Jacob Jonathan Hardin

Jacob Jonathan "Jake" Hardin was born on Wednesday, September 2 at 9:12 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz and measured 19.5 inches long. He surprised us by being five days early, weighing 7 lbs, 2 oz (instead of 8 or 9 lbs!) and sporting a head full of honey blonde-brown hair. He is already the light and the love of our lives. 

During his first "weigh in" at only a few minutes old.

All dressed up and ready to leave the hospital in his outfit from his Grandma JuJu. He is not a fan of clothing or diaper changes!

One Month To Go...

Only 31 days until Labor Day....

I'm going to state the obvious and say time flies when you're preparing for a baby. I'm sure it has something to do with extra weight and extreme temperatures, but it definitely takes longer to accomplish things these days!

Despite my sluggishness, the nursery is almost finished, we have completed one childbirth class and we are halfway through the other one, and we are steadily checking items off our to-do list. I feel fairly certain he won't come before his due date (I think he's going to take after his mom in this department), but even if he did, we have the necessities all lined up and ready to go -- car seat, clothes, pack n play, crib...only diapers are missing. We want to cloth diaper, but we can't decide if we should start out that way or if we should transition from disposable to cloth after six weeks. Ah, decisions...So many decisions.

This week I'm sharing photos of my adorable husband with his siblings. He was the world's best big brother, and he's going to be such an amazing dad. 

P.S. Happy (early) 30th Birthday, Julie (and Gerald too)!

Ready and Waiting

In the very near future, our family will be expanding as we welcome my sister's son Hudson. On September 24th, 29 years will have passed since she joined our family. I have been present for all 29 of those years. I don't really have memories before that day, but I remember the morning of her birthday and meeting her at the hospital. I vividly remember life after her arrival, so I think it's pretty safe to say she changed my life forever.

Almost 29 years later, I suspect this next generation will have a similar effect on our lives. We are ready, waiting and very excited. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers over the next days, weeks and months. They will be greatly appreciated!

Lauren and her grandma Joan.

Me, my mother and Lauren as a baby bump in front of the Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor, England where we were both welcomed into the world.

Meeting my sister for the first time. 

me, my dad and my sister in the hospital on Lauren's birthday. Notice my LA Dodgers hat in the foreground.

My grandma Joan and my mother Julie shortly after her birth in Anchorage, Alaska.

Season of change

Me and Joan during my second trip to California.

While summer doesn't technically start until June 21, Memorial Day feels like the beginning of summer. The season brings change for us this year...a whole lot of change. The obvious one is the baby, but there are also changes coming to Gerald & Joan. After next week, Gerald & Joan will become my full-time business again. I'm both excited and nervous about this huge life change.

Working part-time in the nonprofit world over the past year has been great for my confidence (thank you, Common Table Health Alliance!), and the plan is to (re)introduce nonprofit and small business marketing and brand consulting to my services and offerings. I also hope to grow my vintage-inspirated stationery lines and continue offering some preservation services. The key is to figure out my work flow and schedule for the next three months...and then be prepared to throw it all out the window and start from scratch again after the baby comes. This creature of habit is about to get a bunch of lessons in dealing with change, but I recognize that learning to adapt to change is exactly what I need at this point in my life.

As I prepare for the next chapter, I am humbled that I have the opportunity to be building this business from my home-based studio. I am honored that I have family and friends who have supported Gerald & Joan from the beginning. I am blessed to have the most supportive husband in the world. If it wasn't for the seed of Gerald & Joan that was planted in our hearts and minds during our last California vacation in October 2012, I'm not sure we would be where we are today. It set the wheels in motion for a baby and a move to Germantown. It has allowed me to reconnect to my ancestral and career roots. It has given me the greatest gift -- to be fulfilled in my career while also spending precious time with my husband, our pets and our son. 

June marks the official countdown until we meet Baby Hardin, but it also a time of growth for Gerald & Joan.

Stay tuned for lots of changes...they are coming very soon.