Due South // Part II

On our 2nd day in Atlanta, my sweet friend Lauren and I took our squirmy little baby bugs to the Georgia Aquarium.  It was kind of a spontaneous field trip, and neither of us had ever brought our respective mini-people to an aquarium. 
It turned out to be a MAY-jor highlight of the trip!  Both of the little ones loved it- even Izzie.  There were some squeals, talky noises, excited//happy eyes, clapping, and a general air of fun-nes. I was really surprised at how much Isabel {almost 7 months} responded so positively to it.
At the Georgia Aquarium, your general admission ticket also gets you into the dolphin show {no extra cost}.  We decided to try it, not knowing what to expect...
and the show turned out to be verry Disney-ish, and theatrical.  There was singing, there was a ship, there were sea monsters that needed to be fought off, there was water spraying, and rain coming down, and the singing, did I mention that there was singing?
Isabel, unfortuately, had hit her wall by this point, and slept through the entire show in the Ergo.  {and I'm still tiptoeing around when she naps??}
 James though, he loved it!  He was completely enraptured// he sang, danced, clapped, and was utterly cute the whole way through.  It was so adorable, and kind of more fun to watch him than it was to watch the dolphin circus.  We were in the nosebleed seats too, I can't imagine what he would've done if we'd been any closer.

{oh, do I look tired in that picture?  ask me how Izzie has been sleeping lately.... or should I say, not sleeping...one of the joys of having a teething baby..}

So go to the aquarium! (:


XO

Cassie

A Very Merry Thanksgiving {in pictures}

{Izzie's dress: Hanna Andersson,/similar  //  Tights: Target -in store / unavailable online}

 Can you tell that Izzie is completely over the moon for Bear {the doggie}? 

Merry Thanksgiving!! 

XO

Cassie

Due South // Part I

Last week, Isabel and I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to be with some of our dearest, oldest friends.  

It was such a treat to see everyone {from Sewanee and Mercersburg, school time eras}.

In fact, we had so much fun, that I didn't take as many pictures as I would've liked.  Which is too bad, especially considering that I am way too tired to think, much less write words... 

I did make a couple of observations while in the airport though.  Despite having done some homework on "flying with baby"  {reading lots- including THIS and talking to friends who have done it before}, there were a few things that I sort of miscalculated//learned firsthand//wish I had known. 

One:  taking a stroller/carseat combo through security, by yourself, with a 6 month old, is not preferable {as in, dumb and sweat inducing...because you have to take it apart, take the baby out, collapse it and put it through the scanner....while holding the baby and your carry on... oy. }.  In my paranoia, I was nervous about checking the stroller and carseat at the desk for fear that it would not be waiting in one piece for me at our destination.  If that is even a risk, I would say check a cheapy stroller instead {I don't think the carseat is in grave danger if a suitcase is piled on top of it}.  In order to get all of this stuff through security, I ended up putting Izzie in the Ergo, which is where she stayed for the rest of the trip, while the stroller became wheels for my carry on {which weighed a ton- another mistake//miscalculation}.  Also, with a stroller, you're always having to find the elevators.    Things were so much easier on the way back when I, like a seasoned traveler, had Izzie-belle in the Ergo and checked the stroller//carseat at the desk.  Phew!

Two:  If you're nursing a baby, having a nursing cover is muy importante, but what would have also been great, would have been a bottle of pumped milk {although I'm not clear on the security rules, but I think this is ok to bring a 4 oz bottle}, because my little sweetie is so distractable, nursing her in the airport was not a-happenin', cover or no.  So, we had the privelege of sitting in the handicapped stall of the bathroom for a few minutes, while she had a few measly sips.  Lovely. 

Three:  It became clear to me that Frye and Longchamp have very effectively marketed themselves to college girls.  I mean, I must've seen a dozen college aged girls wearing this combo.   Nothing wrong with it, just an observation.  People watching in airports is one of my fave things to do. {duh}  

So..... I will add to my little listy if I think of any other pertinent observations, once the fog clears  (:

{Izzie's sweater, Baby Gap HERE }

 XO

Cassie

Two Faced

{I'm going to try to explain something that is hard to explain. Please excuse and pardon run on sentences, vagueness, and rambling}

I've been having a problem since I've gone back to work, and have had trouble articulating it// to myself and to anyone else. But today I think helped to solidify the root of this problem.  Today, Isabel stayed home sick from daycare.  So naturally, I stayed home with her. 

The problem was, I have very little leave time available because I used up my stash during "maternity leave" {it's really scoffable that we even call it that when so many of us are just using accrued sick and vacation time to create a puny cobbled couple of months leave after giving birth to another human. whoops sorry. I'll try to lay off the italics, and melodrama ;) }. 

 I was worried because later this week, we have an out of town trip planned, so I'll be taking off a day for that// not to mention the holidays which are starting next week//I'll have to take some days for those too......

SO my point is, staying home today was not part of the plan, and even threw a little wrench into the "plan".  Today, Will and I decided that I would stay home for the first half of the day with Izzie, and then he would come home at lunch time so that I could go to work for the rest of the day.

 Problem was, when he got home, leaving Izzie// and our little nest of tissues, pillows, toys, coughs and sneezes was the absolute last thing I wanted to do.{I do not get paid enough to be motivated to leave that nest// that baby}.  I tried to do it though.  I brushed my hair, put on some work pants, and envisioned going there and putting on my work face for 5 hours or so....

 But Isabel had had a rough couple of nights, and this weekend we had learned that when she is touchy and sicky, she wants mom, and has a very hard time being calmed//comforted by dad. {I truly believe that this is related to her being a baby who loves to nurse, and still does// nursing = comfort. period.} 

SO, I sat there and pictured being at work, away from the sick baby nest// and knew that I would be mostly unproductive, distracted and sad.  I also was not so sure that I would actually be able to put on my work face, nor was I sure that I should.  I just knew that I needed to be there for my sicky bebe. 

My "issue" then, is this:  switching from mommy face to work face is hard, and is not seamless.  My brain tries to make the transition, but is often left feeling displaced// while my thoughts wander {sometimes endlessly} at work, to avoid really accepting the transition to work {because what do you do with the mom feelings? stuff them into a pocket for later I guess..?}. 

At home, with an hour and a half in the evenings to: enjoy Izzie, give her dinner, bathe her, and put her to bed// it's really hard to feel like I've been able to switch gears back to mommy mode// and in a way, I think this is an act of self preservation.... because if I were really feeling, absorbing and switching between these roles daily, I would get lost in the middle.  But aren't I already sort of lost in the middle?  Where does my "self" fit into this mess?  {and the mess includes more than being a mother and an employee-- there's being a wife, a daughter, a niece, a friend...} 

A  partial solution would be to make more of an effort to really be in the moment, whatever that moment may be.  {I need to practice my Ommm}  To not allow myself to escape into thoughts or daydreams, and to push myself to be fully present// in my work and at home.  But this also requires carving out some blocks of time that are "escapes", because really, who can be present and giving all of the time?  
It's a delicate balance, I'm finding.. And I'm clearly still looking for the right balance.
I may never find it {that perfect recipe}, and that's ok, but I can move closer towards finding it.
And in the mean time, I will be trying to merge my different faces {or masks?} into one fluid person, so that these transitions might become less transitional {and icky} and more.... smooth.
Peace and Love and Om. 

{By the way, disclaimer: I realize that this issue is not unique to me, nor is it unique to mothers, but I have only just started to notice it and to feel quite annoyed by it.}