Changes.

We have been in the house for a little over 4 months now and what was new now seems like it has always been. It is hard to even imagine still being in our apartment, especially since we have added a new family member. The new tiny person (whose nickname has still not emerged) arrived on July 8th after many months of pregnancy misery mixed with as much happy anticipation as can exist in a home in transition. She is a good baby so far and she and I are getting to know one another in all types of situations, including the wee hours of every single morning. I actually think I saw the first indication of a real smile this morning and plan to spend my afternoon making a total idiot of myself trying to get her to repeat it. I had forgotten how much I love tiny babies, from their noises and smells (not all of them are bad!) to their tiny toes and big eyes. Mostly I just love watching them become little people and I am really enjoying most of my time with her, though I would by lying if I didn't also acknowledge that newborn fussiness is the pits and that I miss my sleep. I keep reminding myself to appreciate all of it, because it goes by so very, very fast. Pretty soon, she will be helping her brother to push buttons on the new automatic cat feeder and requesting songs in the car, which M and I are sometimes allowed to sing. The Numa's taste in music runs to the eclectic (Two Door Cinema Club and the Bird and the Bee are two of his favorites...we are so proud) and his new go-to song is Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode. I love this kid.

So four months after moving and five weeks after welcoming the little one, we are starting to find a new normal. For instance, I am typing this while bouncing a sleeping baby in an Ergo. I also have to take frequent breaks, because she can sense productivity and objects to it on every level. I type a bit and then we walk a bit and it will still take me all day to finish this, but she is worth it. The house is livable but there is so much left to do. We have designated the nursery, the office and the basement as storage areas and make small amounts of progress each day. Still, it is going to be a while before we really feel settled. Right now, our focus is on the kids - getting to know the new baby and helping Numa with the transition to being a big brother, which includes the ongoing move into his big boy bed. He is doing great with the baby, constantly wanting to kiss her and hold her, though his desire for the latter tends to flag quickly. We are trying to keep him as involved as possible and to say yes to his requests to interact with her as much as we can so that he will feel included.

I have many, many goals for my time on maternity leave. I will be home (we think) until just after the new year so I have several months to get stuff done. Of course, all of that hinges on this baby eventually letting me put her down for longer than 10 minutes at a time. I manage to scrape just enough time on most days to do a load of laundry and figure out dinner, but that is usually it. One of my goals, though, is to post here at least 3 times a week. Anything else will be a bonus. We will see how it goes, but to help me accomplish this goal, I am not going to impose a structure on this blog. I am going to keep writing about house progress, my kids, being a mom, sewing and/or crafting and anything else that is relevant to me at the time. Maybe a theme will emerge, maybe not, but either way it will be an outlet for me during what can be an isolating time.

Be well,

Me