Drawing blood

A great moment in parenting (first of many): Yesterday I decided to attempt clipping Ess' nails. You know where this is headed, right? She was asleep in her carseat. I sat on the floor in the kitchen and got through one hand pretty quickly. She started to wake up, but I decided to forge ahead and try to do the other hand. Big mistake, right? I got her index finger done, then tried to rush through the thumb.

And, indeed, I clipped right through poor Ess' thumb. Took out a little chunk of skin, and without being too maudlin, a little bit of my heart as well. She bled, she cried, I cried... it was awful. Thankfully, D was there to comfort both of us. So Ess had her first bandaids, and I had my first major attack of maternal guilt.

All is well now, though. She's snoozing in her bassinet and we are whiling away our cloudy, cool Fourth of July together, waiting for D to get home from work. Later on, the three of us will head to a friend's house for a little barbecue. Fireworks are unlikely, given the forecast.

Other highlights of the last few days: My parents left yesterday morning, leaving me glum and sad. It didn't help that Rocky had thrown up on the bed that morning... nor that she did so again today. Yesterday we washed the duvet cover. Now I've got the sheets and the mattress pad in the wash. Ugh.

The good news is that my sister and I are taking Ess to New Jersey to visit my parents -- and introduce her to my grandparents! -- a week from Thursday. So I should be able to buck up and carry on before too long. (Incidentally, anyone who has tips on long car trips with an infant, please comment away! We're already planning to bring some thawed bottles of breastmilk with us, so Ess doesn't have to nurse every time she's hungry on the ride down. Other ideas are welcome.)

Hope you all are having a good Fourth.