2023..you were one for the books, I grew in ways I never expected. I learned how tough and resilient I am and that each day is truly a new day. I fell in love with a tiny human and learned to let go of things I cannot control.
JANUARY
The month we not only announced our pregnancy but also found out baby Mondloch would be a girl! I love surprises and as much as I wanted to wait to find out, I know I needed to know..to help me connect to this little thing growing inside of me.
I also did a surprise brand drop that sold out within 20 minutes! It’s always so fun getting to see how much the brand can be transformed ;)
FEBRUARY
I took a “dad and daughter’s” trip to coastal California..and it was everything and more. I fell in love with Carmel by The Sea. The fresh air, the gorgeous water, the sounds of waves hitting the rocks, the hiking, etc. It was my first trip with Charli and I can’t wait to take her back someday.
MARCH
This was a BUSY month! We started her nursery! It has been my favorite house project to date and truly obsessed with her room. It will be the hardest to leave when we move, it’s just calming and simply beautiful.
I did another fun brand drop that once again, sold like hotcakes! I never really know how they’ll do, but the feedback I get is truly amazing. I love doing these and will share some peeks at more transformations soon.
So pretty, right!?
Not only that, but I FINALLY trademarked Saffron Avenue and also donated my time to a local addiction center ATCWW, and created a beautiful hand-lettered mural.
APRIL
My favorite Season is here :) The tulips start to make their appearance, the weather starts to change, the green comes back, the air is fresh, the smell of grilling fills the neighborhood and it’s my birthday month.
I was well over my morning sickness and feeling so good. My bump was starting to pop and I was embracing every moment.
MAY
My first baby shower! It was absolutely beautiful and very on-brand for me. It also felt surreal that it was my baby shower, I just never expected I would have one.
Not only that, but I decided to also do maternity photos..and I am SO GLAD I did. Karlee did an amazing job and looking back at them, you can see how happy and good I felt. I loved the pregnancy and am so grateful I made sure to capture these moments.
JUNE //
My Garden Party..because yes, I had to have my hands in one of my showers ;) This was a very small one with my closest friends. We ate my favorite bagels, played adorable games, sipped mimosas, and took in the last weeks of pregnancy.
We also had my last shower with my side of the family. It was at my dad’s house with all of my aunts. My sister threw it and it was beautiful! I was obsessed with fruits/citrus and she did a theme around that ;)
At the end of June, we just soaked in the last moments of our family of three. Kiley finished a little firepit area and I made sure to sit outside and work (as I knew it wasn’t going to last long)!
JULY
Charli Girl arrived.. which I shared about more HERE :) You know how they say having a baby changes your life, wow..they are right. July was hard on me. I struggled to connect with her, I was trying to wrap my head around my traumatic labor, and I was physically weak.
Not only that, but I quickly went from clogged ducts to mastitis (the worst), having to stretch her mouth from her tongue ties release every 3 years (including the middle of the night), dealing with 3 bouts of thrush on her tongue and giving her meds every 6 hours.
I don’t know how I even managed to do our maternity photoshoot. But, do remember feeling like absolute garbage and just SO exhausted. I was certain it was never going to get easier. Breastfeeding will always be hard, sleep will always be non-existent, and the life we once had will never make an appearance.
AUGUST
The days slowly started to get easier and I was starting to connect with the little lady. We started to find our groove and were able to get a little piece of our old life back (ie: have a life)!
SEPTEMBER
Back to work already… after another brand drop, we headed to our first annual Scheffer family getaway. It was nice to be around family and already look forward to next year.. knowing we’ll get to sleep! – This was the first time Charli ‘swam’ ;)
OCTOBER
The best month! We got very lucky that the weather was perfect and the changing leaves were so beautiful. We took her to her first Pumpkin patch and couldn’t resist putting her little chubby legs in a pumpkin ;) She met Grandma for the first time and she went on her first Mondloch family getaway!
Can’t forget about Halloween! The best Holiday in the household :) – Although we didn’t take her trick or treating (too cold), she loved staying up late at her first Halloween party.
NOVEMBER //
Curry turned 8 YEARS OLD! I can’t quite believe it, he still feels like our little puppy. We also hosted our family for Thanksgiving and Charli got to meet her uncle and his new pup Zoey. To say she loves dogs is an understatement..and that makes the mama’s heart happy.
I also launched one last Semi-Custom brand, which might be one of my favorites to date! I was inspired by not only the Holiday season, but those royalty vibes.
DECEMBER
Always a busy month of travel! We visited family in both Minnesota and the Madison area. Although we learned she doesn’t like sleeping in the pack-n-play, she loved getting all the snuggles from family.
