Baby Kate is 8! (Months)

Tonight I was nursing this sweet little child to sleep and she was crying because her teeth hurt her, and it made me so sad. She is truly the sweetest, happiest girl and to hear her crying in pain just makes my heart hurt. She is typically as smiley as she is in this picture, if not more. She has a completely tender soul.

At 8 months, Baby Kate:

• Is tall! Wears 9-12 month onesies and clothes. Her jammies are 9 months but she is quickly getting too long for them-- tall girl!
• Sleeps a LOT better. She's started a routine of waking up just one time around 4am every night. It's pretty neat how consistent it is, and so much easier on Mama.
• Can pull herself up on things with a little help - and loves to stand while holding on to things. She can't stand without help yet, and she's not cruising on her own, but my guess is in another month we will just watch her go!
• Is growing more hair every day and it definitely has curls like her sister's. We will see if we get another crazy-curly girl (I hope so!)
• Loves the bath and everything calm -- soft music, soft lights, soft reading
• Is enjoying a ton of foods! We didn't do much puree with Kate- she went right to the solids. She prefers to feed herself so we have introduced all sorts of fruits, veggies, and even deli meats! She loves turkey and ham, and tonight she has a spaghetti dish with ground beef. She is really quite good at chewing even though she only has 2 bottom teeth ;)
• Wears size 3 diapers. It makes me laugh how little their diaper size changes in 2 years-- Kennedy is still wearing size 4!
• Is almost ready to switch out of her carseat carrier and into the next size, which is a rear-facing carseat. It will be crazy to be done with those carriers -- I can't believe how fast it went!
• Loves Callie- constantly wants to pull on her fur to give her love and kisses. She's also been around a few big dogs and loves them as well.
• Goes to bed a lot earlier- she needs to beauty rest! She goes to bed around 6:30 and sleeps for about 12 hours with 1 wake-up. She's also still taking 2 naps a day-- a decent size morning and afternoon nap. She still prefers napping with her Mama in the big bed.
• Soothes everyone else's soul. Everyone she encounters is immediately enchanted with this little personality. We can't believe how much closer we are to having another 1 year old in the house and are truly loving every day with our little Kate.

Baby Kate Update - 7 Months

7 months came and went for Baby Kate!

She continues to be the sweetest, calmest baby in all the land. One of the directors at the backup daycare she goes to recently told us that the entire center is happier and calmer when she is there, the teachers are happy and the babies are happy because of the calming effect she has on everyone! I just hope this continues into the toddler years and I love thinking about her as an older kid being that calming presence that helps everyone smile when she enters the room. I can just picture it now.

At 7 months, Baby Kate:

• Started to scoot/crawl! She is still fairly slow and only goes a little ways, but she definitely can get around on her tummy!
• LOVES Squigz, which are these rubber suction cup toys that are Kennedy's but she loves to scoot over to them every morning and chew on them. I think they help her with teething.
• Sleeps okay, but gets up a lot in the middle of the night. We're averaging 2-4 times/night for feedings which is certainly not ideal, but she is quick and goes back to sleep well if I feed her. :/
• Wears 6-9 month onesies and 9 month clothes for the most part, even some 12 month pants. She has long legs and definitely has chunky rolly legs, even though I'm pretty sure they are just baby legs and she will be petite like her sister when she's older.
• Is getting more hair! She took longer to get some serious hair but now it's growing (and she's got little curls on the ends when it's wet!)
• Loves baths and warm water. Also went swimming at Williston for the first time and really enjoyed it
• LOVES music. When I sing she turns her head towards me and smiles or laughs, and she really enjoys songs at ECFE. 
• Imitates us a lot. If we dance, she dances. If we smile, she smiles. She's super engaging with whoever is holding her and pulls herself in for kisses often.
• Is very dainty with her hands. She waves them back and forth in a very delicate manner, with her fingers pressed against each other and her palms rigid. It's super cute.
• Likes some solid foods but prefers to feed herself. She's enjoyed beans, puffs, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, yogurt melts, squash, banana, carrots, peas, and avocado so far.
• Loves to stand and does it pretty well. She can hold onto our hands and walk forward a few steps, but is still quite wobbly. But prefers to look at the world from standing position.

She is truly a light in our lives and we are so lucky and blessed that she's ours. 

Katelyn @ 6 Months! A Little Late

Yes yes yes, I am late on this post. But I can absolutely recap Kate at 6 months because I wrote things down! Because I keep track of her milestones it's fairly easy for me to write out the update posts when I go back to the calendar and read everything. So… at 6 months, Katelyn:

• Weighed 17 lb 3 oz and measured 27.5 inches tall, which is about 75th for weight and 99th for height. 
• Started to say "Dadadada" more regularly which is really just a noise :) and Kennedy will say to me, "Baby Kate says Dada!" and she also says Callie's name which is "Lalalala"
• LOVES the bath and hanging out in the water
• Sleeps on her tummy, and is sleeping better now that she can roll on her tummy and stay that way pretty well. She sleeps in a sleep sack but not swaddled, even though she loves the Aden and Anais blankets very much.
• Loves her sister's baby taggie (which was really her baby taggie at birth but was quickly taken over by her sister). We'll be getting her a surprise for Christmas.
• Loves music! Grandma Gail often sings her to sleep and any time we sing she smiles huge. She loves her two friends Evan and Chloe at ECFE class, plays with them and interacts well, and especially loves the songs we sing there.
• Enjoys the jumperoo but is showing more interest in being free on her tummy on the floor so she can scoot. She is able to scoot in a 360 degree circle pretty easily to get to the toys she wants to play with or face the people she wants to see. 
• Loves to be held, and is extremely engaging with her people. She has the sweetest smile and a beautiful soul -- her eyes look deep inside!
• Rarely cries. She's extremely laid back and happy in most situation and if she cries it's because she's very tired or hungry or wants to be held.
• Started solid foods! They went okay-- she started with oatmeal and then pureed peas which went alright. She still sticks her tongue out a LOT and bites the spoon so it's hard to feed her a lot. She shows a lot more interest in nursing so we won't push solids yet.
• Shows a lot of interest in Callie, her puppy and when I say puppy, she sometimes will look over at Callie. She is recognizing some of the things we say.
• Loves BYOB yoga at Blooma! She giggles out loud a lot during the routines and everyone else in the room is delighted. She loves lunges and the airplane song and the ride on my legs. Any sort of movement and closeness is fantastic in Baby Kate's eyes.
• Falls asleep easily in her carseat so still takes some naps in there.
• Wears 6-12 month onesies and 6-9 month clothes. Her legs are so long that we've definitely packed away all 3 month clothes!
• Loves her big sister and often looks to her for guidance about a situation. We can just see her watching Kennedy a lot of the time and if Kennedy is calm, she is calm. She takes cues from her sister about many situations which is so neat to see. 

We love you Baby Kate! Happy 1/2 Birthday for the first time!!!

Katelyn at 5 Months Old

Katelyn had some great milestones at 5 months! She's been a blast to watch change and grow every day. At 5 months, Katelyn:

• Switched mostly to 6-month clothes and 6-9 month onesies! She's long and lean, and we don't want anything feeling too tight. 
• Loves bath time
• LOVES her jumperoo-- spends so much time kicking and moving her legs, I tend to think she'll be an early walker! Even in the Baby Bjorn she kicks so much.
• Is great at tummy time. In her new class the teacher even commented how content she is doing tummy time.
• Started a new class! We are excited to have her in ECFE with some other babes her age, where she can observe them, learn and grow, play with some new (to us) toys and work on development in a safe space. We love ECFE.
• Rolls over! She rolled over from back to front first, but now rolls front to back as well. She's strong and loves to be moving.
• Went to her first session of backup daycare. She did great -- she wasn't sad, and she loves the hanging mobiles they have - loves grabbing for things, the mirror, and playing with all of the colorful toys she can reach!
• Sleeps through the night at least a couple nights a week, and the other nights she's only up 1 time. Her wake up is usually between 4-6am, then I feed her and put her back down until 7 or 7:30. Clearly she is #winning compared to her sister at this age.
• Is generally a pretty chill, laid-back personality. It's so fun to see how she is just content and doesn't freak out about anything. She will even lay in her carseat (where she still sleeps) and entertain herself, coo, until we come get her even 5 minutes after she wakes.
• Loves her big sister and is able to giggle quite loud when she is entertained by her. She also reaches for her face, loves pulling on her hair, and they are starting to really interact well.
• Loves our puppy Callie. She will follow her with her gaze all around the room and reach for her when she gets close. She is so excited by her!
• Spends lots of time in the Bumbo and does very well sitting up, and seems to really enjoy it.

We are having the best time and it's fun to think she's been with us almost half a year! We love you so much Baby Kate!!

Baby Kate = 4 Months

Since Baby Kate is more of a laid back kind of babe, I guess I'm a more laid back kind of mama on these updates. Sheesh. She better not hold it against me when she's older (when they're teenagers they probably won't even care about these!) I did write the things down the last couple weeks so in fact the updates are true from when she turned 4 months. And here we are a week from 5 months. I hope that one comes quicker than this one!

At 4 months, Katelyn:

• Loves being upright - the Bumbo and the Jumperoo
• Wakes at 3 or 4am most nights to eat and then moves into bed with us. (Sometimes makes it longer)
• Still really loves her carseat
• Has not yet rolled over, but is getting closer!
• Has really found her voice! When she is happy she talks and coos, when we tickle her, she laughs quite loud! When she is distressed she sqwaks quite loud - it's her obvious way of saying feed me or put me to sleep!
• Naps 3 times per day. A solid morning and afternoon nap, and a short evening nap.
• Takes her pacifier very sporadically. I go days without giving it to her. She likes it but doesn't LOVE it or NEED it like her big sister (still does).
• Plays with her hands a lot - is always putting them together. Also plays with her toes sometimes, but more frequently hands.
• Loves baths, but not cold water. When I dipped her toes in the lake, she cried loudly!
• Wears size 2 diapers, 3-6 month onesies and clothes
• Is tall! She was 97th percentile for height and 60th for weight (14 lbs 14 oz).
• Has super chunky baby legs. So cute I want to squeeze them all the time.
• Grabs hair with her fingers (especially a certain big sister's curly locks)
• Is generally extremely happy and good-natured. She's just the sweetest little girl in the world! So content, happy, loving, and calm. I am in love with her personality and her soul.

Katelyn @ 3 Months

Our sweet little sister is growing and growing (and sleeping! and smiling!) We are having tons of fun with her. At 3 months, Katelyn:

• Wears 3-6 month onesies she's long!) and 3 month clothes. I can't believe I've put away newborn clothes once again!
• Still sleeps in her carseat at night… in her room. BUT she fairly consistently sleeps 7-8 hours for her first stretch! I have been able to sleep until 6:45 a couple nights before she wakes up to eat-- that is amazing for this age.
• Is cuddly and snuggly, wants to be held and talked to, and wants to make eye contact. Is very happy with the people close to her.
• Takes 3 decent naps during the day - her evening one is short. But this is super normal
• Holds her head up well but still isn't quite as strong for tummy time/rolling over. She hates tummy time.
• Loves baths with Mommy
• Likes the swing okay, but prefers being upright in the Bumbo
• LOVES the trees - could stare at them all day! 
• Is the most content little girl I have met. She seriously doesn't make a peep unless she needs something, except she is the biggest conversationalist ever! I can't believe how much she coos and talks to you, back and forth like a real conversation too. It's the sweetest thing.
• Smiles with her entire face. She scrunches her nose up and gives the biggest smile - so humbling and sweet.
• Likes car rides for the most part
• Loves her big sister and curly mop in her face (most of the time)

We LOVE you so much, Baby Kate!!

Katelyn at 2 Months

I'm definitely still behind on writing these! But not on documenting the amazing things that our little Katelyn is doing. We had the best month during her second month, and she even slept 7 hours one night followed by 8 hours the next! This is something her big sister didn't do for almost a year. She also smiles at us as you can see in the picture below :)

At 2 months, Katelyn:

• Just switched to size 1 diapers, wears newborn clothes and 0-3 month onesies, but also some 3 month outfits.
• Sleeps well at night, waking once or twice (and then moving to bed with me which is so sweet!)
• Started smiling and loves conversing with us - "talks" up a storm with her eyes very focused on us and speaks with a little "birdie voice"
• Gets over-stimulated easily by loud noises and bright light. She is a calmer girl and needs her quiet time, especially to fall asleep. She's super alert and doesn't sleep just anywhere like Kennedy or most newborns do.
• Stretches her body so much in the morning, this cute little body stretch from the tops of her fingers to the bottoms of her toes. So sweet!
• Loves looking at the light, the patterns the blinds make, etc.
• Doesn't like the bouncer or swing or boppy as much as Kennedy. Prefers to be held almost all of the time! 
• Sleeps 9pm-9am with average 2 wake-ups
• Measured 60th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. Long and lean!
• Gets wavy hair with tiny beginnings of a curl when she bathes - and she loves the bath!

We are just loving up on our little sister sooo much!!!

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.