Prettier Than Anyone Ever Imagined

A new stage has begin at the ‘quipe dub household. MW jr. has begun daycare, and MW sr. has returned to work this morning after her 12 week baby raisin’ leave. It has been incredibly fast, painfully slow, joyfully present, worryingly intense, heart growingly warm, and unimaginably enriching. Sometimes all at once. In three short months we managed to produce and sustain a charming little human, who has in turn written her name indelibly across our lives.

So yesterday, in celebration, we took a family day at the MN Zoo where we were enthralled by the butterfly house. Hundreds of butterflies in a screened room filled with flowers. There was so much to see. And they had some gentle classical music pumped in, which capped the experience. Right then and there, papa Jw decided he was going to build a butterfly house one day.

Mother, father and child wandered among the semi-domesticated wild animals. (Have you ever seen a Red Panda?! They’re fantastic!) Maeva slept most of the time, which allowed us a chance to talk about this next phase. Three months came a little quickly for us, but we’ll be alright.

In hindsight, we have cocooned for 3 months, and have emerged as something completely different: a family. It was wonderful to have this focused time to raise our child and give all of our energies to her. Megan has become a wonderful mother, and has been drying her wings over the past couple days, readying herself to naviagate work, pumping, daycare (shout out to Rebecca and the Magnuson-Lees!) grocery shopping, and the plethora of other things a working mother has to do. Maeva, for her part, has been joyfully oblivious, but just for good measure, has seemed to give up her 6pm fussy time. And papa continues to bike to work. Like right now. He’s late.

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