The Color Purple

When she was born, I decided Elissa's favorite color was purple. Part of it, I'm sure, what the fact that February's birthstone is amethyst. And also, pink for girls is fun, but all pink gets overwhelming.

Also, my baby girl looks pretty sharp in purple.

Throughout her hospitalization, I took comfort in purple things. Like good luck charms. Two weeks after she was born, Mike booked me a pedicure/manicure to relax. I had my nails painted purple. I kept that polish on until she came off ECMO.

I also started wearing my promise ring on a silver chain around my neck. My promise ring, oddly enough, is an amethyst. I'm not sure why Mike chose amethyst all those years ago... freshman year of college actually... aside from the fact that I'd once told him I thought amethysts were pretty. But now, ten years later, that ring suddenly meant so much more.

I wore that ring on my neck for sixty-seven days until my baby came home. I even slept and showered with it on, too scared to take off my good luck charm even for a little while. And on Ellie's sixteenth birthday, that ring will be hers. I want her to have it. There's so much emotion tied to that ring.

It's belonged to her from the day she was born, I guess.

Funny what we cling to in times of stress, isn't it?

Anyway, now that Ellie is home with me, I want to share that purple pedicure magic with her. I bought a new polish that I love, painted it on my own finger and toenails, then headed for her feet this past Saturday.

I learned several important things that day.

#1. Babies don't understand the concept of "Hold still, I'm making your toes pretty!"
#2. When touched, babies will kick their feet.
#3. Also when touched, babies will curl their toes... then drag them across the surface of, say, the bouncy seat in which they are sitting.

I had to explain the streaks of purple on our bouncy chair when Mike got home.

And truth be told, I painted more of her toes than her actual toenails..... which brings us to
#4. Babies have very tiny toenails.

Still, Ellie seemed pretty happy to hear all about "what pretty toenails she has!"
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