life lately
Hello! It’s been a minute since I last wrote. Big news – we had our baby, Eden. She was born in late August of 2022 and has changed my life; almost all the cliches about having a child are true. I had no idea what to expect, and for most of my pregnancy, I had trouble reconciling that I was growing a human in my body and that this human would one day be walking around, communicating, and developing her personality that I get to enjoy being part of each day. It’s added another level of purpose and love to my life that I didn’t know was possible.
So, while I’m feeling nostalgic as this year comes to an end, here’s a little bit of life lately:
Life lately is hearing uneven little footsteps around the house. It’s watching her walk. And fall. And get up. Waddle. Fall. Unfazed while getting up again.
It is putting the toilet paper up high so little hands can’t grab it, pull it down, and then put it all in the toilet.
Life lately is wanting to spend time and catch up with friends, but longing to spend one-on-one time with my daughter as much as I can.
It’s navigating the future and how I want my life to look.
It’s finding myself returning again to old hobbies like writing, graphic design, and brand strategy, and feeling more like myself – but with renewed focus.
Life lately is my husband and I working on our marriage and connecting with each other more intentionally, because we’re both obsessed with our baby, but somehow need to make time for just each other – and not at the end of the day when we’re tired and just want to binge-watch old seasons of Survivor (maybe this show speaks to how we’re feeling on the inside though).
Life lately is the bedtime routine, singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Baby Beluga” each night, and still getting words mixed up because my brain struggles to function sometimes.
It is celebrating the ordinary – brushing teeth together, playing, dancing, singing, cooking, big hugs, and big kisses (Eden likes to kiss with her mouth wide open like she’s yawning, and ready to give you all her love in that moment).
Life lately is park days, where we can sit and point out trees and leaves and people-watch until our fearless girl is ready to play, going down the slide headfirst and riding the swings as long as possible.
Life lately is commuting an hour or more to work each way, and finding podcasts I can listen to on the drive that energize me and make me feel excited about what I am capable of doing professionally in 2024.
It is about finding ways to capture and record every moment possible, because I already feel like it’s going by too fast and I’ve forgotten too much.
Life lately is feeling like Eden has always been in my life, the way she is now, and realizing that just a year ago she couldn’t crawl yet and was just learning to laugh. That laugh is my favorite sound in the world.
Life lately is weekends filled with friends and family.
Life lately is understanding grief, and remembering those that have passed on from this Earth in 2023.
Life lately is about sharing space, as Eden takes over our home with her shoes, socks, cups, food, and toys – little pieces of her in each space.
It’s realizing the amount of things I can “get done” in a day is limited as I seek to “balance” work, motherhood, and daily living with my own goals and desires.
Life lately is traveling on trips rather than vacations (although, the way I’ve traveled – was it ever a vacation?).
Life lately is an abounding curiosity about what comes next.
As I put away the Christmas decorations because, for some reason, I’m unusually excited to move into 2024, I got a tug of sadness putting away the bird ornaments that Eden pointed out every day. But the hard and great thing about life is the change it inevitably brings. As old seasons become time capsules, the new seasons bring with them new challenges and also new opportunities.
This is my first and last post of 2023, but I’ll be seeing you more often in 2024.
Lots and lots of love to you and yours, and a wish from me to you for a very Joyful and Happy New Year.
