Freedom to Breathe

Just like that November is almost gone.   This always happens – one day it is Halloween and you feel like it is too early to think about Christmas and then in a blink of an eye it is Thanksgiving and you’re enjoying a ridiculously long weekend. Somehow in the middle of that we enjoyed our first wedding anniversary!

We had a rough November.  The cycle of caring for baby, running our business, planning for the new year, finishing up the biggest job we’ve ever had, working on renovating our rental so we can get it rented, and then just taking time to remember to be a regular family has been tough.   Some days our busy life seems like just that.  Our busy crazy life.   Then other days our busy life seems insane; it gets busy-ER, crazy-ER and almost too much to bear.   I know when I get overwhelmed.  I recognize that when I start spending every spare second making the same list over and over…  I have too much to handle.  And when I am feeling that way I can’t calm down until Steve calms down, but when we are feeling that way he doesn’t stop and I can go days or weeks without feeling calm.  It is the cycle of our life. I know this.  But I actually look forward to the months when we know business will be down some because it gives us the freedom to catch our breath.  And to catch up.  And clean off our desk.  And follow up on everything.   And plan.   And breathe again. 

Maybe I am overzealous in my list making.  Maybe I need “care for our awesome baby” to be #1 every day.   And then maybe I need to add only 2 other things to that list that are work things.   Maybe every day I need to add the wildcard of “deal with the unexpected” to that list so when it happens (and it WILL happen) it won’t toss me over the edge.  I am so lucky to be able to work from home and care for my baby every day but I never said it was easy to do it all.

So this last week I made the time to watch my sister’s kids for the afternoon on Monday.   I had lunch with friends on Tuesday.  We hosted Thanksgiving on Thursday and I spent Friday helping my cousin and her family move.  I also just made time to finish personal projects I have started over the last few months.   That feels good.  And you know how I love Christmas… the cards are ready to be mailed and today we put up the tree.   Steve and I are watching Mobster Bios and he just made Hot Chocolate Brownies.   Life is good.  We just need to remember to breathe.  To plan.  To do the right things.  And then when we get caught in the crazy cycle I need to step out of it and help others for awhile.   I know everyone’s life is crazy.  Everyone has things that are hard for them and that they struggle with.   We all just do our best.  Right?

Tomorrow the Tesser and I are going to decorate the tree and put up our stockings.   We have dinner at Scotts and then we will be ready to get back to work on Monday.  Wish me luck.

Happy Halloween Baby!

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?   Check out our highlights from this fall!

We played in leaves.    We picked out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.

  

 

 

 

 

 

We finished the wig for her costume  

    

We raked the yard.

 

 

 

 

We carved the pumpkin

 

 

 

We got in the pumpkin

We went to visit Great Grandma Lorraine on Halloween

 

 

We went Trick or Treating.

 

The end.

Home Show Weekend

originally written 10-22

We had a big home show this weekend.   It is the largest fall show we do, and we had a large island booth- so we definitely needed both of us to work it. 

Saturday we brought Tessie to my Mom and Dad’s to watch all day. After a long day at the show it was so nice to see my parents and have a hot meal waiting for us.  This is the day Mom said “this is the easiest day we’ve ever had with a baby… including our own”.   I don’t care if it’s true – it is the nicest thing that has ever been said about our Tessie.   It is also the day Dad said “She is as calm as a…a… a stone!!”  Love.  It makes it so much easier to leave your baby with people when you know she will be easy for them and they will love it.

 

When we got home we gave her her first taste of squash.  It was a messy adventure, but she loved it!   

 

 

 

Sunday Tessie had a day with the Sternbergs.  Dane held her constantly.   Audrey was always close by her side – watching her sleep, monitoring where her Nuk was, getting her toys, etc.   She was the best helper ever – even giving her a bottle!  Tessie was just thrilled with the attention.

 

Ciao!

Hello Fall – Goodbye Market!

originally written 10-14-12

It’s fall.  

I know this because there is a Mum in my living room.   It is sunny and the leaves are peaking…. and it is 28 degrees outside.    Time to put away all the cute summer clothes. I also know this because Steve spent the weekend mornings wearing as many clothes as possible and was still frozen solid while standing at the Farmers Market.  Fulfilling our obligation to be present the entire season, while incredible uncomfortable and watching every freezing homeowner RACE past him.   Impossible conditions to write business.  I cannot wait until we are done with it!

We cruised down to the Farmers Market to do our last visit of the season, and to help Steve pack up for the last time.   It was a bit nostalgic because the Market is such a big part of our lives.   While we were down there I couldn’t resist taking a bunch of pictures.  

 

Tessie chomped on her elephant while we loaded up the display, then we all went out for pancakes.  Pumpkin pancakes, if you must know.

Ciao!

Magic Baby

 

When Katie and Bryan watched Tessie a few weeks ago they started calling her the magic baby when they put her down for her nap.  It seems they couldn’t believe that when it is time for her nap that you really just lay her down and walk away from her.   She will not fuss, she will sleep.  She is magic.   One of the many things I love about her!

But today she brought to a whole new level.   She apparently decided that now she is 6 months she can skip her early evening nap and go to bed at 8pm like a big girl.   She went far beyond her “awake for only 90 minutes at a time” and stayed up for 5 hours.   Five.  I mean, for crying out loud!  I put her down a few times but she was up there just blowing raspberries and visiting with her bunny and having a grand old time so I got her up again.  Finally when I did put her down she immediately looked away from me and closed her eyes. I changed my clothes and went back to peek on her and she barely turned her head to look at me but did make a point of staring at the light.  It was if to say “could you turn that off?”  And I did.   Magic.  Baby.

If she really is changing her schedule I am thrilled.  I would love the extended awake time in the evening so I can run errands, and play with her after the work day.  Of course, I would also love it if she went down at 8 every night to give me some time to wind down at night.  

On another note, both Steve and I have the same guilty pleasure…  and it is bringing her into bed with us.  I feel like we shouldn’t be and I feel like it could be creating such a bad habit..  but then I think maybe I don’t care.  We have a baby.   A sweet perfect little baby and she will not be interested in sharing our bed forever.  Why can’t we just indulge?

So usually we don’t bring her in until 6am when she gets up and eats.  We all just snooze for another hour or so and when we wake up we get the biggest smiles.  It is the BEST.  But the other night he she squawked – like one time – and he bolted into her room, scooped her up and brought her to our bed.  It was barely after midnight.   He loved that she rotated over sideways and kicked him all night.   That will probably be less cute in about 6 months, but who cares?

Not us.  

We like something on our neck.

 

Today it is cold and grey and sort of wet. So I was obviously wearing my awesome polar fleece scarf.    Tessie was squawking in her crib before her afternoon nap so I went up to investigate and give her a quick snuggle.   She was so obsessed with the scarf that I put it in the crib with her when I put her back down.    I thought she just liked the fringe.  But 2 hours later when she woke up that scarf was tucked in around her neck on one side.. and her bunny was tucked in on the other side.  Clearly she needed fleece around her whole neck too.   That’s my girl!

6 Months!!

Six months ago today I woke up Steve and told him it was finally TIME to get to the hospital so we could meet our baby girl. 

Today I woke up at 7:30 and peeked in at her in her crib.  She was calmly playing with her little bunny and when she saw me come into her room she rewarded me with the biggest smile ever.   It is amazing the transformation a little person can bring to your life. 

She is starting to give me that grin a lot that makes me think she is on to me.   She is also definitely paying more attention to my mouth when I talk and is making more different kinds of sounds lately than I’ve ever heard.   She is also moving… though I hate to admit it.  I actually watched her hold herself up high with her arms while on her belly and then start walking her arms to the side so she could rotate.  Of course she is rotating right on over to my notebook or my pen or the remote; but whatever.  =)   Happy Six Months Baby!!

Fab Fall Fun Weekend

 

In honor of sweet Jake we started the weekend Friday night with a family costume birthday party.   I was really happy with how her wig turned out, and in general the whole family costume came together just the way I hoped it would.   

 

 

 

Saturday Team Brager had 2 different events to work.  So little T and I headed to the Pinewood Elementary Phantom Fun Run.  Since we were a sponsor of the event we had a table in the gym where we could talk to people as they were registering for the run, or just plain warming up.   Tessie was a dream.  She looked around at everything, she played on the floor quietly and when it was time to sleep she zonked right out in the stroller.  All in all we had a successful morning while Steve worked a show in Blaine.

 

 

After we got home we attempted a picture of Tessie in the leaves.  I got a whole lot of snarl, some interest in eating the leaves and that’s about it.

Later we tried to go to the Amma Maternity Fall Halloween party to show off her costume and get some pics taken.    It was fun to see all the little kids in their adorable cute-ness… but after waiting in line for a bit it was clear Tessie just wanted to sleep.  So we stepped out of line and left – but not without getting our picture taken by a staff member in the lobby. 

We skipped the wig this time and went with the backup headband with a bow that takes over her head.  Perhaps you noticed.

 

Sunday morning started with cinnamon french toast (YUM)  and raking the front yard.   After lunch T and I  headed to Kev’s Korner to visit the pumpkin patch and pick out our pumpkins while Steve ran to an appointment. 

 

 

When he got home we all headed outside to finish the raking.   Tessie wasn’t much help, but she sure is cute!

  

We celebrated the end of a perfect fall weekend by giving Tessie her first taste of Pumpkin.   I didn’t make it this time; instead I bought the organic pumpkin from Trader Joe’s.   Tessie gobbled it right up.   I love that (so far) she eats whatever we give her and I look forward to “clearing” all the new foods so we can start mixing.   I have to believe that while pumpkin straight up is good… it would be even better with a little banana mixed in.

 

That’s all for now!  Cheers!