Glider

This past summer, I assisted T at a home birth for one of her clients. The client has kept in touch with us over the months, and when she found out I was pregnant, she very generously offered me a bunch of baby stuff. She's very sure that this child will be her last, so I feel okay accepting it from her. Plus, her stuff is totally clean and everything looks practically new. Very Pottery Barn-ish. A couple weeks ago, we set up a time for me to stop by and pick through what I could use.

While I was at her home, she told me a funny story about her birth. While she was in labor, she wanted to be checked (as in, cervical dilation), but she didn't want T to tell her how much she was dilated. Instead, the goal became whenever T said it was time to call me to come to the birth, that was the point at which she could know she was close to delivering. So, she labored, and she got checked, and she labored, and she got checked. Finally, after one cervical check, T said it was time to call Jen, and the client said, "OH, THANK GOD!" because she knew that meant it would soon be over. It's funny to me because apparently she still associates that feeling of relief with whenever she sees me.

So, while I was visiting her a couple weeks ago, she mentioned that she had a proposition for me. She had already passed along a bunch of books, a huge bag of barely worn clothes, a sleep wedge for late pregnancy, a nursing stool, and a few other items for free. She said she also had a few items like a glider and a car seat that she had hoped to sell, but if I was willing to trade her a few hours of childcare, I could have the items in exchange. She said she was having such a hard time finding someone she could trust to watch her baby for a few hours while she got some time to herself and that she knew she could trust me because, after all, I had helped bring the baby safely into the world. Aw, you guys. She was so sincere. How could I possibly say no?

And so, we worked out an arrangement whereby I would come watch her little girl for a few hours in exchange for the nursery furniture and baby items I needed anyway. And that's how I scored myself a super comfy glider and footrest. Louis, my mom, and I picked up the chair last weekend and then just this past weekend, I got it all cleaned up (it was already clean but I needed it to be perfect) and it's now the one and only item in the baby's room that is all set up. I love my glider.