My weekend started on Friday, when my amazingly awesome stepmom drove here from PA just to spend a few hours with me and Finn. It was such a nice surprise to have her come. She's been such a huge support in my life, and it was so nice to spend part of Mother's Day weekend with her.
Last Mother's Day was hard for me because it was my first Mother's Day, only I didn't have my daughter here on earth. I also didn't get to share the day or any part of it with my stepmom or my real mom, needless to say. I was pretty bummed out the entire day. Of course, this mother's day wasn't short on tears either. I think I might always cry on this day. There will never be a day in the life I have left where I feel complete because such a huge part of me is not here. But making the best of what's left of me, and the new parts that are growing (hi Finn!) is what it's all about now. And let me tell you, even with the huge hole in our lives, we still have such an abundance of smiles, laughter and great times.
After losing Kaia, I kept thinking "how will I ever laugh again?". It seemed impossible. But Finn makes it easy to laugh. And my loving husband is amazing and gets more incredible every day. I couldn't feel more blessed, and I couldn't be in a better place that I am now. And tomorrow, I hope to say the same thing.
Sunday started with flowers, and Eric made me breakfast in bed. He then took me and Finn to the Metroparks for a picnic. The grass hasn't been mowed yet. So, it was tall and full of dandelions. It was beautiful! Got some great pics of Finn.
Dandelion, dandylion, you're so dandy!
Can I play with these, Mom?
Must. Have. Dandelion. Roar!
Super chubbalicious and squishalicious!
Darn grass poked me in the eye. I shall pull you now.
Oh. You. Smell. So. Gooooooooooooooood.
Lovin' mother earth.
I'm off to explore through the grass jungle!
Mama and Finn, sittin' in a tree....
After our picnic, we went out for sushi. Then it was bedtime for the Finn and relaxation time for mama. Eric did everything for me that day. I was in heaven. Thank you, my family, for making me such a happy mom. And thank you, Finn and Kaia, for making me a great mom, too. You kids are my everything.... with a papa to boot.....
Finn turned 8 months on Saturday. We spent the day in Pennsylvania at my Aunt Jodi's house. Finn's two cousins, Lilly and Tyler, were there. It was such a nice day with family, and it went way too fast. Here's some pics!
The newbie, Lilly. This is my cousin Beth's daughter.
Gram, Lilly & I.
Finn's first Easter egg. He tried to eat it.
Finn likes to make kissy faces and drool. He smudged the camera lense with his drooly finglette. Thanks, buddy!
Finn singing baritone.
Life is all about the oooh ooohs and the ahhh ahhhs.
Cousin Chad is Finn's newest buddy.
Those are all the pics we got. I never remember to take pics with both the grandparents. AND, both of Finn's great Grandparents were there, and I forgot to take that pic too! Someone help my memory. I need Ginko Biloba. ;)
So much has happened in the last month. Finn is making all kinds of fun noises. He loves to click his tongue and call the cats over. He smiles so big every time he looks at me or Eric. He's such a sweet sweet little boy.
He also loves bathtime! The waterfall is his favorite of all!
Crawling is now his expertise. He's super fast. He craweled from the living room to the kitchen (3 rooms away) in a matter of minutes today. Time to child proof! He loves anything electronic that he's not allowed to have....phones, DVR, remotes, ipods, etc etc. He's very attracted to anything black.
One of the cutest things he does right now is high fives. He LOVES to high five and giggle. I've yet to get a video of that, but it's coming. He's still playing "Where's Finny", which is a game he made up while on the changing table. He covers his face with nearby items and thinks you can't see him. When I say "Where's Finny?" he quickly moves the item and laughs...."here I am!!!". This kid stuff is too much fun.
His voice changed a little this week. All of a sudden it's a little deeper and huskier. He sounds like a little man.
Sadly, he had his first fall last week too. Apparently we can no longer put Finn on the bed because he wants to lunge off of it. He's okay, but he got a nice first bruise right smack in the middle of his forehead. From here on out, it's floor only!
Oh, he also learned how to do this. Time to lower the crib again?
Uh oh, you caught me.
Look how big I am!
I can make my lips disappear!
Practicing to join the Backstreet Boys. Nice moves.
That's all for now. It's 77 and sunny in Lakewood, and we are going to the lake. Ta ta!
The Troubadours of Divine Bliss is a musical group consisting of two amazing women who travel the world and spread mighty kindness and messages of love and inspiration through their music. They began to touch my life almost a decade ago. In trying times, I lean on their music to remind me of what is important, who I want to be, and the peace and kindness I want my life revolving around. Last night, my bestie and I went to see them, and they sang this song. It's about letting go in order to find a place of peace...something I've struggled with my whole life and believe I was sent back to this life to overcome. I tend to dwell and dwell and let things eat at me until I'm just a shell of who I am meant to be. In order to successfully complete my journey, I've had to make some adjustments to my life and the people in my life. I believed that by taking what was toxic to me out, I could achieve this goal of inner peace. But doing only that wasn't/isn't enough. Certain thoughts & questions still plague me. If there were a magic pill to make the questions stop coming in, I'd take it. But there is no magic pill. And so I continue on this journey of longing to forget the questions, to forgo the ego, to revisit a place of peace and serenity, to accept that some people are just selfish and inconsiderate. Some will do whatever it takes to feel good about themselves. Some want you to feel miserable because they feel miserable. And some people just don't think. Simple as that ... and that has nothing to do with who I am as a person. Just because I can't understand someone's actions, doesn't mean I have to repeat them. "There are no friends or enemies. There are only teachers." I, just like you, am learning through this life. And I hope to one day come into my place of zen and inner bliss. I long for a day when I can peacefully have all the people in my life that I want in my life. Last night, I was hit with this song, and I wanted to share....for all the others out there, searching for that place of peace within. Blissings,
S
Oh my oh my oh my! He's over the halfway mark! What a big dude!
He is just too damn cute. I can't stand it. He's at this adorable stage of laying his head on you when he's sleepy. He likes to nuzzle. Sitting is such a strong suit now. I no longer need to build a wall of pillows in case of a tumble. The forward lunge is happening, and I keep waiting for that crawl to come! Where is it? Finn now spends most of his life on his belly. He will not sleep on his back anymore. You put him down and it's immediate. It scared us at first, but I had to learn to trust him. He knows if he can't breathe well and can move around to a comfy and safe position. He sure is handsy. Anything in the vicinity of him will be grabbed, pulled, ripped, broken, thrown, tossed, chewed, etc. Nothing is safe! Hide your belongings! Smiles are abundant and constant. He's a very happy boy. His favorite game is hide and seek. He will lay there and find something to cover his face. Then he moves his hands to the side and waves them all around like "help me! I don't know what to do!", and then he'll grab whatever's over his face and rip it off and laugh and laugh. He laughs so hard sometimes I think he's going to pass out....especially if you make donald duck noises right after he pulls the blankie off his face. That throws him over the edge. I need to video this. Here are some cutie patootie pics to honor his 7th month of life!
I finally opened my Artfire account. You can see all the artwork I currently have available for instant purchase. You can also contact me for special order requests. Here's a link to my shop littleliondesigns - ArtFire Artisan Studio. Of course, you can always still shop at my etsy site. However, my etsy site has all of my options on there, not just the items I currently have in stock. littleliondesigns - Etsy Studio
I would like to shamelessly ask if you all would be so kind as to vote for my business in this year's Start Up Nation's New Business contest. It's so hard being a full time mom, doing all my marketing, fund raising and artwork. I spend most of my time doing the first 3, that I barely get to do any artwork. Times are a little tough right now. And this mom needs your help. You can vote for me once a day (no registration required....literally just click and done!)by clicking here.
Okay, I lied! This is the last announcement. I'm also doing the Avant Garde Arts & Crafts show to benefit the Cleveland APL. That show is June 11 in Middleburg Heights. Click here to go to their facebook event page.
On September 17th, there is a CHD walk right here in NE Ohio! I've put a Krew together to walk this event. So far, there really isn't much of a Krew though. That's where you come in! We need to raise (my goal) $2,000! Won't you please consider a small donation? Kaia's short life was so big in so many ways. If she touched your life at all or changed you in any way, can you consider giving back with just a few spare dollars? All proceeds will go to end this (what I consider) epidemic? If you'd like to walk with my family, feel free to join us! You can donate and/or join our walk here: Congenital Heart Walk: Kaia's Krew page
Holy moly, time flies. It's been half of a year since my little darling was born. I can hardly believe just how far he's come in such a short time. He went from being my little bean to a big boy....from only being able to cry, to mostly laughing and learning. Look at him so small, the day after he was born. This is my grandmother holding my little man (my dad is filming).
I used to be able to hold him with only one arm. I noticed the other day that I now need two. Here's to the one armed days....some of his first faces.
Today, I sat him down on a blanket on the floor on one side of the room. I sat myself on the couch to pump and was checking emails from my phone. When I looked up to check on Finn, he was gone! Upon further searching, I saw him on the other side of the room on his belly....arms holding him up in baby updog position. I'm super curious how he got all the way over there without making a sound. He was literally 3 feet in front of me. I saw nothing and heard nothing. He's now rolling a lot. Maybe that was it. I haven't seen him crawl yet, but he scoots a little. He's figured out his Johnny Jumper and LOVES to jump. Check him out:
He has a growing interest and joy in our two kitties. Every time they come by, he giggles and smiles wide. Finn loves to pet them. He's actually learning to not grab them but to pet nice. It's amazing how quickly they pick things up when you teach them. He says "mama", and I know he knows what it means. He doesn't say it with me. But when he's with Eric (and let's face it. Babies love their mommies because I have the boobs and boobs = comfort) and he's crabby or hungry or tired, he says "maaaaamaaaaa" over and over. Speaking of saying things, he LOVES to talk. He has a good amount of babble that comes out of him, especially at night before bed. It's like he's getting his last words of the day in before he has to sleep. Here's a video.
What else? Favorite food is for sure avocado! He loves it. I spend about an hour every week or two making baby food for the next week or so. I throw organic veggies in the steam pot and then in the vitamix with some breastmilk, and then into baby food freezer trays and VOILA! Nutritious baby food for pennies compared to the jarred organic stuff. And it really takes very little time. In fact, I usually eat half of what I make him. Acorn squash...half for me, half for Finn! So, I'm enjoying the food part of this all.
Finn has a couple of buddies. Here are some pics taken at his friend Everett's house. Finn loves E's house. They have great toys! ( and a really nice camera. :)
even steelers fans can't hate me cuz I'm too cute.
I tooted!
I love to giggle!
try not to love me
drunk off oatmeal
my new high chair came!
My little man is growing so fast, I'm already ready for another baby. ;)
Finn is doing so much these days, it's hard to keep up. He rolls over and around. He has favorite toys and loves to drop things. He believes nothing should be on any surface except the floor. He's sitting. He loves to play. He puts his arms up for you to pick him up. He pets my face often to make sure I'm still there and real. :) He talks ALOT! He's sleeping 12 hours at night and taking 3 naps during the day. He's still nursing like a champ. He's now eating pretty much anything I'll make for him, which isn't much just yet. But his favorite thing is avocado. He smiles and giggles and is such a love muffin. For all of those who haven't met him (I have a few of you in mind and you know who you are), you're missing out on a wonderful little human! We are always here with open doors. I won't say much more about what he's doing because I feel it's not fair to do so so close to his 6 month birthday. I'm a tad late on the 5 month update. Such is life!
So, I've been knee deep in work for a bit. It seems like it anyway, but I'm sure it's because I'm also full-time mommy-ing it to my 5 month old. ;) Been getting a lot of animal portrait requests, and I wanted to share these adorable pooches & kitties. Some sad stories, some happy, but all cute as can be. Portraits range in size. Sizes can be seen in any of my etsy listings at http://www.littleliondesigns.etsy.com.
My life changed in 2009 when I had my first daughter, Kaia. I realized the world we live in is so precious and fragile, and I vowed to take the best care of it while raising my family. Kaia passed away shortly after birth from a serious heart defect. But she left a legacy and changed the world. We carry that legacy through our rainbow babies, Finn and Nova, my son and daughter. With each day, we strive to live simply, while creating the most delicious flavors and habits along the way. We love life, each other and the blessings in every moment.
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