Our baby girl is one month old today. She is the sweetest little chub, weighing in at over 11 pounds now. Sleeps 6 and 7 hour stretches at night and loves to be cuddled all day long. Yesterday, Chris was on Polly duty for a few hours while I was trying to wrap up some work and I physically missed her after she was absent in my arms just in between nursing sessions. It's amazing how quickly you fall for them, isn't it? We put our girls down for bed and then spend the next few hours watching the video monitors for their every move.
If you are a long-time reader, you may remember that we struggled with infertility for years. We immediately started trying for our second when Greta, our oldest, was just 9 months old and there ended up being over 4 years between our 1st and 2nd and now, over 3 years between our 2nd and 3rd. When we started building our family, we imagined our children to be very close in age--just how I grew up!--and it just didn't happen that way. It was hard and heart-wrenching at times, but now that our whole family is here, I can't imagine our family any different. I can barely remember why I wanted babies so close! A seven and a half year span between Greta and Polly is perfect. Three girls is perfect. Why do people keep asking us if we're going to "try for a boy"?!--It's the worst question. We are no longer longing and are now just focusing on taking in this beautiful life we're creating. I'll never get enough of seeing our oldest daughter cuddling our youngest.
Faux Fiddle Leaf | End Table | Table Lamp | Charly Sofa | Art Ledge | Lumbar Pillow | Arc Floor Lamp | Basket | Area Rug | Coffee Table | Tray | Pencil Succulent
As much as our lives have transformed over the last month, our living room is also slowly transitioning for a big, three day photoshoot we have at the end of this month. The most exciting addition being the arrival of the 91" Charly sofa we designed with Interior Define.
And, good news--the entire Charly line is included in their annual sale! Just once a year, Interior Define has a 15% off sale and it starts today, September 1 and goes through the 20th. Our full line is now available (including sleeper sofas!) and it's the best time to snatch one up for a good deal. The free swatches arrive quickly, but if you need extra help, I have all 70 fabric swatches that our line is available in and am happy to answer questions. :) You can shop the sale right here.
Other fun things this week!
• We got a bunch of fun accessories from McGee & Co for the girls' bathroom this week and I just saw they are having free shipping this weekend with the code SHIPFREE! Can I recommend this hand towel and this first aid box? Definitely favorites!
• Couldn't be happier for Elsie's news this week!
• Just the words of wisdom we all need in this internet world.
• The power of a clean room.
• Silver Dollar Eucalyptus is basically the new fiddle leaf fig and I purchased some really good faux branches a couple weeks ago. I showed it in my Instagram Stories one day and every day since, I get 1000 messages asking where I got it--RIGHT HERE. I purchased 2 and they look very beautiful and realistic sitting in our entry...which I still have to update you all on.
Dresser | Lamps | Vase | Eucalyptus | Mirror | Candle | Wood Bowl (similar)
Hope you all have a fantastic Labor Day weekend! We're going to attempt a day trip on Sunday and I feel excited to get out of the house a bit, but also a little anxious about the 8 hour round trip with little ones. Any fun plans on your end!?
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WE'RE CHRIS + JULIA
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I'm the oldest of three girls with a six year spread. It's the best! Now that we're adults, there honestly feels like there is no age gap.
My great pride is raising fierce girls. And fiercer women. ???? And I can so easily dream and envision a third girl.
Now if you'll excuse me, my fierce girl has a fierce poop.....
I hate to say this and you're welcome to delete it, because I know that children are supposed to kinda be ignored online, but oh my goodness....G...she looks sooooo much like you, Julia. Her face grows more and more into your face, the older she gets. How sweet!
Aww thank you. I think she does too.
I grew up in a family with three girls and one boy - people would always say to my dad - "oh, you finally got your boy!" and other weird things like "well, now you can finally stop having kids!" haha! I remember even as a kid thinking that was so weird and offensive! He sweetly always told them - I would have been just as happy with another girl - I love my girls!
Coming from a happy family of three girls I also hate that "trying for a boy" question. Or the weird pitying looks my dad would get when people remarked about he had no sons and "just" girls, like having us was a bad thing?! My dad never made my sisters and I feel bad about not being boys, he seems very very happy with us as we are! His three daughters who can tile and grout a floor, hang dry wall, use power tools and change a tire ;)
Which fabric did you use on the Charly in your house? We have gotten some samples of blue fabrics from Interior Define, but I am worried they will be too dark. I love that color.
We used "Rain."
Thank you. That was one of the samples we chose. I am so glad to see it in a room. It looks so comfy!
Hi Julia!
I am debating between two sofas you've blogged about, the Charly sofa and the Lounge II. Is there one you recommend over the other for a living room and main family couch?
Thank you!
I love your style it's so clean and beautiful❤️
I kinda love seeing that, that your daughters are older and can watch,cuddle and maybe evenhelp you with the younger.
I had my two kids pretty close, not on purpose although I did want them close.
But, it's pretty touch constant fighting. Lol but love them ❤️
For Labor Day weekend we are probably gonna start moving out ???? Into a smaller place. Wish us luck!!!
I have a blog of my own if you want to check it out
https://2tocherish.com
Did you custom make the 91" sofa? I don't see that length on Interior Define's website as an option. We ordered the sleeper, but I didn't realize it's a whole foot shorter in length!
Under the sofa, you can choose multiple lengths, including 91"
I completely hear you on that question as a mother of 3 sons. It drives me crazy! They ask right in front of my sons as if to imply that they aren't good enough! As they get older it gets a little better, my youngest is 6 now and I still get asked just not as much. People can be so rude!
I got pregnant with our second when our first was 6 months old, so our girls are close in age. The first 2 years were really intense. Now they're 4 and 5, and we are cruising; they are best buds for sure, which is great. Looking back, I'm not sure I'd do it again like that. For my husband, it pretty much sealed the deal on him NOT wanting a third (no matter how many times I told him it would be different with Maggie & Annette being older). I also feel twinges of sadness when looking to the future, knowing they'll be leaving the house in two consecutive years!! (I know, that's down the line but I'm already missing them, haha!)
Did you paint the gold frame white? Looks fabulous! I love how your living room changed from blue rug, cream sofa to cream rug, blue sofa :)
I did! The gold looked too orange against the blue sofa. And, hahaha--i didn't even realize!
I come from a family of all sisters-4girls in all and I even remember hating that question as a kid. Somehow it discounted the worth and value of our family just as it was. (And for heavens sake little girls don't need another reason to question their worth.) Now I'm a mom to three boys and of course I get the question. It's the worst! I'm with you. I always responded that we never tried or hoped for a certain gender. We wanted (and got) the RIGHT BABY. For us that always happened to boys but more important than gender was the perfect personality for our family.
Also, I loved the power of a clean room article. I'm currently helping my in-laws clean out their house of 40 years in preparation for a mission to Ghana and it's very interesting to see those principles in action. It's motivating me to want to purge now.
The worst question ever! Ha! I just had our 5th baby a couple of days after Polly. He is a boy and happens to have 4 older sisters. We got that question all the time! Now we get "Are you done now that you've got your boy?" Or "I bet your husband is happy" ????
Thanks for the tip on the eucalyptus. Your entry looks stunning and the addition of the branches is the cherry on top. Budget option: I've also found some surprisingly good looking silver leaf eucalyptus at Hobby Lobby.
Tip: They're in the bundles/bush section (not the stems) BUT you can simply slide the plastic that holds the bundle together right off and voila! you have some really inexpensive eucalyptus branches (I think there are 4) that are as good as the PB option (however they aren't as tall and the branches are green instead of brown).
Here's the link: http://www.hobbylobby.com/Floral-Wedding/Green/Eucalyptus-Bush/p/PA8039-40132
The website pic doesn't do them any favors. Keep in mind they require some "fluffing" to get the natural look, once the sheath has been removed to reveal the individual stems.
I have almost the exact same ages but my oldest two are boys and the baby is a girl. How do you get them to be friends? My 7 year old is so snotty to his brother? They both love the baby though. A
We have two daughters, and we also get that question all the time. And then, directed at my husband, "Do you ever wish you had a son?" He loves having daughters (and he rocks his role) but we feel our family is complete and we love how it turned out, so it's always a little funny when people ask those questions.
I have one girl and five boys and have gotten all the questions, from "Do you know what birth control is?", to "Don't you wish you had more girls?", to "When are you having another?". It's nobody's business whether you have none, one, or twelve. Congratulations on your darling Polly, she looks like a dream.
Our family also has 3 girls, we are pregnant with our 4th and you best believe I have a polite but very direct answer loaded and ready for the moment when EVERY person asks, "trying for that boy, right?". Our girls are amazing and I have no FOMO when it comes to having a boy.
I married a man with a vasectomy, and I celebrate his surgery with a bottle of wine every weekend. So you'd get no awkward questions from me. :-)
Coming from a family of all girls and now having all boys myself, I can totally relate. After announcing that baby #3 was another boy I had people saying how sorry they were that we wouldn't be getting a girl like they hoped we would. I got to the point where I wanted to say, "I'm so sorry you're disappointed by my child's genitalia" just to get them to realize how ridiculously inappropriate those comments are. Honestly, with my pregnancy hormones I may have actually said that once or twice. If people want to have an honest conversation about what it's like for our family to have all boys, I'm happy to discuss otherwise they can just jog off!
I have five girls and get so tired of the comments and questions about it. People act as though a family can't be complete without a boy! The comments don't bother me so much, but I worry about the message it's giving to my girls, that they hear this and start to wonder why boys seem to be superior to girls because of the attitudes of so many strangers! Congratulations on your sweet Polly and for the blessing these sweet girls are for your family!
We have 3 girls, pregnant with our 4th and this is my issue with it all as well. I hate my girls having to hear what people have to say and pray it doesn't make them feel less because apparently boys are desirable. I make sure my girls always hear me speak up in OUR defense.
Any pointers how Polly sleeps 6-7 hr stretches?! Our 3 week old will do 3.5 hr max. Help !
I have an 8 week old and the longest stretch he sleeps is typically 5 hours, and even then it's not consistent. At 3 weeks, 3.5 hrs is totally normal. 6-7 hrs sounds like winning the baby lottery - but I'm sure all our babies will get there eventually! Sleep well (as I type this during a five am feeding ????).
Can you give an honest review of your new sofa? Would you change anything in the design now that you have it in your house? It's hard to decide to purchase something this large (size and cost) without ever having the opportunity to sit in it.
My family also had three girls (well plus a little brother :) ) and my sisters and I are actually "spaced" just like your girls! I wouldn't change it for the world; we are all so close and my two older sisters are my best friends in the world. :) Congrats again on your sweet Polly!
AS SOON as my husband and I got married, everyone was asking when we were gonna have kids... not knowing it gives me huge anxiety every single time they ask. I'm an only child because my Mom and Dad experienced four miscarriages after me and it killed them emotionally. I've been afraid I would follow in my Mom's footsteps. But seeing so many other people take about infertility and miscarriages lately has really built up my confidence that I wouldn't be alone in this messy world. So, thank you so much for being real about your struggles and posting that link to Elsie’s adoption story! It means more to this girl than you know!
I have six girls and we get that question almost once a day. My kids don't even wait for people to ask, it's such a common occurance. They just randomly announce "yep, six girls. No boys." I hate the assumption, also, that we have six girls because we were trying to have a boy. We were just trying to have kids, people, and they all happened to turn out girls.
So glad I read the link titled, The Power of a Clean Room! "Whether you're struggling with your mental health or you're going through a major life change (downsizing or welcoming a new baby, for example) that has left you dealing with a mess that seems insurmountable, know that it's okay to ask for help."
I had a baby 3 weeks ago while we were in the middle of a room remodel. As happens with projects of that nature, items were displaced and messes were made in my normally tidy home. Add to that a new baby, and I was overwhelmed. I had friends who asked if they could help, and I LET THEM, despite the guilt and embarrassment I felt. Their gifts of time and service meant more than any baby gift anyone could have given. Like the article said, it is the gift that keeps on giving.
I'm so glad you accepted help. Having our own newborn, the times I felt most overwhelmed in the past month have been when the house has gotten out of hand. Taking time to keep things clean and tidy brings so much peace to our home and my mind.
I like the idea of a dresser in the entry way, but was wondering what you use it to store? I worry it would just be a dumping ground for everything in my house!
It's actually still pretty empty! But in one drawer, I put all the hats and gloves for winter. One drawer has my candle collection (I don't know how I've accumulated so many! haha) and Charly's leash. Greta puts school papers in one and then the others are empty as of now.
I am so sorry people don't have better manners than that, to ask you such a question. Wow is the little one a good sleeper! We are having a heat wave here, so probably heading to the coast.... Have a great weekend.
When we got pregnant with Madelynn (our 3rd) we always got "why you already have one of each" ????
Ummmm ok.
Love seeing the happiness of your family being complete!!!
I got the same thing. My oldest two (girl/boy) are 22 months apart. Then there is a 5.5 year difference between the boy and our 3rd (girl). It all either "you had one of each" to "was it planned?" since there was a bigger gap. (She was, just took me that long to convince the husband a 3rd completed out family.)
I totally agree! I have two boys and am currently pregnant and everyone always asks, "are you finally getting your girl?" As if I only got pregnant to have a girl. Get out of here. ????