This summer has gone by in a whir. I know I say that every summer but this one in particular. Moving into the new house and settling into a new town has eaten up just about every spare second not to mention that I’ve had an absolutely enormous workload hit right during what I’d consider the best weeks of summer (most of July). The oppressive humidity and high temps in late July really got to me too — I joked with my mom that we were actually beginning to go mad, though when I remember back to my state of mind these last few weeks, I think there might be more truth to the jokes than I’d like to admit.
Napping is on the fritz. Emilia transitioned to the new house wonderfully without so much as a blip in her clockwork napping and overnight sleep schedule. As soon as Brian and I congratulated ourselves for our luck with such an easy adjustment period, naturally, we hit what we think is an early 18-month sleep regression right as we entered August. So the last few weeks HAVE BEEN HELL.
My mom who has been like Mary Poppins (more than usual, because honestly, she’s basically always been like Mary Poppins as far as her way with children) wondered if Emilia was gearing up to give up her second nap, so we experimented last week with only one to absolutely miserable results. Emilia is so NOT ready to move to one nap. She could barely keep her eyes open by about 5 PM on Monday so I let her have a cat nap on me for about 25 minutes and she went to sleep easily by 7:30.
Since I’m on “vacation” this week which I’d been looking forward to for the entire summer, it’s been my one true joy to tackle getting her back on track with her two naps a day and helping to reteach her to fall asleep on her own. We’re getting there. But Monday-Wednesday you’d have found me crying into my coffee cup as I sat vigil by the video monitor watching my sweet little girl sit in her crib clutching her teddy bear, just silently staring toward the door waiting.
I mean… my heart was breaking wanting to go to her. But it’d just set our carefully developed sleep routine back even further so we’ve powered through and as bedtime has improved over the past two evenings, so have the first naps. I just keep reminding myself “Sleep begets sleep.” Sidenote: we have a wonderful sleeper but she didn’t just magically become one. We had to work at it and a lot of effort went into educating ourselves about how a baby and now toddler’s sleep is affected as she develops and grows. We also owe a lot to a rigid adherence to our bedtime routine and careful attention to nap timing, gradually increasing Emilia’s wake time over the course of the day. Anyways, I’m hoping we can get back on track by Sunday so we head into the work week returned back to the old routine.
On being incommunicado: Anyways, the other bit of crazy over these parts is that I’ve been without a cell phone for OVER A MONTH and am just barely hanging on. I never let Emilia play with my phone because we’re trying to delay the inevitable, so when she sees it lying out, she runs for it. On a particularly rough morning when I was bleary eyed and had been up very late unpacking, she grabbed it off my nightstand and did who knows what with it. I’m convinced it’s hidden down the side of a box that was moved either to the attic or basement, but either way, it’s MIA and I know it is here somewhere and stubbornly refuse to give in. I will find it.
It’s been incredibly liberating in some ways and equally frustrating in others. I can’t call to arrange a return or make a hair appointment, for instance. But as far as the hours I used to waste scrolling through Snapchat and Instagram, I’m grateful to have had the experience of being phoneless for so long and actually surviving. I did realize though, that for emergency purposes, having a cell phone is a must when you have a child. I panicked when I thought my car was overheating while driving the other day and realized I wouldn’t have been able to dial AAA, so a new phone is on the horizon.
Currently Reading: I managed to read two books in July which is pretty rare given the fact that I have a toddler and a lot of unpacking to still do, but I have no regrets. I finally reread the last Harry Potter just in time to start J.K Rowling’s new play that continues where the final book had left off. It would seem perfectly timed to have read the last book but it was a happy coincidence. I actually didn’t even know that she’d been writing so that was pretty awesome. It was so nice to dip back into that magical world again. I tried to read it as slowly as I could, treasuring every single word but I finished it in about a week and had the play done in about 3 days. Oops. In other news, I’m totally killing it on my reading bucket list.
My other August read was actually a house warming gift from whom I’ve not yet identified. But The Drunken Botanist had caught my eye in stores more than a few times, so whoever the mystery giver is, they know my tastes well. Amy Stewart’s book is described as “biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology–with more than fifty drink recipes and growing tips for gardeners.” I mean. Perfection. I’m dying to go buy a bottle of Crème de cassis like, now. And about 50 other speciality spirits.
What we’ve been up to: We’ve been literally running since we moved in trying to unpack what we can during the week and busy on weekends with baptisms, the 4th of July at the Fairfield Beach Club, Newport Folk Festival and Diner en Blanc rounding out July, then spending the past few weekends furiously preparing for our housewarming party. We hosted a small bonfire get together with a few friends that turned into a really fun “Olympics Opening Ceremony.” We just sat around watching everyone walk out and shouting out guesses for how many Olympians countries had, discussing whose outfits were the best, and debating what “Independent Olympic Athletes” actually means.
Home Ownership has proven to be even more incredible than I’d ever hoped and as overwhelmed with to dos and projects as I feel, the overwhelming feeling when I wake each morning is incredible gratitude to have gotten this house. It’s charming and light-filled and the potential for what it will turn into in time is exciting and invigorating to me. The task is mighty but I love a challenge.
I’ll post a “One Month In” house update separately. Just wanted to share a little slice of what’s been going on lately while it’s top of mind.
Married with Style 