Life Lately
Yesterday, my little girl, Piper Rose, turned 4 months old. I can hardly even believe how fast these last four months have gone by. I now fully understand the meaning of the phrase, "the days are long, but the years are short". Life lately is hard, short on sleep, and full of challenges, but it is pretty darn amazing as well.
It's been about 50 days since I've been officially back at work. My first full wedding day since taking maternity leave was July 2nd. It was the first time I was away from Piper for more than two hours. I loved every moment of that wedding day, but I definitely cried when I said goodbye to her that morning. It was a beautiful wedding day and I loved being back at it, but you better bet that I spent the entire following day snuggling with my baby girl!
Last week, I crossed another working mama milestone. First business trip and night away! Betsy and I spent a couple days in the mountain in Highlands, NC with some 2017 clients doing site visits and a creative session. I had a hard time falling asleep in the hotel that night, but once I did I slept like a log! Probably the first time that has happened in nearly twelve months between my pregnancy insomnia and newborn sleep (deprived!) schedule.
Throughout the past 122 days since she was born, (but who's counting?!) I've started to approach literally every part of my life in a different way. I have a new perspective on everything, and while I anticipated that would happen, I didn't have any idea how truly wonderful it would be. A few thoughts on my mind lately:
1. My people are incredible.
When I say "my people", I mean everyone who has loved us, supported us, cheered us on, and sent the kindest messages, gifts, and words of encouragement. My family, friends, and so many of our clients and industry partners have gone above and beyond to help me feel like I really can do this business woman/parenting gig. Most days I feel like a frazzled mess, but each time someone tells me how wonderful my daughter is, I realize that I'm really doing okay.
2. Every moment with her is a blessing.
Even the dirty diaper blowouts, the angry baby tantrums (y'all, those are intense!!!) when she's hungry, and the 2:30 am sounds coming from the baby monitor that require one of us to crawl out of bed and practically sleepwalk down the hall to her nursery. I may feel stressed or frustrated in the moment, but that doesn't mean I'm not thankful for it. Being her mama is an amazing gift and privilege.
3. Bedtime is the sweetest time and I just don't want to miss it!
Logistically this is hard sometimes. Gone are the days when I can work through dinner and late into the night if I'm on a creative roll. If I don't wrap it all up by 6:00 pm, the evening becomes a stressful mess. But if I do finish by 6:00 pm, I can cook dinner with Jarrod (we're currently obsessed with Blue Apron!), actually sit down to eat, then give Piper a bath, put her in her footed jammies, feed her, read her a book, sing to her, rock her, and put her to bed in her crib. There's just no email, to-do list item, or task more important than that time with her. Realistically there are going to be many days when I'm traveling and have to miss it, but if I'm here in town, come 7:00 pm I'd rather be in that nursery going through the bedtime routine than anywhere else. I'm afraid that if I don't make that a priority, I'll blink and she'll be middle school, putting herself to bed, and I will have missed out on something really special.
Life lately is a true adventure. Each day I wake up to a smiling little face and I can't imagine anything more wonderful. No matter how many deadlines, appointments, or projects are on my plate, that little girl's smile gives me the energy to tackle them all. Life is grand.
I'm off to enjoy a busy weekend with my sweet little family and I hope you're able to do the same. Happy Friday!
Becca