Got back late-ish on Sunday. The shopping wasn't too bad, and Sebastian and I enjoyed a nice lunch at The Cheesecake Factory with my mom. The mall we went to is pretty upscale (Brooks Brothers, Tiffany & Co., J. Crew, Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma, etc.), so there was quite a lot over which to salivate. I saw a very lovely pair of shoes at Dillards and looked at the sticker on the bottom. Thought there must be a mistake: $465.00. I tried them on just to feel what $465 feels like on the soles of my feet. My feet felt great, but the accompanying nausea wasn't good. That sum is more than what I spent on my school materials this year. My mother and I have a knack for picking out the most expensive Italian-made shoes.
Sebastian got his jacket and was fawned over like a little prince at Brooks Bros. That is part of what one pays for when one shops there. Want a piece of irony? I found a beautiful, white Brooks Bros. shirt for Sebastian at Goodwill for $1.75. Beautiful, with French cuffs, but the little French knot buttons for the cuffs were missing, so my mother got a pair at Brooks Bros.: $9.00. I'd have thought twice about paying that for the shirt.
Yesterday we had dental appointments for the three oldest, and I am so sieve-brained that when I made the appointment weeks ago, I didn't even think about the fact that it would be on Dominic's birthday. So we are putting off the celebration until Saturday, which is actually better since Bret will be able to celebrate with us and we can make a bigger to-do of it. I can bake something and buy a gift (yes, I actually have NO gift for the little guy, but he's two and there are so many toys in this house already that I'm not sure what to get). I won't get things that make a lot of noise, require lots of batteries or will cause huge arguments with his 3 year-old brother.
As a side note, this is the first time I've celebrated(?) a two-year birthday for one of my children without being pregnant with another. I can't say I feel dreadful about it, but there is a bit sadness attached to that fact. Truly, the years since I became pregnant with Una a decade ago have been the best of my life. I will really miss my babies...
I have a set of "irish twins"-(less than a year apart)-we moved each b-day a bit and did them together with close but not exactly the same presents-they played together and now want to dress alike every day. I know exactly how you feel about that bittersweet sensation as you watch your child grow-proudly and thankfully and yet regret the smallness that is leaving. I have names that are waiting for people to use them and it seems so sad that those little people I have thought of all this time won't be. I am learning to be content-and AM in many areas-who knew how hard it would be to ONLY have 8 children?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing on Clara's second birthday a couple of weeks ago - that this is the first time since we had Tess, 9.5 years ago, that I've had a baby turn two without having another one either on the way, or already here. It's a strange feeling - not so much sadness (well, okay - there is a definite element of sadness to it) as it is not knowing what to expect. A part of me would be happy to move past my childbearing years. I mean, just think what a full night's sleep, EVERY night, could do for a girl like me! But then there's another part of me that would trade the rest of my life's sleep just to have one more sweet little one to love. It's a good thing I'm not the one deciding these matters! I don't think my family (or anyone else)could stand me if I didn't get any sleep for the rest of my life! : )
ReplyDeleteWell said. I have the same mixed feelings. I definitely feel like I have no energy to juggle toddlers and a nursing infant AND school these days. But, oh, how I love those toddlers, even with their exhausting antics. As I may have said elsewhere on my blog, sometimes I don't know whether my little ones are the pets or the masters!
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if my oldest kids were of marriageable ages, so that I could at least look forward to grandkids before my youngest got too old.