Things:

coloured tights
pretty flower pots
paint chips
the beach ball of doom
peeing with the door open
bits of dough stuck in my ring the day after baking pretzels
kicking a piece of ice down the snow-covered sidewalk
successful blood draws (breaking the skin, watching the blood fill the tube in the vacutainer and feeling the warmth of it in my hand)
maple dipped creme-filled doughnuts
stove top tea kettles
changing words and names to make them funnier
tiny jars of spices
all of Muirgen's nicknames
minty lip balm that makes your lips tingle
the earthy way that beets taste
babies at the breast
dancing alone in the kitchen to The Killers
stepping over the ridge of plowed snow at the curb
hippie curry
the smell of hair
puddles of melted snow under your boots
dangley earrings
counting fetal heart rates
detaching dreads that are growing together
the pile of clothes on the floor
xylophones
conversations with strangers via text message
leaving the curtains open after it's dark outside
the possibility
sanding dust around the baseboards
roasted marshmallows that are cold before you pop them in your mouth
sticky jars of honey
laughing about stupid things we've done
sitting on a black couch held together with duct tape
John's Delicates
hospital rounds

Two things about today:

1. The newly made brother wanted to give us goodbye hugs when we left. As I held him, he said sweet things and fingered my dreads (probably wondering what the heck is going on with my hair) and gave me a big hug and even a little kiss. This sweet little boy whom I had only met once before, whose new baby sister I helped catch this morning.

2. There's something about leaving a home after a birth. Stepping outside, carrying all the gear to the car. No one else on the street paying any heed. No one else aware. All are oblivious to the brand new life that so recently entered the world. I feel like shouting, "A baby was just born! Right here, in this house! A woman worked so hard and did an amazing job and her body knew just what to do! You should know, and be excited!" It's like a wonderful secret that only we are in on.