Serious Silliness

Katherine, last night was your baby shower, organized by very special people in our lives. It was a beautiful evening of friends meeting you for the first time, enjoying delicious party food and a gorgeous pink decorated room. We were given many wishes and blessings for our relationship and our future, enjoyed great conversation and yes, it was also an evening of funny, playful silliness.

Never having been to a baby shower before, I wasn’t sure what to expect and I found myself enjoying every minute of the evening. However, unwrapping the beautiful gifts the guests had so generously brought for you later in the evening, I had no idea that the bows and ribbons would be transformed by crafty (at this point from ear to ear grinning) friends into a hat that I got to proudly wear… and of course the moment was captured on a photo.

You are teaching me not to take myself and life so seriously all the time, that wearing a silly hat at your party is fun and giving me a chance to laugh at myself (I can’t wait until you are old enough to wear silly hats with me). But on a serious note, you are teaching me family is where your heart is. I found myself looking around the circle of friends last night and realized how lucky you and I are to have such an amazing community around us. With your grandmother and other relatives living far away, we get to connect here with a family of friends who I know will have a great influence in your life. And it’s important you’ll remember this as you’ll grow up and will undoubtedly spread your wings and travel one day… good friends will help you grow roots wherever you are in the world and will be there for you when family is far away.

Just Being Mom

Katherine, it’s been a long and busy week and many days I didn’t know how to get it all done. But the week came to an end eventually and it’s been a great weekend – yesterday you got to meet your relatives from Vancouver who drove all the way up to Kelowna just to say hello and hold you. It was great for you to meet your family (yes, you probably won’t remember, but don’t worry, we took pictures).

And today – well today was great. No, great isn’t the best word – greater than great…extraordinary. Today was a real day off; no work, no errands, no responsibilities. I got to be “just mom”. We got to spend the whole day together just hanging out and having fun together – we played together for hours and as this winter day was so beautiful and sunny, we even went for a walk in the afternoon. Well, to be truthful here – I did all the walking, while you were snuggled up in your stroller and enjoyed the ride… it was perfect. We even had time to do your first art project – hand and footprints in clay… so that we can look back one day and marvel at how tiny you were.

You are teaching me that days like today are important – making memories, recharging my batteries, laughing and having fun. Spending time with you isn’t just about living my life, it’s about feeling alive.

Having it All

Katherine, today was a special day for me. I co-facilitated a workshop; the first since you were born. Being back to doing what I love felt amazing, sharing my day in front of the room with another great facilitator and friend, and engaging with a wonderful group of workshop participants.

Katherine and Babysitter Brenda

But what made the day really special was that you were in the room with us. I know it’s highly unusual for a 5-week old baby girl to “attend” a workshop, but you did it anyways. This worked thanks to an amazing friend who had offered to babysit you in the back of the room with the intention of leaving during the day as needed if you would cry or do anything that may disturb the participants. As the day went on, I was amazed to see that she only had to leave with you occasionally for little breaks. Other than that you stayed in the room, sleeping cuddled up in her arms or on a soft blanket (… and of course I was pretending that you were listening to every word we were saying).

You are teaching me what it means to “have it all”. Being a facilitator and a mom, following my passion while seeing you all day truly was a gift. I am also learning that to have it all, I can’t do it alone. I couldn’t have facilitated a full day workshop by myself as my body is still healing, I couldn’t have had you in the back of the room without knowing that you are well taken care of - but I wasn’t doing it alone. And so I get to have it all and I want you to grow up never forgetting that you can “have it all” too.

A Different Perspective

Katherine, you are already a month old now. I love seeing how much you are changing and developing your personality – and how much more interactive you have become.

Playtime is becoming more exciting; you love laying on your play-mat and exploring the toys that are hanging above, the wall and all objects around you. For the last few evenings I have laid down beside you (ok, the play mat isn’t big enough for both of us so I had to settle for the carpet); I have enjoyed our face to face time and the giggling noises you are starting to make.

Having so much fun with you, laying on the floor on my back and exploring the world from your perspective, I have also noticed how different everything looks and how it cleared my mind.

You are teaching me that it’s important to look at things from a different perspective; that solutions to problems become much clearer when we make a choice to approach them with a fresh view, ultimately creating more amazing results than would have ever been possible before.

Authentic Connection

Katherine, last night I went out to my first networking event since you were born. This is something I have done quite regularly before you came into my life, but I haven’t been out to many events in the last few months of my pregnancy… so it has been a while. And of course you had the best baby sitter in for the evening – your dad!

Before I left, I took you upstairs to your room to change your diaper and after the “work part” of this task was done we spend a few minutes hanging out together. You were lying on the change table looking at me, throwing your arms up in the air, having a great time and I was talking to you, laughing, making faces and throwing my arms into the air too. You don’t have words to use yet, but that didn’t matter – we were communicating through fun movements and facial expressions. We were connecting authentically and were present with each other in the moment – it was perfect!

The theme of the networking event was tips on successful business networking and there were 3 experts speaking on the topic – and what they emphasized all evening was to focus on building relationship with the people we network with, rather than focusing on selling them something. Get to know the person and to be really present in conversations – connect with them authentically.

You are teaching me to be fully present when I connect with people. The conversation, the eye contact, the connection is all that matters in that moment. They are worth it and my time and undivided attention is the most valuable gift I can give them.