Postcards from Martha's Vineyard

I've written about Martha's Vineyard a lot over the years, so I'll try to keep this pretty snappy and just share a great new-to-us find this year - the Galley in Menemsha. Excellent seafood shack with reasonable prices and a lovely open patio in the back where you can sit and watch the boats float. Delightful.

The only other new thing this year was Lizzy! Going to Martha's Vineyard every summer is such a bright spot for me and my family, and it's one of the things I dreamed of sharing with my kiddos one day. Even though she certainly won't remember this trip, it was just so fun to be there with her - taking her to our favorite beaches, letting her taste a nibble of syrup during breakfast at Art Cliff, and going on her first ride on the carousel. This is somewhat over the top in terms of sap, but I did feel, over and over, like I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be there with all my favorite people, including this precious little (but kind of big...) baby who I get to live with and take on adventures and introduce to all kinds of wonderful things.

Now we're off to the Berkshires to kiss this beautiful summer goodbye. Hope you all have a lovely long weekend!!!

Newborn Favorites

1; 2; 3; 4; 5

When I was pregnant, I pored over other people's recommendations for their baby registries. This is not that kind of a comprehensive list (for that, check out Design for Minikind!). Instead, these are some things that people turned me on to that I didn't even think to ask for, but loved.

The first is the Miracle Blanket. Lizzy slept in this for the first six weeks of her life before she started busting out (then she slept in a Halo sleepsack for a few more weeks before she just wanted to be free). But for the first few weeks, it was a life saver. She really liked it, and I loved that it made her less flopsy when I was holding her and transferring her down for naps and bed.

When new parents used to talk about how much laundry they had, I was genuinely confused. Baby clothes are so small - how can it add that much?! Ha. Now, of course, I realize it's not just their clothes, but also their bedding and blankets, burp clothes, your clothes, etc. A girlfriend told me Oxiclean was the best for getting out icky stains of all sorts. I'd oddly been using Dreft for years since my skin is so sensitive, but this doesn't bother Lizzy or me at all, and it's actually very nice to have some scent on our clothes now.

I'm not a journal keeper, but my Mom gave me the one-line-a-day journal, and I absolutely love it. So little pressure! And even though I've only been doing it for four months, I already enjoy looking back on earlier days.

These car seat straps are lovingly referred to as Lizzy's hippos (what animal are they, do you think?!). They keep her head more upright in the car, especially in the early days. Now she loves to chew on them - not their intended purpose, but no matter.

And finally...these cloth diapers. I've never used them as diapers, but they are my favorite burp clothes, small blankets, stroller covers - you name it. So soft and easy to stash, with many purposes.

So now, of course, I need to know what the lifesavers are for this next stage. Anything great I need to get to maintain Lizzy's status as one of the happiest(ish) babies on the block?!

Wedding Scouting

I mentioned earlier this summer that my sister and her long-time boyfriend got engaged. We are still over the moon! Last month we were able to join them on part of a wedding scouting weekend. They checked out places all over Rhode Island and then a few by us on the North Shore.

They decided on the Crane Estate, pictured here. For the last few years, we've been heading up this way to take advantage of our beach pass, but we hadn't been inside the house until this visit. Stunning, right?

They'll have their ceremony there - hopefully outside, if the weather is good, on a rolling green lawn that overlooks the water.

There's also a gorgeous inn on the property that we'll get to stay at. Hooray for wonderful celebrations!!!

P.S. Hopefully my last post didn't have you fearing for my sanity...we're doing much better, slowly adjusting to the new normal.

(Un)tethered

I'd been dreading yesterday for weeks, so much so that I half convinced myself and my family that I had appendicitis because of a persistent pain that developed on the right side of my stomach.

Lizzy slept through the night, but I was up at 4:00 a.m. (Something no one told me is that when your baby first starts sleeping through the night, you won't necessarily be able to after months of waking up. Perhaps because it reeks of a humble brag?)

I went back to bed, but popped awake minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Then I proceeded to get ready, crying in the shower, while getting dressed, and eating breakfast. If Lizzy feared her mother had gone insane, smiling at her like a maniac with tears streaming down her face, she didn't let it get her down; she was her happy, bubbly self.

Getting off the train was the worst. I felt like I was impersonating my old life - working Julie, bounding around Boston into the office. I can't explain why those moments in particular made me feel so bad. When I arrived at work, I truly had the nicest welcome you could wish for, complete with flowers, a special breakfast, and lots of doting colleagues asking all about the baby. I tried to turn off my thoughts about Lizzy and dive in, only to have to turn them back on when it came to time to pump in the morning and afternoon. I tried to do a bit of work at the time - two birds with one stone and all that - but instead I left splotchy tear marks all over my papers.

And yet. In the afternoon, I dashed off to a meeting to discuss a new project that I'll be working on. I got to share some ideas I'd collected from previous jobs, and others nodded along. Walking back to my desk, I had a crazy sense of freedom. I was alone! But I was also toting around a small cooler of milk. Tethered to my baby, but on a longer rope.

When I got home, Peter opened the door with Lizzy in his arms, and she smiled and leaned out for me to take her, which she'd never done before. I swelled with equal parts happiness at seeing her again and smelling her delicious baby smell and sadness that I had to leave again the next day, and the day after that, on and on. More tears and maniacal smiles.

I know that she didn't feel the ache that I did, and I don't think she ever will. She was happily at home with Peter, and in a few weeks, she'll happily attend her tiny daycare for the time that Peter's at school. It's me that's getting in the way here, and the selfish feeling that I want to be home with her and also speak with adults and make some money at work. It will get better in one way or another, I know that it will, but for now, I'll be the crazy lady masquerading as someone who has her emotions under control.

Cheers to Tuesday, my friends.