Tag Archives: baby

Hello World!

22 Friday Aug 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Welcome to the outside! Your due date was today, August 22nd, 2014. However, you were so excited to be here that you decided to be born early and came into this world on August 5th, 2014! Weighing in at 6.25 lbs and 19 inches in length, you are healthy, happy, and every ounce of joy that a little bundle like you was meant to be.

B-Day Bump

We decided to name you Anthony Joseph, after your father and mine. May you be blessed with their eternal love and devotion, and may you carry on their names in wisdom and in legacy of those who came before you.

Hello TJ

Sweet Baby,

Your journey in this life has begun, already fleeting, ever so short. The world is full of things to do, to see, and to learn. Explore it with integrity, compassion, mindful observance, and a healthy sense of humor. Travel this road with a full heart and an open mind. There is no limit to how far you can travel or how high you can climb. I cannot tell you where all the roads will lead or even which ones to always take. But I promise to always be here for you, and I will do my best to help guide you along the way. You will forever be a part of me. Good luck on your journey, my Bundle, my Boy, my Anthony Joseph.

Love You Forever,

Mom

Painting the Hills & Sky

31 Thursday Jul 2014

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My vision for the nursery walls included soft colors, rolling hills and a neutral sky with clouds. I planned out the landscape first, sketching the hills onto the wall with a pencil, several erasers and a lot of patience. The challenging part was in knowing how my lines were materializing on a 12 foot wall when I’m only inches away from it at any given time. To make this easier, I purchased a cheap art projector like the one below:

projector

Thanks to this little gadget, I was able to sketch my hills out onto paper first and then project them onto the walls and trace them. I definitely recommend this method for painting murals or other projects involving larger-than-life canvas sizes!

With this complete, I tackled the paint. I did the sky first and then the hills to ensure the illusion that the hills were on top of the sky rather than the other way around (trust me, it makes a difference). Two coats were necessary all the way around to ensure coverage of the original yucky mustard-yellow wall color. After rolling on the larger surface areas, I found it helpful to switch to a smaller-bristle art brush for the details.

 

Phase 1 of Painting Complete:

Special thanks to my good friend, Vanessa, who traveled all the way from Chicago to help me complete Phase 1 of the Painting Plan! I love you girl, and your fellow-perfectionist capabilities! ♥ ♥ ♥

Vanessa & Leonie

 

 

3 Months to Go!

22 Thursday May 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Grow, Baby, Grow! We have 3 months to go!

Finishing up the second trimester and boy, are we growing. You have literally doubled in size over the last month. I use to feel you hanging out on one side of my belly or the other, now you are taking up that whole space. I’m having to eat smaller meals just to fit my food in there without feeling incapacitated.

26 Week Bump

To date, it’s been a very textbook pregnancy. So far I’ve hit all the milestones and had all the typical (mild) symptoms.  I’m experiencing some discomfort here and there, and hormones are up and down. But all in all, I’ve been managing it well. I realize this may all change very soon! So here’s hoping for continued health and endurance. Grow, baby, grow!

Love,

Mom

 

 

Operation Nursery is Underway!

20 Tuesday May 2014

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Operation Nursery is Underway… Here we go!

When Tony and I first moved into this place almost two years ago, we had family on the mind. We fell in love with the town, the house and the idea of nesting up in this very suburbanite family-oriented community.

Since that time, we’ve been busy making this house our home. But for the most part, much of this beautiful house has remained closed-off and unoccupied, waiting for the right time to be integrated into our lives. I knew that one day the time would come to transform one of these rooms into a nursery…  and I’ve had my eye on this one.

Big beautiful front facing window, spacious closet and full attached bathroom. This room has some serious potential. But let’s face it… it screams MAJOR interior-design overhaul!

First thing’s first. Get rid of the sinfully outdated wall-length Star and Moon valence and drapes (along with any wall banners, hardware or otherwise matching adornment that came straight from this highly-popular and over-done “Starry Night” decor craze of 1995). Cool at one time, perhaps (?), but SO over this theme!

Thank you, Tony, for getting these things off the wall and out of my sight so that the REAL vision may ensue.

Stay tuned!

The Balance

18 Friday Apr 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Being so far away from my family has been increasingly hard on me throughout this pregnancy. And as my employment situation continues to take shape, it continues to pressurize and test the balance of good faith, hard work and financial capacity. As my pregnancy progresses, I have been challenged emotionally and spiritually as I continue to search for avenues of support, substance and self-purpose. It’s difficult trying to communicate how I can feel so happy and blessed and excited for your arrival and for my life right now, and yet feel so lonely and misplaced at the same time. balance 1 I think it’s important for me to recognize that these feelings exist and that it’s okay and normal to have emotional ups and downs. And for me, the best thing to do when I start to feel the onset of anxiety or doubt or depression, is to turn inward. My inward place focuses me toward my creativity… to my writing, to artwork, to crafting, to yoga, to music or simply to my meditative place.

When I decompress in this way, it does many things. It opens up my right brain, where I am my most productive and comfortable. It inspires insight and self-awareness. It re-energizes my level of vitality and confidence. It allows me to be more in tune with my holistic body and resets my physical battery. And probably most importantly, it allows me to be more receptive of my spiritual guides and to the wisdom that there are forces at work that are greater than me. And that these forces are working through me to create life, to create challenges, and to create opportunities for me and for others to learn, to grow and to love.

I am so grateful for this journey. And my pledge is to continue striving inward, and to remain in constant pursuit of my mission statement below so that I may be the best version of myself for you and for all who know me. My Mission Statement is as follows:                                                                                              

“I strive to live my life with integrity, compassion, mindful observance, and a healthy sense of humor. In both large and small matters, may I always be true to my deepest principles so that my integrity may be a gift to others. Living now in a constant state of questions, answers, and fortitude… ‘I know that if I continue to advance in the direction of my dreams, and endeavor to live a life in which I have imagined, I will meet with a success unexpected in common hours,’ (H. Thoreau)”  ~ Leonie Marie.

I am so looking forward to everything we have to learn from one another. Love Always, Mom

Two Small Feet

07 Monday Apr 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Our family is about to grow by 2 small feet. And it’s official… these shoes belong to a baby boy!

family shoes

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails. There’s a great big world out here waiting for you to explore. It’s full of so many things to see, to do and to learn. There is no limit to how far you can travel or how high you can climb. I cannot tell you where all the roads will lead or even which ones to always take. But I can promise you this. Although our paths are all uncharted, this journey is worth the walk. And these shoes are yours to fill.

Love Always, Mom.

Flutters

28 Friday Mar 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Welcome to Week 18. Your presence is undeniable. I can feel your movements now. You feel like a little butterfly fluttering around in my tummy. You are about the size of a bell pepper and still have plenty of space to roll around and turn about (although I think you’ve found your favorite spot in my lower left abdomen). Your dad is convinced you gave him a high-five the other night and I’m convinced you gave me heartburn.

Bump

 

The Stockpile

24 Monday Mar 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Now it is a well-known fact far and wide across the contiguous land and sea that your father is a Costco addict… I am letting you know this now because just as routine as milk is in the morning, every Sunday after church, like it or not, we must test our inner-peace by making a family outing to the nearest Costco, where your dad will be blessed with the joy of toting us through each and every aisle to make sure nothing has dropped in price since the last time we stepped across their sacred threshold.

Now for a current household of only 2 and soon to be 3, it may seem that weekly visits to a large discount warehouse would be overkill. However the critical point of clarity here is that your dad is a willing victim and follower of Costco’s well-devised and diabolical coupon sales schedule. This means that even though we may be running on week 3 of no paper towels in the house, we may need to wait another 2 weeks before Costco will run their $2.00 off ad in the monthly mailer before we can purchase them again in good conscience.

But rest assured, each excursion to Costco proves to be exciting and worthwhile none-the-less. For example, yesterday we got to buy another year’s worth of 9-volt batteries and also exchange all of last year’s light bulbs for the new more efficient ones that have just come into stock! Score!

Diaper Stack 1

In addition to that, we have started your stockpile of diapers. Your dad has been busy carefully scoping out all the competitive rates, sales and rewards plans, and he has determined that if we can catch all of Costco’s diaper sale waves over the next 28 – 34 months, at $5 off each box, times the 2 box limit, subtract manufacturer’s discount, multiplied by 2 separate member transactions, on 3-4 occasions bi-monthly, credit annual rewards points, divided by the circumference of the moon and rounded to the nearest half penny to account for cosmic tilt…. we will be able to diaper the WORLD for just under $364.92!

I think we may need to build you a bigger closet…

 

Your First Pictures

11 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Today we had our 16-Week Appointment. To date, we’ve been to 3 official prenatal doctor appointments, had 3 blood tests, and 2 ultrasounds. We count our blessings every time we get affirmation that you are healthy and progressing normally.

At the very first visit, you had been in my belly for 8 weeks. Your dad and I got to hear your heart beat for the very first time.  It was so cool! And this is the very first picture of you ever taken.  You were the size of a raspberry.

01.17.14 Ultrasound

A few weeks ago, we got to see even more pictures of you, and it’s amazing how much you’ve already grown and developed. This is you at 13 weeks, the size of a tangerine!

1.2.276.0.26.1.1.1.2.2014.81.58234.162763.46031872.57bfc6a6fc6.0000000000

 

Today the doctor let us listen to your heartbeat again. It kinda sounds like a galloping horse, rapid and strong. When we came home, your dad put his head on my belly and cuddled with you for a long time… He already loves holding you.

 

.

 

 

15 Week Bump

06 Thursday Mar 2014

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Dear Bundle,

I think it’s safe to say you and I are both growing. I definitely have a “bump” that was not there before. Here’s a picture of me today, about 15 weeks along.

03.06.14 Bump

It feels funny having a rounding belly. My normal clothes are starting to wear kinda tight, so I’ve been soliciting around for maternity clothes. So far my friends have been great and I’ve even acquired some used items from some local moms here in Poolesville.

Goodbye waistline… I hope to see you again…