Easing My Way Back

Guess what, folks--I'm drinking again!

I am celebrating my daughter's birth every day in many ways, but one (slightly selfish, I admit) moment to rejoice in is the first glass of wine I've had in MONTHS. And it hasn't actually happened yet...but I'm halfway there, having had 1/2 a glass!

We have been so blessed with help from friends, especially when it comes to food and meals. So when some close friends brought us a lasagna and a bottle of red wine, I seized the moment and had a few sips. From my own glass, even--not just a few surreptitiously stolen sips from someone else's. At that point, Calla was sleeping pretty much all the time, and I was cautious about consuming anything that would make her even sleepier. So I didn't have much, but boy did it feel good.

Earlier this week, we were treated to another excellent pasta dish. So I promptly summoned Ryan to the store with a mission--buy a good, but cheap, bottle of red. We were going to uncork something with dinner for the first time in a long time. However--given the fact that neither Calla nor I can tolerate much at the moment (she eats pretty frequently, so there isn't a ton of time for my body to dilute it before she gets it, and frankly, my tolerance is pretty low after not having a drink in 8 months!)--I knew I wasn't going to drink a lot so I didn't want to open anything that we had on hand, which is all pricier, tastier stuff. Ryan came home with a perfectly palatable Washington red, a wine that I always recommend to people who want something good for $8. (Please don't drink the Australian stuff--the one with the critter on the label. You know the one I'm talking about. Do everyone, especially yourself, a favor, and drink something, anything, else. If you want some specific recommendations, I'd be happy to oblige.)

I had half (okay, let's be honest, three-quarters!) of a glass, and it was fantastic. The wine itself is fine. Nothing to spend too many words on. And besides, I'm out of practice; my technical skills need bolstering as much as my tolerance does! But the fact that I was drinking wine with dinner was so mind-blowingly mood lifting, I have to be careful not to do too much too fast.

I still struggle with what the truth really is about alcohol and breastfeeding. Nobody will give you a straight answer, because nobody wants to tell you that it's okay to drink. But as we've all noted a hundred times, the thousands of French, Spanish, and Italian women who drink--in moderation--while pregnant and breastfeeding demonstrate that it can be done. I'm out to prove it to myself, too.

The next day was one of the best days that Calla and I have had in a while. She slept well, ate well, and had happy, calm awake time. It's hard to know how much credit to give to the small glass of wine, but I'm sure it had something to do with it--if for no other reason than by having put me in a better mood, it put us all in a better mood.

So, in addition to easing back into drinking, I'm easing back into writing. I can't wait to make this a more robust blog. I won't be working full time (for pay, that is!) but I'll be pretty busy with our little one. I'm cautious about expecting too much from myself, but writing about wine again feels almost as good as drinking it again, so I hope to gradually work my way up to more regular indulgences (of writing AND drinking, that is!).

So for now, I urge you to check out Eric Asimov's latest column. He's the wine critic for the NY Times, and I generally like what he has to say. Yesterday's column is definitely worth reading. I wish I could have written it half as eloquently and convincingly as he did:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/dining/07pour.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=asimov&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

That's it for now. Until next time (and the next glass, or half...)