Life Lately: October 2021
Our family in our Burts Bees Halloween PJ’s!
Earlier this week, I sat down to write my first blog post since giving birth. As I finished the post, the baby started to get fussy. I set my laptop to the side to take care of him, and when I got back - the whole post was gone. I hadn’t saved it at any point…oops. This isn’t the first time I’ve forgotten to save my written work (though it’s rare!), but it always serves as a reminder that sometimes (often?) the second draft is better than the first - and sometimes we need to simply lose that first draft in order to move on to the second. There is definitely a life lesson in there somewhere, am I right?
It was also fitting since my life has been utterly exhausting of late, and I have really leaned into one of my favorite sayings: try not to care about the things you don’t care about. The newborn stage is tough, and the extreme sleep deprivation is wild. And that means that what I care about and focus on has been solely focused on taking care of this new little baby, supporting my daughter in the transition, and prioritizing my recovery from a major surgery. During this short season of life, pretty much everything else can wait.
Transition from One to Two: All things considered, I have found the transition from one to two, to be significantly easier than from zero to one. When Adriana was born, I was experiencing everything for the first time. Now, I feel much more experienced, so there is less fear and anxiety, and more presence and joy. Throughout the pregnancy, one of the most frequent questions I would receive was regarding what Adriana was thinking. She turned two just a few weeks before Will was born, so she had absolutely no clue what was about to happen. And yet, she has completely leaned into being a big sister. She does fluctuate between extreme interest and total indifference - but both are good in my book.
Back To Movement: I was on bedrest for the final few weeks of pregnancy and in a tremendous amount of pain. Then, the first three weeks after the c-section were brutal. Every step I took felt monumental. Finally (FINALLY!) I am starting to get moving again in a way that feels really good. It’ll still be a few weeks before I’m able to do everything I love to do (Peloton, Yoga with Adriene, Melissa Wood Health) but I’m grateful to be moving in that direction.
So. Much. TV.: Back to the theme of sleep deprivation, I have not been able to read much in the past few weeks, but I have been really leaning into television. From Halloween Baking Championship and Real Housewives (Salt Lake City + Beverly Hills), to Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, and to some of my favorite network shows - I have been thoroughly enjoying my ability to binge watch. Up next? I’m starting season 3 of You, watching Midnight Mass, and viewing all of my favorite Halloween movies.
101 in 1001: I don’t have any progress to report on my 101 in 1001 list this month, though there are lots of things I’m hoping to “check off the list” in the next month!
What’s Next: I love this season so very much. I’m really looking forward to enjoying the final days of October and all the Spookiness that comes with it. I’m also really excited to share that I’ve joined on as a contributing writer for Central Mass Mom, which means I’ll be focusing even more on exploring our new area. Finally, I plan to create space for deeper reflections. I just picked up The Book of Awakening, and already am super excited about the daily lessons and thoughts it is evoking.
Until next month!
