Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Thank you

Thank you to everyone for your heartfelt condolences. I know this is something almost all of us share, the loss of a beloved pet. Reading all of your messages was really nice.

It's hard following up a serious and sad post like the last one -- it feels as though the follow-up ought to have some gravity too. I'd thought this would be a perfect time to attempt to put into words some of my thoughts and feelings on new parenthood. To follow a post about death with one about life. But I haven't had time to write that post. I will say this, though. A fun thing about having a baby that I'd never thought about is how it gives you an excuse to dance all the time. Wherever you are, if you're holding a baby, you're allowed to dance. To be honest, I never have the urge to randomly dance when I'm not holding Clementine, but with her in my arms: yeah. Who knew?

I've been busy trying to finish a new Laini's Ladies collection before going to New Yotk, and I'm almost there. Yesterday Jim had some kind of powerful urge to leave the house and started trying to lure me away from the computer to go shopping. (I have a husband who shops; I thank my mother-in-law for training him well!) Well, I held out. No, I said, I must finish my work. No no no. He tried every persuasive tactic; I held firm. He persisted.

Me (amused & a tiny bit annoyed): Stop it! Sheesh, you're acting like a kid.
Jim: No I'm not. . . . You are.

and

Me: Arg! Stop manipulating me.
Jim: I'm not. . . . But if you loved me you'd come.


:-)

15 comments:

Suzanne Young said...

What a beautiful idea to follow with this post. And the dancing years go by fast... so dance whenever you can! :-)

K said...

First, I'm sorry about your pet.

Second, I agree with PP that it was a beautiful idea to follow up with a post about life, particularly a new life. I do find that babies inspire dancing. And let me tell you, it doesn't end at just holding them. Eventually you'll move on to dancing for them and with them and loving every second of it!

Annie Jeffries said...

Hi Laini,

I've come late to reading about Leroy and let me please add my sad condolences as well. Our pets, especially our long-time pets, live in our hearts forever. Our shy kitty, Smudge, lived for almost 20 years. I still miss her to this day.

I just purchased Silksinger last week. I'll be reading it soon. It's next on my list.

Now - go shopping!!

Catherine Denton said...

Oh my gosh, you guys are cute. Very Jim and Pam-ish (from The Office) if you ask me. ;)

Dancing with babies...it's so true. My babies are now 9, 12, and 14. I've moved from dancing with them in my arms to dancing side by side. Still fun!

Myrna Foster said...

Jim is so funny.

Amber Lough said...

You and Jim are sooooo cute.

Amber said...

He knows you are, what what is he? *raspberry*

:)

tone almhjell said...

Yes, lots of dancing! And singing! I had no idea so many lyrics to children's songs had been lurking in the steerage of my head, but they're all up on deck now! How wonderful that someone actually enjoys our singing, if only for a short while :)

Laini Taylor said...

Tone, I know! I'm so not a singer, and yet I find myself singing things I'd otherwise speak. The most mundane songs ever! A singer/songwriter we love (Ezra Furman) just wrote a short track for Clementine, and we've been singing that to her too :-)

Carrie Harris said...

Belated hugs for you and Leroy. And I've found you can get away with LOTS of things, so long as you shrug, grin, and say, "Hey, the kids like it."

Anonymous said...

I just read about Leroy, I am very sorry, he sounds like he was a really sweet, great dog.

-QZQ

Elena said...

I'm really sorry to hear about Leroy. He sounds like a sweetie.

The Art of Kim Kincaid said...

It took me years to stop swaying while standing after my children were grown and gone. Just when I thought I was cured, the grand babies started coming and I was back doing this little private rocking dance with or without them in my arms. One time I had a particularly fussy baby in arms and for some reason started singing "Davey Crockett". You know the one ..."Born in the mountaintop of Tennessee..." The melody and lyrics fit perfectly with the little rocking/swaying/bouncing cadence I was doing and suddenly the baby stopped crying and went to sleep. It's now the guaranteed colic-curing jingle in our household.

I also wanted to send you and yours my heart-felt sympathies for the loss of your beloved Leroy. How precious our pets become to us. He'll be waiting at Heaven's door for you, I'm sure.

All the best.

Tinker said...

The singing and dancing are definitely two of the perks. Also, the storytelling/reading aloud, making up silly rhymes and the excited pointing out of random animals and other sights. The best part for me was finding out it didn't really end - you get to do it all over again as a grandparent (only that time around, you usually get to sleep more often - except for sleepovers, of course).

Did Jim ever succeed in goading you out the door? Too funny.

deowriter said...

Dance, randomly sing made-up songs...who knew that parenting or grandparenting could be soooo much fun. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Little ones make you live in the present.