Okay, okay

I think it might be a rule of the universe that the day after you blog about enjoying the quiet and stillness, and how you can totally rock being alone with baby and dog and puppy, and general bragging about having it all together, that you will wake up to a sad one year old cutting canines with a nonstop running nose and a ceaselessly barking puppy who drags sticks and leaves and poop into the house.
I get it Universe. I'm sorry.
But I'm pretty sure I can rock this too, just with a lot more cuddling and some time with my vacuum and mop.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quiet Morning

  Today is our first day home, just Annie and I, in a long time.  We love having visitors and had a great few days, eating and laughing and cuddling and eating and laughing some more with Auntie Lu (even if the only pictures taken the whole weekend were of sleeping kittens and puppies and some delicious eggs benedict she cooked for us - Annie's very first!)

Beautiful...

and delicious!

And we love when Dad works from home and is here to share meals with us and play and cuddle and change some diapers here and there.  

But it is also so nice to have a quiet morning to ourselves.  We walked the dogs to the playground in the morning sun.  My first walk with stroller and both dogs by myself.  I feel incredibly accomplished that this was not a disaster.  We played with toys and in the sandbox.  We ate snacks and read books and cuddled.  

And I actually got things done during nap time!  "Boring" business things that I am actually so excited about.  I am learning how to use a new online line sheet, inventory, wholesale, bookkeeping type program called StitchLabs.  It can do so many cool things, most of which I don't quiet understand yet, and I might not ever.  For now it is a free trial, and I love really using my brain to try to figure out what it can do, what I want it to do, what I should do with it.  I will update here as I learn more and if I decide it is actually worth paying a monthly fee for.  I spent last night and this morning's nap making a line sheet with it.  According to all the blogs I have read giving advice on wholesale, a line sheet is THE most important thing.  For those like me about one week ago who had no idea what this is, it has pictures of all available products, descriptions, price and available stock.   Pretty genius actually.  And now that I have one, I feel so organized and professional!  It is all printed in color, in a binder with sheet protectors.  I also have it available as a PDF for emailing purposes.  Eee!

So with all of my excitement at having my fancy professional binder and line sheet, a professional business lady outfit (shockingly not involving yoga pants,) and my bag of finished bibs, my tiny, trusty assistant and I spent the time between nap and lunch heading to a beautiful children's boutique not too far from here.  I am trying to get over my nerves at walking into a store with my bibs.  I am believing wholeheartedly that the Universe looks out.  And that all they can say is no.  Today was my second in-person sales attempt.  I tried another local boutique last week, a week after the email I sent went without response.  The woman working was not the owner and although incredibly friendly, was not involved in buying.  She apologized for the lack of email response.  Took my card with the promise to tell the owner I stopped in and that I would hear from them soon.  No news a week later.  I still believe the Universe is looking out, and it is telling me that particular shop is not the one for me, so moving on.  And I was really so excited and feeling extra confident today.  

And we received more or less the same response as store number one.  Not the owner.  Very friendly.  Although she did give me the email address of the owner and the advice that she likes to do all her buying through email.

No bad experiences so far, but nothing too exciting either.  All learning experiences and confidence builders.  And some time spent walking around a beautiful shop with Annie in the Ergo is never bad.

So home it was for lunch, some empty bowl drumming, ball rolling and puppy petting, and nap number two.  We are enjoying our calm and quiet together.  Now there is only one question left for my day… spend the rest of nap number two doing laundry and dishes and getting started on dinner, or check out the 10% off everything at purlsoho.com

Tough call :)

How On Earth?

     How on Earth do I have a One Year Old?  Last thing I knew, we were coming home from the hospital, in the rain, with a two day old, 6 pound, 12 ounce little sack of snuggly, hungry love.  And now, all of a sudden, she is a one year old, 20 pound, 12 ounce giant sack of wiggly, hungry love! She walks and dances and escapes through doggy doors.

She climbs the splintery, rickety back steps all the way to the way-up-high porch.  She stands on her rocking chair, climbs into her doll carriage demanding rides, pulls out her stroller when she wants to go for a walk and bangs on the front door when she wants to swing.  

She goes to museums and rides bikes.

She opens and closes doors and drawers (and laptop lids too!)  She bakes cookies with dad. 

 She eats food. Real food.  The same food we eat.  She really likes chocolate cake. 

And Kale.  Really.  

She talks. A little.  Mama (or when she is really sad - Ma awwwwwwwm!) Dadadadadada.  Dog!  Ca!  (We are still working on that "t")  

She really knows how to enjoy her birthday.

Super big, special thanks to the number 1 Birthday Fairy for all the help
throwing such a great party!

All with a snorting giggle and a smile on her face.  She is funny and determined, adventurous and curious, and full of love and face hugs for all the people and animals and balloons in her life.  Some days are hard, and long and a little bit sad.  Lots of days are messy.  Every day I am so, so, so lucky and in love.