baby life /  by jen geigley

Ohmygosh, how's the baby life, you ask? (You didn't ask but let me tell you anyway.) We're definitely settling in. Bowie is a charmer, smiling all of the time. He's been going with the flow as we run from preschool to ballet to the library. He's fantastic at grocery shopping. He's been sleeping better at night. Usually. He's getting so big already.
He talks to us a lot. Lots of 'ohs' and 'ahs' and we swear that he says 'hi' half of the time. Some of his dark brown hair is falling out, and new lighter hair is growing back in. He has eczema. He smells super sweet. I can't stop kissing his cheeks. I snuggle him as much as I can. I let him sleep on my chest while I watch various shows on Netflix way longer than necessary. This is the baby life. It is good.

instas /  by jen geigley

Life in Instas. So nice. Are you on Instagram? I know you are. You can follow me at @heyjenrenee. (I'd love to follow you back. Let me know where I can find you, too.)  :)

doing this. /  by jen geigley

I haven't done a whole lot of art fun in a really long time, so when I saw this, I jumped. Lucky me snagged a spot in The Mystery Project: make a stranger's day. Art House Co-op is offering this project with Prismacolor as part of their 10x10 Series. I've spent countless hours poring over Keri Smith and Sabrina Ward Harrison books in my day, and I always had this goal to make art and leave it in a public space for someone else to find. But I never followed through. So this is my excuse, motivation and opportunity. Check back soon to see what I did with my mystery project kit. 

Feeling inspired? Signups for this project are over but there are several other rad projects open for participation right here.

pay it forward (and a giveaway) /  by jen geigley

Sometimes, you have a morning that requires coffee. You need it. Maybe it's chilly outside or you're super tired and you just know it will make you feel a little bit better. I needed this cup of coffee. It ended up being free. And it totally made my day. Yesterday, the woman in front of me in the drive-thru payed it forward and treated me (and a few cars behind me) to a free cup of coffee. So cool.
I've never been the recipient of a pay-it-forward-type situation, but I knew I wanted to do something nice for someone else right away. So I'm giving away these three hand-knit newborn hats.
Just leave a comment below and take your pick – let me know if you'd like cream, gray or light blue. These are definitely very small newborn-sized hats, so they won't work well for older babies. Just a little disclaimer. I'll pick three winners at random on Wednesday, April 18 with one catch ... you have to pass it on, pay it forward.  :)

transitions. /  by jen geigley

The other day, Lo came home from school and said she had something bad to tell me. Something really, really bad. (That's a quote.)

My girl has said things like this before and it usually ends up being something pretty minor. Like how she found a preschool classmate's clean-up reward sticker stuck to the sleeve of her shirt and needs to give it back immediately.

But this time, she took me into her room and asked me to close the door (even though the only people at home were me, her and the baby.) And after some hesitation, she whispered into my ear "I don't think I like being a big sister. And I love Bowie. But ... I don't think I like being a big sister." And then she quickly covered her mouth and her eyes opened wide and she looked at me.

And I said "Oh my gosh, did you think I'd be upset with you?" And she said "Yes." And I told her I wasn't upset. At all. That I completely understood and that it was okay for her to feel that way. I told her that when I was five, I was a big sister too, and I remember how it felt.

And the thing is ... she's a fantastic big sister. If the baby cries, she rushes over to give him a pacifier or sing a song or shake a rattle for him. She, on her own, can get him to stop crying. She's a natural little caretaker. Sure, the 'newness' has worn off and she's a little less likely to help every single time I check in to see if she wants to get involved in whatever is going on at the moment. But Bo and I have tried extra hard to roll with it and take things as they come with her feelings in mind. He has taken her to do tons of extra fun activities so that she has that one-on-one time. Not to say that every minute has been easy, because it hasn't. We knew it would be hard, but somehow I didn't expect ... this. Why wasn't I more prepared?

I felt horrible. I felt guilty. Had I expected too much from her? Was I involving her too much or not enough? I had thrown her into this new role and I felt so often that it was impossible to give her the attention and time she needed. She used to have entire days alone with me and we could do pretty much anything she wanted. We'd hang out, have picnics, play outside or watch movies and she would always say with a smile, 'girls only.'

Things are so different for her now.

And then my mind immediately flashed back to this post by Dooce. It's one of those things you read and somehow remember every word, years later. She had written about how five-year-old Leta suddenly looked like a giant next to newborn Marlo. (My thoughts exactly. The enormous hands, the eyes ... the head!) And how Leta wanted her new baby sister to stop crying at her. And how she buried her face into her dad's neck one night and said "I want you to love me." And I was like, woah. Yeah. This is our life right now.

I found myself saying the same things to Lo. Those universal mom things. I hugged her hard and told her I loved her so very, very much. That she was my first-born baby and my one and only most favorite daughter. That she was a wonderful big sister, even if she didn't like being a big sister right now. And that someday things will change and it will get better and easier and more fun.

And then I promised her a 'girl date' to grab doughnuts or fro-yo or whatever she wanted. Just like we used to. Girls only.

'Neh' and other random mom-vice /  by jen geigley

The mom life. I usually feel like the last person who should be giving advice in a world full of advice-givers. But if there are any rookie moms reading (or new moms-to-be), here are a few little things I've learned along the way from my two kids. And like anyone else, I learn something new all of the time. It goes without saying that every kid and mom and baby are different, so this is just my two cents about a few random things.
Baby whisperer. Not even kidding. There is apparently a universal 'cry' language that all newborns use. All over the world. If your baby's cry sounds like the word 'neh' with a strong 'n' sound, it's a hungry cry and they want to be fed. If they're crying with an 'eh' or 'o' or other vowel sound, it means stomach trouble or too hot/cold or they want to be held or need to be changed. I swear by listening for the 'neh' cry ... both of my kids have made this cry really clearly as newborns.
Fingernails. Eeek! Please don't try to use nail clippers on teeny-tiny newborn fingernails. It always ends badly. Use a nail file instead. Trust me. Bloodbath. Those fingernails are paper-thin (and sharp) but clipping them is oh-so-tricky.
Don't be afraid of the pacifier and bottle. Throw them in the mix right off the bat. Yup, even if you're nursing. This is just me, and it probably goes against advice that lactation consultants will give you, but my babies have done so well with this and we never had any problems with 'confusion.' When they're tiny babies, it seems like they'll suck on anything, so I let them get the hang of nursing and then I introduce the pacifier and bottle during that first week or two. It's later on that they get picky and may only want to nurse instead of taking that bottle you pumped ... say, on the one night you really, really want to meet up with girlfriends for margaritas. And that's just sad for everybody.
Eat. Play. Sleep. Feed the baby, keep them awake for awhile, let them sleep, repeat. If you have time. These days, trying to keep a strict schedule is not easy when we're keeping up with Lo's activities and school drop-off/pick-up times. But even if you are anti-schedule, you can make this work and still be super flexible. The baby learns what to expect and you will have better luck with planning out your day, too.
Diaper bags don't have to be diaper bags. There are tons of high-end diaper bags out there that are fantastic. But my best go-to bags are always messenger bags, whether I'm carrying a baby around for the day or not. They have that fantastic big back pocket, perfect for a diaper changing mat and wipes. And plenty of interior/exterior pockets for bottles, sippy cups, My Little Ponies, etc. My all-time favorite is my Moop messenger in gray canvas and I carry it everywhere.
Take photos. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it's easy to lose track of all of the fun and fast changes that take place during a baby's first year. Especially if you have more than one kid. Sometimes it feels like time stands still, but that little person is growing at hyper speed right in front of your eyes. So fast that you just might miss it if you're not careful. Mark down a monthly 'photo shoot' day on your calendar. Put your babe near a window to snag some natural light and take a crapload of pics with favorite blankets, outfits, etc. It may seem redundant now, but you won't be sorry you took the time to do this down the road (when all of those tiny t-shirts look impossibly ... tiny.)
Write it down. This is another thing you can tackle monthly. Open up a Word doc (or even write yourself an email) and make monthly notes about your little one's accomplishments and developments. Take five minutes and type up a list of what your baby is into right now and significant 'firsts' that have happened over the past couple of weeks. It doesn't have to be complete sentences and you can write whatever you want. Later, when you pull out that baby book, you'll have lots of material to work with to fill in all of those blanks.
And last but not least, the best mom advice ever given to me. Listen to your baby. You'll do the right thing. And if what you're doing isn't working ... do something different. You've got this.

from London, with love /  by jen geigley

Look, look! I got a little surprise at my door the other day with a big Royal Mail stamp on the front. My sweet friend Kim Smith hand-knit these baby socks for Bowie. I love the colors, and there's nothing sweeter than a little pair of knit socks.
This is Kim. We have a lot of things in common. We somehow crossed paths online a few years ago when I originally found her through a Vespa Flickr group. She's a fantastically talented photographer, and I loved her work. Later, I discovered we were both also into paper crafting, journaling,  scrapbooking and such and we became long-distance friends. With her living in the U.K. and me here in the U.S., we also became pen-pals of sorts, sending each other random drawings and found papers and mixes on CDs. We started a little project called Work Your Soul, later adding our friend Kara to the mix. And now we're hooked on knitting. If only we lived in the same city. (Or even the same country.)  :)
Anyway, wow. Check out that colorwork. Such a labor of love. One more keepsake to add to my little guy's wardrobe. I can't wait to tell him where each of his handmade gifts came from one day. (Thanks so much, Kim.) xo.

the M /  by jen geigley

Do you shoot with a DSLR ... but you're scared to move from Auto to the M? You need to take my friend Kara's online photography class. The M.

Here are the details ...

"This class is for anyone who wants to learn the technical aspects of digital photography in an easy to understand and unintimidating setting. The class starts at the very basics – camera and lens recommendations, exposure, composition, lighting, and Photoshop corrections. It ends with basic tips from everything from landscape to portrait photography and includes free Photoshop actions, film photography tips, challenges, critiques, and inspiration. Most of the focus is on portraiture, but other subject matter is covered. The class material covers two week’s of thorough, daily lessons, tips, and ideas. This e-course will go on sale on March 26th for $45 on Classes Kara Made. Class begins on April 2nd, runs for two jam-packed weeks, and concludes on April 13th."

You can see some of Kara's work here. So. Sign up already. You'll have so much fun with your camera this summer if you do.  :)