enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

IMG_7784

products above: my top, the wrap, Piper's pants are from Target, the quilt, the banner, the framed art.

typing this on my phone with a sleeping baby on my chest.

enjoying the newborn phase so very much. Reasons: 1. this is our last baby and I know this time is fleeting. 2. Piper is a pretty great sleeper (so far just one or two wake-ups between each night). 3. Breastfeeding has been a pain-free (what?!?) and wonderful success. 4. I am not a wreck like I was last time. 5. And, let me tell you, after you've been a wreck, anything else feels like winning the lottery.

fully feeling like I have won the lottery.

seeing the two girls together and glowing with pride. Of course it's a pretty one-sided love right now, but the future holds so much promise.

commenting daily on how grown-up Ellerie now appears.

reading Flight Behavior.

finishing (and recommending!) Delicious! and also by Ruth Reichl, Garlic and Sapphires.

sticking to a "no buying for myself!" goal in December.

wearing the Solly Baby wrap and this simple watch all the time.

watching Fargo with Paul (and sometimes Piper) and LOVING it. I didn't think they could top last season but it's been excellent. And Kirsten Dunst deserves at least four or five Emmys.

needing to take my film camera in for repair (it suffered a fall and I'll admit there were tears).

ordering photo calendars for the grandparents (this is the most popular gift I've ever given).

packing up Get To Work Books and marveling at how quickly 2016 will be here.

planning so much good stuff for the GTWB brand in the coming months (and years).

thinking about goals for the new year and knowing it's going to be alllllll about simplifying and that very overused and beloved/hated word: self-care.

getting the 2016 daily goal trackers in the shop!

eating Thanksgiving leftovers and drinking all the coffee.

starting to pull out the Christmas decorations. We still need to get a tree and Piper needs a stocking.

introducing Ellerie to Toy Story, which is still my favorite Pixar movie of all time (it really holds up).

hoping we can see Star Wars in the theater…probably from an aisle seat with a newborn in tow.

looking forward to Paul's week off work next week (we had to split his paternity leave into two different months which was a bummer in November but so wonderful now).

knowing I am the happiest I have ever been. It's almost overwhelming and I am so grateful to be present in this time.

wishing you all the best month of December. And sending a big Happy Birthday to my brother! 28 is going to be a good year for you, Ro.

 

Posted in ,

30 responses to “december : currently.”

  1. Carolyn Avatar
    Carolyn

    “knowing I am the happiest I have ever been. It’s almost overwhelming and I am so grateful to be present in this time.”
    Soak it up! What a wonderful thing to be able to say. Thanks for sharing.

    Like

  2. Sarah Alves Avatar
    Sarah Alves

    So happy to see a post from you! So glad that so many things in your life are going well. XOXO

    Like

  3. Jen Avatar
    Jen

    So wonderful to see your post in my feed! Glad to hear you’re enjoying this special time with your family.

    Like

  4. Jenna Woodward Avatar

    Yey!! So good to have a post from you. I’ve missed them a lot. Your Instagram makes me smile daily, but a whole blog post feels like such a treat! So glad you’re doing so well. Keep taking all the time you want to enjoy your new and improved little family team x

    Like

  5. Megan Avatar
    Megan

    I miss your posts! So good to hear from you and I’m so glad things are going so well.

    Like

  6. Jamie Avatar

    Missing the heck out of your frequent posts but loving the ones that pop in here – you radiate joy, Elise. Happy Holidays!

    Like

  7. Kristin B Avatar
    Kristin B

    Ellerie is totally the emoji girl in the pink shirt with her hand up (ツ)_/¯. So happy to hear that you are so happy! Wishing you and your family a lovely December.

    Like

  8. Helen Jackson Avatar

    What a wonderful blog post, oozing with happiness and optimism. So glad everything is going so well for you second time round. This post has cheered me right up. Love seeing people I like being happy.

    Like

  9. Christine K Avatar
    Christine K

    So happy for you! I’m glad to hear that breastfeeding is better this time around. Breastfeeding was difficult for me the first time around but I got better with each child. My last child I went for nearly 12 months. Good work Mama!

    Like

  10. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    Thank you!!

    Like

  11. Deirdre Avatar

    So so so happy for you! There are so few blogs I still read, which made me all the sadder to hear you were taking a break. But what a smart choice. I’m making a mental note because I know there is a part of me that would’ve been compelled by the clean 10 year anniversary to force these last months of the year before a break, but you were so smart not to do that.
    Hearing that breastfeeding is going well made me choke up a bit. I have loved your generous voice about the issues you faced, and I also love knowing you are getting to experience the gift it can be when it all just works out.
    Lastly, I am loving my Get to Work book. I closed my own business last year and 2015 has been my first year back to work full time outside our home. My littles are all school age now, and your book has been a godsend to staying organized, and staying connected to my own creativity too.

    Like

  12. Squimbelina Avatar
    Squimbelina

    I’m so glad you’re having a wonderful time this go around. Ellerie does look so grown up sitting on Paul’s lap in that photo. She always looks so engaged and smart. I hope she enjoys Toy Story – I love Toy Story 2 even more than the original, and the final was perfect, so she has lots to look forward to!
    Flight Behaviour is excellent, but then I love everything Barbara Kingsolver.

    Like

  13. JC Avatar

    OMG that picture of Paul & Elliery. I’m dying. Also So happy to hear that things are so good this time around. I can feel the love oozing from your words. Smiles all around!

    Like

  14. kelseyespecially Avatar

    OMG I LOVE FARGO – the TV series. I watched season one and actually had no clue season two started already. Absolutely going to be checking it out OnDemand.
    And I know the camera feeling. On Thanksgiving my camera fell out of the car in the hotel parking lot right when we arrived and the lens cracked. The very next day my iPhone took a tumble out of the car and the screen shattered, complete with giant chunks missing and visible circuitry from beneath. Not expenses I was planning on incurring so close to Christmas – and then we had to have two toilets rebuilt and our dishwasher replaced yesterday. YIKES!
    Hope your get your camera fixed! Also, do you know how to recover “erased” memory cards? My 16GB of photos from the summer needs to be recovered ALL THE CRY FACE EMOJIS

    Like

  15. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    It is a bit ridiculous how happy it made me to see a new post from you! Although I’ve been following along on Instagram, I miss your daily blogs. Thanks for this update!

    Like

  16. Amanda Avatar

    Yay! So happy to see a post from you in my reader. Elise, your happiness and contentedness shines through!

    Like

  17. Michelle G Avatar
    Michelle G

    As a mom to two girls I love to see these posts. My girls are 3 and 5 now and are truly playmates for each other. You’re going to love it!

    Like

  18. alaina [so alaina] Avatar

    your happiness is jumping off this page and i am loving it. hoping i feel just as happy when my second little boy arrives in the coming weeks. happy holidays!

    Like

  19. Jennie Avatar
    Jennie

    I teared up several times reading this – isn’t it funny how much we can care for and cheer for people we’ve never even met? God bless the internet (well, sometimes). 🙂 And to give you hope about seeing Star Wars, I was on maternity leave with Mallory when the final Harry Potter movie was in theaters. We dropped big brother off at school and enjoyed a matinee…which she slept through the entire thing in her sling despite it being a super loud theater! Just go into it assuming you’ll have to leave halfway through, and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised like I was! ❤

    Like

  20. Nichole Moses Avatar
    Nichole Moses

    Awesome, Elise. So much warmth in my heart right now for you and your amazing little family. Wishing you a blessed first Christmas, and prosperous New Year as four. P.S. Did you know Pixar is making a “Finding Dory”?

    Like

  21. Carly Friesen Avatar

    This warmed my heart so very much. I miss you here on the blog, but am very happy that you are doing what you need. Warm wishes for the holidays! xo

    Like

  22. Jennifer Walker Avatar
    Jennifer Walker

    yay! I love seeing a new post from you. I’m thrilled for you that you are having a much better experience with the newborn time. Wonderful news!
    Go Elise Go!

    Like

  23. Susan Avatar

    Love those books! Kingsolver is one of my favorite writers ever. She is a fellow Kentuckian so I feel right at home reading her novels (even though I didn’t grow up in the mountains where many of her novels are set.)

    Like

  24. Leah Noble Avatar

    Oooh yay! I check in here once every couple of days in the hope of seeing a new post and today, I did!!! 🙂 Like all the others have said, it is so, so nice to hear that you are so, so happy. A whole blog post from you is such a treat now! And I fall on the “beloved” side of “self-care”.

    Like

  25. Caroline Avatar

    So happy to hear from you here on the blog!! Im so glad I can follow you on instagram to still get my daily dose of inspiration :)
    I
    m happy to hear that everything goes well at the Cripe home and that you are feeling so blessed! Can`t wait to have you back for good here on the blog 🙂
    Love, Caroline
    https://carolinespassion.wordpress.com

    Like

  26. Kate Avatar

    So happy for you! And so glad things are going so well–sleep (and pain-free breastfeeding) makes such a difference! Hope things continue to go smoothly & you enjoy your first Christmas with Piper!

    Like

  27. Marie Avatar

    Happy to hear that you and your family are doing great!
    Have you considered adding the daily goal tracker to the GTWB? I think it would be a great addition. I travel a lot so having a poster hung on my wall at home wouldn’t be very beneficial when I’m traveling.. Just a thought 🙂

    Like

  28. young Avatar
    young

    So happy to hear things are going well! What a blessing. 🙂

    Like

  29. marcela Avatar
    marcela

    Ohhh i just squealed with delight when i saw your post! Love the photos, the suggestions are great and i’m so happy that you’re happy, you give me hope for thinking of having a second kid 😉 Happy Christmas season!

    Like

  30. Pequena Gi Avatar

    Currently…reading this blog post, with a smile on my face, as if it was a letter of a beloved friend.
    Have a great December, Elise.

    Like

Leave a reply to marcela Cancel reply