February 22, 2007 | Mama Smith

little moments of respite

Tonight Matthew headed out with his guys after both our boys fell soundly asleep at 6pm. I was left with a gloriously quiet house and a full 3 hours (before Levi’s next meal) all to myself. I didn’t think I’d have moments like this for quite awhile, but with Levi’s incredible aptitude for sleep at this stage and with Brighton’s early bedtime, our evenings have remained relatively peaceful since Levi’s arrival. Something we definitely didn’t count on, after baby B – our little gassy cat-napper.

I took a bath, enjoyed an amazing mexican meal a friend brought by, and relished the stillness that comes with being alone. Something that after having become a mom, I’ve learned to savor. Instead of always trying to fill the silence.

It was one of our first long nights with Levi yesterday (3 week growth spurt, go figure), so I think I’m off to bed with my ipod. My dad has called our family to spend the next 6 weeks of Lent listening to a podast called Pray-As-You-Go. It’s a “daily prayer session” produced by British Jesuits, that’s a great meditative tool, especially for the busy commuter or busy mom, in my case. I’ve loved using this on and off throughout the year and try to be diligent about downloading the latest ones each week. Which usually only ends up happening maybe 2 out of 4 weeks a month. But it’s worth checking out if you get a chance.

Our family rarely does stuff like this together, but I was glad Dad thought to do this with all of us. It makes me feel less spread out from them all – even though we’re all over the map these days – London, Philadelphia, NYC, Charlottesville, and Charleston!