They Took My Couch

Mommy and newborn napping on the couch

You all know I'm moving. I have been annoying you with the details for months now. This evening it really hit that life is moving forward and time is passing.

I gave my couch to my maid. I'm sure all of you are thinking "And?" The thing is that it was mine and Mr. Rant's first big purchase together, apart from the first apartment we bought.

That sofa supported us through many stages of life. It was the fabulously comfortable pull out my first American visitors slept on during my pregnancy with The Chatterbox. It stayed a pull out bed in our tiny living room for the first 3 months of The Chatterbox's life as we used it as our daytime bed/nighttime nursing spot.

We moved it with us to our new bigger place. It became the playroom couch. It's where The Menace laid as I played with the toddler version of The Chatterbox. It was my parent's bed, as well as anyone else who stayed here. And it managed to stay the same obnoxiously bright orange throughout chocolate milk spills, tent making, playing, movie watching, and guests.

Seeing it taken apart and leaving my place made me nostalgic. I felt myself saying goodbye to a piece of furniture that reminded me of the new adult Rachel, the new Mom Rachel, and the I hate this big freaking orange sofa Rachel.

I saw my skinny and hardly pregnant butt de-virginizing it upon it's arrival to our place. I can still remember the comfort of sitting on that sofa, over the old futon that it replaced, as my ass widened and my belly grew. It was where I was laying when my breast milk came it. I'm pretty sure there's still some in the cushions as I was a milk cow. It was the first important piece of furniture The Chatterbox peed all over as an infant, but definitely not the last.

Seeing it leave my place made me realize how far I have come from the girl that bought it. It's hard to say goodbye to her as I am quite fond of her sassy ways. And while I am looking forward to having a real "adult" apartment with planned and matching furniture, I look back fondly on the process of the first time furnishing a home. There is so much pride in your pieced together room, an appreciation we have a tendency of losing over time. Things just become things that can easily be thrown away. But when you are starting out and struggling to piece together a life you see the character behind the story of each item. I am going to miss that.

I will be following this with a ridiculous montage of photos of said couch in respect to our daily life. Enjoy:

Baby Chatterbox with his pet spoon and couch. Yes, he had a pet spoon. 

Playing hairdresser/dress up with Mommy in front of couch

Annoying napping Tio (uncle) with a friend as he napped on couch

The Menace chilling with Batman in a tent made on couch 

Do you have/had a piece of furniture that holds memories like this? If so, do tell! 

One small step for Man, One giant step for Botafogo

Today is a big day for Botafogo fans in my family. My 3 year old, Luka, is not only going to his first game but has the honor of walking the team out onto the field.  It's a tradition here for kid fans, from babies to pre-teens, to walk the players out at the beginning of the game.  To say that his father is proud is like saying I like oxygen.

Luka is excited even if he doesn't quite understand what is going to happen. He knows he got a complete Botafogo uniform with the coolest socks he's ever seen. I've had to wash it 3 times this week because he wants to wear it every day.  He also knows that Daddy can't take him up to the field but that he, his cousin Frederico, and other kids get to walk alone with the real Botafogo players. 

So I cut the umbilical cord a little bit. I'm nervous. I've been to games and they are crazy. Brazilians breath soccer, especially when it's their local team, even more so than the national Brazilian team.  It's loud, there's screaming, people are cursing, basically madness.  At first I was afraid Luka would be scared, then I snapped out of it.  Screaming, yelling, madness, and chaos... that sounds like a 3 yr old's heaven.  And to top it off, there will be junk food.

He's growing up. It's only a matter of time until he asks to go to all the games Daddy goes to and ignores what I say while the game is on at home.  My little man is growing up and he's growing up a Botafoguense.

If you'd like more info about Botafogo check out
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botafogo_de_Futebol_e_Regatas

Believe it or not, the peeing kid is one of their mascots.