Kidding
These photos are why I’ll always and forever more be a mere Mommy Blogger, and not a lifestyle blogger or fashion (what?!) blogger or anything more sensational. My house, currently, six weeks in to having four kids. I have tidied up. Several times. It makes absolutely zero impact. {{spy some new fabric for new Whole Parenting Goods projects in the next few months!}} Life definitely feels and looks different with a fourth child, and our day-to-day is still in slow-motion, new-baby, postpartum-don’t-wear-a-bra-just-bathrobe land. AA does mornings with the three oldest so I can rest a little, gets SuperBoy off to school, feeds the middle two breakfast, and then deposits them with me so I can keep one eye on them while laying in bed nursing our BIG BABY. And I can gaze at the one clean room in the house: her nursery (because it’s virtually unused aside from clothing containing and occasional crib fun for the kids’ sake, not the baby’s!). The kids play most of the morning with me periodically shouting from wherever I am, trapped under a nursing baby, to “STOOPPPPPP FIGHTING.” My mom does homeschool with SweetPea while MonsterTot does his ABCs to get a single chocolate chip. We eat lunch around 11, head down for naps after quiet time, aka, trashing the guest room, and do a rousing round of speed reading all six Mercy Watson books. If you don’t own them, you need to. After naps, around 2, we re-adjust to the fact that yes,…
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My wee babe is four weeks old this week and I’m picking up on a project I was going to publish the day she was born, but didn’t have a chance to! You know how newborn life is. Sleep, poop, nurse, repeat. And with the other three kids in the mix, I’ll add “fend off invasive kissing and tugging and hugging” to that list. She’s very well beloved and despite me being down for the count in my own healing (which will take a while, according to my physical therapist), things are slowly taking the form of a new normal. One that has less sleep but more kisses! **knit dress by my friend Ginny (yarn shop)** **similar sweater** **mocs c/o FP** I partnered with Freshly Picked Mocs two years ago–was it already two years–to give away a pair to one of you lucky duckies and here we are again! I love Susan’s work and the company she’s built. Any mama-makers have a really special place in my heart. Here on the blog, I’m telling you about the new release of this incredible pattern. So hop on over to their site and take a looksie. They now have collections ranging from for your newest newest babe to hard soles for your little runner. This one is probably my favorite from their signature collection. Because how can you go wrong with gold? And I’m pretty sure I’d need this to go with those mocs. I think my toddler needs these when the snow…
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Our fourth babe made an appearance a few days before Christmas, just in time for me to be able to enjoy Christmas pies without throwing up! She’s already my favorite! TLDR: She was big! She was stuck! She and I suffered some injuries that physical therapy and time will heal! She is obsessively loved by her older siblings! And she’s a total sweetie snuggler. I love birth stories. Grace has a whole link up! I love reading about how my friends’ (and strangers’!) children come into their families after growing in their wombs or hearts. I love the scary parts that end in a happy way. I hate the sad parts that end sadly. But mostly I just love this time-old tradition of sharing the miracle of meeting that new baby in our lives. SuperBoy’s birth story is here, SweetPea’s here, and MonsterTot is here. Gosh, am I really going to call him that on the blog? He’s not truly a monster. Maybe we’ll call him SecondSon? I digress. I had prodromal labor for about a week before having our little SweetCheeks. That means I thought I was really in labor, we watched the contractions get stronger and closer together, and we headed in to the hospital. It also means after a number of hours there and I never dilated, we were sent home with well-wishes and assurances that yes, she would arrive someday, but that day was not today. The contractions went on and on for hours on end. They…
Read MoreDon’t panic. Do not panic that Christmas is within spitting distance. I have to admit (in anticipation of early ((hopeful, I know)) labor) I did all my Christmas shopping a few weeks back, wrapped it all up, and barely remember what I actually bought. Then I remembered and was so delighted! We’re doing a minimalist Christmas for the kids (thank God they can’t read the blog . . . yet) so I wanted to share my finds with you so you can see how Grinchy I am get inspiration. YOXO PBS Build It Kit for everyone. My friend Jeff runs this amazing toy company and shopping small is so important at the holidays! Check out his newest partnership with PBS Kids! And use the code “wholeparenting” for 25% off the whole site!! My kids love his stuff and the fact that it can become many things means it lasts so much longer as a toy of interest. Dog-Opoly for all of us. Life changing. Laura’s kids introduced us and I don’t know if my kids will every go back. Dog-opoly is hilarious. Gel glide crayons for all of them. We can never, ever have enough coloring utensils around here. People crush them, eat them, peel them, lose them, fight over them. This was a nice big pack. Baby Organic footie pj. For if LittleLady every decides to be born. She gets something, too! MonsterTot (2.5) Massive Excavator. Usually I’d just hit up Goodwill and see what toys they had around for even cheaper,…
Read MoreI love to plan. Not because I’m type A (more like B+), but because I love to know where I am going so that little anxious part inside of me can take comfort. At least I made a plan, I’ll think. Even if it goes awry. At least I wasn’t caught unawares. At least I had some chance to brace myself for it, whatever it it may be. Babies and birthing are one of those mysterious areas of life where preparing and planning, while crucial for informing our reactions, are somewhat negligible. I firmly believe in taking a childbirth education class, unless you were raised around midwives and picked up on birth stuff. Most of us never have had any exposure to anything remotely birthy beyond a “rush to the hospital, scream, and push” scene in a movie. I’m a big believer in doulas, a hired labor support person above and beyond your partner. I’m a big believer in writing out a birth plan, reading as much as you can, watching documentaries, and asking women about their births. Yet. And yet. All that planning and preparing and honing your instincts and setting your expectations to a much lower dial doesn’t mean things will go as you ever imagined them. So while I sit here, 39 weeks pregnant, in deep anticipation of this coming labor, I still have to tell myself that ultimately, I’m not in control. I’m just not. My capable midwife, the nursing staff, the surgeons if I need…
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Our 102 year old house has two closets in the master//owner’s suite. One for the lady of the house complete with a sit-down-built-in-vanity-do-your-make-up and one for the gentleman to hang his suits. You can guess how often I sit to do my makeup at any vanity. It occurred to me that this dressing room wasn’t well suited even if I was able to fit all my clothing in there. And it occurred to me that although we co-sleep for a long time, this baby girl was going to need somewhere to be stashed for naps once she’s at that 6 month marker and needs more than sleeping in the sling. So I pinched my husband and dad into demo’ing it. And then a friend helped sheet rock & fit it with baseboards and the like. Then we had carpeting put in. Then this same handy friend made shelves after I had Shea and my sister Katie over to give me design input, and facetimed a million times with my mom & Molly in New York. Tah-dah. I give you: a new fav room in the house! The kids love to destroy it on a daily basis–I mean, help me make it cosy for her. Vase & Lights // Target boutique Doll // Dancy Pants Disco Dried flowers // party a year ago Yes, it looks like a dorm room. I think there’s a fine line between nursery decor & dorm room these days. George original prints // my sister, Katie!…
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