The Bird: Three Months

Baby Bird,

You are three months old today! You're growing and changing so fast that Momma is having trouble keeping up.

Every morning, we get up with the sun and cuddle in the quiet living room. Mornings with you are my favorite - you share your best smiles in those sweet early hours. You let me drink warm coffee while you play with my hair and we talk about what we're going to do that day. I wouldn't trade those moments for the world.

Every day you discover something new. You've figured out how to pick up your rattle ball and almost have rolling over worked out. You know Daddy's and my voice and will turn to find us in the room. You're friendly to new people, but have a definite preference for folks you know. You hate tummy time on the floor, but will lay on my chest for hours. You giggle on occasion (especially when Daddy looks at you upside down), and the sound melts my heart. You love lights, ceiling fans, and the color blue.

Little Girl, you are amazing. There are days I just stare at you in wonder. I am so thankful I get to be your Momma.

You've changed my life in so many amazing ways. You've taught me to rest in and enjoy the quiet moments, to focus on the right now. You've made me realize how big the little things can be (and how little the "big" things are). You've both sped time up and slowed it down.

Because of you I've developed a new appreciation for God's love, provision, grace, and constancy. I feel totally out of control, but at peace with it because of who IS in control. He chose me to be your Momma, and He will provide me with the ability to do so. Great is His faithfulness.

You are a blessing and a thrill and I am so thankful you're mine. I love you endlessly, Baby Bird. I will forever.

Happy Three Months!

Love,
Momma

Newborn Photos!

Hi friends and Happy Monday! Excited to share some of our favorite shots from Wren's newborn shoot with you today! We had a great time capturing these - Julianne is amazing and SO good with littles. I just adore how they turned out. Enjoy!

Love this new little family of mine

This girl. That little smile. Smitten. 

Her Aunt Brittany made her this precious little fox outfit - how talented is she? 

We love our little fox. 

Julianne totally got on theme with Wren's name during the shoot - she put together this sweet little nest and even had a custom bird hat made for her!

Since her nursery is story themed, and since books mean so much to her daddy and me, we took along some of our favorites to include in the shoot. Love how this one turned out. 

Those eyelashes - gah

Itsy Razorback!

(Thanks for the outfit, Granmomma)

(pssst...the Harry Potter nerd in me wants to point out that she's in Gryffindor colors above, and Hufflepuff colors below...baby Gryffinpuff!)

I know I've said it before, but she's just the best thing! I'm so thankful to Julianne for taking the time to capture these photos of our squishy babe. Excited to see her grow, but so glad I at least get to keep her little in pictures. 

The Bird: One Month

Our Baby Bird is a whole month old! *deep breaths*

It's been a busy month for all of us as we get used to being a family of three. Thankfully, we had help for the first two weeks (aren't parents the best?), and now we're settling into a nice little routine. Our girl is already growing up before our eyes - I love it and hate it at the same time.

While I'd love to keep her teeny forever, it's been a blast seeing her grow and change! Watching her is my new favorite way to spend the day. In just a few weeks she's learned to focus on things, perfected rolling to her side, figured out how to lift her head, and discovered how to make a few sounds - her favorite is blowing raspberries...we get lots of those when she's angry (adorably angry, that is). She's also shown us a few priceless smiles (she particularly likes smiling at her Daddy), and we've noticed that her hair seems to be getting lighter while her eyes seem to be getting darker.

In addition to all that growing and changing, we did tons of fun things this month! We took the Bird on her first outing (breakfast at a cute spot downtown - fried green tomato Eggs Benedict, 'nuff said), gave her her first real bath, visited with several friends, went to church, and had newborn photos taken (post on those to come). Baby girl is a trooper both in the car and out and about - she loves her carseat and loves being wrapped even more - so we can go just about anywhere! We love doing life with her - she makes everything better.

I can't believe how fast time goes now, but this girl is teaching us to live in the moment and enjoy each day (and sometimes each night) to the fullest. You are our sunshine, Baby Girl! Happy One Month!

And now for a few candid memories: 

First Bath!

On Wednesdays, we wear pink

BatWren!
(Thanks for the outfit, Uncle Jake & Aunt Brinny)

    

She has my heart. Excited to see what the next month brings!

Thanks for reading!

One Month Ago

One month ago today, I woke up early from the back pain. I took a shower to try and relax, then I went back to bed.

It didn't work. I woke your dad and grandparents and we battled the early morning traffic to get to the hospital for a check. Just in case.

One month ago today, I walked into a hospital room and waited for the nurse to give me the okay to go back home and rest.

She didn't. Instead, your grandmother and I colored Bible verses and lyrics to old hymns while we waited patiently for you to arrive.

One month ago today, after making us wait most of the day, you arrived faster than any of us expected.

You came into this world on your own schedule and full of surprises, even from Day One.

One month ago today, they laid you on my chest.

I marveled at your eyelashes, counted your tiny fingers and toes, and kissed your head for the first time.

One month ago today, the whole world stopped as I listened to your first breath, your first cry.

Your voice is one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard.

One month ago today, you changed everything. You redefined love. You brought my dreams to life.

You made me a momma.

One wonderful, beautiful, unforgettable month ago. 

The Bird: Brand New

So, turns out blogging is a smidgen harder when there's a newborn around. Her Grammy is here cuddling her this week, though, so I have a few moments to myself off and on!

Naturally, instead of using those to relax, I'm going to use the borrowed time to brag on my girl to anyone who will listen - lucky you!

We've been eating up every moment we have with this little gem - she's just the best thing. I could stare at her for hours (sometimes I do), and I'm pretty sure everything she does is amazing. Did you know hiccups could be amazing? How about kissy faces? Yawns? Stretches? All amazing. 

I can't believe she's two whole weeks old today! Where have those days gone? How is it going so fast? How do I slow it down? I simply can't keep up. It's bittersweet already, but she's definitely teaching me to live in this moment, not the next one, and I'm thankful for that lesson to slow down and just watch, enjoy, soak it in. Thanks for that, little girl. 

I'm hoping to track our Baby Bird's progress in monthly pictures, similar to how I did the bumpdates. I loved the memories that let me preserve, and I'm sure these will be just as precious as our girl grows. 

So, let's start at the very beginning: 

She has my face and her daddy's hair (which I think is an adorably sweet combo), and her eyelashes are MILES long. Her favorite place to be is swaddled, on my (or her daddy's) chest, legs curled up like a teensy frog. I love her cuddles - hope they never stop. 

She knows our voices already and it's fun to see her turn to find us when we come into the room. She's working on eye contact and focusing and loves lights (another Daddy trait). She's already growing and changing so much! It's insane what can happen in two short weeks. 

I'm excited to see what the next few weeks brings, but I won't dare rush it. This time is just too precious - I can't get enough. Take your time, Baby Bird. Growing up will wait. 

Now, before I go, how 'bout a few more shots from her first week home...

See? Like I said. Just the best thing and all sorts of amazing. We love her so. 

Bumpdate: Week 38

Well, this week's update is a little different. I no longer have a bump to show off because...Miss Wren is here! She arrived last Friday at 8:30 pm and we are head over heels in love with our Little Bird.

If you remember from my last post, we spent most of the last week and a half obsessively checking my blood pressure and watching for signs of an early baby. My pressure had been tracking up steadily, so we wanted to be sure we stayed away from the danger zone.

At my weekly appointment, our doctor checked my pressure and test results and assured us everything was still okay. However, to keep things from getting out of control, she went ahead and recommended that we plan on meeting our little one the following Monday. We agreed and made plans for an early morning induction.

When she checked my progress, however, she let us know that it was highly likely that we'd have a baby even sooner than that. I was already in a bit of shock at knowing we'd have her by Monday at the latest, so hearing that she could very well come even earlier was a crazy blend of terrifying and exciting.

When we left the appointment, we made all the necessary phone calls - my parents, The Boy's parents, siblings, work, etc. My folks immediately began making plans to head to OKC (since their drive is 8 or so hours and they didn't want to risk missing anything), and I began doing what I could to get the girls at work set up for my maternity leave.

The rest of Wednesday was a mix of emotions and nerves as we wrapped up last minute details and preparations. Mom and Dad arrived in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and it was such a relief to have them here, just in case.

I went in to labor early Friday morning and Baby Girl arrived that night. I could not have asked for a better labor and delivery, and my team of nurses and doctors was unbeatable. All of Wren's grandparents were in town for her arrival, and everyone is just thrilled to bits with her.

The rest of Friday and the weekend are a bit of a happy blur, but I can tell you this: they are some of my favorite days ever.

I'll have more updates on our sweet one soon, but for now, here's one last "bumpdate."

She's just the best. We are beyond blessed to call her ours. We love you, Little Girl!

Maternity Photos

I've already shared several of the shots the wonderfully talented Julianne did for us, but wanted to share a few more.

She was such a good sport - dealing with our animals and pre-baby-chaos-filled house to grab some good "lifestyle" shots before trekking across town to a park for a few afternoon-light, outdoor shots. I love how they turned out and am so happy to have this sweet time captured forever.

Enjoy!