Now that she knew what to do, Thomas slept a little more. There was nothing that Sara loved more than being his mother. She spent so much time looking at him and she knew every little hair on his head. Sara could see that Thomas was already getting bigger. She thought for sure his eyes would turn dark and brown like hers, but they stayed the same blue. Gil officially resigned from the army, but Nick stayed and he left in the middle of March. To Sara, Gil's being home was just perfect. The days when she missed him so seemed miles away and now he was home. Gil had made plans to add another room to the little house. It would be added to the front room and would make everything more comfortable. Sara had also hoped that they could get the house white washed soon, but only time would tell. She wanted so many things for the house. She wanted a picket fence and a large porch where she could sit with Thomas and enjoy the day. The beginning of spring was always busy. Uncle Jim and Gil plowed a new garden that both Aunt Catherine and Sara would tend too and new animals were being born. Everything seemed just perfect.
"It looks like our first year has been good so far," Gil commented.
Sara was amazed that they had almost been married a year, but was sad because most of that year they had been separated. Even though things had been difficult, they had Thomas now and the promise of a brighter future. Sara had hopes that Gil would teach and that they would have finer things and she would have access to more books. But still, they were happy.
~~0~~
When all the snow had melted and the ground was dry, Gil began to build onto the house. He planned to build a big sitting room the length of the house. Gil said it would have a stone fire place and a big window with a window seat. Sara was excited to have a window seat and could see herself sitting in the window, sipping coffee or knitting. Everyday Gil went to the lumberyard and back. He made the ground on the build site even, then he began to build the frame of the new room. Since the noise was too much for Thomas, Sara took him to Aunt Catherine's. Most days she would come back with dinner and she would sit with her husband and eat.
"The work would go faster if you let me help," Sara said.
Gil thought this over. "I hate to tire you. Thomas needs a great deal of walking," he said.
"I don't mind. My days need a little excitement now and then," Sara said.
Gil laughed. "Well, I would appreciate the help. John has been helping some, but with more hands we will have the new part up soon," he said.
So when ever Thomas was asleep, Sara would help Gil build. He had her doing only little things like handing him nails or sanding wood. She held boards in place while he nailed them and brought dinner. John helped Gil with most of the work. He helped Gil haul lumber and hammer the boards in place. It took a few days for the walls to go up and then they started on the flat roof. Sara didn't like having a flat roof, but Gil said he was going to build an upstairs soon. When the walls were built, Gil and John went to the river to pick out stones for the fire place. Sara dressed Thomas and put his little bonnet on. His baby skin was soft and gentle, it burned easy in the springtime sun. While Gil and John loaded the wagon with rocks, Sara walked with Thomas along the river bank.
"This is a nice spot to swim," she told Thomas. " in the summertime we will come and dip our feet in."
Thomas kicked his feet and whimpered. Sara laid him across her shoulder and bounced him a little. Thomas quieted back down and Sara continued her walk. Even though there was a crisp breeze, the tiny buds were blooming on the trees. The grass hadn't turned green yet, but it looked like it was about to.
"This is beautiful weather," Sara said.
Gil agreed. "It is, but I am afraid that we will be hit with an April blizzard," he said.
Sara waved him off. "Couldn't be!" she said.
Gil nodded. "It has happened. It isn't too late for the temperature to fall," he said.
When the wagon was full of stones, they all rode back to house. Sara rode in the front seat with the baby on her lap, while John rode in the back. When they had unloaded the first load, Gil and John rode back to get more. Sara didn't go this time, for Thomas needed to sleep and she needed to start supper. Sara couldn't wait until the vegetable garden was full and then she would make all kinds of treats. She would make creamed corn and creamed tomatoes and creamed peas. The pig in the barn was fat and soon Uncle Jim would slaughter it. Sara always tried to get as far away from the house during slaughtering time, but in the end they would have plenty of meat. There would be spare ribs and head cheese and shoulders.
"There, there," Sara said to a crying Thomas.
Despite for Thomas's crying, Sara thought he was a good baby. He couldn't help crying, but when he wasn't crying he always fixed his eyes on her and cooed. Now that Sara knew how to calm him, he didn't cry so much. She had asked Uncle Jim how long Colic would last.
"No one really knows for sure," Uncle Jim had answered.
To Sara, nothing was more sweeter than her sleeping baby. His eyelashes were long and dark on his pink little face. He was nearly a month old, and already he reached out to grab things. He liked singing and he knew the voices of his parents. As Thomas slept in his cradle, Sara mended a pair of Gil's trousers. She thought back to what he had said about an April blizzard. She thought it was foolish that this beautiful weather would end.
~0~
Gil had been right, the next morning Sara woke up to the howling of the wind. She sat up in bed and breathed in air colder than she had ever felt in her life. She shrank back under the blankets and wanted to lie there until the storm had past, but Thomas's crying gave her the strength to get up. Gil had already gotten up and the cook stove was roaring. There was a pot of coffee on the stove already, so Sara started some salt-pork frying and went to gather the baby. The kitchen was warmer than the bedroom, but not by much. Sitting by the cook stove, she bundled Thomas up.
"What did I tell you," Gil teased. "a blizzard!"
Sara nodded. "Yes, but it really isn't April just yet."
~~0~~
April 1780
April came soon enough, but the wind still blew. Sara was sorry that all the buds on the trees and new grass had all frozen, but nature could take care of it's self. They needed to go to town to get provisions, but the wind was blowing so hard that neither Gil nor Sara dare go out. Breakfast, dinner, and supper usually consisted of the same bread and potatoes. Even though they kept the cook stove well stocked, the heat didn't seem to travel far. Gil moved the table and chairs at night and they put the feather mattress in the kitchen and slept in front of the stove with Thomas between them Gil stayed awake most nights, keeping the fire going.
"Your fireplace will hold a bigger fire than this," he told her.
The wind blew for six days, and then finally it was quiet. The silence was odd to hear and it rang in Sara's ears. Outside the sun glistened on the hard-packed snow. Gil opened the front door to look out and the snow came up to his waist!
"Would you look at that!" Gil exclaimed.
Sara was amazed. "Do you suppose we can walk across?" she asked with wide eyes.
Gil nodded. "We should go and see about your aunt and uncle," he said.
Sara agreed. "I would like to," she said.
She set Thomas in his basket and bundled him up. His bonnet was on his little head to protect him from the bright sun. Then she gathered her knitting bag and they left. Carefully the walked across the snow. Gil held her arm firm as they walked. Once or twice she almost slipped, but Gil was strong and kept her upright. As they got to the door it opened and Uncle Jim took Thomas's basket and helped them into the house. The kitchen was warm and Aunt Catherine had a hot breakfast cooking.
"You were right," John said. "It was a blizzard."
"I wasn't expecting it to be so long though," Gil admitted.
Sara lifted Thomas up and laid him on her shoulder. "How did you fair?" she asked her aunt.
"Well," said Aunt Catherine. "we kept the sitting room door open and the fire lit. We have a fireplace in our bedroom, so John slept with us. The cellar was well stocked, so we made out fine."
"I am more worried about your house," Uncle Jim said.
Sara shook her head. "Gil made the house just fine. It was cold in the bedroom, but we slept in the kitchen by the stove. When the new part is built we will have the new fireplace," she explained.
"I hate to agree with your uncle, but I was worried too," Gil admitted. "I will have to tar it up better and then we will paint it white. You have always wanted it white, Sara."
Sara nodded. "I know we will be comfortable," she said.
After Sara had fed Thomas and laid him in a box that Aunt Catherine had found, she and Gil ate breakfast. It was good to eat something other than potatoes and bread and Sara was happy. Having company was nice on such a cold day. Gil and John played cards, while Uncle Jim read the paper out loud. Sara and Aunt Catherine knitted and listened. That night they slept at Uncle Jim's house. Gil had brought blankets from the little house and Sara made a pallet in the sitting room by the fire place. The floor in the sitting room wasn't hardwood, but carpet, and Sara knew they would sleep fine. She put Thomas's box near the pallet and when it was his bedtime, Sara laid him gently in it and pulled his blankets up to his little chin. That night they slept warmer than they had all week.
~0~
The next day the sun melted some of the snow and there was the constant sound of water dripping off the eaves. Gil and John broke a path to the little house and Sara went in to check on it. It was fine except for some water that had trickled under the door and wet the floor. She mopped up the water and checked on what need to be brought from town, for Gil was going to get supplies.
"We need flour and sugar and more coffee and salt pork," Sara said, telling him a few things they needed.
Gil nodded. "I need more tobacco and nails. I am going to have to get started again on the new room," he said.
Sara and Aunt Catherine brought the blankets back up to the house and Sara did all the cleaning that it had been too cold to do. Sara put the pillows on the bed around Thomas and set him in between them. It made a type of bed for him and she thought he would appreciate the change. Thomas kicked his feet and looked at his surroundings. With the baby safe, Sara got dinner. She used the rest of the bread and fried the last piece of salt pork. When Gil came back they stocked the pantry. There was all the good things to eat and Gil had even brought her some lemon drops.
"Look what I brought you, son," Gil said as he pulled out a little wooden giraffe.
He walked over to the bed and showed it to Thomas. Thomas didn't reach out to it, but he looked at it. Gil set it by Thomas and ate his dinner. Sara added some of the leftover potatoes and after Sara washed the dishes, Gil went to look at the mud and snow in the new section.
"It seems I can finish the roof and start your fireplace," Gil said.
"Don't you need to make the floor first?" Sara asked.
Gil said. "No, I am going to have earth for the hearth so nothing can catch fire. I'll fashion you a bracket so that you can set things on the top," he said.
All the following week, the snow melted. Mandy came over for a visit and made a fuss over Thomas, picking him up and kissing him. Thomas didn't like strangers, and he cried until Sara took him back and rocked him gently.
"You disappeared at the barn raising," Sara teased.
Mandy laughed. "I grew cold feet!" she admitted.
"Oh you shouldn't," Sara said. "Nick is a lovely man."
Mandy nodded. "I know," she said. "I have to get back home to help mother. Do come and sit with us soon, all Wendy talks about is seeing the baby."
Sara said that she would and Mandy left. When she was alone with her boys again, Sara took Thomas and went to see Gil's work.