First we walk. . .

. . . then we boogie

K-Daddy was out of town for an entire 30 hours last weekend. I was a little concerned about my first solo-parenting gig, but I didn't have to worry for long because my sister, niece and nephew spent the night with Ivy and me. We all had a blast and we ended the sister/cousin sleepover on a high note at a kids' disco at the Great Dane brew pub.

We started dancing at 11 am and didn't stop until nearly 2 pm! The event called for our most awesome 80s outfits, as evidenced by my totally new waver nephew:

My niece is a total rocker and said, "I knew that the disco was going to be fun, but I didn't know it was going to be SUPER FUN!"

And Ivy boogied herself right to sleep:

Here's a gnarly music video that we made of the dancing cousins. My nephew has a bass player's stance & attitude and the next time anyone needs a pick-me-up all one has to do is watch my niece's joyful dancing. Ivy loved bopping to the music and eating as many complimentary cheddar bunnies as she was able to charm from the brew pub staff.

Sweet professions

When I grow up I want to be a:






First I'll hone my skills by playing pat-a-cake over & over with my Aunt Kersten:


Then my cousin and I will buy matching outfits and we'll devour cookbooks until we find the world's most perfect cupcake recipes:



But, until then, I'm going to spend lots of time hanging out in river town bakeries with my Grandma



and Grandpa.






(And I'll observe how an expert baker makes the magic happen by spending lots of time crawling around with my cousins on our grandma's spotless kitchen floor.)





And, speaking of professions and what we want to be when we grow up, I returned to work today after a 12-week family leave. The last few weeks have been difficult for me. I was quite sick in mid-February (which accounts for the lack of brilliant posts this month) and last week I grew sad every time I thought of all the special moments I would miss throughout the day when my family leave came to an end. But today was truly wonderful and the most difficult part of the day was walking out the door at 7:00 this morning. I've missed my friends at work, all of whom have been fiercely supportive of us over the past 9 months, and today they welcomed me back to the office with a lovely surprise breakfast of homemade quiches, muffins, sweet breads and fruit. I accomplished so much today and this long break has allowed me to step back and view my routines in a new light and change those that are ineffective or no longer working for me. I've returned to the office with a renewed sense of purpose and vigor and I'm looking forward to working on some special projects in the weeks ahead. Heartfelt thanks to all my working mom friends and to my loving mom & sister for letting me cry on their shoulders and for sharing their strength and wisdom.


Kevin is now on family leave for the next several weeks and knowing that the Loves of my life are spending their days together makes my heart swell. I returned home shortly before Ivy woke up from her afternoon nap and Kevin and I sat down with cups of tea and talked about our days before Ivy awoke - being home when she woke up and getting her out of her crib this afternoon was glorious. She smiled at and reached for me and I held her in my arms and inhaled her sweet baby sleepiness. I know that I'll be exhausted from time to time and I know that there will be days when I feel like I'm an unwilling participant in a juggling act, but I needed today to show me that I will be able to balance both parts of my life.

Happy Birthday, Auntie Kersten!

Let's get together to read books and pound on things for your birthday, Auntie Kersten!  You always know how to make me smile.

Family visit!

 

Grandma & Grandpa B. and Aunt Kersten came to visit us yesterday and they gave Ivy an amazing pink exersaucer!  She loves her new toy (and so do her parents) and she also fell in love with her Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie.  She did very well meeting everyone and she had no stranger anxiety or confusion.  She loved being held by her adoring relatives, but proved to everyone that she definitely recognizes that Kevin and I are her mommy and daddy.

She also showed everyone how well she's transitioning to Madison time as she took two afternoon naps and then stayed awake for a long time and went to bed shortly after 6 pm.  Every day brings us closer to more sleep and easier nighttime routines.  We are very proud of and amazed by our little girl and we're looking forward to introducing her to Grandpa Frank, Grandma Pauline and Aunt Christine.