I think it’s fitting that I return to this blog at this time of year, two years after I last posted. (Has it really been two years??) There’s something about the summer that always makes me sentimentally productive. Perhaps because it’s the only time of year growing up when I could do things on my own terms without the structure of school, so it’s when I often feel the most ease of mind to put fresh words to print.

To summarize the past two years isn’t necessary; I think if you scroll through mine or Jamey’s Instagram accounts, you’ll get a quick visualization of what’s happened in our lives. (Quick overview: house decorating, fresh foods, house puttering, travels to DC, Maryland, Seattle, Ireland…) Really, I think a click on mine will give you the biggest life altering update, and the most important: we had a baby, and her name is Rose.

 

We welcomed Clara Rose Monahan at 2:32 pm on Sunday, June 1, 2014, weighing in at 7 pounds and 7 ounces and measuring 19.75 inches long. Needless to say, the past seven weeks have been a happy, blundering blur.

Rose – a middle namer, like her mom – is a delight. At seven weeks old now, she coos and hollers at the ceiling fan, loves putting on her first outfit of the day (multiple ones following blowouts and spitups are not as enjoyable), and is beginning to discover the world around her. (Daddy made vadavan the other night for dinner, and since then she’s noticeably discovered that looking down while being carried offers just as many exciting sights.)

Since I’ve been on maternity leave, I’ve had the pleasure of spending 24 hours in her company, day in, day out and the nights in between. I’m learning her routines, or more likely she’s learning to adjust to this bright new world.

I think it’s safe to say these posts are going to come scattered in between nap times and when others hold her for a while. With family and friends farther away and Jamey traveling from time to time, though, I hope to better use this space for updates on what we’re up to as a family. And, of course, you’ll have to suffer through my random musings as a new mom adjusting to life with this wondrous creature. (For those at home still wondering, poor Scarlett is learning her new place in the world, but she is just as sweet a dog as ever. I believe she is on guard duty now while baby naps. Life isn’t too terrible for her to have a new nap companion in the room.)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to enjoy these next – oh, I’ll estimate 20 minutes – of uninterrupted baby time to tidy up around the house and prioritize what needs to get done the next time baby goes down. Someone’s got to keep this house in order.

With so much love,

Claire