Infanticipating

We are drifting towards fall. You can smell it in the air, that distinct apple-smell that comes when September draws near. Light fades more quickly now. The evenings are cooler. Greens are giving way to warmer shades and pumpkins are already ripening on the vines.

Fall means a return to school for some. For E, it means the start of school and the beginning of a whole new adventure. For the first time in known history, J is not returning to school this fall, not to work and not to study. She is 31 weeks pregnant today and will spend her September counting down, contemplating names and picking out nursery colours. She may even get around to painting. J's work in the gardens across the peninsula will slow a little, but at home he will give himself over to the work he loves: writing.

This past week has been a time of reflection and anticipation for the Rioux Famille. They have been a tight little trio, but in 9 short weeks, less than two handfuls, they will become four. They do not know if they are ready. Surely J is ready to lighten her load. She'd like to be able to see her toes again without having to lean forward. She's also well aware of how fast the weeks will fly, how her time as the mother of one is really very fleeting. She is slowing herself down, in more ways than one. She is trying to learn to just be.