Giggling goo, part deux

A quick post tonight! It's been a crazy week, but I didn't want time to fly by without another post.

Cass absolutely cracks up when Cameron and Rocco play ball or rope tug. It's a combination between Rocco running around all over the place, and one of us saying the phrase "Rocco, get that ball!" WHY this phrase makes him crack a smile, I have no idea...but, we obviously say it a LOT to elicit as many belly laughs as possible.



More tomorrow...

Thoughts on being a working Mother: Part 1, Bedtime

I think I'm going to write a little mini-series on being a working Mom. There are so many things about this first year of motherhood that I don't want to forget - even the struggles. These posts are dedicated to my Mother, who despite working full-time, somehow managed to do it all. My three brothers and I are loved, well-adjusted, happy adults who have awesome childhood memories. Thanks to you Mom, for not only constantly told me that I could have whatever I wanted, but lead by example too. Love you!

Tonight I rocked Cassian to sleep. I haven't done that in quite some time. I have been subscribing to the "sleepy but not asleep" method since he was about 2 months old, and it rarely fails. Cass is a good sleeper, and has been sleeping through the night since about 7 weeks (I know, I know...we know how lucky we are!).

Bedtime is Mom's job in the Whitman house. The first few weeks of Cass's life, I fought having bedtime as my sole responsibility. But now that I'm back to work, I savor it. Life is crazy in those hours between getting home from work and putting the baby down. There is dinner to be cooked, the day's activities to be caught up on, a baby to feed and play with, a dog to give attention to, and any number of other "to-do's" that quickly scrape away any bits of serenity that might otherwise be enjoyed.

Bedtime, however, is different. Bedtime is "our" time. Most nights Cass gets a bath, and from there we launch into "jam-time" and settle into the glider for snuggles and stories. "Goodnight Moon" and the "Going to Bed Book" are repeat offenders. We have several other dozen that rotate through the stacks. Lately "Harold and the Purple Crayon" has been a favorite. I think Cass likes the bright, simple illustrations.

Back to tonight. This week at work has been a little crazy. With the 10th Anniversary of Chef Geoff's last Wednesday, and a huge buy-out extravaganza at the Tysons location tomorrow, private party land has been BUSY. Thus, I am missing two bedtimes this week, which makes me a little cranky.

There are so many lessons about motherhood that I have learned, am in the process of learning, and have yet to be learned, but the biggest one I've learned the last month is to never take a moment for granted. Seems simple, yes? Of course. But, when so much of your life is splintered between work, chores, errands and getting through the day, recognizing that you need to slow down and breathe is a struggle.

Which is precisely why I rocked my little goo to sleep tonight. I realized for the first time that I don't really care if rocking him to sleep could potentially set me back a few weeks in "sleep training" or that the last dozen or so emails I have to answer won't get written until midnight. I had a moment with my kid, and it was wonderful. Watching his little face relax into dreamland, and seeing his fists unfurl as he goes deeper into sleep are the little things that I always want to remember.

Tonight I got the best of both worlds. It's a constant game of give-and-take. When I'm being a really great Mom, my job suffers a little. When I'm being a really great professional, my family suffers a little. It's all balanced out so far, and hopefully it will. Tonight was a little reminder for me to take the time to notice. I think I'll go ahead and put that on my daily "to-do" list ;)

Mangoes, Milestones and Bedroom Snippets

Cameron and I finally finished most of Cassian's "room". We spend the weekend purging, re-organizing and de-cluttering. The end result? A clean, organized, and fun (yet decidedly "boyish") room for Cass. Here are a few snippets.

Mr. Piggy Bank just loves gazing at the Kandinsky behind him.
A fluffy bear from Grandma and stripped bear (knitted by Mama) are buddies on the bookshelf.A cozy glider to read and listen to stories.
Every kid needs plenty of Pooh gear, including a super cool vintage pop-up, gifted by Courtney.

Handmade blankies from people who love us. I absolutely love that we have so many creative friends and family members that have created beautiful treasures for Cassian. He's one lucky little goo!


In other news, Cass had his first taste of frozen mango this weekend and he LOVED it! He was a little apprehensive at first, but after a few minutes he thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of sweet.




Meanwhile the adults enjoyed open-faced chicken sandwiches and curry vegetable salad.
Speaking of firsts, we've had a TON of them lately! While Cass is still a bit of a peanut size-wise, he's developing so quickly and learning something new every day. Being a parent has gotten so much more FUN in the last month! Between his facial reactions and budding personality, we are becoming more and more enamored each day. Some of his new tricks include:
- rolling from back to tummy, and tummy to back
- now that he's mastered rolling, he flip flops all over the space, and he is FAST; one minute he's on the playmat, and the the next moment he's halfway across the room!
- recognizing voices; he can very easily pick out mom and dad's voice from a phone call or across the room
- loving the sound of his own voice; his new interest is screeching, both for attention, and because he realizes that the sound he's making is HIS voice; and then as soon as you turn to him, he gives you a big, huge toothy grin. awwww...
- teeth! he's got two now (on the bottom) and we *think* he's teething again, but only time will tell on that one
- the very beginning stages of crawling; he likes to "swim" when on his belly, and is starting to scrunch his legs up under him and scoot around a bit - it's time to finish baby-proofing!

A day in the life

Photo randomness for your viewing pleasure...

Bruschetta and mint-ginger spiked lemonade. Yum. It was over 90 degrees all weekend - we all needed a late afternoon pick-me-up.


Rocco lounging on the patio.

Mint overtaking the garden. Unfortunately it's spearmint, but I've been filling mason jars with it and the house smells lovely.

Pepper plants and catnip thriving on to the patio.

Fabric swatches waiting to made into table runners for the wedding...

and matching vases, which are displayed on the mantle for the time-being. Just two months away from the big day!