Tag Archives: leonie marie

Bundle’s Blanket

30 Monday Jun 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Upon my trip to Albuquerque, I was presented with a very special gift. Well, actually, YOU were.

Your Grandma Rael has been working on your quilt day and night. It’s one of a kind and absolutely gorgeous! Like with everything your Grandma does, she put her whole heart and soul into this blanket. And it was made specifically just for you to love and to cherish.

If you’re anything like me and my siblings with our childhood quilts, this blanket is sure to get its fair share of mileage. From picnics with our stuffed animals to being dragged down the stairs and wrapped around us during Saturday morning cartoons, there are few occasions where we did not have them around.

My favorite childhood blanket was hand made by my Grandma Rael (your Great Grandma). When she passed away 2 years ago, my mother (your Grandma) took up the project to restore it. She carefully went over every stitch, even leaving the mistakes your Great Grandma had made to keep it as original as possible. When she returned the blanket to me last year, the special surprise was that she had enhanced it with new embellishments. These came from patterns that your Great Grandma had left behind, unfinished. Now even more precious and special than before, this blanket will forever be one of my most cherished treasures. 

Now we are honored to add your new blanket to our collection of family quilts, and I know that you will love it just as much as all the love that when into its making.

Love Always,

Mom & Grandma!

Hail to the SnOoGLe

29 Thursday May 2014

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Dear Bundle,

Getting into a comfy sleeping position at night is becoming more of a challenge, and for the last couple weeks I’ve been tossing and turning a lot more throughout the night. So a couple days ago, your dad came home with a surprise…

Snoogle in Box Hail to the Snoogle!! Every pregnant woman I’ve ever met swears by these giant wrap around body pillows, so I was eager to put it into use and see for myself what all the hype was about. My first impression as I opened it up and rolled it out onto the bed was this is going to pose a bit of a space challenge. Me + Bundle + Snoogle = not a lot of room for Daddy. I envisioned myself trying to flip sides with it in the middle of the night and consequently smothering him or battering him with it in the process.

SnoogleB copy

But as I lay there wrapped in my own personal life-size nest of soft feathery fluffies, I must attest that this thing is truly a dream invention. Although it’s longer than me, it can curl up into various shapes and sizes. It’s also surprisingly squishy and wraps snugly around my body in any position I want to lay in. Adjusting positions during the night can be done easily without a lot of effort or chaos because you can leave the Snoogle in place and just flip yourself to face the other side of it. But to be honest, I barely need nor want to move at all once I melt into it! I even find myself wanting to go to bed earlier than normal just to indulge in my new pillow.

All in all, my review of this notorious body pillow is well-favored, and I will join the testimony of people who recommend it as a certain survival kit staple for any woman with a bump.  Comfortable rest is possible once again!

Happy Snoogling!

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!

Mother’s Meadow

15 Thursday May 2014

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Dear Bundle,

We discovered the most amazing place!!

Sunday was a Mother’s Day to remember. Even though you are not yet born, your dad wanted to make sure I knew just how much he loved and appreciated me for carrying his little Bundle. So that afternoon, without even a hint about where we were going or what we were doing, he packed us up a lunch, grabbed a blanket and told me to put on my walking shoes and bring my camera.

A picnic, I thought. Such a sweet idea… simple, quaint, kinda romantic… and definitely out of our ordinary. As we loaded into the car, I figured we were probably going to a park or to a lake or somewhere appreciable. But trying not to spoil my own surprise, as my sometimes overly-inquisitive mind often does, I did as I was told and tried not to ask too many questions. After a moderate drive away from town, he suddenly pulled off to the side of the road at what seemed like no destination at all. Looking around me, we were in the middle nowhere. Surrounded by nothing but wooded area, there were no people, no parking lot, no trail, no signage, and no way of knowing just what I was about to encounter.

We grabbed our gear and began walking through the brush and trees. The grass was so high it was hard to walk through, and with no landmarks in sight, I began to wonder just what he was thinking trolling a pregnant lady through all this terrain. Hopefully we weren’t going far.

Just then, I saw a clearing appear up ahead. And I could make out what seemed like a patch of red flowers. But as we got closer and the trees parted, I could see it wasn’t a patch of red flowers at all… It was whole field of red flowers! Suddenly I was standing in the middle of a breathtaking hidden meadow… and it was full of these stunning wild flowers that stretched as far as the eye could see. And the butterflies… the butterflies were everywhere! I just stood there speechless, gazing in amazement at the sight before me.

My adorable husband was clearing a spot for the blanket where the trees met the meadow, and started setting up his picnic. He said he had stumbled upon this place when scouting off the beaten path just a week before. The remarkable thing is it’s in a public region, but there’s no map identifying its existence, no path to trace its whereabouts and no name that stakes its claim. We decided right then that we will call this place, “Mother’s Meadow.”

It was one of the most beautiful earthly things to me, partly I think because of the mystery it beared. Here we are engrossed in today’s industrious country, entangled in a coveted society. Yet, in the middle of it all, somehow is this magnificent concealed piece of unadulterated, uncharted territory… and we had it all to ourselves. Incredible. It was as if it had been placed there just for us to experience.

Mother Nature reminded me that day of the beauty and sacredness that is all around us. And I am humbled and honored to be a part of her design. Next year when you are here, we will take you to see this special secret place. Until then, may you always know the maternal grace that surrounds and nurtures you day by day. Grow healthy and strong, little one. The meadow awaits you.

Love Always,

Mom

A Poem From Baby Bundle to the Grandmothers-To-Be

09 Friday May 2014

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Dear Bundle,

You have already given me the greatest Mother’s Day gift of all. I feel your love and presence every day, and that is a blessing I shall be able to know for the rest of my life. But there are also two other very special mothers who mean the world to me and who are eager to be apart of your world. So for Mother’s Day this year, I wanted to be sure to give you a voice, so you can let these two amazing women know just how excited you are to meet them as well.

To the beautiful Grandma’s-to-be, from the bottom of my heart, I hope you enjoy this poem from Baby Bundle to you.

Poem to Grandma From Baby Bundle

Happy Mother’s Day to my Moms! I wish I could be there to give these to you in person. I hope they reach you well. Thank you for all that you are, all that you do, and all the life you have created.

2014-05-04 20.54.50Love Always,

Leonie Marie & Baby Bundle

 

You Are My Sunshine

27 Sunday Apr 2014

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Dear Bundle,

After experiencing maternity clothes, I can see how some women may never want to go back to non-waistband pants…  SO comfy!

Week 22 BumpMy weight gain is picking up steadily and rapidly now. You are the size of a papaya. About 11 inches from head to heel, and 12.25 grams. You are developing senses you will use in the outside world. Taste buds have started forming on the tip of your tongue, and your brain and nerve endings have developed enough so that you have the sense of touch. You can also hear what’s going on around you. I’ve started lullaby and meditation playlists, and I play them close to my belly for the both of us when I Iay down for bed at night. After you are born, I will play them as I put you down to sleep.

One of my favorite songs when I was young, “You Are My Sunshine,” has been a family favorite throughout the generations. My grandma Rael would hum this tune as she happily went about her daily routine, and this was also one of the songs her children sang to her as the good Lord called her up. I know that when I sing it to you, you will be surrounded by the love of all those who have loved me and gone before me.

You’ll never know, Dear, how much I love you.

Mom

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