in three quarters time

Before my due date, I remember there being a lot of discussion from "seasoned moms" about the best baby gifts that they received. Some said that the casseroles they received were life savers; others thought that nothing could be better than a month's subscription to a cleaning service. But, to me, the best gift that anyone mentioned was the one that my sister-in-law A got from her sister L.

I remember A telling me how when my niece was born her sister would get up each morning when Lil M awoke and take her downstairs so that A could get a few more hours of rest after a restless night. I remember thinking how thoughtful it was of L and how grateful A must have been for the additional rest. And, since Baby Beeton's birth, I often think about that story, how wonderful it must have been to drift back to sleep, knowing full well that you needn't worry because someone you loved and trusted was with your baby.

Around here, it's been me, Mr. Beeton, Ella, and Baby Beeton most of the time. We don't have lots of friends and family stopping by to visit or help out. And, we haven't found a babysitter that we trust. While I love our little family, sometimes it would be nice to have a bit of a break - to have a glass of wine at Cedar Crossing with my husband, to paint the basement without having to first mastermind a safe space down there for Baby Beeton to hang out while we work, to nap without worrying that we're letting each other down.

We got that little break over Christmas when we stayed at my parents' house in Pennsylvania. Nana, Pops, and Auntie M were all on hand to play with Baby Beeton, to keep him entertained, to hold him while I tried on some desperately needed new clothes, to watch him while we went out to eat. While we didn't sleep well, I napped and felt more relaxed than I have in months. Having that kind of love and support not just over the phone but in person was wonderful. I didn't realize how much I needed it until I had it.

So, while we've gotten some great presents and eaten some fabulous holiday food, what I'll remember most about this Christmas is that time we spent in Pennsylvania, feeling like it wasn't just us against the world, feeling like we had a little extra wind at our back.

To me, that was the greatest gift of all.

Happy New Year!

Martha

delish

The other day I tuned into Rachel Ray's talk show. I'm not a huge Rachel Ray fan in the least. But, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson were on, and I have to admit that I've always had a soft spot for those sisters. (Sidenote: My obsession with Jessica used to run very deep. Mr. Beeton and I went to the Barton Creek Resort and Spa to celebrate our dating anniversary when we lived in Austin, Texas one summer simply because Nick and Jessica held their reception there.) While watching, I realized that Rachel's set, which you can see here, has some eerily similar qualities to our own redesigned kitchen - the yellow walls, the chalkboard painted pantry doors. We'd based our color scheme on a photograph we'd seen in a magazine, but here was the actualization of our dream in a different form - complete with the glass front cabinets and the black and white tile floors that we hope to eventually have. Of course, Rachel has a super retro fridge, which we had thought about (we're now leaning toward a commercial fridge for space and aesthetic reasons), and her set is twice the size of our little galley. But, I thought the similarities were uncanny.

Our Julia Child inspired peg board.

Our new yellow cabinets, white walls, and patterned curtains.

Our chalkboard pantry doors.

Keep sweeping, Martha

perchance to dream

Can you believe my baby turned six months old this past month? A half a year?! So unbelievable. In some ways, the months have flown by. In other ways, they've passed by so slow. They really have been "the longest shortest time."

We've hit a lot of milestones of late. The babble has started to become recognizable - at least to me. Do you hear "Ma-ma-ma" when you listen?



We've also started solid foods with much greater success after a failed attempt with oatmeal. Rice cereal, bananas, apples, and sweet potatoes. Dr. B instructed us - at our six month appointment - that we need to start "more aggressively pursuing solids," so after another veggie, we will try chicken! Such a big boy.



November was also filled with celebrations - Baby Beeton's baptism and his first Thanksgiving. We had almost 20 relatives attend the baptism, including Henry's three fabulous cousins - Baby B, Baby L, and Lil' M. For lunch, we had everyone back to the house for soup from Souper Girl and Subway sandwiches. The grandmas made delicious salads, and Grammy ordered cupcakes with little decorations to commemorate the day. Thanksgiving was spent in Virginia where Baby Beeton got his own very special place setting. Too bad we hadn't started sweet potatoes by then!

The big crowd at our house meant that we finally finished the kitchen (save the floor). It looks wonderful, and I wish we had done it sooner. Everything is so fresh and clean. And, we even have a peg board like Julia's. And a wonderful by product of the kitchen being finished is that we cleared out all the kitchen stuff from the dining room. This means that we can eat at our dining room table, and we have a huge area for Baby Beeton to play in. I'm starting to really love my house.



We've been getting out a bit more too. Pancakes with Santa, a visit to the zoo, and lunch at Burger Tap Shake at Foggy Bottom. It's been a good month... except for...

SLEEP!

Baby Beeton - for the last few weeks of November - had been having a terrible struggle with sleep, waking up every hour, taking hours to get back to sleep, and being a general grouchy man. At the time, this lack of sleep eclipsed all the good things that had been happening in our life. Each day, we discussed various sleep strategies; we read tons of sleep books; we cried over the fact that it looked like we would have to let him cry it out. We were miserable.

But, it got better.

I only write this now because I want to acknowledge this dark time, know that we got through it, and record the strategies that helped (The No Cry Sleep Solution, Dr. B's advice to "let him cry a little... don't be cruel, but don't run to him every time he whimpers," a sweet little blankie that feels a little bit like Momma's robe).

We're not out of the woods yet, but for now, it's peaceful and quiet. A good time to rest.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley.

happy monday

Look for a more comprehensive post about life in the Beeton household soon. But, for now, I'll show you this slightly blurry picture (Baby Beeton is always on the move!).


A crafty friend of ours made this onesie for Baby Beeton - complete with a little broom. Love it!

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched The Change Up and half of Our Idiot Brother.