Stair climber

I'm exhausted. 

I'm so exhausted. 

How can such a small little thing make you so tired and stressed and filled with joy all at the same time?

August is in that bumps and bruises stage that makes my heart hurt. He's adventurous just like his older brother. He's blowing through his milestones just like his brother. And he doesn't like to be in cage. Neither did his brother. But August is greeted everyday with an exciting challenge that his brother never faced at this age. Why am I so stressed?

This is why:

He's figured out how to climb the stairs. He also has an internal radar that points him past all of his bright, fun, colorful toys to anything that's sharp, hard, and dangerous. He won't stay in his crib/playpen/cage for more than 15 minutes before he wants out. When we are downstairs he's into everything, pulling up on everything, trying to climb everything, and my floors are really hard. If he'd nap in his bed at all, I might not be so frazzled, but he won't, so the only relief I have during the day is shutting us up in the sweet refuge of his mostly safe room.

I know this is a tough phase, and that it will pass, like everything else, all too quickly, but it sure is exhausting.    So, for the next few months I will be locked in August's room, adding to my ever-growing population of grey hairs until he's past this nerve wracking stage and into the next one.

xo

nessa dee

this morning

This morning was spent in my favorite room of the house, sitting and watching and snapping a few pics.

It was a good morning.

xo

nessa dee

Easter pics

Thanks to the help of my mother-in-law and mom, I was able to get some Easter pics of the kids last week that didn't involve too much drama. There was an issue over socks, and trying to get a baby to wear a hat was almost impossible, but we powered through. I thought I got a ton of potential winners, only to discover that my settings on the camera were wrong. Grrrrrr!! I'm so mad. I played with those settings throughout the shoot, and most of the pics are over exposed. But despite all that, and thanks to photoshop, I managed to get several in the 400 pictures I took. 

Alright...enough with the bombardment of kid pictures.

Grandparents, pick out your favorites.

xo 

nessa dee

Eyeglasses

I think animals in eyeglasses are simply splendid.

xo

nessa dee

Bunny Love

When we moved to this house, I was really disappointed with the fact that we didn't end up with a larger yard. It was one of the top things on our list when we were house hunting, but as the search dragged on, we found that we had to make some compromises. [Or we were just exhausted from looking at a million homes and we just picked one.] But this house had a little more to offer in the fact that it was in a cul-de sac [bonus], and had access to a creek and a small field out back [double bonus]. Anyway, my point is that with such a small backyard in the middle of a large suburban community, I never imagined that we would witness such an array of wildlife just outside our windows. But in two and a half years, we've played audience to a number of species of birds including Cardinals, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Road Runners, and even a family of Screech Owls. We've also watched the daily commute of squirrels scampering along the top of our fence. We raised a couple of caterpillars that we found on our plants. We've seen raccoons and possums and even a few snakes. And for the second time, we've found kits nesting in our backyard...three little nippers to be exact.

Audrie found Trixie trying to play with two of them by our playscape. And upon further investigation, we discovered the nest, and a third bunny:

They are the absolute cutest things, and of course we just wanted to feed them and snuggle them, and dress them up in little outfits, but with a dog and a little bit of sense, we decided the best thing to do would be to leave them alone. The last time we found baby bunnies in our yard, the experience ended in tragedy. I never wrote about it. We were pretty heartbroken. I kind of freaked my husband out because I called him, crying so hard I couldn't speak.

This time, though, we were extra careful watching the dog when she went out, and waiting [hoping] for the mommy bunny to move the babies. By the next day, the nest was empty, but just to be safe, we watched for signs of the babies for quite a few more days before we were sure they had been moved out of the yard.

While I would have liked to have played with these bunnies a little more [and use them for our Easter pics],  I'm glad they are safe elsewhere. I can't wait to see what other adventures with wildlife that our tiny backyard holds.

xo

nessa dee

7 months

That familiar feeling is back, the one that creeps up and settles in the pit of your stomach when your precious little baby has the new found freedom of mobility and no real sense of danger or depth perception. I know it will ease over time as August's strength and stability build, but until then, worry will be my constant companion.

Mr. August, you are a busy boy. You started crawling right before you turned 7 months, and already you've been pulling up to standing, trying to climb the stairs, and getting into everything. You love food, and you want a taste of everything I put in my mouth. Just the other day, I wasn't paying attention and you gummed the Rice Krispie treat in my hand. You love to play pat-a-cake and read your books. If I start reciting Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, you get the biggest smile on your face. You'll try to drop things on the floor so I will say uh-oh, but sometimes you forget how to let go of the toy. You are a fake coughing champ. If I ask you Where's the doggie?, you'll look around until you spot Trixie. You've even figured out how to play tug of war with the dog, and will chase her down with a dog toy in hand to give to her. I love watching you grow and learn, August. It makes my heart happy.

I'll eat you up. I love you so.

xo

mom

hello, spring break!

I have big plans for this week, I tell ya, big plans. I'm not going to escape to the beach, or head for the mountains.  I will be home, knee deep in junk. It probably won't be pretty, and it definitely won't be fun, but it's long overdue, and I'm looking forward to the finished product. Ever since the littlest mister arrived and school started, my house has become a real junkyard. It's so bad right now that I just want to shut it up, burn the place down, and start over, but since that's not a very sane solution, I'm forcing myself to use this free week to organize. I should be using this week to work on my illustrations, but this clutter is overwhelming and stressful, and I'll feel a lot better if I get at least a little bit of it under control.

It won't all be trash bags and organizers, though. I do have a few other, less trashy things planned for this week...

:: I'll be working on revising a few illustrations to get my portfolio and dummy book ready to submit. 

:: I'm going to take Easter portraits of my kids, and hopefully get some printed out to give to family, otherwise, they'll have to settle for this Instagram photo.

:: I'll be heading to SXSW several nights this week to hear some awesome bands. I have to admit that I'm a bit terrified, not because I'll have to weave my way through a massive crowd of hipsters, but because I'll be staying out so late. Yes, I'm officially old now. in my defense, though, this event is grueling even for the younger folk who don't have babies that still wake them up in the wee hours of the morning. So, don't judge me because I'm seriously weighing skipping a lot of SXSW in favor of catching a few extra winks.

:: And finally, I hope to get my house baby proofed so I can relax a bit more during the day. I'm considering the possibility of moving to a padded box for a year or five until this little guy doesn't make me so nervous. 

He's already pulling up to standing and trying to climb the stairs.

I already have a head full of grey hair.

what are your plans this week?

xo

nessadee

I have to remind myself...

At the end of the day when I feel I've accomplished nothing, I have to remind myself that three babes have been clothed and fed. I have to remind myself that though I didn't step foot in my studio, my children's minds expanded with each word I read and each page I turned. Though I skipped the gym, I carried laundry, toys, books, a baby up and down the stairs multiple times a day, everyday. I have to remind myself that kids are messy little creatures. That sometimes it's okay to just sit and let a baby sleep on my chest. And sometimes it's okay to steal a little sleep myself.  I have to remind myself to drop everything and go play outside.  That patience is hard to learn. That I should take a bath. I have to remind myself that this job is noble, even when it doesn't feel that way. That I'm not perfect. And that I should really take a bath. At the end of the day, when I feel I've accomplished nothing, I have to remind myself that three babes have been clothed and fed and fiercely loved. 

xo 

nessa dee

Monday Mini and another project

Just a quick post today with Instagram pics. I'll tell you more soon, and hopefully have some better pictures.

Happy Monday!

xo

nessa dee

It crawls...

Lord, help me.

xo

nessa dee