Nesting & Lullabies

The Sea a Dream, by: Liz Durrett

Lately, I've been sleeping in lists.
Lists of things to be done,

lists of things to buy, 
lists of people to call, to write, to visit.
Even lists of lists to make.

I don't recommend it.

With 6.5 months down,
and only 3.5 to go until this baby arrives,
the pregnant mind runs wild.
And I think this is what 'nesting' must be.

Because Travis and I have been working in overdrive.
Waking up early; staying up late.

Tying up loose ends. Working on the house to-do's
as well as getting the nursery
prepped, painted, ready for baby.

We figure we should try to do as much as we can now,

while we have the time, and well, while I can still touch my toes.

(Which, judging by this picture, won't be too much longer now.)

SIX MONTHS!!!

And yes, that's a unitard. Don't hate.

Throw on a nice oversized sweater and some boots and call it a day.

Perf for a much needed comfy prego look.

My point?
We are excited, but we are exhausted.

And when I heard this song today, it lulled me.

Like I will soon lull my baby.

A calm overcame me, and I felt better.
About all of it.

It's like it said to me, 
Chill out girl. All will be well.

It'll all get done.

I'm looking forward to that time.
When the lists have been checked,
 and we can relax, rest and savor our time,
just the two of us.
Before two become three.

The Sea a Dream makes me sleepy.

And maybe tonight, I won't sleep in lists.

Sweet dreams readers!

XOXO
Aimee

P.S. Merry Christmas!

Moving Mom

We moved my Mom into her new home last weekend.

This is my sweet Momma.

And although there are tons of things about moving that suck:

The prep. 
The packing for what seems like forever.

Sifting through EVERY LITTLE THING bit by bit.

Wrapping fragile items in newspaper,

and your fingers leaving smudges of gray
 on your face when you go for an itch.

Throwing things away.

And the daily stops to the donation centers,

sending things off to be reused by others.

And OH, the tiring task of moving day itself. 

But amongst the nitty gritty of making a move happen,

there are some sweet moments along the way.

Like the rare moment when all three of
your siblings are in one place at one time,

and it's not a holiday, or a birthday,
or a monumental occasion.

The time you get to spend with your mom,

going through all her things

and laughing and reminiscing about the good old days,

and finding sweet treasures amongst the clutter.

Like these old gems:

Mom as a baby.

School pic. I'm guessing she is like 10 years old?

How cute she is!! 

Mom (right) and a neighborhood friend.

New Rochelle, NY. c. 1955ish.

Mom's parents, James and Emily Egan. 
New York, c. 1935

Finding old letters she received from loved ones,
and brief notes she wrote to herself,
her soft voice transmitting through paper.

Seeing what she keeps on her bedside table.
Things that she wants to read, see, revisit, or touch 

right before she falls asleep at night.

It's an intimate affair. 

Packing up the life of someone you love. 

And for as much work and stress and time it takes,

it's all worth it in the end.

Because when you come out the other side,

it somehow feels like an awakening,

a testament of your beginnings,

a reminder of why you love this woman.

A woman who stands before you,
and who always walks behind you,
supporting everything you do.

Wishing my Mom many, many, many 

more wonderful memories in her new home.

XOXO

Aimee

Music Monday

Last week, we broke out the headphones

and started playing music for our baby.

Studies show that babies start to hear sounds at week 16,

so why not give him some good tunes to enjoy

while he works on his in-utero dance moves?

(Hopefully he takes after his Mama in the dancing department.)

First, we played some Nat King Cole,

and then moved on to Frank Sinatra.

I kept laughing at the idea of good ol' Frank

singing I've Got You Under My Skin.

'Cause, well, you know,

it is quite literal in this case.

And our baby boy loved it!

He was kicking and performing what I 
can only imagine were somersaults.

Travis had his hand on my belly and it was
 fun to see his reaction to his son's enthusiasm.

But of all the songs we played for our lil' guy,
Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World hit home for me. 
Maybe because it really is feeling like a wonderful world these days,
or maybe because it's the song my father and I danced to at my wedding.

Either way, baby,

 that's the good stuff.

Happy Monday readers!


XOXO
Aimee