Introducing...Fiona Maeve!

She's here! Fiona Maeve arrived right on time at 10:04 on May 27th weighing 7lbs 3oz. The first thing I said when I saw her was "She looks just like Mylo!" We are at home now enjoying our precious girl and getting acclimated to being a family of four. I'll share more later about her birth story and pictures with her an her big brother but for now some incredible photos courtesy of JKOE Photography. Thank you Jason and Jenny for these gorgeous pictures of Fiona's birthday!

On Liking Your Kids: Babies and Toddlers

I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently when she asked me how I feel thinking about welcoming a new baby girl into our lives. After some thought I answered that I know I'll love my daughter, but I hope I also like her as much as Mylo.

Real talk: Mylo was a challenging baby for me. He was loving in his own way but not particularly affectionate or attached to me until around 18 months. He had no real preference for me over his other caretakers or even relatives he saw occasionally. He was SOOO energetic but frustrated by his own immobility so although he was generally happy, he was exhausting for me to be around. And I was dealing with my own feelings of loosing my independence and my changing identity.

I feel like a switch flipped with him and also for me around the time he turned a year and half. It was as if instead of just loving him with motherly love, I started to really LIKE him as a toddler in a different way than when he was a baby. The toddler years have been far superior to the baby phase for me. He is such a fascinating little person, with his own thoughts, preferences, questions, and abilities. He has also become more attached to me and is able to express his love verbally which is so true to his personality. I love getting to know my son and have grown a deep affection and enjoyment of being around him. 

As I think about welcoming baby girl into our lives I'm excited to see what kind of baby and person that she will be. But I also have realistic expectations that although I'll love her from the start, it could take time for me to truly like being around her. And that's okay. 

Would love to hear your thoughts. Did you enjoy the baby phase or the toddler phase more?

Amazing Artist Transforms Daughter's Work Into Paintings

Isn't this amazing!? Canadian artists Ruth Oosterman takes her daughter's drawings and paints over them to transform them into beautiful works of art. I wish I could do something like this. People are so talented and creative.

(Images)

Found! The Perfect Nursing Top

I was meandering around Lululemon recently and happened upon the PERFECT nursing sweater/top. It's a little bit pricey but it's hard to imagine I'm not going to be wearing it every other day. The "twist & wrap" top can be worn in two different ways (sweater and cardigan style) and is loose everywhere except the arms (perfect for pregnancy and post-pregnancy weight changes). I'm in love. It's a great top whether you're expecting, nursing, or just want a cozy sweater.

Multitasking

This is how I look getting ready in the morning too. HAHA. Giselle posted this glamorous shot of her "multitasking" on her Instagram yesterday. What a life! She did give a nice shout out to her team though and acknowledged it takes a village to have her looking so glam all the time with a newborn. 

I am not excelling at multitasking myself these days. I was looking through the blog and last year Jenny and I had done tons of Christmas posts all throughout December. This year I'm just trying to keep my head above water! I have yet to buy a single Christmas present, haven't started our Christmas cards, and desperately need a haircut. At least we got the tree up! Oh well, I'm enjoying my new nephew, having my brother and Jenny back in town, and listening to Christmas music every chance I get. 

Back to Work

Here is a song from PAPA that I'm liking to get us through this Wednesday. It's appropriately called "Put Me To Work" since this is my second week back on the job. Being back at the office has been an adjustment these past couple of weeks. I'm definitely enjoying being back in a routine and getting to wear nice clothes that don't smell like baby spit up four days a week! I also appreciate my time with Myles more now that we aren't together all the time, it's nice to get home at the end of the day and see that big smile. It's been so wonderful to have my mom and mother-in-law watching Myles for these first few weeks back, definitely has made the transition go more smoothly.

Unfortunately, Mylo has gone from sleeping 8-12 hours uninterrupted to waking up every three hours. I'm not entirely sure if this is to do with a growth spurt or what. I've read that when the mom goes back to work some babies start waking up more in the night to spend more time with her. We'll see if this keeps up or we can get back to the good ole' days! It also only took me a week and a half to forget to put the milk I pumped at work into the fridge when I got home...boooo. I woke up this morning and had to dump four bottles and pull some from the freezer. Lesson learned, must be more vigilant! ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

Okay, it's not technically until Sunday but just wanted to wish all you mother's out there a very happy weekend. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that next year at this time I'll be the mom of a TEN MONTH old baby boy! Time seems to be going by so quickly, baby's due date is now only nine weeks away. I haven't done a great job of recording my pregnancy, in photos or in words, but I want to do a better job of keeping track of the first year I'm a mom. Someone recently gifted me with the lovely journal pictured above, featuring drawings by Washington's own Nikki McClure.  I know things will be crazy once he arrives but I'm hoping to get into some new photo and journaling habits on my maternity leave. Wish me luck!

Baby Boy Arriving in July!

I have some big news that I've been dying to share on the blog for a while now...Patrick and I are expecting a baby boy in July! We are thrilled! I am 18 weeks along and feeling good.

We let the cat out of the bag with our families over the holidays at a couple of Christmas get togethers. As part of sharing the surprise we bought Kenedee, our nine month old niece, a little onesie that says "I'm going to be a big cousin!" We are so excited that our little boy will have a cousin so close in age. And he'll be the first grandchild on my side of the family which has been really fun already.

















I'm excited to dive into this new phase of life with all of you over the next five months of pregnancy and then into motherhood. I love all of the great tips and advice that come from the blogging community.

PS. Thanks Jason for taking the cute picture at Agua Verde on Saturday!