Uncategorized

Helpers in the studio

The first thing I’ve found is that it’s important to have a flexible schedule.  I was really worried before I had Izzy that I’d feel resentful that I couldn’t do what I want when I want. After all, I’ve been living a very independent life for the last 31 years (ask my parents). There is still lots of time in the day. You just have to arrange your time differently and be prepared to take lots of breaks. I used to have a pretty tight routine. Wake up, work-out, walk the dog, eat breakfast, work, work, work, work, couch, bed, repeat. Now it’s wake up, Izzy, exercise, Izzy, let Oliver outside, Izzy, Izzy, Izzy, work, Izzy, work more, Izzy, Dinner, Izzy… you get the idea.  We keep Izzy on a pretty tight schedule (she is happier that way and has pretty much fallen into it ourselves), but being flexible with my own schedule has made things so much easier.

Set goals for each day, but make sure they are reasonable. I have super high expectations of myself and can be really hard on myself when I don’t come through. I used to set a goal of sewing 5-6 orders a day. Granted, I had about 60 orders in queue at the time… now I have the reasonable goal of 1 order a day.  The days when Izzy naps longer and I actually get to sew 2 or 3 I feel super accomplished.  I also set goals for what I want to do with Izzy. It’s easy to get focused on work and feel guilty at the end of the day that you haven’t spent enough time with your little one. I have a goal of tummy-time every day, singing songs in the afternoon, and a snuggle at night.  At the same time, you’ve got to stay cool if you don’t achieve your goal. Sometiems your day just doesn’t go as you’d like it to.

I think the thing that is hardest for me (and women in general), is adjusting my expectations. My house isn’t always as tidy as it used to be, but I’ve adjusted my expectations to accept that it’s more important for me to have an afternoon sing along with Izzy than to have dusted and polished furniture. I might feel a little guilty about ordering take-out every friday night, but the time that I save not cooking might be an extra order out the door, plus time to relax…

I’ve been lucky to have friends offer to help out with some childcare. Accept help if it’s offered. My friend, Aaron, comes over once a week, as he’s available and watches Izzy and hangs out with me while I work. In return, I taxi him around as needed, feed him a good meal, and help him out here and there.  Also know that it’s ok to ask for help. We are in the process of finding a babysitter/nanny for once a week.  It’s been harder for me to accept than I thought it would be that we need help to juggle all of the things going on in my life, and that internal mommy-guilt is strong (“Am I a bad mom for bringing my baby to daycare?” No no no!).  But this leads me to my last point…

Make time for the things you love. A baby is an amazing thing… so sweet and cute and snuggly… they also take over your life! I’ve found it really important to take time every day to do something that makes me feel good, something just for me! While Isabel has her morning nap, I work out. I love working out. It gives me energy, makes me feel strong, and I like knowing that when the zombie apocalypse (or maybe measles apocalypse is more timely?) happens, I’ll be in great physical condition (haha… seriously though, that’s always what I have in the back of my head).

The last thing I’ve learned is it’s ok to not get anything done. Baby-hood is such fleeting time, it DOES go by so fast. Enjoy this time. Your kid is only a baby once, and it is pretty damn special (spit-up and dirty diapers aside).

I did want to add that we have had the benefit of having a healthy, easy-going baby. Not all parents have it as easy as we do… We have the good fortune of two incomes, two parents, help, and good health all around!  We are also lucky in Canada to have paid maternity leave, so whether you work from home or not, you still get lots of time early on with your new family member… Parenthood can be more complicated in other parts of the world.

One of my biggest fears about having a baby is that my business would get put on the back burner. I had a vision of myself at 40 with two kids, dishevelled, driving a mini-van… the highlight of my day being scouring pots and pans, resentful that I had to quit my business to raise a couple brats. Haha… It’s not like that at all. There is plenty of time to do both. Plus, she’ll be in kindergarten in a few years (another joke, but also a great reminder on those bad day)!

Joking aside, I am really glad we have Izzy and that I got off the fence about having kids. Seeing her smile up at me each morning when I wake her up, and the sound of her laugh (she’s giggling away in her swing as I write this) is just the best thing ever. Being able to work from home and be a mom at the same time takes some serious willpower, but I am so glad that I get to see her grow and change…

I cut off probably six inches of hair! It’s still fairly long, just long enough to put in a ponytail and I’ve gone back to the bangs. I love, love, love it! Think I might go a tad shorter next time… It feels amazing to have the weight of my hair off my head! I was worried I’d wake up the next day with hair-cutters regret, but I totally didn’t. I just felt great! haha… if you’re thinking of chopping, I say do it!

My New Years Resolution was to wear more lipstick!

Via Pinterest…

I really like the idea of an exposed neck. It’s funny, it’s like all of a sudden I’ve just had it with my long hair. I’ve went from loving it to being slightly grossed out by it… At the same time, I’m afraid to lose all these years of length!

So, opinions, thoughts? I want something fun and stylish – I feel like my hair is lacking those two elements right now. I’m going in for the chop at 3, wish me luck!

My Shop, Ohhh Lulu Sews, is the Etsy Featured Shop!

You might remember that one of my goals a long, long time ago was to be an Etsy Featured Seller. I was SO honoured and excited to have been asked to be featured! Feels really good.

 A special thanks to Naomi from Shutter Owl Photography for the beautiful studio shots… Naomi was amazing, and so incredibly nice.

Anyway, I can’t ramble too much today… I’ve got stuff to do (*cough* assembling kits *cough cough*). Head on over and see my face and read my post on Etsy!

Hey! It’s been a while!!!

I’ve been enjoying a bit of a slower pace the last few days… spending time with family and friends and finishing up a few handmade christmas presents!

Isabel has been such an easy fit into our little family. I count my blessings every day. She is so even tempered and sweet. I think she got a lot of Dan’s laid-back personality, which is pretty awesome (you may have noticed that I’m a little more on the high-strung, go-go-go side of things!).  Just yesterday, she went in for her two month Doctor’s visit. She’s grown a couple of inches and is gaining lots of weight!!! She smiles and laughs and is just a pleasure to be around.

I’ve been having a friend of mine come over once a week to help out with a bit of childcare, so that I can get some work done. I’m slowly working on a new collection which I hope to have ready for January. It will be made-to-order and I will only be taking orders sparingly, so as to not overwhelm myself!!! I am really excited about this collection. My little “maternity leave” break has recharged my creative side. I have so many new ideas I don’t even know where to start…!

Vintage Postcard via Collectors Weekly

From left to right: Teaka Marie, Trowel & Paintbrush, Ohhh Lulu, G Brosseau Photography, REBEL by FATE, Ohhh Lulu, Gazaboo Vintage, Dark Ride, Crafted by Lindy, Ohhh Lulu Sews, Two Moxie, Seeing Stars, G Brosseau Photography, B Studio, Kiwi Tini Creations…

(function(d,t){var s=d.createElement(t),s1=d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0];s.async=true;s.src=”//site.etsystatic.com/widgets.js”;
s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s,s1);})(document,’script’);

Two weeks have already passed! It seems like Izzy has been here forever, and at the same time like I just had her yesterday.  I see what they mean when they say “it goes by so fast…”

Dan went back to work this week so Izzy, Oliver and I are settling into a routine (or at least we are trying). Last week and into early this week was a little tumultuous. Izzy and I were not compatible breast feeders and as a result, she wasn’t gaining weight and was getting hungry and cranky… after hours and hours and hours each day of trying and struggling (she could not stay awake to breastfeed, and we tried everything), we decided along with the very amazing and supportive nurse at the breast feeding clinic, that we would pump and bottle feed Izzy. I was upset at first, but I have to admit that it is really working well for us. We have a happier baby and a happier me. Dan enjoys getting the chance to spend extra time bonding and feeding her, and it gives me more flexibility. The thing that really sold me on bottle feeding this baby was the way she lit up when she finally had a full stomach!  So now I’ve got to get into the routine of pumping, preparing the occasional bottle of formula and washing endless bottles… I never expected to bottle feed this early so I also had to learn how to prepare bottles, and how to feed her from a bottle! I was surprised at how much guilt I felt at not being able to figure out the breastfeeding thing. I was really grateful at how supportive both my doctor and the nurse at the breastfeeding clinic were. As I learned with my birth experience, baby calls the shots… so you might as well throw your plans out the window.  Do what works best for you and your babe.

One week

I’ve noticed a huge difference in her over the last few days.  She sometimes practices a variety of facial expressions (which may or may not be fart related). She loves to just focus on your face and stare. She is alert and curious and likes to go on walks with me and Oliver, wrapped up in one of her carriers. Now that we have a feeding system all set up, she is a pretty easy baby (knock on wood).  While my opinion may be biased, I think she’s also one of the prettiest babies I’ve ever seen!

Two Weeks!

I’ve been so lucky to have so much support throughout the last few weeks, from friends & family near and far.  On Monday, I checked the mail and found a surprise package from my friend Kathleen.  She painted the beautiful piece for us below.  I absolutely love it, and can’t wait to frame it up and hang it in the nursery! Kathleen wrote about her process for this piece on her blog.

Painting by Kathleen Maunder

I’m really hoping to get a little bit of studio time this week, but we’ll see how it goes…

Baby Izzy at two days old.

Since Monday, I have spent hours just looking at her thinking “How on earth did I ever create something so beautiful?”  I can easily say, she is the most amazing thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of…

We brought Oliver home from my parents last night and had our first real night as a “family” together. Oliver is adjusting well to having  a very loud little sister, and Isabel doesn’t seem to even be phased by Oliver’s snorts and barks.

So, it’s been an exhausting week, but I am so glad to have her out in the world with us! I’m sure I’ll be spamming the blog soon with pictures… hope you don’t mind. She really is adorable and has two very proud parents.

PS. I apologize in advance for typos, spelling errors, sentences that may just drift off… I’m running off of about 4 hours of sleep a day