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This week mom came to join me for a second year of Artfest, a four day art retreat held in Port Townsend, WA. Fortunately, she came to Seattle a few days early so we could scope out baby items and try to come up with an idea for the nursery.
I've been putting off thinking about any baby stuff thus far for two reasons: #1 - I knew my mom was coming for a visit and having her creative input when it comes to decorating has always been something that I have valued. We do well shopping and brainstorming together and I pretty much always trust her judgement. #2 - I have admittedly been completely overwhelmed by all things baby related! What do I really need? Is it going to completely overtake our house? How much is all of this going to cost? How do I know what to put on our registry? Etc, etc. The overwhelming feelings just do not end.
I've always pictured myself having a family. I love the idea of the family unit, and I cherish the bond between parent and child. The majority of my fondest memories are of family times together with my parents and my brother, Jarrett. But having a baby on the other hand is something that I haven't spent much time actually thinking about. I've never been the type to feel compelled to hold someone else's baby or to want to rock them to sleep as I sing them a nursery rhyme. In fact, the most I've ever really felt drawn to babies is to photograph them. And somehow I have this unsettling feeling that taking care of an infant's every need is slightly different than taking a few pictures of them in good lighting and then stepping away to my computer to do a little photo editing!
So when mom arrived, we headed straight to Babies-R-Us. I've always been slightly against this large chain store, but I have to say after our lengthy visit - I'm fairly impressed. They seem to have just about everything you could need. Mom and I spent time scoping out the strollers, cribs, high chairs and baby bath tubs, and I left feeling a bit dazed, but slightly more informed. I think for me, it just takes one step at a time. I'll mull those things over in my head for the next couple of weeks, look at some online reviews and get advice from my older cousins and a few of my experienced friends. I mean how much preparation can it really require? Millions of people do it every day, right? In no time, I'll be ready to take this little kitten home from the hospital, and I have no doubt Dash will be willing to share his automatic feeder.
I wish I was there to plan with you since you were here to plan with me. :)
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