A Mindful Life

This post is being written quickly on a short break I’m getting. Husband is playing with and feeding Claire, after which she’ll be ready for her late afternoon nap. So I’ve tossed the thoughts into a post without much refinement.
On Friday I played hooky from my expectations of perfect mothering. I also decided to [...]

No one thinks my child is as beautiful and precious as I do, I know. But even if you’re not obsessed with my kid, I’m gonna post this photo anyway.

Gee, my decision not to show photos of my child to the entire Internet didn’t hold, eh? (Though the majority of the photos are restricted [...]

Chad, whom I’ve known via blogging since 2002, has announced the birth of his son, August.
Please take a moment to wish them hearty congratulations. Even if you don’t know him, chiming in with joy can only add to happiness all around.

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
–Dorothy Nevill

After the last post, I felt better. Freer. My mother called back and gave me excellent motherly support. Then I made peanut butter toast and ate while talking to Claire. Then we played more, then she ate, then she was very sleepy.
So a few minutes shy of noon, I took her to her room [...]

I stayed up too late last night, until 11 p.m., and I woke at 5 a.m. I’m paying for it today. I’m heavy-lidded, weary, and feel like spun glass.
Today I don’t want to deal with Claire crying, so I’ll hold her whenever she sleeps, unless she is willing to go into the swing.
Today I don’t [...]

When Claire awoke around 5 a.m., Husband got up and took care of her. I woke at 5:30 though, and decided to start my day, so I took her on after the feeding. Rather than immediately try to get her to sleep again, I decided this was the start of her day and kept her [...]

An all-around failure to nap occurred. Too brief a morning nap in the swing, then a catnap on an outing. Claire was tired. I fed her, made sure she was really ready to sleep, then went to her room and rocked her from 12:10 to 12:25. She fell asleep and I put her in the [...]