We made it home safe and sound from snow to sunshine!
Wishing you a lovely New Year!
Monthly Archives: December 2012
Fluff While Traveling
This was the first time we took the cloth diapers while traveling. I was a little reluctant but since we were going to be gone for two weeks, I didn’t want her in disposable for that long and a little part of me wanted to see how hard it actually would be. It turned out to be pretty darn easy. Luckily, we had the in-laws washer and dryer. I ended up bringing more diapers than I needed but I only had to wash every few days which was nice. We did occasionally use disposables at night and while on the plane but I feel better about taking the plunge and bringing them. I brought a wide assortment. I had about twelve pocket diapers, two Grovia covers with about seven inserts. I brought my cloth wipes (in that little stripy bag) and two wet bags. Next trip I may dare myself to go complete fluff- even on the plane.
{this moment}
“A Single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.” – Joining Soulemama today.
We head back to California on sunday (hopefully the weather will cooperate)… have a lovely weekend friends!
A Walk Through Quincy
I have a sweet, little baby with her first cold fast asleep next to me. It’s a pretty dreary day here in Massachusetts but I thought I’d share a walk we took a few days ago, before it got so dreary and wet. A walk through a very historic town, the town my dear husband grew up in and the town I have spent time in nearly every year since I met Jeff. I had never been into the town center though, so this was a real treat for me…
I love all the beautiful New England churches on every corner. This lovely white one with the clock caught my eye as we entered into the town center.
The Thomas Crane Library and another beautiful church.
Miss Abigail Adams and John Quincy himself.
I believe this was a school built in memoriam for the Adams’ after they had passed. It resides on Hancock street and is now a museum.
And one of my favorite New England things, the Quincy Cemetery. I find these vast spaces so very peaceful and full of history. It’s hard not to think about the lives of each of the names on these headstones and wonder what life was like for them before they passed. Cemeteries always make me want to get into geneaology. Find out who people were and how they lived. I enjoyed the walk through Quincy Center and maybe sometime this summer (when we return for a wedding), we can visit the Adams houses and learn more about this old, interesting town of Quincy, Massachusetts.
Ellie happily slept in the ergo the majority of the walk, but I got this cute shot of my bundled up girl right before we made it back to Nana and Papa’s house.
Ellie’s First Christmas
We awoke to white all around and snow falling on Christmas morning. I think I was more excited than anything and woke Jeff up so we could bring Ellie out in the snow before it stopped falling.
It was fun to start Christmas morning with a little bit of snow! We came inside and stayed inside the rest of the day, cuddled in pj’s from Nana. The rest of Jeff’s siblings joined us, the punch was made, the shrimp cocktail started us off and we enjoyed Christmas movies, opening presents and enjoying each others company. It was a lot for little Ellie who ended up going to sleep very early… but it was a nice first Christmas none the less.
I hope you all had lovely Christmas’ of your own. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
A Walk Through the Blue Hills
We took a walk through the Blue Hills yesterday afternoon. The air was crisp and it was a bit windy but a nice day to get outside. We bundled the little one up, stuck her in the carrier and headed out. It was a lovely and peaceful walk. Jeff’s parents took us through a trail that led to a wildlife sanctuary of sorts. We saw deer and owls and hawks, all healing from various injuries. It was pretty quiet up in the trailside museum and sanctuary and fun for baby Ellie. She liked looking at all the animals as well as the trees and wildlife around her. It was a nice outing and a nice reminder to slow down and take it all in.
Nana and Papa’s
We’re here in Boston at my in-laws house for the holidays. It was a bit of a rough adjustment at first for baby girl, but she’s now settling in and seems to be enjoying her new surroundings. This is Ellie’s first time in Boston, staying at Nana and Papa’s. She likes the cuckcoo clocks that go off every hour and smiles at the large Christmas tree when it’s lit up with lights. We’ve had large family dinners every night always with meat and potatoes of some sort with Jeff’s siblings and their families coming from all over Boston and beyond. We haven’t had any snow yet, just wet, rainy weather but we’re hoping that Ellie will get to experience a little snowfall before we leave. It’s darker here but warm inside. I’m enjoying wearing my sweaters and socks most of the day and drinking decaf coffee with non-dairy creamer. I’m missing my parents (I always do when we come here for christmas), but I am thankful my husband has such a lovely family that we can celebrate the holidays with. Ellie is getting time with her cousins and that time is precious. These are the first memories she’s making, the first memories I’ll have of her first Christmas. Precious, wonderful days, precious, wonderful memories.
p.s. Jeff’s sister is teaching me to knit! I’m very excited and hope to be able to do what she taught me when I’m back home.
{this moment}
{this moment} – “a single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.” Joining Soulemama today.
Please share your {this moments} in the comments section and have a lovely weekend! We’re off to Boston on sunday so I may or may not be in this space as often in the coming weeks. Happy Holidays to everyone!
Just Write: Spit Up
Spit up…spit up… spit up. It’s a part of my daily life now. It’s on my clothes, it’s in our bed, it’s on the couch, it creeps up on me when I least expect, hiding on the shoulder of my sweaters. I’m positive people stare at me in the grocery store wondering why I’m covered in little white, crusty patches. They don’t understand that after the third set of clothes I put on before 10 o’clock, I reluctantly give up trying to make myself presentable to the world and just embrace the spit up. The sweet and sour smell of milk is always around these days. It lingers in places. I’ll be sitting on the couch and that smell will waft up, making me think the baby has just spit up all over the place, but, no… I don’t see any spit up… she’s fast asleep in my arms. But, that smell still circles around in the air, sometimes driving me crazy.
Others like the smell. I sometimes catch my mother without a burp cloth. She says to me, ” I don’t mind, I like the smell, I like to carry it around with me throughout the day.” I still have a love/hate for this spit up. I love that it means there’s a baby in our house. I hate that my baby spits up so much. I love that it means I’m still breastfeeding. I hate that the dogs now follow me and baby girl around, hoping for a tasty milky treat to spill to the floor. Yuck. This spit up has become a regular part of my days whether I like it or not. I’m sure one day I will become like my mother and relish in every baby smell no matter how offensive, but as for now, I will co-habitate reluctantly with the spit up. I will wipe it off my shoulder, I will wipe it off the floor and maybe now and then, just maybe… I will breathe in the scent emanating from my baby’s clothes and smile. This is the scent of my life right now and my life with this darling baby is certainly a good one.
I’m joining Heather over at the Extraordinary ordinary with JUST WRITE. Check out all the other wonderful posts there.
A Lunch Out on the Town
We rarely venture out these days. The baby is not too fond of her car seat and Mama here isn’t quite ready to leave her with anyone yet, so when Jeff suggested the other day that we go into town to get some lunch, I immediately had visions of screaming babies and people staring blankly at us, but I pushed those thoughts out of my head and said, “why not- let’s go!” 
Ellie was in good spirits so we headed downtown. It was all decked out with holiday garb. Ellie enjoyed all the sights while hanging out in the Ergo.
We ate at one of my Dad’s favorite little places. Ellie was great. She’s starting to get curious about what mom and dad put in their mouths. We’re having to make sure she doesn’t grab chips off our plates. I’m not ready for that yet though. She’s growing too fast… I can’t even think about solid food for her yet!
All in all the lunch outing was a success. It was fun having lunch with my new little family. It’s strange how one little person can cause such differences in the way you do things, like going out for lunch. She’s becoming such a little person already, letting us know her likes and adamantly letting us know her dislikes and observing this fascinating world around her with such intensity these days. A lunch out on the town is just the beginning for this little one.
summerplayshouse 