Lavender Kay

You guys!  I am so excited to show you the project I have been working on!  Remember that sneak peek post awhile back, well this is the final product to that project!  I am now selling custom geometric baby mobiles.

When I was getting Ruby’s room together before she was born, I had this idea in my head of the mobile I wanted to hang over her crib, but just couldn’t find the right one.  So I decided to make it myself.  Each mobile is made by hand with local materials. They each feature a fun gold frame and custom geometric shapes.

I have designed a few mobiles that I have listed on etsy, and there is also an option to choose your own colors to create a custom mobile to fit the exact colors of your nursery.  Below are the color options I have available.

To see all the mobiles I am selling check out my etsy store here. I have added a link to my shop on the top right menu of my blog, and that link will take you straight to the mobiles as well.

If you have any questions about the mobiles feel free to email me at michele@lavenderkay.com or send me a message through etsy.

Hi friends!  Today I am sharing our family pictures.  We were fortunate enough to have my sister-in-law take some pictures of us as a family of three when we visited Washington last month.  She did an amazing job of capturing our family, and I am so excited to share some of them with you!

You can check out more of Laura’s photos here.

Hi!  I just thought I would quickly check in and post a picture of this cutie pie.  I am fighting a cold so I am trying to rest up during any down time Ruby gives me.  I am also drinking a lot of this.

Happy Wednesday friends!

Good afternoon!  This week has been little crazy but I thought I would check in and post a few instagram pictures from our Florida vacation.  We had so. much. fun!  I was pretty nervous for the airplane ride with Ruby but it ended up going pretty well.  The flight to Florida started a little rocky but once we were in the air things went pretty well, and the flight attendants even gave us a free drink!  Here are a few of the photos from our trip!

We rented a town house through airbnb and it worked out really well with Ruby.  We had our own space but also access to the attached condo’s amenities.  There were two pools and hot tubs and it sat right on Miami Bay.

My favorite past time was taking drinks and snacks to the cabanas and just camping out for hours.  We took our bassinet attachment to our stroller and Ruby would just nap right there.  It was heaven.

Our other favorite thing to do was walk.  It is so cold in Wisconsin right now so we never get to take Ruby on walks.  It was fun to walk along the bay or walk to a restaurant because everything was close by.

We already want to go back again!

I am so excited to post the DIY to Ruby’s dresser today!  Jonathan and I had searched high and low for the perfect dresser and we just weren’t having any luck.  We really wanted something mid-century to match her crib but nothing was in our price range.  Then we stumbled upon this amazing antique shop in Milwaukee and there it was!  But, it was all wood and we needed something with white so that it complimented the room better.  So we took a risk and painted the drawers.  Below is the before pictures as well as some of the steps we took to get the final product.

First we sanded the front of the drawers.

Next we pulled out the drawers to tape and prepare for painting. We had to be extra careful with the taping because of the cute gold indents on the front of the drawers.

Once the fronts of the drawers were painted, we left them outside to dry.

And that’s it!  It was that easy!  I am so happy with the end result!

Today I wanted to share some of my thoughts on raising Ruby far away from home.  We decided to have Ruby while we are in Wisconsin and all of our family lives in Washington State.  Because we are new parents, we didn’t know what it was going to be like. But, I have to say now that we are three months in, it is equally a very special and challenging experience.

On the positive side of having Ruby so far from home, we get to create a bond as a family of three in a unique and beautiful way.  There are definitely daily challenges of feeling like you are all on your own with no one to help, but there is also something so special about learning how to rely on your partner in a new way.  The deep love I feel for Jonathan as we have entered this new world of parenting is hard to even put into words.  And, equally the love I now feel for sweet, little Ruby is so strong.  We are this small family learning to find our own way.

Some days Jonathan and I are bursting with so much love for Ruby that we miss her when she takes a nap.  And, sometimes we just lay on our bed and stare at her in wonder.  If you would have told me this is how I would feel before Ruby was born, I wouldn’t have understood.  But, now it is just so clear to me.  Having Ruby has been the very best!

But, on the other side of the spectrum, it is also very hard being away from home.  Sometimes I feel like I am keeping Ruby from her family.  She has such loving grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, and it is hard knowing she doesn’t get to see them very much.  FaceTime is AMAZING, but sometimes it just doesn’t do the trick when you wish your sister could come over for some coffee and help you raise your daughter (#amiright)!  And, don’t even get me started on babysiting!  I would die for just one night away with Jonathan, and I know if we were close to family this would be possible.

For now, it is important that I accept that fact that we are on the other side of the country raising Ruby, and find joy in the special moments that opportunity brings us.

Have any of you had children far away from your family?  What has been your experience?

Hi friends!  Taking a quick breather from the world of motherhood!  I wanted to show you this cute picture our friend took of Ruby and I.  That hat!  I. can’t. handle. it!

Life has been kinda busy for us lately as Jonathan’s parents came to visit us the other weekend, and then my grandma and great aunt came after they left.  It was so fun having family visit us and help out with Ruby.  We had so much fun with everyone, and wish they could stay forever!

This week is especially crazy too as Jonathan is on call all week and then we fly to Florida this weekend.  I am very excited to get out of town for a week and see the sunshine.  And, you should see the cute swimsuits I have for Ruby.  It may be too much cute that I won’t even be able to handle it!

Have a great Wednesday!

Happy Tuesday friends!  Today I wanted to share a few photos of Ruby’s bath time.  Bath time is Ruby’s favorite time.  No matter what mood she is in, if we draw her a bath she is one happy girl.  We try to make the environment as calm and serene as possible because bath time also means bedtime.  Our nightly routine is to give Ruby a bath, followed by getting a massage (aka getting covered in head to toe lotion) and then nursing and sleep.  She loves it.

Our friend stopped by to snap a few photos of our family time and I am so happy he did!  What a great memory to capture!

Ps. Did you notice the tiny design refresh I did on the blog?  I decided to change things up a bit and update my logo/design color.  What do you think?

Photos by Shrikant Tele

Hi friends!  Today I wanted to share a little video Jonathan put together.  He compiled a bunch of iPhone videos we took after Ruby was born so that we could remember that special time.  It is truly crazy how fast time flies, and I can’t believe she will already be two months old tomorrow!  I hope you enjoy this little snippet into Ruby’s first month.

I am so happy to announce that Ruby Kay is here!  She was born on November 7th at 7 lb 15 oz and was 20 in long.  We already love her so much we can barely stand it!

Ruby couldn’t have timed her arrival more perfectly because Jonathan’s mom and two sisters arrived from Washington less than an hour after she was born.  It was really wonderful to have people with us at the hospital and looking back, I don’t think we could have got through those crazy couple days without them!

You guys, giving birth is no joke!  I wasn’t really prepared for all the craziness that goes into delivering a baby.  I know the birthing experience can vary so much but man, being in labor for 20 hours is nuts!  Actually the first part of the birth was a positive experience.  Our nurse was amazing and definitely played a big part in getting us through labor and delivery.  And, my ob was outstanding!  I delivered at a very large hospital and didn’t expect to have my doctor at the delivery but it worked out that she was there for it, and she was a rock star.

One of the things that was especially incredible was that I pushed for two and a half hours and my doctor stayed with me for the whole thing!!  Honestly, I couldn’t even believe it but I am so very thankful she was!  At the end of the push, things got a little crazy and my doctor was a complete gangster in getting Ruby out.  I won’t give you all the intimate details but I will say, Ruby crowned for 45 minutes and it was totally insane!  Her head was stuck for quite awhile (and she has a pretty large bump on her head to prove it) and we honestly didn’t think she would make it out. But, at the end of all the craziness, Ruby came out wide eyed and beautiful and we are obsessed with her.  The emotion Jonathan and I felt when she was set on my chest was like nothing else we have ever felt.  Totally and completely wonderful!