Katelyn at 1 month (a little late)

I know this is late, but I started my mental note at 1 month. We are just having so much fun and life with 2 is crazy! It's hard to keep it all written down, but I'll do my best :)

Katelyn at 1 month is a total delight. She:
-is more sensitive than her sister, to light and sound. She needs quiet and gets overstimulated easily
-likes her snuggle time with Mommy the best. She can be calmed in my arms quickly - much faster than with others.
-wears newborn clothes and newborn diapers. Seems a bit smaller than Kennedy but also grew a LOT the first month
-sleeps only in her bouncer and/or in bed with us. She doesn't like her crib yet! She likes to be close to me or upright in her bouncer with the vibrate on.
-loves baths and the carseat. Went to Chicago on a road trip with Mama and did GREAT! Slept a lot of the way there and almost the whole way back.
-slept for 5 hours at her longest stretch, but usually more like 2-3.
-doesn't like discomfort from gas/burping. We have to work this out quickly or use Gripe Water, same as her sister!

We are loving life with our new little girl-- and tomorrow we'll have an update for 2 months! Can't believe time flying by!

Design Your Days, Design Your Life

People ask me all the time about what I'm doing. This business? Yes, it's a business, but more importantly it's a story and a legacy. I get so EXCITED because the sky is the limit. There are three main things my business is about:

1. Helping people find solutions
2. Helping people get healthy and feel great
3. Helping people achieve financial freedom and SEE that there is a better way 

Health + Wealth + Freedom

What my business is not about: selling people on things they don't want, judging them if they don't want it, or dragging people to do things they don't want to do. 

It's that simple!! 

I am completely into building the best possible life for my family. Someone smart recently said, "When things get real, they get really real." Sounds obvious, but think about it for a minute. We have these defining moments in our life that turn our plans upside down and inside out. Growing a family, hitting a certain age, experiencing a health scare, losing a loved one. When I started having these little hearts living outside my body, I just couldn't continue exactly as I had been. Things like the importance of time grew exponentially into focus. Now I am working hard to pay off my school loans, have the means to travel and do fun things with my family, and literally squeeze the juice out of every day.

Does this sound familiar to any of you?? It's like I started to feel the days creeping away from me. I started focusing on the importance of free time: to design my days, design my life. I literally stayed up late at night searching for a solution, or was awakened at 3am just running through options in my brain. And just over half a year ago I was presented with one that completely clicks with me.

In this business I get to incorporate so many things that I love - meeting new people, talking with them, encouraging and inspiring others, reading books, thinking big picture, blogging, deeply connecting, focusing on wellness, and working smarter not harder. The idea of doing all of these things together makes my heart soar!

I can trade time for money for the rest of my life, or I can look at things differently and make a goal to have both. A stream of residual income and a stream of residual time. This business is ultimately a gift of time through achieving health and wealth. Be your best self and the rest will fall into place. Align yourself with people who bring out the best in you, and you will be inspired every day.

My team is expanding like crazy! The traits I look for on my team are below. If this sounds like you, or strikes the slightest chord, let's talk!!

1. Dedication
2. Commitment
3. Coachability
4. Passion for life
5. Giving heart
6. Fun-loving
7. Relatable
8. Open-minded
9. Resilient
10. Dreamer (Big dreams!)

Before I Was Mama

Before I was Mama, life was certainly easier. It wasn't always peaches and cream, and it certainly had its fair share of juggling of tasks and chores and multiple priorities, but the tasks, chores, and priorities were, in hindsight, quite manageable.

Before I was Mama, I ate peaceful dinners, at the table with Jake or in front of E! News, catching up on the day's latest celeb gossip. I had plenty of time for reading, and was able to zip through The Hunger Games or Twilight trilogies in a matter of days. Before I was Mama, I never woke up in the middle of the night. Like, ever. I slept in almost every weekend day, until times that will remain unnamed because they were so luxurious and verging on shameful. I was always caught up on my TV shows - the DVR rarely had a long list of things yet to watch. I went out to Happy Hours, late night drinks, dinner, and movies with friends on a whim.

One summer, before I was Mama, we attended like 14 weddings. We attended multiple weddings in one weekend, and almost half of the weddings were out of town.

Our living room was clutter free (for the most part) and getting the house in order was a linear, focused task. Our dog was our biggest responsibility, and also the most spoiled and received the most attention from us and from any guest who came to visit.

Before I was Mama, I could spend 2 hours on Facebook or reading blogs with little to no guilt.

Naps happened when I felt like it, not during the scheduled 2-3 hour time block when the babies are asleep. Dinners out were peaceful, uninterrupted and unrushed. House projects were quicker, and we had less trouble fitting them in on the weekends.

Baths. I took a lot of baths. Uninterrupted, quiet baths in hot water with the door closed.

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Mother's Day is, to some, a Hallmark holiday. But to me, it's a beautiful spring day, to celebrate my own mom and all the moms in my life, and to relish in the fact that I get to be a mama.

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Because before I was Mama, I didn't hear tiny feet running through the house on Saturday morning. I wasn't awakened with a big curly mop in my face and eskimo kisses galore. I didn't know the sweetness of holding tiny hands in the Target parking lot, knowing my job is to keep them safe.

Before I was Mama, I didn't get excited to cuddle up under a blankie with my 2-year-old around 8pm any night of the week, to watch a Minnie Mouse rerun.

Before I was Mama, my heart didn't sing when she pretended to count six eyes on her sister's face (and actually count correctly, in order). I didn't get excited over matching shapes and naming colors correctly. I didn't giggle over the imperfectly perfect pronunciations of "armpit," "too big," "cinnamon roll," "Doc McStuffins" and "pizzapie."

I didn't long for afternoon walks and cuddles at bedtime and know that today was going to be a good day just because my daughter gave me a hug and kiss goodbye. I didn't marvel at her wit, her sense of humor and her ability to negotiate and reason on a daily basis: "one more..." while tilting her head, holding one finger up and smiling.

Before I was Mama, I wasn't impressed by the little things that are actually big things, like my daughter's ability to connect where Dada goes: "Work" and why he goes there: "Money." How does she pick up on this?!

Before I was Mama, I was probably more consumed with achievement and status, having nice things and appearing more put together than I'd like to admit. Now I am all-consumed with the experience, the moments, the time together. If we really think about it, the best parts of our lives are made up of time, moments, memories in the making.

It's truly because of these two souls that I've shifted my focus and am making sure my life counts every single minute I possibly can. This post isn't perfect and may be slightly disorganized, but my littlest one is crying for me and for now, it feels good enough. Before I was Mama, the phrase "good enough" rarely crossed my lips, but gosh, it feels liberating to let it happen now.

The Sweetest Days of Our Lives

Yes, I am completely reminded again just two years later how absolutely WONDERFUL these early days are-- I call them the sweetest days. They are truly the most precious time, albeit a sleep deprived time, but similar to a fleeting honeymoon phase of parenthood. And although we've been through this before, it's equally as special the second time around. I am just so happy and in love with this new little girl!

Today I had lunch with a good friend from work. We talked about work, he filled me in on some of the things that have been happening and general business news. And then, we looked over at sweet Katelyn in her carrier sleeping away and marveled over what really matters. At the end of the day, at the end of our lives, we're not going to look back and wish we spent more time in the office, or any time at all staying caught up on gossip and stories about people we hardly know; we're going to look back on days with these sweet faces and every single moment that we made count.

Maternity leave ticks by and with each passing day, I know that the sweetest days are a very finite set. Newborns get bigger, and they turn into roly poly babies very quickly. Nap time with that smooth skin turns into a sleep schedule, a more rigid set of routines and rules to ensure everyone is getting their rest. However, for now I'm just going to enjoy this phase and know that it keeps me centered, focused, and calm. These are traits that I picked up from raising my daughters that I will forever carry with me even when they are grown. 

And this time around it's not just about a single baby; it's about sisterhood. We couldn't be luckier than to have such a compassionate, loving big sister as Kennedy. To say she's obsessed is an understatement. Any chance she gets to hug, kiss, or hold "Baby Kate" is a chance she'll grab, and she shows no signs of jealousy or resentment towards her new family member. Even when Katelyn sneezes, Kennedy will lean over and say, "Bless you, Baby Kate." It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen, during the sweetest moments on the sweetest days of our lives. 

Katelyn's Birth Story

**warning, this is a birth story, nothing is really graphic but if you don't like labor stories/terminology you may choose to skip this one!**

I now have two little girls, and two very distinct birth stories. One came in sunny heat in the winter; one came in a blizzard in the spring. One came in the middle of the day; one came in the absolute middle of the night. And so far, I can sense a difference in their personalities as well. More on that later, but for now, I have to write down Katelyn's birth story before I forget, so I can share it with her when she's older.

The night before she was born, we were celebrating my sister Natalie's birthday. I knew there was a chance they'd share a birthday, as I was due only 2 days later. We had enchiladas and cake at our house with my parents and Natalie, and I was hugely pregnant and quite uncomfortable. This pregnancy I wanted to hang on longer to get through Kennedy's birthday festivities and I really started to realize what even another week does for the baby's health. With Kennedy I couldn't wait to meet her, but I knew Katelyn would come when she was healthy and ready.

We all knew it was going to be a blizzard, so my parents packed their bags in case they needed to stay overnight. Nothing happened, so they went home, and before Natalie left I told her I thought it could happen tonight, something just didn't feel quite right. (Jake thought it was just the enchiladas.) She left and I went to lay in bed and relax, but I started to feel dull back pains and a need to move around a bit more. Before Jake fell asleep I told him I thought it could happen tonight, and he laughed and said it was all in my head.

I was still awake at midnight, and started to really think something was going on. I got up and walked the "loop" in our house to see if things could get going, and I was pretty unsure for the next 45 minutes but felt like something was definitely happening. Since it was so snowy, I knew there was no chance that my parents would make it over from Stillwater in under 2 hours, so I called Natalie at 12:45. And then, the clock when something like this:

12:45: Call to Natalie, saying "I think I'm in labor, but I'm still not entirely sure... can you come over just in case?"
1:25: We left home for the hospital
2:00: I was officially admitted into the hospital for being in labor- I was already dilated to a 7/8! Man did that come on FAST!
2:00-2:45: I was hysterically in labor, waiting as patiently as possible for the anesthesiologist. I was in so so so much pain! I felt like my body was breaking, even more so than I did with Kennedy because I was progressing so quickly. Remember just over an hour ago I wasn't even sure I was in labor. OMG. I had to focus on Jake and the amazing nurse Suzanne, and I kept telling them I was so worried that I wouldn't get the epidural in time.
2:45: The anesthesiologist arrived and I got the epidural! The nurses were asking me if I felt pressure, and in hindsight I was definitely probably ready to push before the epidural. But, I was so nervous about not having anything to relieve the pain. It was probably my best chance to go drug-free but I just couldn't bear the thought of pushing her out that way! I really do shy away/fear pain. Some people are total champions; this is not my strong suit.
3:01: Katelyn Jane joined the world. She came out in about 10 minutes of pushing and on the fourth contraction, and she had a beautiful head of hair, weighing 7lb. 9oz., 19.5" long. She was calmer right away than Kennedy, with just a minor cry but then a lot of snuggle time.

We weren't 100% sure on her name for about an hour! We had another name we liked but Katelyn was the front runner from the beginning. I found myself second-guessing her name; it's such a big decision! I think I was the same way with Kennedy, though we finalized her name immediately. Now, I am so certain she is a Katelyn and I couldn't be happier that she's ours.

10 days ago, just 10 short days ago this all happened. Jake lost his grandmother 14 days ago, and her middle name was Jane. We didn't even know this fact when we chose Jane for Katelyn's middle name, but it really helped bring the circle of life into focus.

And now, we are embarking on what I like to call the sweetest moments in life. I am truly obsessed with the newborn phase. It is just so sweet and precious and fleeting! I want to stop time, hence why I am soaking it all in and haven't been blogging as frequently as I'd like to. I have a million words pouring through my head about Katelyn and of course her big sister, Kennedy, who is doing better than I could have even imagined. She loves her sister with all of her might and shows only signs of a big, open heart for sharing her parents' love.

My heart feels so lucky I could burst. Life is good!

Waiting for You

3 days... 3 short days. You are predicted to join us in about 72 hours. Maybe more, maybe less. That is hardly any time! It's neat to think about because you are in fact already with us, and have been with us every single day for the past 9 months. But soon, you will be with us in an entirely new way. I already know you on a certain level, my sweet girl, the one we call Baby Sister. The girl that Kennedy calls "Sis," even though I'm not sure she's convinced that you're actually happening.

We have everything ready, at least to the point it needs to be. Our hearts are open and our arms are waiting. We are waiting for those sleepless nights (maybe just a few?!) and time with you in our bed, when Callie will likely pace as she looks for a spot to sleep, and we look at each other incredulously wondering, "What in the world are we doing, again?"

I think about you, and I wonder about your face, if you'll look like your big sister or be distinctly your own. I think about your personality, and how I have my predictions about your temperament and who you're going to be, but we'll see if any of them come true.

I think about spring and summer, all of the amazing times we have ahead as a family - the life we are building to make sure we make the most of our dreams. You see, we are the dreamers of the dreams. Thislife is beautiful and only lived once, and we can't wait to bring you into our world. Our world has rose-colored glasses, but there's no other way that we'd choose to live. (Sidenote: If you ask your daddy, it probably doesn't have rose-colored glasses all the time; he's the practical realist, but you'll learn a lot of that is fake.)

Bottom line - come join us when you're ready. We can't wait! I am nervous and a bit anxious, but that's true with every transition in my life. It will only take me like a minute to dive in head first and be fully committed to being the best mama of two girls I can possibly be.

Kennedy @ 2YO

It's an amazing feeling when your child turns 2. It's like, where did the baby years go? Where is my little newborn, infant, roly-poly babe and how has she so quickly been replaced with this little person who has her own personality, can contribute to conversations, run rampant around the house (and the mall), express exactly what she wants and give so much love in return? I have said multiple times but I can definitely tell I'm going to like 2 a LOT. Even with the harder moments, I can tell it's going to be a beautiful time in life.

Kennedy at 2:

• Runs, all over the house and especially in public. She doesn't like to be confined in her highchair at the restaurant or in the cart at Target. Daddy does pretty well with this, and I tend to freak out with this newfound freedom. Especially when she's running full force at an escalator.
• Loves her puppy Callie "Lala" -- always asks if Lala can go too or will sometimes put her hand out and say "Lala, stay."
• Loves her baby and taggie(s). Multiple taggies, in fact, she has 2 green taggies, her bee blankie taggie, has adopted her sister's new taggie as her own, and now even has a pair of pants that she walks around the house with and plays with the actual tag on the pants. This is, of course, affectionately named "pants taggie."
• Sits forward in the carseat now, which is fun for everyone! She's more part of the conversation and seems happier in the car as well.
• Sleeps 11-12 hours at night and 2-3 hours during the day (knock on wood). We've come so far in a year - and we're about to turn it all upside down again with baby sister!
• Weighs 26 lbs and is 34" tall. Pretty average, weight is slightly below average.
• Wears 18 month pants (skinny waist!) and 2T shirts for the most part, and size 5 shoes.
• Loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "Mimmie" and Baby Dance (her DVD from Crystal). She has also shown some early interest in Sesame Street and can name all the characters.
• LOVES the water and baths. Is not even slightly scared of dunking her entire head/face! I always have to remind her to close her mouth - especially at the pool at Williston where we go frequently.
• Doesn't love us touching or combing her hair. She'd look so cute with a ponytail but can't handle us even messing with it. It's enough of a battle to just get a comb through the back where there are always knots!
• Loves puzzles, her shape sorter, books, naming colors and shapes, and when she sees letters in a row she'll say "d-y" like we do when we spell her name, the last two letters in Kennedy. She is starting to recognize that letters are each associated with a name, but always defers to "d-y."
• Loves "class," the "park," and always wants to "go" somewhere. Often puts on her shoes when she thinks one of us is leaving because she wants to go too. "You go too."
• On that note, refers to herself as "you." "You do it!" "You go!" When we ask her whose is it? she'll point to herself and say "You!" Hard to switch to thinking of "me" when we always refer to her as "you."
• Loves pretend play for a little while, especially with her kitchen, dishes, her shopping cart, her baby. But then wants to go back to more mechanical things like puzzles, shapes, hooks, latches, figuring out how things work. Definitely a potential scientist/engineer on our hands.
• Scientist/engineer, but also extremely SOCIAL!! This child is so engaging, and cares so much about others. She's always sharing her things, handing out hugs and kisses (especially to other kids) and greeting people. She's determined, social, curious and engaged. I'd say these are great traits for a bright future, but then again I am maybe a little biased. :)

We just love her so much and have had the best 2 years! Now onto another journey as a BIG SISTER!!!

Serendipity + Intention = Our Nutrition Journey

There are two major components to this business I'm building-- generating wellness and generating freedom. A major component of wellness is getting the right nutrition, as I've been able to witness numerous times over the past 5 months. The funny thing is, I sort of backed into these amazing nutritional results with a bit of intention and a bit of good fortune.

Truth: I've had at least a 10-year battle with fatigue. I've often wondered if I just never grew out of the teenage years of needing to sleep in late every weekend. I also wondered if I had just created a bad habit of sleeping late. Sure, I still enjoy sleeping until 8:00 or 8:30, but I also find that if I start my day with good nutrition, I am fueled up and don't feel groggy the rest of the day. I'm growing a baby, I hardly have any caffeine, and I can completely tell a difference by starting my day with high quality protein. Not just any protein; I also admit I have had a severe obsession with bacon over the years. I think it started when I noticed that bacon was keeping me fuller longer than cereal and toast. Sure, I still like bacon, but I find that starting with the right protein in the morning gives me a calmer energy to start my day, and I don't have the other side effects of eating that greasy, salty fat far too often. One other amazing side effect has been a complete transformation of my skin. It's like my skin has cleaned itself from the inside out! This was not the case last time I was pregnant.

So, isn't it also about weight loss?
Weight loss is absolutely one positive effect of getting good nutrition. People tell me how thrilled they are with the results they get from putting good nutrition in their bodies -- overall wellbeing, not just weight loss. Boundless energy, better sleep! And nothing makes me happier than when people are so happy to have finally found a solution to feel overall health. It truly warms my heart.

This is feeling extremely serendipitous in my life right now, for many reasons. My family has always eaten fairly healthy, in the sense that we have always eaten fresh foods: lean meat, fruits and vegetables at every meal. We didn't grow up on Hamburger Helper or other boxed meals. We also didn't grow up on protein shakes. We grew up somewhere in the middle. 

And if you know him, you know that Jake and I grew up eating verry different things (aka bread and cheese vs. not that). Even when I lived in Chile my host family called him "Pan y queso" !!

When I first caught the vision of this business, we knew it'd help us both get healthy. What I wasn't prepared for was the sheer joy I'd feel from seeing Jake really get healthy and me feeling really healthy! Not only did he lose 36 lbs and over 40 inches off his body, but now I catch him looking at ingredients and nutrition facts on the back of packages when grocery shopping. He also eats things in moderation and says no to junk food more often. It's been so healthy for our family and I'm beyond excited that we've fit this into our lives at the perfect time for our growing family.

So what I'm dedicated to: I have decided that health for our family is at the forefront; I don't have to be the girl who is just naturally thin and pretends that thin = health. I can care on a new level about my health and the health of my family. And with that, I am so compelled and passionate about helping others do the same.

As I said there are two sides to this business-- I just shared more about generating wellness; next up: generating freedom!

What We Think About We Bring About

My mother-in-law introduced us to The Secret years ago - a series of books, videos and philosophies related to the law of attraction. At her request, Jake and I sat down on her couch and watched the movie in its entirety, learning about the vision boards and "positive attracts positive" and how the true secret to life happiness is to truly visualize and believe it will happen. Likewise, negative attitudes or feelings will only attract the same in return.

I enjoyed watching it - I have always believed in the power of a positive attitude, but only recently have revisited the idea in its entirety. This year I created a vision board, and I spend time every day envisioning exactly what I want my future to look like.

I've found that over the past few years I've been going through the motions each day and have been a bit more confused about my actual life goals. More recently, I've been able to really pinpoint and solidify EXACTLY what it is that I want. And I'm making it happen!

"What we think about we bring about." I was introduced to a podcast recently- it is called The Strangest Secret and has a similar message to The Secret - I highly recommend it to anyone. Some really interesting things I took away from this -- which are SO SO true:

• We live in a land of abundance, so why are so many of us not achieving true abundance? I speak of this in terms of financial freedom, time freedom, and total health.
• Most of us are using only 10% of our abilities in our work. Think about it -- are you putting your strengths to use each and every day? Are you stretching yourself in the best way possible? Do you spend your days "in flow" (a great predictor of leveraging a strength)?
• Every one of us is the sum total of his/her thoughts. What I think about I bring about. If I think about our debt, I'll attract more debt. If I think about lack of free time, I'll continue to lack free time. If I think about building a life of time freedom and financial freedom, and I focus on it each and every day, I WILL achieve this. The podcast instructs us to concentrate on our goals every day. The problem is that so many of us are aimless and without concrete goals. I can attest to falling into this trap as well.
• Ideas are worthless if we do not act on them! Again, I've been a dreamer for as long as I can remember. If I want the next 5 years to look different than the last 5 years, I've got to take action, not just come up with new ideas. Action is scary but it's where big things happen.

So what am I thinking about? Having a cheerful, positive outlook. Giving of myself more than I ever have before. Serving others -- because it will come back to me in amazing ways. And focusing my thoughts on what I really want, not what I am really afraid of.

Each of us has fears; none of us are perfect. If you haven't already made this commitment, TODAY is the day to really start living.

The Therapy of Writing

It's been over a month since my last post. I know this-- I had to crank out a bunch of posts in December to meet my goal. It was like blog-post-mania during the Christmas season! However, what I found at the end of the month, was that although my brain and fingers were stretched, the words came much easier the more I just wrote. I started to crank out ideas, get things down on "paper" and share with you all. Then, January came, along with the deep freeze, the polar vortex, the hiatus. (I still think it's funny even the news stations refer to it as "polar vortex.") There have literally been days when I watch the whipping wind outside my garage door as I'm leaving for work and think, "This is what the rest of the world thinks of MN. And now it's actually true." AHHH!! Can't handle it much longer!

So now we are in February, and so much has happened. I went from one extreme with my job to another-- settled in to a new part of the project with a much smaller team. Good people, good work. It has been heartbreaking and trying, strength-building and faith-growing.

And, we're into a new trimester with Baby Sister. As I write this my stomach literally contorts into different shapes, as she is often active at this hour. So crazy! How am I possibly supposed to get through these next few weeks, waddling around with Baby Sister while spending time meeting all of the needs of Big Sister? Tonight I found myself carrying Kennedy through the Mall of America (she wanted mama to hold her, not dada so how could I say no? And I was realizing I had not only my massive bump, but also a 25 lb. toddler on my front. I'm like an inverted camel. It's nuts but I love every minute (well, most of them).

And, business is booming. Health and wellness business, that is. We're rockin' it, changing lives and making connections and sharing visions. We've got something fun in store for March - see more here: ourwellnessproject.wordpress.com.

My mind is exploding with possibility! I just find there aren't enough hours in the day. I'm constantly running ideas through my head - ideas for my blog, for my business, for my family. I try to write them all down but it's hard to even keep up! Someone recently told me she can tell that my energy and my passions are aligning, and that all we really are from a physics standpoint is energy, anyway (though I have an old physics friend who may beg to differ).

In the meantime, I think you'll see me writing a bit more now that I've gathered and organized my thoughts. It is truly a privilege to have this outlet to share with you! And as spring is (sometime soon) upon us, I'll find my ideas blooming and growing with the season.

Thank you for reading my randomness. It's good to be back.