Collier's First Week

The week before Christmas was Collier's first week at home.  It was so nice to get settled in together as a family of four (wait, five...Crockett mustn't be left out!).   He was such an angel all week.  As I remembered with Isabelle, the first week is often the "honeymoon," so I knew the good sleeping, easy feedings and quiet moments might not last long.  I was excited and a bit nervous to start life as a mommy of two. 

 

Isabelle displayed some major mood swings and meltdowns during her first few days as a big sister.  But we soon learned the poor girl was coping with an ear infection.  Looking back on it, I realize that not only did we rock her world with a new family member, but she was also feeling rotten.  I know how rotten because the lovely cold that I had while in the hospital (I don't recommend having a cough while recovering from childbirth) turned into my first (memorable) ear infection!  Since when do adults get ear infections?  I spent a whole night wide awake with what I thought was just a "popped" ear (that was also pretty painful)...I remember watching Collier sleep between feedings, thinking please get up and keep me company...it is so wrong that I am awake while you sleep!  The next morning I spent almost 2 hours waiting in urgent care before rushing home to feed a very hungry 5 day old baby! 

 

Unfortunately it wasn't over yet.  That nasty cold didn't spare Brian, and we all know when Daddy ain't happy ain't nobody happy.  Well, I don't think the saying goes quite like that, but it should.  I felt like I had 3 babies to take care of!  Then just as Christmas was approaching, I thought we were in the clear.  Isabelle was getting back to her old self, I was able to start walking like a normal person, and Daddy....oh, poor Daddy woke up on Christmas Eve with a miserable sinus infection!  All three of us (well, four if you count the one sucking the life out of me) on antibiotics, right before Christmas.  (insert sad trombone sound)

 

But really it wasn't all bad.  Collier's first week was full of so many magical moments.  It was so much fun introducing him to family members and watching Isabelle be such a sweet big sister and mommy's helper.  Amazingly she has shown no jealousy, just pure love for her baby brother.  The excitement of Christmas was in the air and despite our growing collection of prescription meds and the pile of empty Kleenex boxes stacking up, it was a special time indeed.

 

Uncle Mac was anxious to meet his new nephew.



The Barksdale boys

Aunt Libby and Betsy Grace

Cici with her first grandson

 Fairy Godmother, "Glori" came in town for a surprise visit.

 Isabelle's school Christmas party was the day after we got home, but I was determined to get out and spend some quality moments with the new big sis.  It is always a treat to see her in the classroom with her school friends (seen here with best buddy, William).

"jingle bells, jingle bells"

 I've had fun taking pictures of my newest subject. 

All the kids.

Yes, Collier is tiny.  But that stocking is also enormous.

 

Sibling snuggle time

Look!  His eyes!  Still amazed by his precious tiny features.

Here are my children.  My son and my daughter.  Those are words I have always hoped I could say.  My lifelong dream has come true.  I could just pinch myself.

Repurposing

Some crazy book art. The bookstore adverts look to be photoshopped, but everything else looks perfectly plausible.via Boing Boing

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The Circus

A few months ago I saw an ad for The Greatest Show on Earth, the circus, of course!  I immediately decided that we must take Isabelle.  I hadn't been since I was very young, and I had vague memories of this ultimate childhood experience, so I was anxious to relive it through the eyes of my own child!  My parents decided to take our family (minus Collier) as a birthday gift to me since it fell on the weekend before my 34th.  Little did I know the irony of the situation. 

 

I knew that life would be much different with 2 young kids.  I remembered those sleepless nights, the frustrating, confusing days with a newborn.  Did I eat something bad to make him act this way?  Is he hungry?  Overtired?  Gassy?  Reflux?  Well, he's just a newborn!  Comes with the territory.  They say 6-8 weeks is the peak of fussiness.  And a 2 1/2 year old is possibly at the peak of her "bipolar" craziness (although I hear 3 is really when we'll really get a run for our money). 

 

A few years ago I envisioned my years with young children being focused solely on them.  I dreamed of spending days worrying only about meals to cook, diapers to change, tears to dry.  Cakes could take the backseat for a couple years because this time with my babies is so special and fleets by so fast....and it's demanding in itself! 

 

But when you own a business, no matter the size, you rarely take a day off. I have wonderful flexibility, and I am so thankful that I am my own boss, but it really never lets up. I was scheduling cake tastings while in the hospital because I didn't want to lose potential customers. I had 3 meetings with clients just 3 weeks after Collier was born. And I immediately felt the pressure to start making cakes because customers wanted my cakes, and I have medical bills to pay!

 

So, surprise, surprise, here I am back to full-time work, 8 weeks after my 2nd baby's birth.  It's not what I had originally planned, but that's life. 

 

There are evenings when Isabelle is running around, being a wild child, Collier is crying and can't be consoled, Brian and I are trying to cook dinner, and the house is really like a 3 ring circus.  But, the real circus is in my brain.  I have a million business things on my mind...cake designs to work on, proposals to send out, marketing, create an updated portfolio, improve the website, decide if I am crazy to take on 3 wedding cakes in one weekend this Spring with a 5 month old and 2 year old (will Brian have a job then? if so, yay!  if so, yikes! how will I manage it all?)...the list goes on and on and on.  And along with the business clutter, I am thinking about what childcare I need to arrange for the following week so that I can get work done.  Brian is home now, and he is a huge help (he is such an amazing father!!!).  But he needs his own time to work on the job search, and there are very few quiet moments in this house.  He is having phone interviews and setting up meetings with contacts, sometimes in between cleaning the house and picking Isabelle up from school.  We are constantly juggling back and forth...I am trying to give him his own time without kids (like wild lions) to tame and he knows I have to retreat to the bakement a few times a day. 

 

At the circus last weekend, I was captivated by the acrobatic ballerinas, floating in bubbles hanging from the ceiling, and the crazy people hopping around on horses...even the motorcyclists had me mesmerized as they all sped around inside a globe. 

 

But right now we are living in our own little circus, conducting our own death-defying acts!  I realize that we are not alone...most families with an infant and a toddler would probably call their household a circus too.  When Collier is refusing a bottle for the 6th time that week, Izzy is having a meltdown because she can't get her shoe on herself, and I am on the phone with a customer, I have to remember that this juggling act will soon get easier.  The circus is wild (and even scary!) at times.  But it can be quite fun.  And always entertaining!

 

Isabelle thorougly enjoyed her popcorn while we sat waiting for the show to begin.  We all had a ball!

 Collier is just as cute as can be.  He is smiling up a storm!

 Love that hair.

 Sissy loves her baby brother!

 

Isabelle's buddy, Laine, came over last week.  These 2 girls LOVE babies! 

 Isabelle made sure Laine knew Collier is her baby.  He's "mize".

Ring around the rosie with Laine and Louise.

I had a very special birthday last Monday.  It really was a perfect day.  Brian and I got away for 3 whole hours that afternoon to see the incredible movie, Les Miserables.  I am a huge fan of the musical and this movie lived up to my expectations....I had a hard time keeping myself from belting out On my Own in the theater! 

Later that night we celebrated at my parent's house with my brother and Laurie and Brian's parents.  It was very festive.  However, I think Isabelle was convinced it was her own birthday.

My mom dared to make a delicious cake for me!  I LOVE my mama's cakes:)

Got a little help with the candles...

And with opening gifts...

And trying on gifts...whose birthday is this anyway?

The past few weeks I've been easing back into baking, taking a few orders every week.  A couple of the cakes were for very special people in my life.  This one was a baby shower cake for my dear friend Elizabeth ("Sanders") Walker, and old highschool friend. 

 Her husband is obssessed with air jordans.  I didn't think he'd approve of these classic baby shoes, so I decided to make him a mini version of (one of) his favorite shoes, in cake form. 

This was especially appropriate since I made this groom's cake for him over 5 years ago:

 Last weekend we celebrated my future sister-in-law with a fabulous shower.  I made a special cake for her with her new monogram!

One of 2 baptism cakes I made this weekend.

And the valentine cupcake making marathon begins tomorrow! 

Praying for a nice 6 hour stretch tonight, my sweet Collier!!!

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Talking Toucan

On one of our many visits to Cracker Barrell (favorite road trip stop), we purchased a toy called "The Talking Toucan."  It's a little stuffed bird that repeats everything you say over and over in a high-pitched squeaky voice.  Somehow it made me laugh at the time and I thought it would be fun to turn on when we have company over.  It pretty much makes everything you say sound stupid, so we don't turn it on very much.

But that's fine because we now have our own little living talking toucan.  Isabelle is talking up a storm and she repeats everything you say, just like the talking toucan toy...but much cuter.  I'm not sure you'd know what she's saying if you didn't just say it yourself.  But she sure does try.  There is really nothing more adorable than a talking toddler.  Each word has it's own cuteness and while I find myself trying to teach her the correct pronunciation, I almost don't want her to start saying words the right way.  When she finally started saying my name (ahh, the sweetest sound!)...she'd call me "mobbie" instead of "mommy".  Sometimes it would even sound like "bobby".  And I loved it.  Now she says Mommy (sometimes "mama") and I kinda miss the old way! 

 My favorite part about our copycat conversations is that she nods in agreement while she repeats what I've just said.  I've also learned about the words that I apparently say a little too much.  "Okay" must come out of my mouth constantly, because that is now Isabelle's all-time favorite word.   I also say "okie-dokie" a lot, and "sound good?". 

 Some of my favorite of Izzy's favorite words:

firetruck = "iuh-shuck"

granola = "gawowa"

outside = "ows-eye"

school = "sool"

bouncy house = "oucy ouse"

strawberries = "bowbawies"

goldfish = "oh-ish"

Some of her favorite names: Cici - one of her very first words and she says it pretty perfectly
Granddaddy -="gahdadee" or something like that (very tricky)

Ellie = "ay"

Brun = "boon"

Mac = "mac"

Libby = "ibby"

Betsy Grace = "esie -ace"

Matthew = "afew"

Laurie = "Ahwee"

Crockett = "cockett"

Isabelle has the tendency to leave out the first consanant in a word, which is why I now realize that all those months she was saying "adee" she was saying "Daddy", just as I suspected.  She also says "Oh" for "No" which is so stinkin cute. 

 Everyday I am amazed at what she remembers and what she is learning.  If I promise that we will do something in an hour, she doesn't forget.  We drive by places like Cici's house, Christ Church (school), even the library and grocery store, and she points and says what they are. 

 She is really into naming the mommy and daddy in books and on TV.  This morning there was a recap on GMA of Dancing with the Stars, and she points to the TV saying, "mama? daddy?"...meaning the couple dancing must be a mommy and daddy, right?  I guess she's just used to seeing me, all glammed out, being swept off my feet by my hunky husband.  Ha!

  This age is so fun.  I swear it really does just keep getting better.

Last weekend I was busy making two crazy groom's cakes...both for the same groom!  The first one was what he picked, and was served at the wedding reception.  A tire shaped cake since his weekend hobby is racecar driving.  Seems like a pretty cool guy!

You might change your mind when you see his favorite casual look!  The bride surprised him with a teva cake just like his own, complete with the gray sock that he always wears with it! 

Now that it's nice and warm out everyday we have been loving the outdoors.  What a switch from last year when Isabelle was crawling everywhere.  Being outdoors was not so easy.  Now we play on the deck and splash with the water table, the bouncy house is out every week, and trips to the playground are plentiful!

Here are the Barksdale cousins enjoying dinner together one evening (Izzy half naked after playing with the water table!):

Isabelle and her buddy, Laine, bouncing together in the never-gets-old-bouncy house.  Apparently they thought it was much more fun without clothes on.

I swear Isabelle could spend hours at the water table.  Here she is with school buddy and neighbor, Hartley. 

 Love me some naked babies!!