Simple Joys of the Week, December 2nd Edition

It's December! Oh my goodness gracious. My birthday month + Christmas month = exciting stuff!

This past week, however, has been a challenging one. Charlie Mae has come up against her 4-month sleep regression hard (no, she's not 4 months yet, but it's come early for us...aren't we lucky!), so all of the sudden, my amazing sleeper is kind of all over the place during both the day and night. Plus, it's that time of year where there are 100000 things to do and I'm back at work 100% with none of the capacity or time that I used to have. Hmmm...motherhood is tricky! 

That being said, even though I've felt a bit all over the place this past week, my days were still full of tons of simple, sensory joys (s0 many of them Charlie Mae and holiday-related, of course). Here are a few of the small things brought me happiness over the past week. What made you smile? 

​HEAR: Made-up songs for Charlie Mae ;) 
We've always done A LOT of singing in our house. Even before having a baby, Ben and I were known for making up songs and singing duets basically all the time when at home together, but this has obviously amped up even more now that Charlie Mae is around. Not only are Ben and I constantly singing, but so is everyone who comes to visit. Last weekend when my brother and his girlfriend were here, it was great fun to listen to them making up their fair share of insane songs to make Charlie Mae beam with joy (see her reaction in the pic above!).

​SEE: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
I'm a HUGE Margaret Atwood fan, so I have no idea how I've never read this book before. I started it earlier this week (I read at night while I nurse Charlie Mae/let her sleep on me) and am already really enjoying it. It's creepy and crazy so far, but SO well-written (of course). I'm not that far in yet, but am dying to keep reading! Not as much reading happening in my life these days and I sure do miss it...

TASTE: Thanksiving feast, obviously!!!
I mean, of course. We were all eating the same things so I won't go into detail about what we ate here, but suffice it to say that it was delicious. It was even more amazing because Ben made most of it and he's such a good cook. 

SMELL: Our first fire of the year
We made our very first fire of the year on Sunday night! And by "we," I mean Ben made it while Charlie Mae, Sayde, and I looked on. But then we all enjoyed it as a family and it was super cozy + seasonal. Of course the smell that still lingered in the house the next morning was also lovely...I love having a real fireplace!!!

TOUCH: Sonicare Electric Toothbrush
After being told to get this toothbrush by both of our dentists for years, Ben finally got us one a few weeks ago (we use different heads, of course), and it's crazy. It's so powerful that it almost tickles and it tells you exactly how long to brush you teeth! It's pretty intense and perhaps more than you'd like to spend on a toothbrush, but definitely worth it. If you're looking for a good Christmas gift that is super boring and practical, I highly recommend it. 

So there you go! Of course, it goes without saying that my biggest joy was having Patrick and Caitlin come to visit last week/weekend, but since I already shared quite a bit about that on Monday, I tried to mix it up here today. 

Lastly...for those who are local, I'm teaching a workshop at Orleans Yoga here on the Cape this weekend and there are still a few spaces left! It's called "Preparing for the Holidays with Restorative Yoga," will be a mix of slow flow vinyasa and restorative, and is happening on Saturday from 1:30-3:30. Sign up online here to reserve your space. 

Have lovely first weekend in December, everyone!