Isotta Peira

I never wanted to have a baby. I still don’t. What I’ve been learning since we adopted Mutti is that caring for her isn’t all that different from caring for a small human, and that some of what I’d assumed required children has shown up anyway.

My happiness has somehow become tied to hers. When she’s uncomfortable, I can’t enjoy myself either.

In February, we left her with my in-laws for three weeks. She loves them and they love her, but Andrea and I felt the absence in a way I wasn’t prepared for. We won’t do it that long again.

She is teaching me more than I knew there was to learn. The joy she brings us is something I didn’t know to expect.

Add a photo gallery here: a few favorite photos of Mutti. Use the Gallery block to arrange them in a grid.