There are distinct times in my life when I am keenly aware that I am living a special moment. They are moments that stick with me and I recall time and time again to remind me that I am loved, I am blessed, and that I have been shown grace. Walking into Turlington Plaza for the first time as a freshman on my way to class at UF, I remember getting this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my parents and what they provided for me. Walking down the aisle with my mom on my wedding day, the expectation and excitement of knowing I would be married to Chad that evening – joy in my heart for the life we were about to start. Sitting at dinner with my Magnolia friends in New York City, pouring out our hearts over a fantastic bottle of wine, enjoying the company of each other. Kayaking down Wekiva, the stillness of the surroundings, the morning just beginning and the adventure of the day ahead. Finishing the MS150 with Chad, though my body sore, my heart was full of accomplishment. Finding out I was pregnant – it transformed a kindling of excitement into nine months of expectancy and hope for a healthy baby. All these moments bring me to this next special moment – today. I have had the privilege to take care of Evelyn during the day in our home, I arranged time off from work this summer to be here with her. This morning, our sweet child fell asleep in my arms for her morning nap. There is no better moment than the feeling of your baby sleeping in your arms – her warmth, her small breath, her perfect scent. I was present in the moment this morning as I rocked her in my arms – being present in life and knowing when things are good – these are the things that make a life worth living. Chad and I say this often, we never knew it was possible to love another person this much, our family bond grows strong with each day since Evelyn was born. Watching her sleep in my arms – it is a mix of maternal pride and gratitude, but it is also a sense of grace from God that he granted me this child to raise and love. Being present and enjoying the present is what makes life beautiful.

 

Since Marci generally pulls the night shift with her, I usually get up around 5:30-7:00am when Evelyn wakes up in the morning. We have our little routine… play time on the changing table, diaper change, visit Goober the bear in the spare room, sometimes I take some pictures, and when she decides that she is ready to eat, I sit at my desk with her on the boppy and I feed her a bottle with my left hand as I check email and plan out my work day with my right hand. I think that this is my favorite time of day with her as I get her all to myself and, she is generally very alert and she is all smiles.

Shortly after this routine started, I decided that it is also a great time to expose her to some music as she generally sits with me in my chair for 30-60 minutes. If she drifts off to sleep, I will move her back to the bed and keep the music going until it is time to get ready for work. I am going to try to expose her to a little of everything but started with quite a bit of classical music as well as some electronica, jazz, classic rock, etc. I thought it would be fun to keep track of all of the things that we listen to during this time together.

Here is the running list…

Rush- Moving Pictures
Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson – Highwaymen
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Greatest Hits (1993)
Beethoven- Symphony No. 9
Mozart- Requiem in D minor
John Coltrane- Blue Train
Cosmic Baby- Thinking About Myself
Pink Floyd- The Wall
Pink Floyd- The Dark Side of the Moon
Dvorak- Cello Concerto in B Minor
Dvorak- New World Symphony
Rachmaninoff- Pinao Concerto No. 2 in C Minor
Sasha- Essential Mix 01-15-1994
Kimball Collins- Club Nights Vol 2
Kimball Collins- United DJ’s of America Vol 1
Vivaldi- Concerto for Cello, RV 405 in D Minor
Vivaldi- Concerto for Cello, RV 401 in C Minor
Vivaldi- Concerto for Cello, RV 423 in B flat
Vivaldi- Concerto for Cello, RV 399 in C
Progvisions- Best Progressive House Mix 2013 Vol 2
Bach- Cello Suites, Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007
Bach- Cello Suites, Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Bach- Cello Suites, Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009
Bach- Cello Suites, Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010
TechnoBaseFanSenne- Best Progressive House Mix 2013 Vol 1
NAKpsy- Astral Travel Beyond Deep Space
Ezechiel2012- Carbon Based Lifeforms – [Twentythree]
Pete Namlook & Tetsy Inoue- Shades of Orion 2
Julien H Mulder- Ambient Space Music
Vivaldi- Four Seasons
Brahms- Piano Concerto No. 2
Mozart- Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat
Mozart- Piano Concerto No. 04 in G major, K41 – II. Andante
Mozart- Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K453 – II. Andante
Mozart- Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K482 – II. Andante
Mozart- Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra in C major
Gustav Holst- The Planets
Rockabye Baby- Baby Marley
Rockabye Babye- Lullabye Renditions of The Smiths
Rockabye Babye- Lullabye Renditions of Dave Mathews Band

Evelyn is two months old today and to “celebrate,” we visited the pediatrician for a round of shots. Holy cow was that traumatic… for Marci and I! I guess no one ever explained to us just how large of a needle they use to deliver the injection to a baby. I mean, it was like a 1/4 of the length of her little leg. For some reason, I also thought that they turned the baby over to inject it in to her little butt, but nooooo… they do it in the thigh, so she can just stare at you like… “why did you do that to me!?”

Anyway, Miss Evelyn is doing fine tonight, albeit quite sleepy. I am sure we will remember it for much longer than she does. 🙂