Baby baby baby, OH!

Lyla and I were featured on Jenny's blog recently. Seriously, everyone should have a good friend (or husband) who is also a photographer. It's awesome.

http://storiesfrombehindthelens.blogspot.com/2012/04/along-came-baby.html

Sleep? hahaha

I currently have both daughters sitting on my lap as I type this. I have discovered something interesting about having two children under the age of two: I have NO time. ZERO. Well, no time for anything except babies, that is. Because really, I have two babies. One is slightly more capable than the other, but they both need me all the time, all day long (and some at night). I am really tired. All the time.

My lovely mother leaves tomorrow morning for home in warm sunny Mexico. This makes me slightly nervous, considering the fact that Lexi and Lyla will be 100% mine all the time while Eric is at work all day during the week (and some weekends). I will be investing in a good double stroller. And perhaps some therapy tapes (kidding). But seriously, I am moving in four weeks (where to, we don't know...probably should figure that out soon) and barely have energy to get out of bed at 6:30 every morning to get Lexi breakfast.

Ahh, the adjusting weeks of having two children....

I love my girls. But this mama needs a nap.

(That being said, pictures and stories and updates just may be on the back burner for a while.)

Lyla Grace

Lyla Grace Staswick

Born Tuesday, April 10, 2012

9:15 AM

7 lb. 7 oz. 20 in.

I find it only appropriate that today, on April 18th, my official due date, I post a picture of my eight-day-old infant daughter. This picture was taken yesterday by our dear friend Jenny. You can find her blog here.

This past week I have found myself just being grateful. Grateful and thankful for this new tiny life, for my sweet toddler, for my loving husband, and for my family who is caring for us right now during this transition time.

I am thankful that I am healthy and well. I had a beautiful labor and delivery (which I will write about soon), am recovering well, and I have a healthy newborn who is an excellent eater and sleeper and pooper (which, for being a baby, are pretty awesome feats!).

I am grateful for my friend Jenny, who labored all night with me and into the morning until Lyla was born. Gentle encouragement, a steady hand, and back massages go a long way during a natural, un-medicated birth!

I am thankful for a husband who provides for us so faithfully every day at work. Even though it's hard to have him gone every day all day, it makes his time at home that much more treasured for all of us.

I am grateful for a Mom-in-law, who has been with us all week due to Lyla's early arrival. She has been cooking and caring for us non-stop. I couldn't ask for more.

I am thankful that my own dear mother is arriving tomorrow afternoon, after a full year of us being apart. Being separated by countries is a cold, hard reality that sometimes is hard to face every day...especially when there are young grandchildren involved and very expensive plane tickets.

There is so much more that I could say, but Lyla needs to eat and Lexi needs some Mama time before bed. But as a parting thought, when our Heavenly Father gives gifts, He does it lavishly. What a beautiful life we have in Him!

It's finally APRIL!!!

Yes, I am thrilled that my month has arrived! It's time for this little baby to join our family (and for me to not be sick anymore!!)!!! Eric took about twenty pictures of me yesterday and they all looked equally ridiculous, but it's about the bump, right? Just ignore my face. (Lexi thinks I'm nuts...as you can see from the photo). Here's me and my babe...38 weeks pregnant.

Isn't it such a cute little ball?!?

It's actually kind of funny, because I have gained pretty much the same amount of weight that I gained with Lexi, except that my belly looks smaller (although it is measuring correctly). I'm one of those preggo ladies who can be described as being "all belly." My friends call it "the torpedo belly" because it is so narrow and just sticks straight out. lol

Now to get a little random....

Lexi has found a love for hats lately and has been tromping around everyday with this cute little one on her head. Thanks, Aunt Helen for making it for her when she was a baby! :)
I finally found the time (and the camera and computer space) to upload the photos of some of my sewing creations I have done over the past two months.

A nursing cover (or a Hooter Hider) that I made for a friend

A little peasant dress for Lexi. I'm not sure I'm sold on the ribbon in front, so that might change. But I LOVE the fabric. It's like she's wearing a little party!

A "Taggie" for my new little one. It is cotton quilting fabric on the front (it has little dragonflies on it) and a soft textured minki fabric on the back. The ribbons all have different textures as well.

And last but not least, the baby quilt that I finished at the end of February. I was planning on giving it to a friend's baby as a gift, but it is so full of funny little quirks that I kind of fell in love with it (not to mention that I made the mistake of hanging it on the side of my baby's crib...and then discovered all the colors matched my room...) and so I'm keeping it. :) I found the pattern online. It's called the "Broken Dishes" quilt and most of the fabric came from my sewing friend's generous fabric stash. I really enjoyed the process of piecing this quilt together and hope to do my next one slightly better. The back of the quilt is a lovely soft green flannel fabric - perfect for cuddling a baby in!

I also made a book bag a couple of weeks ago out of some heavier fabric that my friend had lying around. I forgot to take a picture of it, but I am very pleased with how it turned out.

And as for these pictures, I apparently was too tired or lazy (or both) to make them look good, so there you have it. Hopefully, the next post I write will be with pictures of the baby (on the outside), but I may not be so lucky. Or I might write sooner. You never know!

Also, we are fairly sure that we will be moving by June 1. So, let the craziness over here ensue! Prayer for wisdom would definitely be appreciated as we go forward with planning our next year and living situation. I will keep you posted on our progress (maybe...unless I have a baby in the next week, which is highly possible, but let's be honest, probably won't happen until two weeks from now...**sigh**). Let the waiting continue!

Just a little March news...

This spring has really been quite the record breaker. Starting in February and continuing all the way through March, Chicago has had consistent temperatures in the 60's, 70's, and 80's! It has been wonderful! Lexi and I have been outside in the sun as much as possible, and even took a trip to Foster Beach a couple of days ago. We didn't swim (Eric had to use his muscles to keep Lexi out of the water, though) but as you can see from the photo, there were others there who actually WERE swimming! I am still in shock that this is Chicago in March. But there you have it.

[Also, a disclaimer on the quality of the photos... they were taken from my phone, so they are bound to be bad and blurry.]

Eric has been thankful for spring's early arrival. Mostly because it means that I am a much happier person than I usually am this time of year. February and March are the hardest months for me, mainly because of all the gloom, cold, and lack of sun. I tend to get a bit more agitated and seasonally depressed (just a little) and yes, I complain a lot about how terrible Chicago is. This year? Forget it! I am as happy as a clam! (Which, after having an extremely rough pregnancy...wait...I'm still in it...{{sigh}}....is saying something). The flowers and vibrant new green leaves are a party for the eyes and the smell of damp earth and growing things is enough to make anyone's heart soar.

Everything is in bloom a month early. These are the trees outside my apartment.
This week we also had our last gymnastics class at Peterson Park. Lexi LOVES this class, so I am a little sad that we didn't register for the next session, but with the new baby bound to arrive within the next 3 weeks, I think we will be doing gymnastics of our own kind for a while.

Lexi loves the balance beam. An apparatus that I never cared for as a gymnast.

Her favorite event is the bar. She spends most of her time over here, swinging on the bar and then jumping down when she can't hold on anymore. She has pretty amazing strength for an almost-but-not-yet-two-year-old!

Perfect dismount!

This month my life has been filled with sunshine, warmth, good friends, and lots of sewing and Lexi entertaining/chasing/training,etc, and of course baby growing. My midwife took one look at my ball-like belly two days ago and promptly announced that I had a "perfectly shaped belly - all out in front!" She proceeded to tell me that "some ladies just spread out wide like pumpkins, but your belly is all baby!" Which, in fact, is very true, considering my low weight gain and the fact that I seriously look like I just have a bowling ball tucked under my shirt. Mostly I am just glad to not be grouped in with one of the pumpkin belly ladies (no offence to those of you out there). And don't worry, I will take a picture before this little one is born (I promise....). I am so ready for this baby to join our family. Mostly because I am extremely tired and am also extremely tired of being pregnant and am extremely EXTREMELY curious to know if this baby is a BOY or if it is a GIRL! I have NO idea this time around and am so looking forward to the surprise!!! And of course, I am very much looking forward to meeting and getting know this active little being that has been living and growing inside of my body for the last nine months of my life. Pregnancy is such a strange and beautiful thing...

So yes, I have also been sewing quite a bit lately as well. I made Lexi another dress (a different style this time) and made several things for the baby, which I will take pictures of and post soon. Lexi has been pushing all sorts of artistic limits herself this month, including speaking in full sentences, eating a huge glob of playdough (which then got stuck to the roof of her mouth...resulting in a lot of gagging until I finally figured out that it was stuck there), climbing out of her crib (we all knew that day was coming), falling face first into the bathtub (Eric pulled her out the water completely covered in bubbles...and no, we are not negligent parents....she is just stinkin' FAST!), discovering glue, drawing masterpieces with black pen on my white couch, counting on her own, reading with me through huge stacks of library books, biting other children, and singing Jesus Loves Me with perfect pitch. Yes, she is awesome. And yes, I am exhausted. Thanks for asking.

With her activity levels, the only question on my mind lately is HOW ON EARTH am I supposed to nurse a newborn with a Lexi running around? Do I tie her up every two hours? Do I let her tear up the house? Do I lock her in the closet? Ladies, I need your expertise here...please share your wisdom in how to subdue an extremely smart and energetic two-year-old! (and no, TV only works for about 10 mins...)

And with that, I will bid you good night. And happy (almost) last week of this lovely March.

Sweet Smiles

I am very fortunate to be constantly surrounded by creative friends who also just happen to be up and coming photographers. Eric's cousin Caitlyn is here visiting from Wisconsin to shadow Eric on some photo shoots and learn some new skills in photoshop. And of course, hang out with us girls and practice her skills on Lexi, who happens to be rather photogenic. Convenient? Very.

Here are some of her photos from our trip home from the Lincoln Park Zoo yesterday. You can also find these pics on Facebook, but for the sake of my blog, I sometimes put them in both places for various reasons. It was a gorgeous day yesterday, 50 degrees and sunny with blue skies. The animals were mostly all out and Lexi had so much fun seeing them! On the the train on the way home, she was so tired she became slap happy, which resulted in some pretty cute shots. It's funny to me how much she definitely favors my side of the family in her looks... makes me curious if baby #2 will be a mini Eric. ;)

Creative Fun

I know this was on Facebook, but since some of my faithful followers are not to be found there, here is some sweetness for you to enjoy. It brings me so much joy and pleasure to have a daughter that loves painting and coloring and creating almost as much as I do. We have been spending many happy creative mornings and afternoons together (in little 10 minute sessions) in our sun room art studio, using our time well before a certain hungry little distraction is born! ;)