What We Do

Well, I’ve been trying really hard to think of something positive I can write, without resorting to endlessly gushing about Orrin, and I haven’t come up with much! The truth is, it’s the crap end of winter. I usually get a little seasonally depressed at this time of year, but it’s been especially rough this year, being postpartum, cooped up inside and with a new baby, and alone much of the time. So, I’m going to tell you about some of the things I’ve been doing to stay sane!

Sprout is a natural parenting store up in Brattleboro, Vermont. When the weather is good for walking, Orrin and I drive up there and use Sprout as our “home base” in Brattleboro. They have a fantastic, sparkling clean bathroom with kid-sized doubles of all of the grown-up fixtures (toilet, sink, garbage can, etc.), and a cushy changing table (complete with a wipes warmer and fresh diapers). They also have a really comfy rocking chair that they welcome moms to use for nursing. It’s a great setup, and the changing and nursing amenities are so crucial to a parenting store being baby-friendly (see below for a brief discussion about changing tables). It makes the whole town of Brattleboro four-season accessible to Orrin and I. Last week we went up there and met my sister, Taury*, and walked around town with her all afternoon. We found some pull-on ice grippers so that Taur could go running outside, we had a yummy lunch overlooking the Connecticut River at Amy’s Bakery Arts Café (which is also my sister’s new place of employment -- she bakes bread there), we perused the racks at Boomerang, a funky new- and used-clothing store, and Auntie Taury bought Orrin several new board books at Brattleboro Used Book Store. Orrin spent the whole time either sleeping in the Babyhawk or quietly taking everything in. It was really lovely, and such a balm for me to be able to get out and function in the world.

A Brief Discussion About Changing Tables:
When we go to our other nearby “walking town,” Northampton, Mass, we are up a creek! I haven’t found a decent changing table there yet. I must say that pre-baby, I never imagined how obsessed I would become with baby-changing facilities. Most of you, my friends, don’t yet have kids. Imagine, if you will, attempting to hold your diaper bag, winter coat, and baby carrier all between your knees as you change your baby in order to avoid putting your stuff on the grimy floor of a public bathroom, as people sneeze and cough and do their smelly business all around you…and then, trying to suit back up without having anything touch the floor…all I can say is ugh. It’s very unsavory. And good luck if you have to pee, too.

Orrin and I go to a couple of different parenting groups a couple of times a month. The attachment parenting group and the babywearing group both meet at the Forbes Library in Northampton one Wednesday morning each month. I learned about the groups from my midwife, Gillian, who is the leader of the attachment parenting group. Both groups are made up of basically the same collection of moms and kids/babies, and it’s usually a pretty casual discussion-based format, but it’s really nice to be able to compare notes and bounce questions off of one another. Hopefully these groups will be a source of friendships for both Orrin and I! Our longtime friend, Emily, also works at the Forbes Library in the children’s section, and we always take a few minutes to catch up with her before we go. It’s a long drive to Northampton, but it’s pretty worth it (of course, we use the carpeted floor of the meeting room for diaper changes!).

It’s been really great to have our neighbor and friend, Melissa, right around the corner from us here in the Patch. Melissa has two little boys: Atticus, who is three; and Enzo, who is seven months (I think). She and her husband, Chris (a.k.a. Monte), have similar parenting ideas to us, and are just fun, young (like us!) people. When she barely knew me and I was still pregnant, Melissa offered to organize people to make meals for us after the baby was born. She really came through and had meals coming to us from different friends three days a week for nearly a month! The morning after Orrin was born she dropped off homemade muffins and a nursing pillow, and she’s been helping me get connected with all of the different meetings and activities that are out there for moms and kids. It feels really nice to have someone like her just around the corner to visit back and forth with. Thank you, Melissa!!

Of course Orrin and I do a lot of stuff in and around the house, too. There’s always laundry or dishes or makeshift vacuuming (no, we haven’t bought a vacuum cleaner yet) or something to do. When the weather allows, we walk around our town, either on Migratory Way, which is the path along the canal, or into town to check out the goods at the Salvation Army, buy bread at the Second Street Bakery, or wander through the exhibits at the Discovery Center. Come visit us, we’ll show you around!


*Congratulations to my little sister, Taury, who just got engaged this past weekend! Dave is a wonderful guy, and I can tell that he loves my sister very much. I’m happy that they’re so happy!