:: this moment ::

Birthed by Soulemama 

Share your favorite photo from your week, using few to no words.

I have decided this year that each week I am going to take a black and white photo of each of my children. I want to see their growth week by week, so feel free to join with me! 

A New Rhythm and Baby Bunnies

Ah hello my long lost friends! It feels like forever since I've been back in this place. I've been blissfully enjoying my newborn baby and soaking in all her sweet goodness. Maybe since she is my third baby and most likely our last, I finally realize how fleeting babyhood is? The newborn stage is so short and really one of my favorite stages- so it is so wonderful to sit back and cut out the rest of life's busyness. 

However really with three children now under five I am finding it is a bit impossible to really get a lot of rest. But I don't mind since my recovery has been fantastic and co-sleeping helps a lot with getting better sleep. While this labor was much longer than my others and Brynna's pregnancy had a lot of ups and downs (primarily my hyperemesis), it is so surprising just how great I feel. I mainly attribute my feeling so well to my lovely OB who really made sure I had a great delivery as well as the placenta encapsulation that I had done. I highly recommend placenta encapsulation and if you're interested in more information this site will answer all your questions. Also if you're local to Hampton Roads I can connect you with my encapsulation specialist- her site is here! Again I could go on and on about how great I think encapsulation but I guess it can be summed up for me by the simple fact that at four days postpartum I did not physically feel like I had a baby at all!


But on to the fun stuff :) Before and after delivery I have still been crafting and sewing. I finished with the help of my mother-in-law Brynna's Beatrix Potter quilt. I also completed knitting the oat fields and baby chicks for the knitted farm swap I am participating in! I also have a bunch of fun sewing projects lined up as well as the beginnings of a fairy garden. 

Baby Brynna continues to just amaze me. She is such a calm sweet baby. Really she is the perfect baby for a Momma with a two year old boy! Jonas and Deirdre are smitten with her and life goes on just as it did before with no jealousy issues that I can see. 


I am just so excited to get back into the swing of things but at the same time I am also happy to embrace a totally new family rhythm for my new family of five. I am so very blessed. 

Always, Nicole 

PS: the day Brynna was born, we woke up to find a litter of baby bunnies in our bunny hutch! Hoppy Peter and Brownie welcomed two babies into our growing home. I think it so neat that they share a birth day with Brynna and that her nursery is bunny themed to boot. 

Viral Meningitis Scare

Thank you all for your prayers last night for Deirdre. 

At 12:30 yesterday she complained that her neck her hurt out of the blue. After nap, she would not wake up immediately and it took me about five minute to wake her. She said she could not move and was inconsolable about her neck pain as well as very lethargic. We were advised to take the the ER for a possible case of meningitis. After about 6-7 hours in the ER (with lots of blood draws and a spinal tap later) we were given the clear to go home. 

Today at the pediatrician's office, we were told she most likely had a case of viral meningitis (which can quickly occur and go away). Her neck and symptoms should be all better in two weeks or less and she is not contagious. 

Last night was the most difficult challenge Craig and I have had yet with our kids and seeing them in pain, but God is good and we were covered in prayer. Thank you everyone, 

Now to rest...

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual birthed by SouleMama. A single photo - few words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . .

Her first row of knitting on her sky scarf!

My Curious Georges

Today was a good day. All of my days with my children are good, even if that particular day is trying. With two kids (ages 3.6 and 1.5 years old) you need to be able to make a quit exit from any public place when things start to go south. Thus far that plan has worked well for us and did so again today. 


I personally feel that it is unfair to expect young children to act like adults when you go out in public. So I do not expect my children to act that way and therefore I do not take them places where that type of behavior is expected. Sit down restaurants are one of those places. The few times we have gone, we all had a great time and the kids were phenomenal. Today at MacArthur Mall went well too...for awhile. So I had to leave early from an extended family lunch with my kids. It was stressful but that's ok. I mean it was already past nap time and it was hour late than we usually eat lunch, so truly they did better than I thought they both would. 


But anyway I digress, I suppose my point is that even if a day is not idyllic like yesterday and my plans get changed, I do not deem the day "bad". Every day is a gift from God and soon enough a new one has arrived, so why sweat the small stuff? 

Today, in addition to the mall, we all went with Craig's family to the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. Right now they have a children's exhibit open on Curious George and the art of Margaret and H.A. Rey. I loved it, the kids loved it, and so did Craig! We had a ball- minus Jonas not being able to drink his bottle inside. After we finished with the child part, we wandered the rest of the museum looking at the modern art and sculptures. I personally love art. I took two art history courses in college and one in high school. In every big city I visited in Europe, the art museum was one of the first places I went to. So to see my kids enjoying art was lovely. Deirdre and I also got to discuss art which was a real treat to see her so into it and interpreting it. 

So yes today was a good day. A blessed day. A day in which I choose to focus on the overwhelming positive points and ignore the few negative blips. Mere blips. 

My Mighty Nest

As many of you all know this past year our family has been on a journey of transformation. Not only has it been familial (how we parent and school our children), spiritual (centering our daily lives on our God), but material as well. Part of that material transformation has required us to be more conscious and better stewards about the items we bring into our home as well as the ones we currently have (especially when they involve our children) This means that all of our toys and child feeding gear has gone under the microscope. While I try my best to not be an alarmist, it really is quite disturbing the amount of chemicals that go into any of the products that we use in our homes. Even more alarming is that many of those chemicals are or are suspected to be harmful. 

I will never forget in 2007 and 2008, when I my daughter was one year old, discovering that every single bottle that we used had BPA in it. Every single one. At the time, I had no idea what BPA was or what its effects were (and I was a junior in college so not being educated wasn't an issue). All I knew was that my brilliant environmental engineer sister-in-law told me to toss them so they must be bad. 

When Jonas came along in 2010 I still was not really on the bandwagon. I knew BPA was a no-no but everything else seemed fine. I mean it should be illegal to put harmful chemicals into products that our children use... right? Its the USA for crying out loud, not China! Well once again I was wrong. So after more recommendations from the brilliant sister in law and doing some hunting on my own, I learned what products are safe and responsible on the market. 

But the story doesn't end here...! 

Sadly I had a hard time finding a site or store for that matter which carried the safer products. In addition, I was quite put off and disillusioned by most stores whom carried suspicious products now and in the past. It was pretty obvious to me that they really did not have our kids' best interest at heart. Then enters the Mighty Nest. 

When I first found their site I was in heaven. Seriously. They had all the safe and cool kid products that I was looking for... in one place. They also carried kitchenware, clothes, and toys! However what I love the most about them are the information and reviews that they provide on every item. No more searching and calling companies to see where they manufactured their product, or what is in it- the Mighty Nest puts it all right out there for you. Total disclosure and no hiding. 

So by this point you might be asking yourself, are they paying me to say this about them? NOPE! I just love them and I want to share them with you so that you do not have to pull your hair out when looking for a good place to buy safe products. Plus to top it off, I also just won a Kinderville set in a contest. Before I entered the contest I had already ordered from them twice (Lifefactory and Klean Kanteen sippy cups), so this new free stuff was just a lucky accident and tremendously helpful since it was free (and we all know that sadly safe products tend to cost more- its worth it). 

So here is my unsolicited review of the goodies I received. I plan on ordering more Kinderville sets as well because they are so wonderful and my kids adore them! 

When I first saw the new Kinderville products I was a bit suspicious. I have been against all plastics when it comes to my kids since I had been burned by them in the past. But upon taking a closer look, all of Kinderville's products are silicone! Silicone is a great substitute to plastics and they are BPA, phalate, and lead free. In addition the added benefit of silicone is they they cannot break (like glass) or dent (like stainless steel). Plus they are very easy to clean and the kids think they're fun because of the nice colors. If you were addicted like I was to the cute melamine divided kids plates, then these are a safer and cute alternative. 

By far my three favorite items (while I love them all) are the Bigger Bites Silicone Storage Jars, the Little Bites Silicone Freezer Trays, and the Ice Pop mold. 

The storage jar is fabulous for snacks. What I love it is that Deirdre and Jonas can remove the top too. Plus there are no leaks and the jar is insulated. For our picnic I steamed veggies and put the in the jar to take with us and 40 minutes later they were still warm- an added benefit! 

The freezer tray would be great for making and freezing our homemade baby food, if we still did that! So I have been using it a  mini snack tray for Jonas. He loves it and since it comes with a lid, whatever he has left over I and slip back into the refrigerator and get it out later for a snack. Plus since it is deeper, it is harder for food to spill out! 

By far Deirdre's favorite is the ice pop mold (no pictures yet sorry). The first night we had it I made a pop for teething baby Jonas and it was a life saver!!! The mold has a lid and it does not leak as all. It took about 90 minutes for the pop to freeze solid. Plus the shape of the mold is the real winner. Since it has a funnel shape, kids can push the pop up by themselves and the  juice doesn't slip all over them- seriously! This has been a struggle for us- with many stained clothes, and now we have found the the perfect mold and pop! It makes for a special summer treat and activity to make your own pops with your kids and have them experiment with fruits and flavors. So far our favorite is peach lemonade! 

So all in all, we love the set. I have no complaints, and trust me I am hard to please. If you are in need to some great and SAFE kid kitchenware, give kinderville a try from the Mighty Nest. They have a GREAT return policy, so if you are not a fan you can get a refund, which makes me even more convinced that they care. Also their blog is a great resource on healthy living and consumer safety. I read it weekly and I am amazed at how much I have learned, like that BPA is linked to male infertility- eek! 

At any rate good night my friends. Enjoy the photos of our fun picnic by the lake and give your kiddos (big and small) an extra hug today. We are so blessed to have them. 

Summer's Flight

Nature's bounty from our garden today. Cherry tomatoes, an heirloom tomato, and raspberries! 

These past two days seem to have flown by. Summer seems to be flying by as well. And that is ok with me. I love summer but when time flies for us, it means that we are having fun. Yesterday we took a family trip to the Children's Museum of Virginia. After about 2 years of renovations, it finally re-opened. I took us about an hour to get there due to traffic, but the trip was worth it. They had exhibits for every age and interest. They even had a baby play room for Jonas. Jonas' favorite exhibit by far was the fire station. In it, they had fake fires that you had to put out and a life size firetruck cab to climb into. Even when we were in other exhibits close by, Jonas would BLOT back to the fireman's exhibit. Deirdre, well she loved everything. She was in heaven and was enamored about spending one on one time with her Daddy. Sweet bliss. 


Back to the subject of the summer flying by and Jonas. My baby is turning 15 months old on the 10th! He is walking, signing, and talking like a wild man. He really understands just about everything I say to him. I love seeing the little light bulb go off in his head. His personality is just blossoming and I feel like I can barely keep up. Its a new thing each day. Time just keeps flying by... 


With Deirdre its more subtle now. Her imagination, maturity, interests, complex thought processes are also blossoming. She is developing a sense of responsibly and also is learning how to fib (as all children do at this age). Fortunately Craig and I take all these changes with stride. Both our kids have such beautiful and strong spirits. Just like us! 


Right now, I am just feeling overwhelmed with joy. I am lavished with blessings from God through my husband and kids. I love being able to take a step back with this blog and just marvel at my life and what it has become. 


So dear summer, you have my permission to fly by. But please allow us sweet moments to savor and pause at while our babies are still babies. 

Daily Verse or Quote:

"Kiss your children now for soon they'll swim away" 

From a print hanging in my room by the artist Robert Kline

Crafty Goodness:

Tonight I finished a baby doll quilt for my daughter's doll "Vera" and knit doll booties. The quilt used scrap fabric from Deirdre's gnome quilt- so they will match! I will post a tutorial tomorrow for both. It was very very easy.