Hi, friends! I’m back with a little update on what we’ve been up to so far in Victoria’s second month! This is my last week of maternity leave, and we’re enjoying the last really warm weather in the forecast (highs in the mid-80s for the next week!). I’m actually secretly happy we still have another week of muggy days, because Victoria still has a few summery 0-3M outfits in the closet she hasn’t gotten to wear yet. (Priorities!) But we have decorated for fall, gotten our sweaters out of the storage unit, and fired up our pumpkin candle, so we’ll be ready when the highs of 70 hit next weekend!
I’ve also been gradually spending more time at my desk each day in preparation for our new fall routine. It feels good. With the constant short spurts of eating, playing, and sleeping, it’s hard to work on longer projects and very tempting to just putz around the house throwing in a load of laundry and washing dishes when I have an hour of naptime. But I’ve realized there will always be “just a few things” to do around the house, and therefore I’ll never get ahead and catch that elusive stretch of uninterrupted time I keep thinking will appear. If it ever does appear, it’s around 9:00 pm after we put Victoria to bed and eat dinner, at which point I’m exhausted. Here’s to embracing progress, not perfection on the housework and focusing on the things that matter more.
We’ve had some fun outings and highlights in September that normally would have been part of Friday Favorites, but I’ve collected so many tidbits to tell you about tomorrow that I thought I would do a little round-up of what our life has looked like lately first. Victoria and I try to get out of the house at least once every day while Will’s at work to run errands, go to a Stroller Strides class, or go to our church’s moms’ group. I haven’t gone out on my own much except for two Junior League meetings so far, one moms’ group dinner, one pedicure, and the occasional quick walk with Pippa. But we have loved slowly getting out more and more to explore the world as a family of three! Besides going to church (which Victoria has been to four times now! She’s so old!), these are our little adventures so far.
Saturday at Old Town Farmer’s Market
As I mentioned in Victoria’s first month update, we had a lovely Saturday on August 26th eating breakfast out, enjoying the farmer’s market, and shopping around on King Street. You may be thinking, “Congratulations you had a nice Saturday morning in Old Town and have now written about it twice.” But this was a huge first for us. Besides evening walks, pediatrician appointments, and one quick dinner out with Will’s dad and Jenna, this was our first real outing as a family of three. It was the first time we stayed out long enough for me to use my Milk Snob and nurse in a public place, and the first time we were out doing normal life, just for fun, with our baby. It was a really sweet and memorable day, and we felt so accomplished. We even bought almost all our groceries for a delicious French meal Will made for dinner and got to enjoy it while watching football! This was the first signpost that life would go on post baby (albeit at a much slower pace). We gained so much confidence we took Victoria to church for the first time the very next day!
Labor Day in Annapolis
We had Labor Day free (because where else would we be?), and decided to get really crazy and introduce Victoria to Annapolis! It’s only about a 45 minute drive from our place, and we love to just stroll around downtown, eat, and watch the boats come in. (I didn’t even realize I wore an identical outfit to Annapolis last year. Oops.) It was an unusually hot day, Victoria was an angel (in her crab dress, obviously), and we had a delicious brunch and stroll. Again, at this point, it was just about getting out and seeing that we can.
Doggy Swim Day
Poor Pippa really hasn’t gotten enough love over here lately, but she loves our annual Doggy Swim Day (when our building lets the dogs swim in the pool before they drain it). Last year’s photos were much, much better, because I wasn’t busy wearing a baby, but we still had a great (though abbreviated) time. Pippa is quite the water fetcher.
Grace DC Vision Brunch
Another highlight was enjoying one of the best events of the Grace DC church year, our Vision Brunch! This is another really fun Grace tradition. We have a big potluck brunch, sing worship songs, have an open mic where people can talk about the ways God has worked in their lives through the Grace community over the past year and give thanks, as well as lots of information about what’s new and next for us as a congregation. Victoria was awesome, and our friends loved getting turns to hold her.
Meredith and I really thought alike!
Moms’ Group Thursdays
The moms’ group has been such a blessing to us already this fall. It has been the highlight of our weeks! Our church is just a couple blocks from Will’s office, so he popped out last Thursday to say “hi” to his girls, and Victoria loves being out and about in the city!
Victoria’s First Party
Last, but not least, we took Victoria to our friend Adele’s apartment-warming party last weekend! Adele was instrumental in getting Will and me together, so we had to introduce them! We had a really fun time, and Victoria just slept in her wrap. We know the days of being able to take her to a party are limited, so we are just enjoying it while it lasts. That being said, I had accepted that she would be off her schedule and felt like we stayed out really late, and it turns out we were home by 8:15!
Those are the September highlights so far! Our parents are coming back for Victoria’s baptism this weekend, and we can’t wait for Sunday!
