It's the most wonderful time of the year

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas has always been a favorite of mine.
It is a time for the 4 F's: Friends, Family, Fellowship, and Food! The weather turns from dreary and raining to crisp and snowy.  This year in particular has been a wintery paradise and we are still two days from the official start of Winter.  Houses are decorated; and although some go a little too 'Griswold' for me, overall I enjoy seeing the sparkling lights beaming from houses and trees.  There even seems to be a special feeling in the air.  If you can avoid the scrooges and the stressed out shoppers most everyone you meet has a smile and a 'Happy Holidays' to pass along.
This Christmas our celebration will be somewhat different. It is my first Christmas ever in a family of three, my first where all of my siblings are grown and (mostly) out of the house.  And it is my parents first as grandparents.  As we get older the holidays, as with everything else, change.  I first noticed this when I stopped waking up at 4 am wanting to open presents and I preferred instead long evenings in front of the fire conversing over cocoa.  In my youth and ignorance I believed that Christmas was losing some of its Joy.  What I did not understand at the time was that I was finally enjoying the parts of the holiday that are truly the most important – the people.  As a mother, I still plan to enjoy the company of family and friends but I will once again be waking up early to open gifts with what I'm hoping will be an eager six month old.  Already curious and a fan of toys and ripping things – tearing open Christmas gifts should be an exciting time.
'Tis the season!! Happy Holidays everyone!!

Balance

Shhh… Don't distract me… I'm balancing.

I've always heard the stories of women struggling to juggle home, career and family.  And I always thought, I can do that!  I didn't realize how difficult it would be to hold down 3 full time jobs and still sleep at night.

Whit is rapidly approaching his half birthday, which is a difficult concept to come to terms with.  And just when I seem to get a handle on our life, it seems a new challenge is thrown my way.  Currently, I am enjoying a baby who can sit up and play by himself for short periods but is unable to crawl and thereby 'get into things.'  I should be taking advantage of this slight freedom and catching up on things around the house and paying attention to Whit's amazing but somewhat neglected father.  Unfortunately, this period in our lives has coincided exactly with the Holiday season and all of the travel, shopping, and decorating that comes along with it.  It is further marred by bouts of teething (when are those things going to show up?!) which throw off our carefully cultivated schedule.  It would be easier if I were the type of person who could easily ignore that stack of clean yet unfolded laundry and the dirty dishes in the sink.  But I am not.  

As a mother I've learned to cherish each single moment of 'free time' (even if it is spent folding laundry).  As a working mother I've learned to cherish every waking moment that I get with Whit (which are too few!).  As a working mother and wife I am learning to balance it all.  And I am thankful for a husband who understands me, carries his own weight and seems (from my view at least) to have mastered the balance of working Dad and husband.  As we continue to progress through this first year full of milestones and revelations I've adopted the following 'balance' mantra which conjures visions of a leotard clad tightrope walker in my head.

Deep breath… Step forward… Don't fall.