guest room.

i love taking naps with the windows open. there are few things better than falling asleep with a cool breeze blowing over you and the sound of trees rustling just out of reach. today little eli and i had one of those naps and it was bliss.

the morning began humidly. we are living with friends in ashland city now, as work on the house continues slow but steady. we woke up early, saw jeremy off to "work"...today he is putting satin varnish on an antique vanity for the master bath and breathing new life into a shabby kitchen pantry. i sipped coffee and watched eli gobble his sticky waffles while the dog licked at his bare feet.

i cleaned up breakfast dishes left by the family who had dashed off to school, and then took eli for a walk around the neighborhood. the air was just turning chilly so i left my sweatshirt at the house and let the temperature invigorate my tired bones. climbing paved hills while pushing the stroller, i could feel muscles in my legs waking up with a stretch and a yawn after their winter season of hibernation.

eli's morning nap lasted two full hours, which i attribute to the breeze drifting through our second floor room. he woke up mid-way and i nestled him next to me on the blue and red quilt; we both nodded off again listening to dogs yapping across the neighborhood, and the crinkle of leaves being caught by the wind. a perfect rest.

now the baby's down for nap number two, following errands and lunch in the little town. i am liking this non-city life so far. this neighborhood is much like ours...quiet and friendly; a place to catch your breath.

i am in the downstairs living room while he sleeps. the window in the bedroom is cracked just a bit for him and our clothes are organized into stacks on the small couch and window benches. it feels like home, even though transitional.

the grandfather clock with its calligraphic numbers and gilded face tick-tocks just as lullingly as the wind did earlier this morning. i've been reading, curled up on the patterned sofa. as of just today i feel that i am finally, at last, possibly in a rhythm with this motherhood. for months, i have felt so discombobulated. i have wandered around half-brained and hurried, eager for quiet moments to feel like i am slowly accomplishing life, rather than tumbling messy-haired and confused from one day into the next.

the clock just chimed four. eli will sleep another half-an-hour or so, and then we'll play.

and more again tomorrow.