Well, fast forward three months from July 2, 2008 and you’ll find me crying at my computer, wondering how twelve weeks magically disappear like they have.
I took Stella to Julie’s this morning for the first time. Julie was a caregiver at Allegro, Henry’s daycare for three years. She was actually the first person I ever left Henry with there and this morning I left Stella with her too. And, as amazing as this sounds, I completely forgot how hard it is to leave your child. It was hard when I didn’t know Julie. And it’s the same kind of hard even now that I do. Stella will stay with Julie for the month of October and, as Julie isn’t quite sure what she’s going to do with her daycare business, we found a more permanent caregiver situation for Stella starting in November. Rosa and Jose own a little home daycare called Mi Casita. I might already love them - as the first time we went to visit them, Rosa said, “Ah, Janetta – Estella, she looks a’ very smart.” They came recommended by a friend who is the most particular person on earth, so along with the good vibes we get from them both, it seems they were able to pass the Lisa test for three years with her daughter. And I’m glad we found such a loving place for her.
All that to say, it was about 5 minutes ago that Dave and I settled in for the evening and had finished watching the HBO series John Adams, when I felt a cramp that was a bit more intense, a bit longer than those I had been feeling the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Dave went to sleep, and I stayed up and lay on the couch, feeling the cramps get closer together and watching the numbers on the clock on my cell phone go from 10 minutes from the start of one until another one came, to 6 minutes, to 4 minutes. At 2:30 AM we woke Henry up – the last time we’d be a family of three. He was so good. Just groggily asked if he could have a juice box on the way in to the hospital. We drove in and, after much hulabaloo regarding when they would actually do the c-section and some fast driving by cousin Beth to come take care of Henry, Dave and I walked into the operating room at 7:00 AM to meet Stella. Pure and complete joy. 
And now that first bunch of alone time with my second baby is over. I know enough now to realize that it will be replaced by other, just as joyful firsts and seconds and thirds. But today is the start of that change – and I once again recognize in myself the complete inability to rationally process change. Which makes me think it's a good thing I get to pick them both up in about three hours.
