Team B and B

Brigid, are you in there?

I feel like for the past several, several months the only thoughts I have composed were thoughts on Stetson. Now don't get me wrong, he is ever changing and the main focus of my life now, but that doesn't mean that Brad and I are left just staring at him all day. We do things, and we are more than just parents, although sometimes that idea seems foggy to me, I think it is very important for us to take time to focus on ourselves as a couple and as individuals.  This is harder than it sounds.

I have to say, I think for me it is was very hard to focus on myself outside of the role as a mother.  I moved to Chicago with the idea of eventually getting a job and then the universe got involved and I became pregnant before finding employment and BAM! I'm suddenly a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom).  I will say, I never, ever envisioned myself staying at home.  My mom worked, most of my friends work, I truly believed I would always work.  So, here I am, staying home, the caregiver, the homemaker.  All these descriptions never sounded right to me.  I think of being a homemaker, and I think of the Beaver's mom, and by all accounts that is not me, but it is too, kinda.  I clean clothes, grocery shop, cook dinner, all the typical stuff, but it is SO MUCH more than that, which is something I had to realize on my own in order to fully appreciate my new role.

My first few months at home were very difficult.  I found myself needing constant reassurance from Brad that not only am I doing a good job, but it's ok to be home, I'm doing a good thing for our family.  I spent my whole life putting value into a job and the money I made and the insurance I offered, that I felt like somewhat of a hanger-on not going into the office everyday and "working" for a living.  This constant need for reassurance created tension. I think Brad felt like he was constantly walking on eggshells to make sure that I felt appreciated, while I, in turn, felt like I had to constantly overdo what I was doing just to prove that I was a contributing partner in our family.  Silly, right? Well, I had to relearn everything I knew about "contributing", I had to teach myself that by keeping the house in order, taking care of Stetson, getting food and taking out the dog, were all things we would be paying someone else to do if I did work, so instead, I get to do these things, and really I couldn't be luckier! I feel so blessed that I am Stetson's constant.  I am so lucky to be what he knows and sees everyday, and to be the very individual he will get the most from.  What a huge task and reward all the same.

So how did I teach myself that I can be myself, the quirky (sometimes annoying) Brigid, that laughs at stupid things, loves to go on runs and thinks Jim Gaffigan is SO FUNNY, all while being a mom, with HUGE responsibilities that involve picking out organic baby yogurt while trying to defend the fact that I still use disposible diapers?? I left town.  Honestly, I had to get the hell out of Chicago to even figure out how important I am, and how much Brad does for us as well.  From the time I had Stetson, I was so caught up in having NO IDEA what I was doing, while struggling to do everything perfect, that I forgot to just be me.  It's so hard to put into words, but I spent 32 years being only me.  Even after I met Brad and we quickly became "Brad and Brigid", I still felt like Brigid, just with a better half.  After Stetson, I became so lost in this new world, that it took going to Key West with my best friends to remember, I'm a new mom, but I'm also, at the core, Brigid.

My BG's (Bay Girls - best friends since high school, some even longer - Tiff:) ) and I started planning a Girl's trip while I was pregnant.  We had one previous trip together before everyone had kids about 7 years ago, and it was in Vegas.  We wanted to try and do a trip again, and I thought Key West because we all wanted beachy and my "aunt" owned a house there that we could stay at for cheaper than any of the hotels or renting a house from a stranger.  

As the trip got closer I became more and more anxious.  It was too soon, I wasn't ready to leave my baby at home with *gasp* his own father. Could you imagine? In all seriousness, I wasn't sure Brad would know what to do, I mean, he is hand's on father, but he works all day and isn't as in tune with Stets' schedule as I am.  Could this work? Would he be calling me at all hours, a ball of stress not knowing where I kept the diaper genie refills? Would Stetson forget who I was or worse yet, believe I left him forever?

It wasn't until I got off the plane in Cleveland and saw my best friend waiting at my gate eating an ice cream cone that things in my brain started to change.  My massive weight of responsibilty felt instantly lighter, I guess I proved that slightly when I forced a shot of tequila on her while waiting at the airport bar for our other friends.  Soon after this we found ourselves in Florida, giggling with free drinks from fellow travelers in hand, and although Stetson and Brad were in my thoughts constantly, I felt this sense of freedom that I never allowed myself to feel since having my wonderful baby.  I put so much pressure on myself to be everyone's everything (mother, wife, housekeeper, cook, grocery shopper, caretaker, floor cleaner), that I honestly and truly lost sight of myself.

Since returning from the trip I have seen my life in a new light.  Not only was I allowed to let go a bit, but I also realized how much I could truly depend on Brad.  He took care of Stetson with no issues (or at least none he let me in on), and I think he came out of it for a deeper appreciation of me as well.  Sometimes Brad comes home and the house isn't perfectly cleaned, instead I was able to take Stetson and Zeki on run to the park because it was FINALLY warm in Chicago, or maybe we decided to wander around the square just because.  Either way, I feel now, that I can finally accept myself as a mom, but as a mom that is Brigid at the very core.  If we get a babysitter, the first thing I do is get a shot of tequila - because that's how I am, but as a mom that also means I can't have 2 shots, or 3 drinks, but I can still do the things I used to do in moderation.  I don't have to be someone else to be a good mother, I have to be me and, not to toot my own horn, but I honestly believe that Stetson is lucky for that.  I'm never going to wear mom jeans, or I might not have the best after school snack always waiting for him, but I will always be one shuffle mix away from a dance party and if it's nice outside, we will be out there playing TOGETHER, and I can't wait, but once the sun sets and you are tucked tight in bed I will also be having a much needed cocktail on our deck with my favorite man ever, because that's who we are, and try as we might, we can never force ourselves into roles we weren't meant to play.

And in the end I could not be happier!

I know this is a bit off course from our typically Stetson updates, but I also think its important to keep a journal of how we are as people. Even if it's hard to grasp at times.

 

Till next time. 

Peace, love and Key lime pie!!

Brigid, Brad, Stetson and Zeki

 

It's Official....

Yep, it's official.. WHAT? No, not that! It's official that I am entirely and uterly obsessed with my baby - wouldn't you be?

The past couple of months have been filled with development for this little guy. From getting "SO BIG" to sprouting two new chompers, my baby boy is getting less and less baby everyday, and it all seemed to happen overnight.

Here he is with his new friend Ollie - the cuteness is taking over your computer screen - be prepared!

About a month ago, I went on a much needed girl's trip to Key West with all my favorite ladies (except Maggie - we'll get ya next time!!) On the morning I was getting ready to leave, Stetson made his first crawl.  it was slow and struggled, but I could tell that when I returned he would be ALL OVER the place, and I was right.  On top of that, the very same weekend he got his first tooth, and started pulling himself up onto furniture (well anything around, sturdy or not).  At this point, he can do pretty much anything for his size.  He gets all over the place and pulls up on everything.  He has just started perfecting the cautious act of sitting down after pulling up as well, I guess falling on your face over and over will help increase the need to be cautious when coming back down.

All this new development has been rough on me - I know I have to let him explore, and I try to stay at least two steps behind him at all times, but some falls I can't prevent (and we all know he needs to fall to learn to walk - but UGH!)  Needless to say, I have been kissing many bumps and bruises, and am starting to realize that I will be kissing bumps and bruises for years to come, as my little boy is a bit fearless.

Beside for all the crawling we also took Stetson on his first plane trip! We were fortunate enough to have Brad's work send him to a conference in Salt Lake City, and since G-Bob and G-Chris Schaefer live in SLC we made it a family affair.  It was so great to see Stetson bonding with his grandparents, that and we got to go on a plane with little to no issues (well, the obvious traveling issues, but none of which were caused by Lil' Stets). He had our whole flight smiling over his uncontrollable giggling at the airplane window - I would simply slide it up and then slide it down and he was unable to breath he was laughing so hard.  Aww, the little things:)

I just wanted to give a quick update on our Stets.  I am going to try and post more often so friends and family can really get to know our everday lives, but until that happens...

 

Peace love and cutie oranges -  cuz they are the best!!

Brigid, Brad, Stetson and Zeki

A Day in the Life....

Being 7 months old sure is a busy time around these parts.  Here's a little sneak peek into an average day in Stetson's life - from his point of view (if you can handle that amount of corniness!)

Boy was yesterday filled with adventure! I saw so many new things - and what I learned! Forget about it! I learned so much I could fill a very small book.  

As most of you know Chicago has been under the spell of mean winter storm the past few days, which means Mom and I aren't able to go out and run all those errands like we usually do, instead we are stuck around the house, which means I get to play All. Day. Long!  SO FUN!

I started my day in what my Dad calls my Baby Jail.  I don't know why he calls it jail though, cuz I just think it's awesome - lock me up and throw away the key cause I don't want to leave!

 

After wearing myself out playing mad tunes in my play yard, I decided I burned too many calories and politely asked the Momster to fix me up some grub for breakfast.  Lately she's been giving me cheerios and yogurt.  The yogurt is AWESOME, but the cheerios are a little hard for me to hold onto, so I give my best whine and am usually given maple syrup flavored puffs to shut me up.  Works like a charm!

At this point, my day has been awefully busy - and I am exhausted, so I decide to take a quick snooze. And by quick I mean 20 minutes.  I know I'm in a better mood if I sleep for an hour, but I just have so much to do that I usually have to cut my nap short to fit in all stuff I got to do.  Sacrifices need to be made when your as important as me.  So, after my quick "20 minuter" (as Grandma Kathy calls it), I knew mom would be hard at work doing some stuff around the house so I decide to chip in and help fold the laundry.  

While doing the laundry Zeki and I decide it would be so fun to get outside and explore the world! So I give Zeki the look which means "go scratch on the door even though Mom just took you out while I was sleeping, and whine to go outside again." My dog is so smart, he picked up on my signals like a charm, and before you know it Mom was bundling me up and talking under her breath about something, I don't know what, but I'm pretty sure Mom loves walking outside in the freezing snow with me just as much as I do. 

 

I do think Mom might over do it on the bundling though - really? 2 blankets?  Santa hat and a rain canopy?  I'm sweating it up in here!

Zeki loves walks in the snow - so much so that he purposfully does not go to the bathroom right away while he sniffs out the world around him. 

Once we get back it's lunch time, and there is nothing more I like at lunch than a good 6 ouncer! Followed by some oatmeal and pears.

After lunch I hit the jumperoo for some hard earned bouncing action! If there is one thing I love - it's to bounce!  check out my skills (there is another video which better depicts my master at jumping, but Mom can't stand the sound of her annoying voice and laugh so she made me post the shorter one instead):

  

Finally, mom tries to get me to nap again.  I don't know when she's gonna learn that napping is for losers, but I let her try anyways.

While I nap Mom tries to do some of her exercises - I'm pretty sure she's overexerting herself so I wake up after 24 minutes to give her a break from all that sweating.  Plus, I kinda wanna watch the snow come down...

I then take some time to play with Zeki, and then help mom start dinner.  

After some more playing and running around, it's time for bed. It's been such a fun day! And since it's supposed to snow all week I really look forward to being trapped in the house some more! Till next time - look what I learned to do this weekend:

 

 

Peace, love and my sweet baby blues,

Brigid, Brad, Stetson and Zeki

A New Year and a VERY charming 6 month old....

So our little Stetso doesn't turn 6 months until next week, but who are we kidding, we all know I won't get around to another blog by then, so let's squish in the New Year and his 6 month blog into one post.

This holiday season was clearly a special one to us.  We decided to go to Indiana to visit the entire Schaefer (and Bull Schaefer) crew at Aunt Becky's house, then head home to Chicago for a quiet Christmas night and New Year, only to hop back in the car and get to Cleveland for little Christmas.  Our Reilley side decided we would celebrate Little Christmas this year, which was something I didn't know existed until my mom googled it. Apparently it is a widely celebrated day around the world.  The short version is many cultures keep up their trees until Jan 6, which is the day the 3 kings came to the baby Jesus and presented him with their gifts.  After this day it is ok to take down your Christmas decor.  

While in Indiana we were able to go out to eat TWICE! Once for dinner, and again the next morning for brunch.  Going out to eat was such a standard practice for Brad and me before we had Stetson, that it has become one thing I miss, so when we are able to do it now, it's quite a treat.  Both times, Stetson was a so perfect!  He took his bottle and then took a snooze while the adults caught up.  I gotta say, every month he is more and more fun and perfect:)  I don't know if he could get any more perfect.  Also while in Indy Stetson was able to meet his cousin who is only a little more than a month younger than him.  I was so excited for these two to meet, I hope they are able to form a close bond that stays with them throughout their lives.  It also gave me an opportunity to see how different the two babies are.  Korben - his cousin- is so cuddly and calm.  He likes to be held and, loves to just swing and smile, while Stetson needs to MOVE.  There is no cuddle time in his busy life, and the swing is for napping - put him in it any other time and forget about it.  Obviously I love my baby's sense of humor, and I have a hunch I may know where he gets his "active" personality from, but it would be nice for him to cuddle with me every once in a while.  I will say this, he did take the time to cuddle with Grandma Chris - which was super cute.

After a brief (and much needed) stay back in Chicago, we hit the road again to see our family in Cleveland.  My parent's had a family party for us on Friday and the Reilley Grandparents were nice enough to baby-sit on Thursday so Brad and I were able to visit our buddies at the Ironwood.  We wrapped up the weekend by opening presents on Saturday.  My dad made two amazing breakfasts for the whole family and my mom could not get enough of holding Stetson so I had both arms free for a better part of the weekend, which was a nice change, although I was anxious to squish my little one once he was done entertaining his grandparents.  On top of all this Stetson was able to meet my Poppy and his Great Grandpoppy!  As most of you know Poppy (and Gammy) have been very big parts of my entire live, so it was very important to me for Stetson to meet him.  Although he is having trouble seeing these days, it was worth it to at least get this photo of the two of them together.  Words can not express how lucky I am to have such loving grandparents, and to have one of them meet my son.  It takes my breath away.  I am even more lucky knowing Stetson will have a similar relationship with both sets of his grandparents.  Awww man, enough of this mush, I'm getting all worked up and it's only nap time:)

On that note, the New Year always reminds me of how Brad and I got together on that fateful night at Zeki's bar in San Francisco.  We then continued to visit Zeki's regularly throughout our relationship.  It was because of Zeki's bar I met one of my best friends in the world, Kelly, and in turn met several other of my forever friends, like Shawn and Andy.  It obviously made a huge impact in my life, hell, we named our dog after the bar.  There was one constant with Zeki's and that was Maho.  No matter how my day was going, or how my life was changing Maho was there for all of us.  With either a free drink, a corny joke or just his infectious laugh that made me feel like the funniest person on the planet.  Maho bought me a cake for my birthday and another when Brad and I got married, neither were expected, and it just proved what a thoughtful man Maho was.  Maho passed away a couple months ago, although I have not seen him since I moved to Chicago he was such a bright part of my life for many years.  I know he will be greatly missed by his friends and family and I just pray he passed as comfortable as possible.

Till next time, peace, love and ALWAYS hug those close to you and never let go...

 

Brigid, Brad, Stetson and Zeki

Stetso, bringing down the house at 4 and 5 months..

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED in the past couple months!!! Stetson was baptized, thanksgiving, rolling over, holiday parties, grandparents visit, new jobs!!  Where do I begin?

I will try to keep this brief, but our past couple months have FLOWN by!! Honestly, I remember when Stetson turned 3 months old and I thought - wow, that was a loooooong month, rewarding and amazing, but long.  Since then, I blinked and my world has gone into fast forward mode!  I can't explain it, but everytime someone asks me how old Stetson is I am "this close" to saying "3 months" before I have to accept the fact that 2 whole months have passed since he has been 3 months - as cliche as it is- where has the time gone????

So here's the short of it:

Stetson was baptized in early November.  Much like our wedding, we kept it small and intimate.  We invited both godparents (Aunt Becky and Uncle Dan) and did the ceremony in our apartment followed by a lovely dinner with Dan, Becky, Brad, my cousin Carolyn and myself and Stetson.  It was perfect! I hate saying that so much, but often times I imagine a specific event and I end up disappointed because the event does not live up to the standards I built up to it in my own head.  But this baptism was exactly what I wanted.  I didn't want anything too traditional, and I knew I wanted it to be small.  I knew I wanted the ceremony to be about the people involved and not the hoopla that often overlooks what really matters, and that is exactly what I got.  

After the baptism we had Thanksgiving which I already blogged about.  Since than Brad has taken a new job that is based in Chicago, which means starting in the new year he will be working in the loop.  This is good and bad news.  Good because he gets an office to go to everyday and our home doesn't become his work, but bad because I don't get my lunch with him everyday and I can't rely on him to take the dog out when Stetson is in "a mood".  Overall, it is going to be great, and honestly we have been too lucky for too long.  

Last week my folks were in town and we had a holiday party all at the same time.  Now we look forward to our Christmas celebration in Indiana, our New Years here and then we will be celebrating Little Christmas (google it) with our Cleveland family.

Happy holidays to everyone!!

Love,

Brad, Brigid, Stetson and Zeki

Thanksgiving

Ok, I'm well aware I still need to post my 4 month blog for Stetso, but while we wait let's enjoy our Thanksgiving photos:)

Brad and I decided this would be our first thanksgiving ever that would be spent with just "us".  Typically we host thanksgiving for friends and family in the area, but this year we intended to go to Cleveland to celebrate.  However, with Stetson being so young, and Brad having to travel for work we blew it all off and decided we could make dinner for just the two of us and provide our other loves with their appropriate meals (don't worry Zeki got turkey!!)

Below is a photo (or video) depiction of our day. 

The day started off with Stetson in his usual AWESOME morning mood.  Where he got his morning personality from is a mystery, because it's not from his dad or me:

 

We then began the prep for our dinner - starting with stuffing.  I need to note that this is my 6th thanksgiving dinner I have prepared (if not more) due to the fact that I have been on the west coast for many years and hosted dinner with my pals out west, typically at my place, however, this is the first stuffing I have ever made! Typically stuffing was provided by another guest.  I don't want to brag, but my impromptu stuffing was damn fine!

Since the weather was amazing we decided to take a long walk to the park and play some "chuck it" with Zeki. In lay man's term, we played fetch with him using a special throwing device that I was convinced would be perfect since I typically go to to the park with Zeki wearing Stetson in the Bjorn. Let me tell you, it is hard regardless, fetch needs to be played without a kid strapped to you. Now you know. ( by the way, fetch is Zeki's most favorite past time in the world - ask his nephews Owen and Seamus, if you play fetch with him, you are his best friend!!)

 

After our walk Stetson had his first taste of real food!!!!!!! 

While our little buddy napped we continued prepping our meal:

And then dinner was served!

Stetson woke up and realized he was none too pleased that he couldn't be part of the action:

Finally, after a fussy baby, and all day cooking  there was dessert.... (I should note that the wine we had this night was wine that we could only buy in SF and Brad had shipped to us to surprise me....swooooon:))

 

 

I won't say this was the best thanksgiving dinner to date. I still view my dinners with all my cousins either singing church hymns or telling funny stories my most favorite thanksgiving dinners, but this dinner was WAY up there on the list. I got to hang with my two (three if you include my Zeki) men while making my favorite food, and I didn't have to stress about Stetson's "schedule".  I wish I could have been in Cleveland during this time, but not being there was pretty amazing as well!  As I said before and am sure I will say again, I'm too flippin' blessed!  I have family members hoping to see me, all the while an AMAZING husband, kid and puppy at home so excited to just be "us" everyday.  I hope you all feel as overwhelmed with love as I do right now!

Till next time.

 

Peace, love and baby giggles...keep 'em coming:)

Brigid, Brad, Stetson and Zeki

 

The magical 3 month mark...

From the moment I had Stetson I kept hearing "just wait 3 months", or "oh man you're not gonna believe he's even the same baby (as a newborn) when he's 3 months" and "as soon as he's 3 months it will be totally different." and I gotta say, I kinda agree.  

Don't get me wrong, no magical switch was flipped, I still have my occassionally fussy little boy, but I have so much more too! He's gradually sleeping through the night (I get a night here and there), he smiles, and just today he started giggling alot.  On top of that he's begun talking to me in his baby gibberish, which I ADORE!

When Stetson was born I loved him very very much, but it was hard work, and I wasn't expecting nearly any of it.  I thought I was, but I had no idea.  Now I have this precious baby who kicks when he sees me, loves when you buzz your lips at him and still thinks the bath is great!

Here are some pics of our little man, as well little insights into his personality.

He loves when I "eat" his hands (pretend - duh), but when I give him a zerbert (or commonly referred to as raspberries) he looks at me like I'm an idiot.

 

He doesn't show much interest in grabbing toys, but loves to grab for us, our hands, or shirts, I think we're his favorite toy!

He's got his dad's eyes still, we keep waiting for them to change but they haven't yet, and I LOVE them!

It's a struggle to get him to nap - he prefers napping in the bjorn or in the swing, if he naps at all, but he goes down at bedtime like a champ. If I had to pick I would rather have him go down easy for bedtime everytime anyways.

We took a roadtrip with him and I was so worried we would mess up bedtime being on the road, and to my surprise he actually stuck with it.  He was fussy during the parts in which it wasn't bedtime, but a champ regardless.

He fell off the couch because I was stupid and propped him up when I went to grab the bjorn to put him in it.  In the 5 seconds I was gone, I heard a thump and nearly called 911.  He was fine, I was not.

He loves our daily walks.  He is so interested in everything around us, constantly looking from side to side.  In fact I often hear from strangers about how alert he is.  

Whenever he sees this:

He acts like this (I barely get this response) every. single. time!

 

He has really become my little buddy.  He just breaks my heart just looking at him.  I get so overwhelmed thinking about his future, but also so excited! As I see his personality starting to form, I can't wait to be there with him as he changes and grows even more.  He really is going to be the best!

 Till next time..

Peace, love and white noise,

Brigid, Brad, Stetson and Zeki

3 years...

3 years and my stomach is all messed up thinking about it.  Not messed up in a "I might puke" way, but messed up in the "SANTA'S COMING" way.  I can not believe that it has only been 3 years since I promised to never leave you.  I can not believe that has already been 3 years since I promised to always love you.  I can not believe how much we have accomplished together, while at the same time how much we have evolved and changed all the while remaining best friends.

By the way, have you seen what we made?  Dude, we make good work!

If someone would have come up to me 5 years ago and said "hey- you know that cute dude you just met at a bar? well you are gonna travel the world with him, move in with him, get a dog with him and make a baby with him".  I would have laughed and laughed!  

Dear Brad,  thank you for standing by me through everything.  Thank you for understanding me even when I don't understand myself.   Thank you for the last 3 years.  Thank you our happy hours with a shot of tequila for me and and Powers for you. Thank you for our dvr'ed shows which we both wait to watch together.  Thank you for making the best Egg McBrad's ever!  

I would say I can't wait for the next 3 years, but really I can't wait for the next 33 years and beyond.  It's really nice to know you will always be there with me, whether we move across the earth or stay exactly where we are.

I love you and all you do!

Brigid

It's been awhile -and I'm not even sorry!

Ok, so I'm a little sorry, I know it's been almost 2 months - but we have been so busy tending to a being that weighs less than our dog.

Since the last time we posted my life has changed as I never thought it would.  Seriously, I never in a million years thought my life would change THIS much so dramatically.  For some reason I was convinced that I would sink into motherhood gradually.  Start at waking up early, all bleary eyed and drowsy, but ready to assist my young one.  Then learn to deal with the cries that I would easily console, followed by casual nights out with friends while the baby sleeps gently in the stroller at my side - WRONG!

This past two months have been AMAZING! Truly amazing, but that's not to say there wasn't a struggle.  I'll give you the good and the bad - along with some well anticipated pics.

Good - Stetson was born at a healthy 7 lbs 9 oz, not to big and not too small.  He came out absolutely perfect.  Which still amazes me.  I just can't believe that he was getting all his pieces and parts together - INSIDE OF ME, and I didn't mess it up. I mean I know millions of women have succeeded at this same task, it just fascinates me that the whole process actually works - who knew!

Bad - after Stetson's arrival I was unable to walk for a couple of weeks because he was basically holding my hips in place, something, my abs used to do.  Once he came out, I had no baby, or abs to do the job and was forced to do physically therapy to help regain strength.  It's all good now though, I just ran 2 miles, something I have been looking forward to since I stopped running at 8 months prego.

Good - He smiles, it's not often, but when he does it rocks my world.  The other day I bent down to pick him up out of his swing, he made eye contact with me and gave me the biggest smile ever!  Dude, can't beat it! (haven't caught it on camera yet)

Bad - He also cries - much more then I expected.  I'll admit at almost 8 weeks old the crying has gotten MUCH better, but those first 3 weeks I didn't know what to do, I'm giving him walks, running water, dancing with him, everything, and I have NO IDEA what he is trying to tell me.  I never thought I would be so lost by a simple newborn cry - but there I was. 

Good- on the crying note, today we noticed he was sleepy and I told Brad to "put him down and give him 5 minutes".  He started crying and Brad was like "I know he's tired" and I said "he'll fall asleep, that's his 'i'm tired' cry, which sounds like 'boo hoo, i'm tired', his I'm hungry cry sounds like 'GIVE ME FOOD NOW, BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS'".  Then I realized, holy crap, I know my son's cries - it really can happen!

Bad - when the baby was first born I was stuck in the house.  Completely housebound.  I am a go- go- go person, so when I realized I wouldn't be able to leave for WEEKS at a time, I was pretty shell shocked. 

Good - Being stuck at home has given me time to have to stop moving. I don't get much sleep at night, and in another world I would ignore my tiredness and keep moving regardless, but because I have to be home I have been able to catch up on Bridezilla, and just realize that I have to sit and nurse today, that's all I have to do, so I might as well try to relax while I'm at it. (don't get me wrong, i sneak in cleaning when I can, I would go insane otherwise.)

Bad - Did I mention I don't sleep.  this seems to be the most discussed part of new parenthood, but you truly will never know how hard it is until it happens.  I thought I would be tired, but I didn't know what tired was until now.  There are times when Brad takes the baby and tells me to fall asleep and then he walks in on me to wake me up, and I complain that "but I haven't slept yet" and he informs me that I had been asleep for over an hour I was just so tired I didn't even realize I was sleeping. 

Good - We have officially started date night!  We found a babysitter who comes over every now and then and watches Stetson while we go enjoy time just the two of us.  This was a rule of mine when I found out I was pregnant - once he was old enough for a babysitter we must take time for ourselves, the two of us started this family, and because of that the two of us  must remain a priority.  Plus, my parents came to town last weekend so we could see the SF Giants whip the Cubs' butts!  Mission accomplished!

And BEST - There's this:

 

He is the most amazing little being.  His head wrinkles up when he is first waking up and looks like and old man.  He loves baths so much I call them the baby spa, and he makes the best grunting - cooing noises you have ever heard.  He  has no idea how to even crawl, but he can cuddle like a mo-fo.  We are so excited to watch his life unfold before our eyes.  And we can't believe how blessed we are to have such a wonderful little man in out lives.

I hope to post updates more frequently, but, if not, make sure to keep checking back, I want to keep this blog as current as possible so even Stetson has something to look back on from this time in our lives.

Till next time,

Peace, love and bumbo seats,

Brigid, Brad and Stetson!

He's HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I gotta keep this short and sweet cuz I got a newborn to deal with but, the best news in the world is that our little man has arrived!

Stetson Sharkey Schaefer was born July 17 at 5:49 pm. He weighed 7.9 lbs and was 19.5 inches long.  Brad and I went to my final doc appointment Monday to see how he was doing and it was determined he was running low on amniotic fluid thus we were told to induce. When my doc told me this she said I gave the reaction she least expected - I cheered so loud I think the whole office heard.  I guess most new mom's cry because they aren't ready - I think they are crazy. Get him out! Let me meet the bugger!!

Stetson is a family name on Brad's side (also Brad's middle name), and Sharkey is my beloved grandmother's (Gammy's) maiden name.

Labor was about 30 hours long - and well worth it!  He is perfect.  He never lets me sleep, and he eats ALL THE TIME!  But he's perfect and I can't wait to watch him grow.  Enjoy some pics below:

 

Till next time - 

Peace love and lots of diapers:)

Brigid and Brad