Finding a Groove

We are approaching month three since welcoming our little Bailey. Since the moment we brought her home, she has been an amazing baby, only awaking once at night for a feeding. Almost month three, she is on a similar schedule with Jack napping for 2 hours while he does - which allows me to nap too! - and in her crib for the night at 7:30 like her big brother. We are still waking her up to eat a bottle at 10PM to help her make it until morning, so far so good!

Brian took the night feedings for me immediately when we brought her home from the hospital. Since I was better at getting Jack back in bed when he would wake up during the night, it worked out great - never reaching that point of exhaustion like when Jack was a newborn. Since Bailey has been sleeping until about 4:30AM, Brian would wake up with her, feed her, put her back to bed and go work out at the gym before work. I was able to wake up rested to manage the Monster and the Missfit all day long as well as run a business and a household.

After about a month, things started to flow. I always wondered how my mommy friends adjusted to another child, but I caught on quickly. Jack took on the big brother role better than expected and helped care for Bailey and grew up way too fast before my eyes. One decision Brian and I made was to put him in daycare two times a week so I could have Bailey time and focus on my home business & sewing, it was the best decision we made because Jack gets so much attention and loves his "school". Starting in September Jack will go to a Pre-3K program twice a week in New Berlin. I'm so excited for him to spend time with other kids and his little buddy Landon will be in his class as well. He's talking up a storm now and learning so much. It's hard to believe that 2 1/2 years ago he came out of my belly and time just flew so fast.

Having Jack at school twice a week is a blessing. It allows me to get things done around the house and focus on work. I also have amazing help from my parents and Brian's mom each week too. Every Tues and Thurs Jack goes to either my dad's or moms for dinner and Nancy stays with us over night. I thought I wouldnt be sewing at all but I jumped right back into the swing of things and barely took a maternity leave. Orders continued to pour in but I never felt overwhelmed as I allowed myself enough time to turn them around.

Business lately is really good. We are approaching our second year since creating baby Jack blankets and since introducing our "Bailey Lou Lovey" which is silky satin fabric with minky dots, they have been selling like hot cakes. After my next round of orders are out the door, I am planning on laying low on having sales and focusing on inventory for fall craft fairs - October will be here before we know it!

Another focus Brian and I have is a kitchen remodel. It started with "I want a dishwasher" and spiraled into an entirely new kitchen. We ordered new cabinets and are excepting to remove our old ones by the end of August. Everything should be complete by mid September - new painted walls, new floor, appliances, cabinets, countertops and shades. I am beyond excited for this and so is Brian!

 Summer is crazy and I cant seem to find time to keep my head straight. I cannot believe it is the end of July already and that 3 months has passed us by. We've managed to balance it all and adjust to life as a family of four quite well. We work hard and play harder and enjoy all the little things in between. The chaos with the two kids keeps us on our toes and I wouldnt change it for anything in the world!

Welcome Bailey Louise Legler!

Alot has happened since my last post! It's been almost 2 1/2 months since I last blogged and we have been busy with our little Bailey. We welcomed our little girl Bailey Louise on May 4th 2011.

Everything went as planned, a scheduled ceserean at 8:45AM and we heard her cries at 9:03AM. She weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 20 inches long; a little peanut! I stayed in the hospital for three nights and enjoyed all the rest and help that I could get. We were blessed with family and friends visiting and Jack was in good hands with Brian while Randy and Nancy stayed the week to help me at the hospital and spend time with Jack.

Bailey has been an amazing baby since she was born. She definitely is a girl verson of Jackson but has Brian's delicate lips. Her features are so defined and I just cannot stop staring at her. Since night one, she only wakes up for one feeding around 2:30am and goes to bed at 9:30 until 5:30. I was extremely nervous about taking care of a busy boy two year old and handling a newborn but Brian has been such a great help and took on the one night feeding and I get up with the kids in the morning so he can catch some extra Z's before work.

Jack adjusted so well with Bailey and suprised us all. He adores his little sister and is a great help around the house. He really took on the big brother role and amazed us at how fast he is growing up!

Another change since Bailey that we decided was to put Jack in "school" or a structured day care center two days a week. Every Wed and Fri he goes to a local day care for five hours and enjoys play time with kids his age. He seemed so bored watching mom hold and feed Bailey and I couldnt give him the one on one time he deserved so this has been a huge help. He's learning so much and having a blast with his new friends! It was the best decision we ever made.

Bailey is 6 weeks this week and time has flown by. This weekend family and friends are flying/driving in to share in her baptism celebration on Father's Day. I will also attempt to get a professional picture of the kids together as a suprise for Brian. We'll see how that turns out!

Stay tuned for baptism pictures on my next post!

 

False Alarm

We are officially 35 weeks along in our pregnancy and in 4 1/2 weeks we will be meeting our little girl Bailey Louise. Since we had a ceserean with Jackson, we were able to schedule one for May 4th at 8:45 AM with Bailey. For those of you who know me and what an extreme planner I am, you know I am estatic that I can plan ahead with this pregnancy as I am not a "go with the flow" kinda girl.

Thursday was an interesting day with plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions that literally knocked me off my feet. Every Thursday I take Jack to Gymboree class with his friends and my moms group and the contractions started becoming more consistent; every 10-12 minutes. Thankfully they have all been through the labor gig and knew what to do to help me out; one took care of watching Jack, one grabbed me water and the other one called my doctor!! I don't know where I would be without them...they are all such great people and a huge asset to my life.  The contractions subsided and I took Jack home to relax, nap and enjoy the rest of the day. Let's just hope this little girl continues to cook up until May 4th!

Yearning for Spring

I'm here and I am thinking Spring on this beautiful snowy Wisconsin Wednesday. Last week we filled our home with Tulips and just yesterday I updated my calendars for March/April/May of all the upcoming events.  Yes, it is March and by end of next week I want to see all this snow gone because come Spring, a lot of great things will transpire...and a lot of it has to do with BABIES!

It starts this weekend with Suzy's baby shower. I'm so excited for her to receive her custom made baby Jack blanket. I was searching for fabric that was "her & Austin's style" and would be chic enough to tote around town with. I'm hoping that she adores it as much as I do. She and Austin are having a little girl Lucia at the end of April!

On Monday Shelly is going to have her third baby boy. I am so excited for her because we have been pregnant together this time around and she has been a big shoulder and go-to person for me. She's a great mom, person and I am happy to call her family. 

The following week my brother and his girlfriend Kim are due with their first and Brian and I will become Auntie Kelley and Uncle Brian. We are beyond excited for them and cannot wait to meet their little girl. They have been working so much lately in preparation for her and alas they get to spend some quality time as a family of three for a few weeks :)

April will hit us in three weeks and along comes another big event for my baby blanket business that is in downtown Milwaukee and I am hoping for a great turnout. It has only been two months since we started with our new design and we are busier than ever. I am so blessed that this business has turned into earned income to allow me to stay at home with Jack and Bailey. I especially love that Nancy is as passionate about the business as I am and I am happy to share all these unique experiences and events with her! She was missed last Friday at Diva Night in Elm Grove but it was an excellent networking experience. Come June, Jack and Bailey will be models for the Lil Jax (Jaxieshop.com) line that debuts and I will get some amazing pictures of them! Jackie (owner of Jaxie) took remnants from my wedding dress and is making an authentic Jaxie head piece with flower for Bailey's baptism on Father's Day in June. I cannot wait to see what she creates.

Once April arrives, I will be down to WEEKLY doctor visits for Bailey. I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone, although the last two months has seemed to be going so slowwwwww (I blame winter). It went extremely slow with Jack (and I was 2 weeks late) but I know that once the weekly appointments hit, time will fly and she will be here in my arms.  We signed up for a "baby class" that gives us tips on introducing Bailey to Jack and preparing our boy for a 3 night hospital visit and being "away" from mommy. We've already begun making plans for Brian's parents to stay over at our home and care for Jack but Brian will be sleeping at home - one of us might as well get good rest because I know that once we arrive home, Brian and I will be up every 2 hours with this little girl for the first three weeks and I am sure Jack will want to be awake with us too.

On April 10th Nancy and my mom are throwing a girly mini baby shower for me. Since this is the first girl that Nancy will have in her life (besides me) it's a big deal. I'm excited for a low key luncheon at my home with my favorite women of close family and friends. Any excuse to kick out the boys for a few hours right?

Easter Sunday will be here before we know it and a week later a baby will be born and we will be a family of four. A perfect way to celebrate Mother's day the following Sunday and roll right into my birthday in June.

Without them, life wouldn't work.

Everyone knows my emotions are on high alert with this pregnancy, I tend to cry at commercials or just for no reason. The majority of the tears are very happy tears, some are attached to anxiety which is normal when expecting another little one. I always like to look back at my sob sessions and figure out what triggored it and no longer feel bad for the outbursts but to embrace it...here i go!

Yesterday I was in a reflecting mood. My husband gave me an hour to myself and took Jack to Gander Mountain while I could get some sewing done and push orders out the door (success!).  I dont know what came over me but the silence that filled the house made me cry. It make me realize just how important these two people are in my life and how without them, my life just wouldn't work. I've been looking at how my life has changed over the past two years (Jack will be 2 on Sunday!) and cannot imagine things any different. My husband and I are closer than ever and continue to celebrate "getting through" the first years of parenthood as a happy couple. We look back at all the little things and laugh at them and anticipate many more memories to be made when our daughter Bailey is born in May.

My logic behind all this reflection has to be because I am a big movie buff and just read about all the films being nominated for awards this year. I always like to take the time to watch each individual movie but the one I am dreading is Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman. It's about a couple that struggles with the coping of losing their son, something I never want to imagine living with. I know I will watch the movie but will probably wait until my crying spells are few and far between.

I always tell people that are nervous and have anxiety when having a child that with the bad (and there is a lot of bad days and experiences) come twice the good. The good will always outweigh the bad and no matter how you handle a situation, you will learn something from it. Parenthood is trial and error and every day is different. Once you begin finding toys in odd places, you tend to forget about the trantrums and sleepless nights that just occurred...and end your day with a smile (after throwing Barney off your bed).

Mommy Group Fun

Today was an especially great morning, nothing really different from the rest. We woke up with our usual routine and managed to meet up with the moms & kids for a stroll around the mall before Gymboree class. What made this morning so great was that we were all together, after Danielle having another baby and the boys interacted so well together during class. It made me realize that even after I have another little one to care for, that we can somehow keep some consistency going on and keep meeting together for playdates.

The Gymboree teacher was new today and by far the best we have seen. The kids followed her everywhere, listened well and she kept them very entertained. It was the first I saw Jack really involved in the structure of the class and "getting it". I took some pictures because as we approach their 2nd birthdays, we have realized how fast this time is passing us by. We will be approaching the one year mark that we all met one another through Gymboree class and watched our boys grow...

Kara and Danielle are great friends, I feel like I have known them for longer. They are a great support system to me and Brian gets along well with their husbands. Our kids are days/months apart and seem to have such a great time together. I am really excited to spend more time together with our growing families and capture more memories like these!

A final goodbye to a best friend

2010 brought a lot of changes to me personally. I used my new found "mother maturity" to rid some negative energy in my life and find positive influences. I can honestly say that this was a big success and I am very happy with the outcome. One of the changes that was out of my control was departing with our beloved cats, Ella and Molly.

Ever since August 2009, Jackson would begin developing a rash whenever he would come in contact with our feline friends. He doesnt appear to do that at other houses, so we assumed it was cat dander that gave him a reaction. My husband and I discussed/fought/cried (me) over the discussions for over nine months when finally we came to the conclusion that we could no longer be cat owners. We were restricting our cats to certain rooms in the house and they became defiant, were spraying and just looked depressed. It was a heartbreaking decision that left a void in my life until just recently.

Ella was my baby. She and I were together before Brian even came along and there wasnt a thing she did wrong in my eyes. I watched her have four kittens in college and bonded with her more than I ever thought I could with a cat. Molly was adopted by Brian and I (my birthday present of 2005) and she was our little cuddler. She was the complete opposite of Ella, liked everyone but was very scared and weary of others. They both fit into our evolving family and we never thought we would part.

Saying goodbye to Ella and Molly were two difficult days.  We put ads out on craigslist and realized that we needed to return Molly to the shelter that we adopted her from so she could get the medical attention she needed (she was having stomach issues and they fixed her up!). She would then be put up for adoption after she healed. We received several emails and phone calls about Ella - alot were sketchy and I just didnt trust anyone taking her. You never know how many crazy animal abusers were out there and I would never forgive myself if someting happened to her.  Then along came Christine. She had a two year old boy and lives in Cedarburg and bonded with Ella instantly when she stopped by. There was something about her voice on the phone when she called, it gave me an intuition to give her a chance. Little did I know that very day I would be saying goodbye to my best fur friend and never seeing her again. I cried. Brian cried. Jack gave her a kiss and days later Abbie (our dog) somehow developed two "tear drop" white spots next to her eye. We call it her cat tats. It was hard on the entire family...and still has been on me for nearly one year later.

I always wondered if they were in good hands. Did they miss me and did I make the right decision? After visiting a tarot card reader on a whim with my mother in law to find out our 2011 destiny, I asked about my cats. She told me that they were happy, no longer depressed and are not looking back!! They dont miss me. LOL. I never received the validation until last week when I emailed Christine asking about Ella.  Ella had adjusted to her new family perfectly and is getting all the attention she needs. It was the news that brought my sorrow to an end.

 Now, I am getting another little girl, my Bailey. When my kids are older, I cannot wait to tell them about the stories about their fur sisters Ella Lynn and Molly Wayne (Brian named her) and how they started as our babies and helped nurture this family to what it is today.