And then there were THREE! Life has been fully packed since having little Blake! We absolutely adore him and love having him part of our family, it’s like he’s always been here! I’m sharing our new born photos in today’s post. My best friend Mary Konkin shot these photos for us, and every single photo is a treasure I’ll keep and look back on. These photos were also extra special, because they were the last photos in our house before we moved. I really wanted to capture all five of us in this home, I’m really sentimental that way! We even got some shots of all five of us at the front of the house.

New born photos can be so hard to organize, especially since it’s the last thing us moms want to do when feeling so exhausted with the arrival of a new baby. As hard as it is to get motived, I’m so so so happy we were able to capture Blake as a fresh newborn. These photos are all so sweet, I will never regret making the time to photograph our new family of five!

I’ve already shared blog posts about my Pregnancy with Blake, Blake’s Arrival and Blake’s Nursery. Click links to see. So I thought I would make this post a little different. I’ve compiled my most asked questions I’ve been receiving since having Blake and transitioning to three! I’ve answered ten questions below, with the first one being: “How do you do it all?“. Hope you enjoy the read. Spoiler Alert!!!! I don’t do it all. 

1. 

   

   

   

2. 1. How do you do it all? Manage being a mom of three and not go crazy? 
4. The real question is, who says I haven’t gone crazy? Ha, just kidding.. but not really. Truth be told I have my moments (daily) which include lots of tears and feeling overwhelmed with my role as a mom. I don’t think you can escape that feeling especially during the newborn stage.  I am nursing Blake, which has been a 7/10- not perfect but not horrible. I’m still waking up 1-2 times in the night to feed him. I took about a 6 week break from work, still checking in with my team. I haven’t worked out till now at 9 weeks, my extra baby weight is real. I am still exhausted most days. BUT I’m obsessed with Blake. I wake up excited to see all there interact in the morning, they’re sooo cute!
6. I’m trying to figure out our new routine as a family of five. I’m still trying to figure it all out, and how on earth to find time to “do it all.”  I certainly don’t get everything checked of my list, as much as I try so hard to. I’m a list person and make them daily, however I’ve taught myself to not be disappointed if I don’t check everything off. I have, however learnt how and when to ask for help. Which was really hard at first because, well… “mom guilt”.
9. It came to a point where Troy really had to lay it all out for me. When I was in my third trimester with Blake, Troy told me that as much as I want to, I just can’t do it all.  I won’t be able to excel in the things that are important to me.  I wanted to do every single little thing, control it all. This was really hard for me to accept. I started to realize in order for me to be the best mom, the best wife, the best boss and to continue to be creative, have fun and take care of myself, I could no longer allow for myself to be pulled in every direction. I started to learn how to “share” my roll and take things off my plate.
11. When Lillya was around four months old I started to build my MH team. I hired three girls, read; “life changing”. They have really helped me bring my business to a level I could not have done on my own. Today, I have to think about leading my team, focussing on finishing my book and about building and  designing our new home, but most importantly, still be a mom to my three kids.  A loving mom that isn’t snapping at them and enjoy the moments I have with them.
13. A couple months before Blake was born I finally took the plunge to hire an amazing young girl who helps me with the kids while I work, to focus on baby Blake, or just run around to meetings or daily errands. I’m still home most of the time, and I still make time to be involved as much as I can. I take half days to spend time with the kids and take them out on little dates. But the pressure of always having to wear every single hat at every single moment of the day was relieved. Simply letting go of some of the things I continually loaded on my plate. I swear I’ve become a new woman, and better mom because of it. If this is something you are struggling with as a mom I highly recommend asking for help. Truth is you can’t do it all. Something’s gotta give. Know it’s okay that you/we can’t do it all.

2. 2. How do you mange your time with a busy business all while being a hands-on mother and wife?
3. Similar answer to above. I know a lot of people say, “But your kids will only be so little for so long.”. I don’t think I’m missing out on anything. Honestly, I think I’m gaining back more because I’ve asked for help, and have help. I’ve found that I have more time with my kids and family, more quality and enjoyable time.  My mind is more clear and I don’t feel like I’m carrying everything anymore. I’m more in tune as mom, more patient and have the energy and time to commit to be present when I’m around them.
5. 
7. 3. What are your favourite nursing bras?
8.  Honesty I don’t have a favourite I can recommend. I went into the maternity section at target and purchased a few different styles. They’ve worked well for me. This one with underwire and nursing clips and this seamless one with clips. I just got the nude color to go with more outfits.

1. 4. What is your favourite baby boutiques in Vancouver? 
2. Westcoast Kids, they have everything under the sun. It’s definitely a one stop shop. I also love The Tot when I shop online.

• 5. What was the recovery like from a C-section?
• My recoveries were mostly good. Each was a little bit different from one another. I’m quite an active person, and I’ve been told that it’s easier when it comes to the recovery when living an active and healthy lifestyle. The first 2 weeks are the hardest in terms of pain management and strength, every day gets better and better. Now at the 8 week mark, I feel like I’m getting my muscle strength back and feeling more like myself. I’ve been given the okay to work out again by my surgeon, so I will slowly be getting back to my workout routine. I’m so excited about that! Right now my muscle strength and endurance is pretty low, but I’ll slowly be working my way back to my norm. This time I also was diagnosed with Preeclampsia which made the entire process of recovering after baby more challenging.  Read more about that in my “Welcome Baby Blake” blog post. 

6. What is your recommendation for strollers? I’ve noticed you use a few.
We’ve been using Bugaboo strollers since Liam was a wee baby. I love them, and recomend them to everyone! They look great, stroll great and are amazing quality. We started with the Bugaboo Donkey with Liam. We used it in it’s mono (one baby) mode. Then when Lillya was born we used it as a double stroller. For traveling we tried and loved the Bee. We added a footboard for Liam while Lillya sat in the stroller. Now with Blake, I used the double stroller when I know I’m going out for a long walk or day, so Lillya can sit and Blake can be in the bassinet. I am also able to attach the footboard for Liam. So I’ve had times when I’m pushing all three. (How great is that?)

Since Blake has been born I’ve also tried the new Bugaboo Fox. I love it and it’s soooo sleek looking. I add the foot board for Lillya and Liam typically walks or rides his bike. Bugaboo also has a great running frame where I can clip in the seat from the other strollers. They also have the best traveling bags of your stroller to keep it protected. Check out their site, it’s super user friendly to get to know their brand. 100% recommend Bugaboo… ask all my sisters they each bought one too. All my nieces and nephews are riding in style, we look like a Bugaboo gang when we’re out!

1. 7. Do you have a bassinet next to your bed for Blake? Which one would you recommend?
2. Yes, all my babies slept in a bassinet by our bed for the first 2-3 months. We received a beautiful one from Restoration Hardware as a gift from Troy’s parents when Liam was born. All three of them slept in it. It’s beautiful and I know I’ll pass it down to my grandchildren. All my nieces and nephews slept in it too, it’s very well made and still looks brand new. I didn’t venture out trying out any other bassinets, but I’ve seen some pretty cool and gorgeous ones pop up in my IG feed. I did add the snuggle me organic baby lounger this time. Blake and I love it!

1. 
3. 8. So far, do you think it was harder transitioning from 1 to 2 or from 2 to 3 kids?
4. I found that transitioning from 1-2, when Lillya was born, was my easiest transition. All my kids are two and half years apart, I’ve really liked this age gap. Lillya was my “easiest/ happiest” baby. So I’m sure that had something to do with it.  The season of our life right now is pretty busy- in the best way possible. (Sorry Blake, we didn’t plan for it to be this way.)  We moved out of our house, moved into our little bungalow rental, we are in the middle of finding a new property, all while designing our new house, AND I’m finishing my book. Again I did not plan to have this much on my plate, this is just the direction that life took us. I think these life transitions are so personal and individual based on the age gap between your babies, your stage and season of life and what your baby’s demeanour is. We are all different so my advice is not compare your motherhood with someone else’s. If you’re thinking of going for three, do it!! It’s been amazing to see our family complete, I’ve loved the dynamics of our family of five!

1. 9. How do you make time for dad? 
2. All hands on deck. From dinner, to a walk, to working late when the kids are in bed, we try to do as many things together as possible. We were just saying how intense the new born stage is, and we hardly have time for just ourselves at this moment in time. We don’t get a lot of alone time, until the kids are in bed. I suggest: 1) Including dad in the every day life activities and todo’s, we spend most our time doing it together once he gets home. 2) Letting others help you so you can have a few moments here and there solo with your man. And 3) I’ve been pumping breast milk a lot this time around, giving me more flexibly to go out with Troy. Maybe even escaping for a date night or two.

2. 10. What are your favourite baby items?
3. My top 5 this time around are:
4. 1. The patpat– cutest soothers around, and Blake loves them.
5. 2. The Nuna Leaf baby seat
6. 3. Swaddles. I like Little Unicorn– they have the cutest patterns, Snuggle Me Organic- so incredible soft.
7. 4. Snuggle Me Organic lounger for baby.
8. 5. Bugaboo Stroller  (See Q#6)

Also click over to: “My Must Haves For Baby“, blog post to see and read more.

Photographed by Mary Konkin Photography 
Hair and Makeup my by sister-in-law Eva Terez Beauty