Grass

Ellen called me in the morning and we spent a lot of time devoted to my electronic problems. My darling daughter walked me through the email morass, so I was finally able to switch my gmail address to the preferred one, which is just my name and the @. She's not a teacher for nothing. With great patience, she guided me through the process, commiserated with me over the fact I've probably lost all my Comcast messages, and what's even more important, reminded me that grass is real. 

And all this electronic stuff isn't. 

And the Buddhists burn their houses down every three years, so as not to get attached to material things.  

I needed to hear all that, seriously. And, if I'm not quite walking on air yet, it lifted my spirits enormously. No wonder I was so down: I had been sitting in front of a screen, trying this and going there, fretting about my inadequacy, and feeling helpless and what's more, worthless. I was holed up inside and that's always a bad situation for me. I need to walk and after lunch, I did. 

Took the bus to town and walked down Main, stopping in here and there. I bought two more DVDs--dogs, I'm pretty sure. One is called Crash, with Sandra Bullock and the other Nurse Betty. I bought that only because I thought Betty would get a kick out it. I think it's a comedy, although--geez, the title--maybe it's porn. (In which case, she'd really get a kick out of it!) Anyway, I'll watch it first.

While on the bus home, Jenny, from the Bar Association, called to say she had gotten an attorney for us. She wanted to give me the name, but it was too damn noisy, I said I'd call her this morning.

I stopped at Von's for an unmentionable item (okay, toilet paper) and got some dough to put in Tristan's card. Home, I cut up my mushrooms and roasted them--so good. I had them with tilapia, spaghetti squash, and the last of the cabbage. 

El called in the evening again and we went over more about my email woes. I've decided, just for now, to keep both my gmail accounts and just give most new contacts the simpler one, then eliminate the other.

I continued my little Tristan thing: copying out what I mention about him on my blog, starting with the day after his birth. I'm hoping Suzanne will print it, then I'll put it in with his present. This one is a lot longer than the rest and it assured me that grass is real and so is he.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Little Tristan Edward Phillips is just beautiful! I got up there about 1:00 after finishing some chores at home. Found Jen, Joel, Joely, Alison, and J. and J.'s friend, Jason, in the large, comfortable "birthing room" at Capitol Health Center (used to be Mercer) Hospital. His Mommy was holding Tristan, but let me take him when I got there. As soon as I walked in, Joely said excitedly, "That's my little brother, that's my little brother!"
Unlike my mostly bald babies, Tris has a respectable amount of hair (dark brown, like his Dad's) and ruddy skin. It's hard to tell at this stage but he seems to have "Byrne eyes"--that is, deep-set, as my father's were. He really is an attractive baby. He slept a lot, but also cried lustily, and seemed to enjoy being passed from person to person. When his Mommy held and talked to him, he looked straight at her and made little cooing sounds--so adorable!
Jen's sister had already been in, and her parents were due at 4:30 or so. Of course, Alison and I took pictures. Loved the ones of big Joel, Joely, and little Tristan sitting together--Joely greatly enjoyed holding him. At one point, he said, "Look at this, Mimi" and stroked Baby's cheek, making him turn that way! (Gee, Tris can do tricks.)