A Return to Blogging: Life, Babies, & the She Reads Book Club

Casual iPhone shot of Ava, 4 months

It's been almost five months since my last post, and boy has life been busy! I birthed a baby, cared for her for more than four months (so far), celebrated major holidays, spent time with my family who was visiting from Africa, returned to work, interviewed for and accepted a position with Tennessee's Department of Education (in addition to my regular teaching job), and so much more.

The most important of the above list of life accomplishments and moments is, of course, the birth of my daughter. Ava Lauren is a whopping almost-16 pounds and more than 26 inches at four and a half months old. She eats well, to put it mildly. She is a joy and a night-disturbance; even in those half-awake, bleary-eyed moments in the middle of the night, she is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Her little hands touching my face, as she has begun doing in the last week or so, is quite simply the sweetest gesture that exists.

What I have not been doing very much of is reading or watching television/ movies. When you're a first-time mommy, all those things you've indulged in for so long fall to the wayside. My ten-minute shower each morning feels like a day at the spa. I had heard of those movies that won Oscars last night, but I hadn't seen so much as a trailer for any of them!

I have, however,  managed to finish a handful of books in the last few months, and I am excited about sharing them with you. The books I've read for the She Reads Book Club will be up first, followed by some child rearing/parenting-related titles, as well as some classroom books. I may not be reviewing books every single day, but I'm excited to get back into the fray on some level, discussing books and sharing what I've been reading.