Simple Joys of the Week, December 9th Edition

This was such a lovely week! Two of my closest friends, Laura and Jessica, came in town to meet Charlie Mae and spend some quality time together as a trio. It was a low-key visit--as most visits are now that we have our sweet baby--but it was so wonderful to reconnect with these dear friends and watch them interact with Charlie Mae over the past 4 days. 

So, that was my biggest simple joy of the past 7 days {spending time with Laura and Jess + relishing in this friendship that is just so comfortable, fun, nurturing, and easy}, but of course, the week was also full of lots of smaller, even simpler pleasures that made it a really enjoyable one.

​Some of my favorite SJOTW are listed below...

HEAR: Women of the Hour Podcast
Since having a baby, my time spent listening to podcasts has dropped tremendously. In fact, instead of staying up-to-date on 10-15 podcasts every week, I've fallen behind on almost all of them except my very favorites. One of these favorites, Lena Dunham's podcast Women of the Hour, just returned for it's second season, and listening to it has made me very happy. I love everything that Lena Dunham puts out there and this podcast is no exception--so wonderful!

​SEE: Handmade gifts
Laura and Jessica came bearing sweet, handmade gifts for Charlie Mae. Of course they've both been showering me/her with gifts since I first found out that I was pregnant, and this trip was simply a continuation of their generosity. Laura knitted her a gorgeous blanket and Jessica made her a handmade Tooth Fairy Pillow/Bear. I was beyond touched when I opened them. I have such amazing friends! 

TASTE: Green Lotus Cafe
I'm embarrassed to say that I had never been to this vegetarian/vegan restaurant here on Cape Cod until this week. We [finally] went for lunch yesterday, and I was blown away by how delicious my sandwich and salad were. New local fave for sure! Also helped that I had great company ;) 

SMELL: The beach in December
Even though it was a cold day, my friends wanted to see the ocean while they were here, so one afternoon we bundled up and took a drive down to the closest beach. It was gorgeous; the sun was just starting to set, the beach was empty, and it felt sort of magical and ethereal. I was so glad we made the time to stop by and take it all in, as I wouldn't have done so if they weren't in town.

​TOUCH: Charlie Mae napping in her bassinet
Over the past two weeks, I've started working to teach Charlie Mae how to fall asleep on her own. A big part of this is not having her take every nap ON me (in my carrier) and instead, nap in her bassinet. It's been a slow process and her naps have become much shorter, but we're getting there and it's been great to imagine a world where she naps on her own. The touch part? We've been doing lots of snuggling as I try to get her down and then when she is finally asleep[ish] in her bassinet, I spend some time with my hand on her chest until she's totally asleep--so lots of connection happening throughout this process ;) 

And thus, another week has come and gone! What brought you joy over the past week? I hope you can find some time to reflect on your simple pleasures today...

Have a wonderful December weekend, bloggies!