Out Came the Sun and Dried Up All the Rain.

I cannot help but think how blessed I am to have this little boy in my life. Since he was created, my life has forever changed. My way of thinking, my priorities, every aspect of me is different and I am so grateful that he is here. Being a mom is one of the things I know I am great at but have struggled while adjusting to my new role.

I am a caretaker. I am a very giving and nurturing person so it was easy to adapt to the mommy role. I love everything about it until I began to spiral out of control and not have answers for what I was going through. I became very emotional, irrational and angry all of the time. I had a temper that appeared out of nowhere and began to have severe panic and anxiety attacks. I feared anything that was out of my control and out of our daily routine. Some days I actually thought about how my son's life would be without me. I honestly would ask my husband if he would know what to do if I were gone. I thought this behavior was normal and it was just my hormones talking so I ignored all the signs.

I let this go on for six months. I thought that I was just a lost soul and needed to find a hobby. I had been laid off in April 2008 and have been home with Jack since so my husband thought that it was a career issue. I knew it wasnt. I loved being with him and staying at home, teaching him and celebrating every milestone in his first years. It was for me...but i didnt feel like myself.

Jack's first birthday was a major turning point in my life. I made a decision days later to seek help from my general practitioner, therapist, family and friends. I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and today is the first I am talking about it...writing down my thoughts...5 months later. It's hard, let me tell you.

For someone who always likes to feel in control of things, the one thing that was out of control was my thoughts. Seeking help made me feel like I finally had an understanding of what was going on and I was now in control of my body and was getting the help I needed. And I have Brooke Shields to thank.

I remember seeing Brooke Shields on Oprah talking about her book about her experience with postpartum depression. I always thought that the new mom had postpartum depression after having a baby and it was associated with not having a connection with your child; which clearly wasnt the case with me. I began to research her book and ended up buying it at Barnes & Noble. It saved me. It gave me the information that I so desperately needed. What I never knew was that postpartum depression occurs wtihin the first year of the child's birth and that there are several different aspects of it. Things began to make sense again and this book lead to me seeking help from a professional.

After my doctor appointment, Lexapro perscription and several therapy sessions, I began to feel like my old self again. I started to make positive changes in my life. Changes that directly affected my health, emotional well being and mental state. It started with the company that I keep. I seperated myself from those that didn't  support me and my family at my best and certainly couldn't at my worst. I realized the lesson of quality over quantity and that family means everything!

I am so thankful for what I went through and am continuing to battle. It has opened my eyes to everything that matters and makes me realize how great I really have it. This has encouraged me to turn over a new leaf. I now take more chances. I laugh as much as I can. I am not afraid to show my child-like enthusiam. I make more effort with my great friendships. I am making new friends with common interests. I am creating a strong support system. After a downpour, finally...out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms that I have or think that you may be experiencing a form of postpartum depression, please seek help. Talk to your doctor and your family about your feelings. Never feel embarrassed. You will feel like a better woman and mother for doing it. If you need someone to listen, email me at kelleylegler@hotmail.com. Thanks!

Fans & Family Night

On Tuesday June 15th we had our first Fans & Family night on Facebook. I must admit, I was exhausted after this online hour event had ended. We had trivia games, raffles, fast finger games & more. I gave away coupons, handies, basic blankets, a double sized blanket & a handie of the month membership. It seemed that all the fans had a great time playing and I am excited for more events like this in the future....sales werent too bad either as I offered all customers a 30% off coupon for the evening on their total purchase. My fans are great people!

My goal with these giveaways is to encourage people to either buy more and/or spread the word about my creations. I really love what I do and want people to know about it and nothing makes me happier than seeing a picture of my creation with someone's baby. I hope to get a lot of fan pictures out of this giveaway day!

This event also gave me some ideas on what to do for our upcoming ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! That's right, baby Jack blankets is turning ONE and we all know how first birthdays go...they are a BIG DEAL. Stay tuned for more info and if you have any ideas, please post a comment. 

Who's that baby in those diaper jeans?

Oh yes we did! My mom just had to buy Jack a pack of the New Huggies jean diapers and boy was Jack strutting his stuff (left). He really looked cute just hanging out with them but the minute we put his shoes on, he looked like the guy from The Village People with the cut off jean shorts. I couldn't stop laughing.

If you havent tried these diapers yet, I suggest you doll up your little one, put them on and take some pictures. I found another picture of my friend's son Connor posing with his diaper jeans on too! Enjoy :)

Father's Day 2010

What a fantastic & relaxing day we had. Jackson has been sleeping through the night so to wake up feeling refreshed really is a good start to our day. The three of us hung out in bed and played in the morning until he started getting tired. We then packed up for the day and drove to Sun Prairie (1 hr away) to my in-laws home for a day of swimming and a family BBQ. My in-laws were there along with my dad, his girlfriend, my brother and his girlfriend. The day was filled with a lot of laughter, eating, swimming with great people.

Jack really is a fish out of water. He went in the pool twice for over an hour EACH. I couldnt believe how much he just loved his floatie and kicking/swimming around with his family. It was a nice treat to be able to relax in the pool and not have him squirm. On top of that, he even took over an hour nap in his Grandparents crib! He is doing such a great job with naps now and I am now confident that he is on a great schedule...finally.

Another thing we did on Father's Day was visit Brian's Grandparents gravesite. Jack has never been to meet his GG's so we thought it was a great way to introduce him since we were in the area. Jack's GG (Great Grandpa) is named Wayne and that name has been passed down to four generations (Jackson Wayne Legler). We thought it would be great for Jack to see where his middle name came from.

One week prior to our Father's Day, Brian, Jack & I took his Nana to the Milwaukee County Zoo. We are trying to take Jack as much as possible as he seems to be learning so much lately about animals, sounds, names, etc. Here's a picture of us on the Zoo train as a family!

Love What You Do

My very first photo shoot was a success and I couldn't be happier with the photography. We had six kiddos at our home all under 16 months and it was a blast! Due to the unpredictable Wisconisn weather we set up a portrait studio in our spare bedroom and got some shots of the kids as well as outside in the sunshine.

Our photographers are old coworkers and did an amazing job for barely working with children! I went into this photoshoot with limited expectations and structure and was happy it turned out so well. I didnt want to stress about it or make the children do certain things and I was so calm and content the day of the shoot. It honestly felt like a playdate!

The photoshoot was scheduled the day before my birthday and I am so happy to be able to celebrate my weekend with all of these people. It made my birthday more than I could have imagined and I felt fulfilled all weekend. This solidified that I really love what a do; being a mom, staying at home with Jack and making blankets for all his friends. For more pictures, check out our Facebook fan page!

Best Birthday Week Ever!

Today I celebrated my 28th birthday and Jackson turned 16 months. I have to say that it has surpassed every other birthday/holiday of my time. It was spent with people who continue to enrich my life more than they will ever know.

It started off up north at the Legler on Long Lake cabin with our family plus Brian's parents, brother Scott and my father and his girlfriend Pam. We all had my favorite dinner (Thanksgiving style feast) and a DQ ice cream cake. We relaxed with pontoon rides, played with the jet ski and drank Long Lake Island Ice teas in celebration.

On Tuesday I was able to meet up with my mommy friends at the zoo and hang out with our boys. We all have such a great relationship and bond over being moms and they are all just such sweet people. I really enjoy the time I spend with all of them, collectively and individually!

Wednesday I drove to Guernee Mills to meet my best friend Heidi for dinner and some shopping. Our visits used to be few and far between but now we make a conscience effort to see one another more often. She has always been that one friend that celebrated everything with me in life and continues to never pass judgement. I love her to pieces!

Saturday was my very first professional photo shoot for baby Jack blankets. I am extremely blessed to have amazing friends and family to make this happen. An old coworker and her husband volunteered their time and set up a portrait studio in our spare bedroom and took pictures of kids. They have exceeded my expectations with the quality and amount of pictures they took and I will be eternally grateful of how wonderful they were. It was so much fun having six little kiddos all under the ages of 2 at our home for our "professional playdate". It was great to have my mom, mother in law and friends all in one place to see how far we have come with baby Jack blankets. *pictures will be posted soon!

So today, my actual birthday was the best day ever. My son slept through the night (always a plus!), he took two naps in his crib (45 min each), Brian and I got to watch a movie together (The Hurtlocker), we met my dad and his girlfriend out for breakfast, Brian and I took Jackson to the zoo and rode the Train for the very first time with him and I took a nap afterwards. We are ending this perfect day with carryout & a DQ Blizzard.  Life is too good and the years will only get better!