It’s been a while since I picked up my pliers and stapler or shared my two cents on the Spruce blog. As many of you know, I’ve been on a baby vacation for the past six weeks, which means lots of memorable, challenging, and amazing moments. When I started Spruce, one of my main priorities was establishing a career for myself that would give me some flexibility and a creative outlet when my husband and I started a family. I’ve always wanted to nurture my career and my family simultaneously. It took a lot more work than I imagined to get Spruce to a place where it could release me part time for baby raising. But one day shy of Spruce’s official 6th birthday (January 11, 2014), I became a mom and a business owner.
“Are you really my daddy?”
We delivered Lilee Ann Brown at home after 31 hours of labor. ‘We’ includes me, Keith, my midwife and her assistant (GB and Ulrike) and my doula, Ruth. Wowza! What an incredible experience, and I remember thinking, “How do so many people do this every day?!” I’ll spare you the nitty gritty details but can tell you Lilee’s passage to the world included three hour-long walks (One included a near attack by a stray pit bull!), dancing to and singing Buffalo Solider by Bob Marley, marching through my back yard in the rain wearing only my robe and a pair of black Frye boots, and gluten-free gingerbread pancakes from Kerbey Lane in bed at 3:00 am after the deed was done (THANK YOU, Ruth!).
The Browns (left); My beautiful twinster visiting from Portland (right)
It’s still unbelievable to me that one day I’m upholstering chairs and the next I’m holding a baby. And what was formerly an iPhone gallery of before and after furniture photos is now overcome by countless pictures of Lilee’s pretty little face. The week after she was born, our good friend, Mel Cole of Cole Collective came by the house for a newborn shoot. Thank you, Mel, for capturing our new family in such a beautiful way!
She’s destined for upholstery with those long fingers!
As my baby-cation comes to an end and I get back to business part-time, I can’t give enough thanks to all of my people at Spruce and our wonderful customers for making it possible for me to have a family and a buzzing little business. It’s because of all of you that I’m able to nurture my baby girl and my creative spirit. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! My new little love is inspiring some big Spruce-y ideas in small proportions, so you’ll be hearing from me before too long!
All photos by Mel Cole of Cole Collective. Check out her sweet post here!