'd filled out for our Lamaze instructor and then lost before it could be mailed, so I grabbed one of the spare birth announcements, stuffed in the questionnaire, and put that in the mail.

Around 4:30, Kris called to see how I was doing. "I want my baby!" I told her. She commisserated with me for a while, and then I composed myself on the couch to await the imminent arrival of Matt and the baby - which is to say, I played on Neopets while peering out the window every fifteen seconds or so.

They finally arrived around 5:15 - and I've spent most of the last hour writing this post.

Funny how time simultaneously speeds up and slows down when there is a baby on your lap.

Funny how I don't seem to mind. Though I did get a lot done that needed doing. There's more to do tomorrow - which is good, because otherwise I'd be sitting here, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about how much I miss my baby.