Can You Guess Who’s Been Here?

Can you guess who’s been here, keeping me company while Andrew was in California for work all week? Here are some clues:

1. My books are now alphabetized.
2. I browsed in a bookstore I’d never gone into before.
3. A newly cooked meatloaf is waiting in the fridge.
4. Lucia has been introduced to pasta fagioli.

If you guessed “both of Lucia’s grandmothers,” you’re right! Andrew’s mom (see clues #1 and 2) stayed with us from Monday through Wednesday. We looked around Brooklyn’s oldest independent bookstore, played at the playground, swung, visited the Blue Sky Bakery for muffins more than once, and made BLTs with delicious tomatoes given to us by Kris’s friend in Massachusetts. And during Lucia's naps, I worked while Kris alphabetized my books; things feel right again. Thursday, Mom arrived (see clues #3 and 4), in the midst of a bona fide tornado; she was in a cab as trees were being ripped from the ground or snapped jaggedly in half, arriving in the aftermath. We walked down 5th Ave., played at the playground, swung, and visited the Blue Sky Bakery. Last night we watched Babies, and today we went to the farmer’s market and got dumplings from a dumpling truck. And Lucia fully enjoyed her pasta fagioli.

Lucia has loved having Granny and Grandma around. And Mama has loved not being alone all week. Of course, both grandmothers seemed incredibly put out to be forced to spend so much time playing with the baby, forced to watch her grin and laugh as she pulls to a stand, forced to watch her crawl cutely around the apartment, forced to watch her slide down the slide at the playground with a pleased, expectant smile.

Andrew is back now, and life returns to normal tomorrow once Mom leaves. Gracias, grandmas!