By the Dawn's Early Light

Now that our brand new daughter has arrived, life is a bit different than it was just a week and a half ago.  I think the biggest change at the moment is the amount of time we suddenly spend awake at night.  Even with my husband sharing the middle of the night feedings and changings with me, I still sometimes feel like I'm in the middle of the song Midnight Voyage: "On a midnight voyage.  One that has no ending...." (The Mamas and the Papas).  Or possibly "In the wee small hours of the morning, while the whole world is fast asleep....." (Frank Sinatra).  In any case, there's definitely a lack of quality sleeping time going on in our house these days.

 

 What makes it a little harder at times for me is that I'm not a late night/nighttime person.  I'm a early morning/get-up-the-second-you-can-see-the-sunshine kind of person.  Because of this, my new favorite Daily Vacation has become that first daytime feeding for my daughter.  In the process of teaching her that daytime is fun! and nighttime is boring, I go into her room and open the blinds to let the sun in and crank up some tunes to accompany my cheery "Goooood morning, kiddo!" greeting.  My playlist never fails to sense the desired mood and usually spits out something extra peppy like "La Bamba" (Ritchie Valens) or "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" (The Andrews Sisters).  It feels like a celebration each morning.  A little party to ourselves in a "yay! we survived another night and everyone can just stay awake right now and that's okay!" way.

 

Life is full of transitions and endings and new beginnings.  Sometimes things change for the better and something they don't.  Sometimes things change for the better, but the transition into the change is difficult.  In any case, you should continue to find those moments in the day (or night if you are that kind of person) where you can say: "I'm really happy right now" and "This is actually lots of fun".  It might have to be a brand new moment or activity in order to work into how things are for you right then, but sticking with that mindset is definitely worth it in the end.

 

I know, having just done this last year, that these early weeks pass very quickly and suddenly they are just a blurred memory.  When I look back I know the things I will remember most are all the fun times we had as a new family of four (my husband and I congratulating ourselves on sucessful outings and enjoying his vacation time at home) and those early mornings of introducing my daughter to the endless possbilities of a new day.  "It's a beautiful day. Don't let it get away . . ." (U2).