The House Elf's Revenge

{Naked pie!}

I had all intentions of posting Violet's birth video by now, but a certain house elf spilled water on my laptop. It happened in slow motion one day last week, whilst I has stuck on the couch nursing the new pie.

The house elf has become much more brazen and much less responsive to threats of discipline since the new pie came home. So when she was pulling the straw out of my's hospital-issued water mug, the "STOP! STOP!" I screamed from the couch meant nothing, and right before my eyes the house elf killed my computer. This was, no doubt, punishment for bringing home the new screaming pie.

The house elf "tickling" baby while mommy begs her to stop {it's rare Violet sleeps through a car ride.}

Until we work up the courage to spend the money on a new laptop, I'll have to blog with Justin's work-issued IBM. As soon as the edited video is retrievable from my hard drive I'll be sure to post it. {Don't worry, it still exists, the house elf is not crafty enough to know how to destroy that.}

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After 42 pregnant weeks that seemed to last forever, I'm already in awe of how quickly the past 3 weeks of V-Pie's life have gone by. She is a really good baby, already sleeps through the night 95% of the time! We'll take it.

Daddy doing some "baby wearing" with the Moby wrap.

While Eis-Pie is still addicted to the pacifier after 2.5 years of life, V-Pie is of the opposite persuasion and refuses to let anything calm her except ME. I can easily spend 4 hours straight on the couch nursing her if I let her. She will reluctantly take a bottle, but it has been difficult for us {me, really} to get out of the house as Violet is not a fan of the car seat and is too much of a fan of my boobs.

This right here is why I could have 19 babies. RIP laptop...

You forget, even having done it before, how hard it is to have a newborn. But it is such a blessed time! Hard but wonderful. She will grow up so fast, this period of our lives is so fleeting that I am just trying to hold on to it as long as I can - even if it means spending 4 hours stuck on the couch helpless while the house elf destroys the home.

I know things get easier every day, too. Violet grows a little more independent each day and will continue to do so until someday she's moving herself out of the house or picking out a wedding dress. Eisley is already a reminder of how short this season of life is.

At my check-up for my doctor to look at my incision, I asked him how many c-sections were too many. I was sincerely curious: does it get to a point where 3 or 4 c-sections are dangerous? No, he said, you can have as many as you want {although he admitted, as I already knew, any surgery comes with it's risks}. We're not planning the next one yet, and have not even decided if there will BE a third pie, but I just know that before I blink Violet will be as old as Eisley is now and I might get baby fever again...

but maybe not. After all, like I said: this season is hard.

But wonderful. SO wonderful. Worth the 42 weeks & 1 day a hundred times over.

Does it scare you that right now it makes total sense to me why that Duggar lady has had 19 of them???

How can you blame me, when this is what I get to stare at all day:

That's one of the few times she's taken a pacifier... sigh...

Don't fear, I just keep telling myself 19 babies would turn into 19 teenagers.

Family Outing No. 1 1/2: Black Hawk

Dear Papa Erickson,

A couple weeks ago you recommended going to see Central City & Black Hawk. You told me about how the old mountain mining town had turned into a mini-Vegas with mega hotels and that it was really a sight to see.

In fact, you said, "Go up there some afternoon just to look around and get an ice cream." Those were your exact words.

So today we did just that, promising ourselves & Eisley an ice cream. We got to see the aspen starting to turn on our way...
Central City was still quaint and had that Old West feel that so many Colorado mountain towns do, Black Hawk {literally down the street} was another story. Mostly thanks to the new & huge Ameristar hotel. It is a Goliath of a hotel/casino, springing up unnaturally from the Rocky Mountains. 33 stories.
We parked in the 10 story parking garage {upon exiting the car, I could smell the $5.99 prime rib every hotel advertises on billboards for miles before town} and wandered the hotel, Eisley was not allowed on the gaming floor. It was a grand hotel. We went to the 32nd floor to look out a window.
It is like Vegas, only a lot classier with less smut {does that make it better or not as good as Vegas? Honestly, I'm not sure... the vulgarity being part of Vegas's charm, you know. If you don't understand that, you haven't been there.}

Having seen that, and not willing to lose any money on gambling, we headed back up the street to Central City, here is the courtyard at the Central City Opera House. There were definitely some pretty sites worth seeing here.
But two things bothered us about our day trip.
1. There was no ice cream to be found. This town is 100% casinos & saloon style restaurants. Even the clerk at the grand Ameristar hotel didn't know where to direct us when we asked her to recommend a place. She asked 5 co-workers and finally told us to go to Cook's Palace - a saloon style bar. For ice cream. We were told there would be ice cream. Papa, you owe us an ice cream.

2. This town is devoid of children. It actually gave us a weird feeling. We were freaks that stood out toting our two year-old along. We saw three teenagers walking home from school - does that count? You don't realize how strange it feels to be in a place with zero children until you find yourself there and realize how unearthly it is. I kid you not, it made us a little depressed, and we came to the conclusion that a world without goofy, silly, whiny, excitable, stinky, smiley children is no place we could ever call home.

What's usually the demographic that fawns over Eisley the most - the retirees & elderly, who were all out gambling on a Tuesday afternoon - passed her by as if she was a common houseplant. At Great-Grandma Sander's retirement community we practically have to pry them off of her - they act as if they haven't seen a child in 1,000 years and she is the Chosen One, surrounding her like vultures and making all three of our heads swell. It was probably good for us to be humbled this way, actually. We're sort of jaded by how much attention she gets in public sometimes... What do you mean she's not the center of your universe? Go figure.

But seriously, Black Hawk made Vegas look like Kiddie Land.
Here is the only sign of any family friendliness we saw in the entire town. Yes, Dostal Alley actually went so far as to post it on their window - they have pizza, beer, and also allow children! Wow. In spite of the warm welcome, there were still no children in there. {I imagined walking in with Eisley and the bartender eyeing her and saying in a gruff voice, "We don't take kindly to your types 'round here."}
In fact, it was so eerie, so strange to us - the way people looked at us & Eisley and the way we stood out in her presence - that I seriously would not have been at all surprised to see this guy come around the corner. I was pretty much expecting to see him at any moment:




Creepiest. Guy. Ever.

And I'm fairly certain Black Hawk hires him to keep the kids out of their casino town.

Anyway, it was still a good time, just to finally see Central City where - despite being a 4th generation Colorado native {or is it 3rd? I always forget about great-grandpa Erickson...} - I have never been before. We left hungry and feeling guilty that Eisley hadn't been at all entertained. So we sought solace in Idaho Springs at a little place dear to my heart: Beau Jo's. There they had a kiddie menu, a booster seat & crayons waiting for us. Along with other children also dining nearby, we breathed a sigh of relief.

Thanks for the tip, Papa Erickson! We did enjoy. But don't think we're letting you out of an ice cream date...

Love,
Heather

Cravings

{Meet my new boyfriend, Mr. Canada Dry}

They say all pregnancies are different, and at first with Pie #2 I thought it wasn't different at all but now I completely agree.

This pregnancy has been more nausea, more acne, and more cravings. INTENSE cravings.

And the problem with me being pregnant, something that makes me constantly grumpy, is that I am {most days} in a state of constant hunger. But with absolutely no appetite.

Hunger pangs hit me at least every 30 minutes, no matter how much I had to eat at my last meal. Eating is usually something I enjoy very much {too much}, but when pregnant, it becomes an absolute chore. A chore that I dread. About every thirty minutes I have to stop what I'm doing {because pregnancy hunger pangs are at least 10 times more intense than they are for non-preggos, trust me} and head off to the kitchen. "Ugh, I have to eat - again!" Not only that, but I have to find something to eat that won't make me vomit, and that is not always an easy task... I'm talking to you, Cheerios.

The good news is, since I have entered into pregnancy both times now a full figured woman, that my typical cravings for things like chocolate & junk food are replaced during pregnancy with cravings for healthy stuff {mostly}.

Fruit sounds better than baked goods.

A smoothie sounds better than a milkshake.

A salad sounds WAY better than a hamburger.

This is a good problem. This is how I managed to gain only 15 lbs when I was pregnant with Eisley, and dropped a whopping 45 after giving birth {here's to hoping I can pull that miracle off again, and perhaps keep it off this time? This time, I'm prepared, having been enlightened by one Ms. Geneen Roth.}

But then there are the weird cravings. Things that make me feel freakish. My husband still teases me about my habit during gestation #1 - soaking apple slices in Fresca before eating them. {It was soooo good!}

This pregnancy has brought on a passion for Canada Dry Cranberry-Lime Sparkling Water. I'm obsessed with Panera's French onion soup, and have it about 3 times a week on average. If my mister mentions grabbing fast food for lunch I scowl at him, "That's too greasy! Yuck!" {This is something I would not say were there no baby inside of me.}

But they're not all healthy cravings. Last night, 11:45pm, we had just crawled into bed when I sat up and announced, "Ooooh, pizza by the slice sounds SOOOO good right now!" He looked at me like I was crazy, and for a moment I did sincerely feel possessed. {Wait, what did I just say? That wasn't me!}

"Totino's?" He suggested.
I looked at him as if he'd just suggested I dye my hair green, "That's disgusting."

You see, very particular, pregnancy cravings are.

Yesterday also held in store for me an intense craving for Dr. Pepper, a drink which I have always loathed my entire life. Can't stand the stuff - but knock me up and Dr. Pepper is the new man in my life.

I mused during the first pregnancy at how you feel like a totally different person when you're pregnant, and I still stand by that belief.

All that said, sorry for another boring pregnancy rant/post. But - well - it is my blog. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find something to eat...

Baby Envy

It is a good thing Pie² is in the oven, I'm telling you. Eisley keeps rubbing it in my face that she is not a baby anymore.

Today I was in my towel robe, post shower, putting on makeup - I heard a rattling noise coming from Eisley's room where she was playing. I immediately stopped applying mascara and went to check on her.

She was in her crib, rattling the side rails and looking very proud of herself. Most certainly because I didn't put her there, she had apparently climbed in by herself.

A little bit later she runs up to me, hands me her bottle, gets a firm grasp on my finger and pulls me to the kitchen. This is her newest trick, to pull mom or dad towards what she wants. She points to the sink. She wants me to wash and refill her empty bottle. I think, what happened to the days when she simply cried, and we had to guess if it was food/comfort/change that she needed? Now she tells me, in her own adorable way, exactly what she wants.

So I fill her bottle, taking my payment via a long, smoochy kiss on her cheek {which is less puffy than ever, might I add, as she is turning into a child and losing her baby fat} and then she's off once again.

She scampers down the hallway to her bedroom, points to her crib and says "nite-nite". Is my almost two year old telling me she's ready for her nap? But first, we direct mommy to close the blinds, of course.

And so now she is napping, and now that I have a moment of peace to think about it, I'm feeling more grateful than ever that Pie² is coming soon.

I'm so proud of Eisley & her toddlerhood achievements, but it is so bittersweet to see the infant fading. She needs me a little less each day. And this is a good thing, but I won't say I don't miss her being a helpless newborn. Of course I do.

These days she climbs in and out of the car by herself, sings along to songs she hears, yells at the dogs when they bark, and sometimes can even get her clothes on without help. She used to sleep soundly in her car seat through a grocery trip, now she insists on riding in the cars attached to the carts, and has a conniption fit if we pass the free cookies without stopping to get her one. At night she holds her baby doll up to us, so that we can kiss the baby and put her to bed as well, each time making me think, "This isn't my baby, Eisley, you're my baby. I want to rock you to sleep."

I marvel at Eisley but I also can't wait to have another little baby to snuggle and marvel at. In fact this was a big motivating fact when we decided to try for Pie², with Eisley growing more independent each day, I was growing severely jealous of other moms with new babies, and more impatient to have one of my own.

Even though Pie² will undoubtedly grow up on me, too.

But I'm not done being a mother to infants yet.

It's been busy...

I've been a neglectful blogger lately. It's been busy! I'm not used to being so busy. I come from a family that values its leisure time, so the go-go-go vibe is difficult for me.

I think there is a happy medium, as with most things. Too busy and overworked, you get burnt out and lose yourself and end up neglecting relationships. You end up missing things.

Too lackadaisical and you turn into a person who can't handle the minor stresses of life and rarely achieves anything major. This is my theory, at least... and striking a balance can be hard. I think most of us are wired one way or the other.

Just from the past few weeks - I know exactly what a decapitated chicken feels like.

"I'm running out of time and I don't know where to run next!!!"

A couple weeks back I crafted until the wee hours of the morning to get orders together for this store, and then this store. One right after the other. And that first one just called and needs more because she's sold out! That's a happy problem, no?

And then Justin & I stayed up late one night, working together to upholster a chair. You can see more of the chair on my Lark & Lola blog here.
And then up until 2am another night last week, making a certain 1 year old's birthday cake. Whew. This was especially hectic, finding out I had to add another tier just hours before I needed it done! {Happy Birthday Miss Mara!} See more here.
And in the pressure to get the home looking good for guests, we tried to spruce up the porch. That meant another late night painting this bench we made, and turning my antique Ball jars into hanging vases. I still have more plans for the porch...
Today, Mother's Day, I hosted a lovely party with lovely guests and it was just a lovely time. In my humble opinion. ;-) Of course with parties I throw I always end up thinking about all the things I didn't get done. That's bad, though. I wanted to create a lovely atmosphere for the ladies in my life and I think it turned out pretty well. See more here.
I am not complaining about being so busy! I'm so fortunate, that if I must be busy, I'm busy for things that I love. Party planning, arts, decorating, crafting.

If I'm going to put down my pretty magazines, if I'm going to give up my "Oprah Hour" {aka naptime} to work, if I'm going to deprive myself of sleep - at least it's all for that which I love.

On Motherhood

This is my first mobile post ever. I sit here in my car, in the Hobby Lobby parking lot waiting to go buy craft supplies for A Paris Street Market. There is sure to be many typos and misspellings since I am on my Google phone's tiny keyboard.

I'm waiting for Eis to stpo napping, as I know if I got her up right now she'd be a fuss budget in the store. Sitting here I started thinking about how up until 8 months ago, my life revolved around just ME. I would have never have had to sit for an hour in the car to avoid a crying spell in a store. That's just one of those things about motherhood. I've been sitting here thinking about motherhood. How wonderful it is. How very very challenging it is (and I'm just on #1!).

Motherhood means a whole half of my purse is now the grave of a bag full of cheerios that spilled.

Motherhood means that I put a tiny shoe back on a tiny foot 10 times within the 5 minutes prior to leaving the house this morning.

Motherhood means that I dont't just put on makeup and do my hair in the morning, I put on make up and do my hair while singing to and cheering up a baby.

Motherhood meansthat I'm going crazy in little ways. Like yesterday when Justin caught me making "boo" faces at the cat somehow under the impression that I could make her giggle... only works on babies, I try and remember.

Motherhood means I feel guilty for everything I don't do.

Motherhood means I feel guilty for everything I do do.

Motherhood means your day will nearly never again be scheduled around your own needs, but someone elses.

Motherhood makes this cellphone not just for calling, texting, and looking up numbers - but also for distracting. A baby to keep her happy during the last few minutes of a shopping trip.

Motherhood means I was able to carry my baby, two bottles of champagne, and a box of wine out to my car the day before Easter.

Motherhood means you now have the ability to dart in superhuman speeds towards your child when they are about to injure themselves. Happened just this morning.

And motherhood means you'll sit in a parking lot, windows rolled down, enjoying a nice breeze in our 70 degree weather, typing a blog post to waste time while a baby naps in the back seat.

As I said, it's wonderful, challenging, exciting, and different. I've barely scratched the surface but still my life is changed forever.