Our Moment

The visit with my wife’s family continues. Baby is having her attention stretched in ways I might not choose, but at the same time being loved in ways I might not think to love her. It takes a village, and all that. Still, when at one point during the day today I had an opportunity to give her a bottle, it was as though I was getting my first few gulps of air after being underwater a long time. I heated the water on the strange stove, found the formula in a strange part of the strange refrigerator, mixed the water and formula nervously over the uneven (but expensive) white tile counter, and found a corner of a couch in an unused room where I could create an oasis of calm. She took more formula than usual, then fluttered her eyes a few times on her way to sleep. Then mommy came through the room on her way to help some family member, and the reality of a lot of people in a little bit of space led to another missed nap. It was no problem at all; baby and I had our moment.