My little buttercup

...is just one of the dozen names I call my sweet baby girl.  My eyes are heavy even writing this as it is nearing my bedtime (yea 10 pm on a Friday, so what?!)  This little girl of ours is just "all the joy in the world" as I call her, and it's true.  Her laugh, her intense eye contact, her big cheeked smile, her tiny toes, the little dimples she has on her knuckles, how excited she gets to read books, how proud she is of herself when she is standing while holding our fingers, I could go on and on and on... but the point is, this little girl has brought more joy to our world than I ever thought possible.  We are tired, no doubt about it.  But so very happy.  And truly, the sleep deprivation is getting better as her sleeping habits improve plus I think her teeth are bothering her less. Knock on wood.

Matt took Monday off for my birthday surprise!  He told me tonight and I am thrilled!  We are going on a lunch date tomorrow and to see a movie as my mom will watch our girl.  Lots of good food, movies, and family time and a few naps here and there and we have one heck of a weekend planned.  Oh yeah, I might make some mashed up peas for Brynn to try for the first time.  Crazy exciting, right?!

65 and sunny

Hey ya'll. Brynn and I spontaneously went to the zoo this morning with my sister and her boys.  And we met up with a friend and her two boys there for lunch too.  It was so fun!  It was Brynn's first trip to the zoo and so fun watching her see a new place for the first time.  There were not a ton of animals out, but the weather was great and it was just nice to walk and be outside.  We took the little train ride which was great and thankfully everyone got off except us before the big tunnel (it's dark and a lot of kids yell and I thought it might scare Brynn) but it was great.  Brynn took two naps while there, ate lunch and just had a great time.

Then we got home just in time to play for an hour before joining my mom for a walk.  The sun came out even more (it was kind of cloudy at the zoo) and we walked fast for over an hour.  Good talking and another good workout.  I bet we will sleep well tonight!

6 months!

It's time for an update, ya'll.  Who knew this parenting thing would be so, time consuming and tiring?! Probably every other parent out there, huh?  Truly, it is the very best thing in the world and I just love being Brynn's mom and a parent with Matthew.  And it is (at certain moments) the most tiring thing and the most rewarding (every minute of every day) thing ever.

Brynn is hitting new milestones every few days it seems.  Friday night we spent about an hour laughing and hearing her "talk" as she tried with all of her might to imitate the sounds we were making.  Today she rolled from her back to her tummy, it's real hard figuring out where the legs and both arms go, I mean seriously. Classic annoying question to get from someone who doesn't have a kid:  "Is she sleeping through the night yet?"  Ya know what, no.  She isn't.  This whole teething thing kind of threw us for a loop, made the first few months seem even more of a breeze than they already were.  She does however have the very sweetest and most fun personality.  I LOVE the new faces and noises she makes every day.  I love when she gets so excited to see a toy she hasn't played with for a few days, or any time I get a book out ready to read.  It's incredible watching her grow and learn and figure things out.  She is scooting around on her tummy now and is so proud of herself when she stands firmly on the ground holding our fingers for support. 

It's wild that in just a few short weeks Brynn will be 6 months old!  24 weeks ago right now we were in the thick of labor and things were starting to get more intense.  Our midwife thought Brynn wouldn't make her arrival until later in the morning and definitely sometime tomorrow.  Hearing those words I felt a little panic for the first and only time during our labor (thankfully).  I wasn't sure if I could keep doing what I was doing for another 12 hours.  Fortunately, Brynn was just as excited to meet us as we were to meet her and she greeted us just after midnight at 1:07 a.m.  Oh, I could write forever about the bliss that followed but I will just say this, I think about those moments every Monday now and it puts a smile on my face every week.

I have the best daily reminder to be present and enjoy each day.  I feel better sleep is in our near future and am so very thankful for our daughter.

Horses horses horses....

Do you know that part in Sleepless in Seattle when Meg Ryan is singing along to the christmas song on the radio? Well, either way she just repeats the song as it echos 'horses horses horses....'.  Moving on, life continues to be great and I will forever be grateful.  Our daughter (still fun saying that) is incredible and she is growing so much!  She is full of smiles, seriously all the time, even when she gets upset you can guarantee that a few seconds later she will shoot you a quick smile (it helps especially if you are feeling tired). 
We have our fresh real tree up in the living room, lights and ornaments will go up tonight.  The house smells like pine and the Carpenters and Amy Grant christmas cds have already been played a time or two.  I am only on the computer for a few minutes a day (if that) these days so I have not been writing on this thing much.
I plan to update with holiday photos soon, but until then.. hope everyone is having a great start to the winter and getting a chance to spend some quality time with your loved ones!

If you don't like mushy stuff, stop reading now.

This post is all about how freakin happy we are.  Well, I am. I know my husband is too and the more smiles I get out of Brynn I can tell how happy she is too, but I will just speak for myself.  I am over-joyed.  We are getting used to the lack of sleep and even though I have to down my turkey sandwich at lunch quicker than we used to at a school lunch (if Brynn is seeking my attention at that time) and I can still only get one or two things "accomplished" on my to do list for one day, I am just thrilled to be Brynn's mom and to have Matt as her dad. 

We celebrated my mom's birthday last night and made delicious home made pizzas.  Along with my two nephews there is a lot of baby to toddler energy and the house is just filled with love.  It is fun to see my family members revel in Brynn's beauty and joyful spirit.  She is starting to show more of her personality and it's wonderful.  Brynn is a content baby overall, unless of course she is hungry (she gets that from me).

Matt and I will be celebrating our two year anniversary on Monday and I just get this goofy smile on my face every time I think about the past two years, especially the past year.  The goofy smile then transitions to an overall feeling of goodness.

A few of my good friends have either just had a baby in the past few months or are pregnant now and I just love sharing stories with them about similar and new experiences.

That is enough mushy stuff for one post, right?  The next post will be all about rocks and dirt and stuff that doesn't make anyone smile.  Actually, probably not....  

6 weeks, what?!

Our little girl just turned 6 weeks old and it is crazy.  Crazy good, but still crazy.  She is barely 8lbs but we can definitely tell how big she is getting and how much she has changed since we first met her.  It is still so weird to me that she grew inside of me for so many months and all the anticipation of waiting to see her, meet her, and get to know her.  She has started smiling and holds eye contact better and better every day.  She has started "talking" and I loveeee it.  I can already tell that at each new phase there will be great excitement and a little heartache at realizing how fast time really does fly and how quickly our child will be growing closer to independence.  That is the point though right?  To raise them with love and try to fill their memories with smarts and as many sweet moments as possible and then to let them go do their thing. 

Matt took this photo of me at 2:00 a.m. about an hour after Brynn joined us and I was calling my mom to tell her the good news.  I can vividly remember the i.v. in one arm (which was only used to give me an anti-nausea medicine towards the end of labor after I threw up twice) and that damn blood pressure thing on my right arm and was so relieved when I had full use of my arms back.

And then to have this little girl in our arms it was just so surreal to me.  I am amazed at how we have grown in to our family and even in the hard moments where we haven't slept much, we still figure it out.  We make the best choices for our family and always strive to do better. 

The first time I drove alone with Brynn in the back seat I was nervous.  Now I still get a little stressed if she starts crying and I can't soothe her right away but I know she will be okay.  Today we were about five minutes from home when she started to bug out.  At each stop light I reached back to try and give her the pacifier and talk to her, touch her face and let her hold my finger.  She actually seemed to calm down when she got to squeeze my finger and I sang to her... so I did that until we got home and laughed at myself all the way home.  I will look like an idiot and strain my back and arm any day if it helps calm my sweet little girl. 

Now I get to see this precious sight down the hall in my very own home.  I love that we can start our own family traditions and as excited as I am for the future I am trying to be very present with each new stage or event (even her first blow out of the diapers was gross but still her first! :)

This is my view most days... how sweet is that?!  Most of the time Brynn falls asleep pretty easily but about once a day she fights sleep and then finally passes out.  I love when she is just out, she looks so comfy and cozy.  I am just so thrilled to be Brynn's mom and look forward to each new day (especially after I get a few hours of sleep).

Baby life...

We have welcomed an amazing little girl into our lives and she has been with us for almost three weeks!  Sleeping two to four hours in a row is a big adjustment, but totally worth it.  This child is beautiful beyond belief, sweet as can be, makes the funniest facial expressions and the cutest squeaky noises kind of like a bird/goose.  We get to see her be more alert and awake every day and love all the cuddle time we get with her. 

Being a mom to my little girl is more than I could have ever imagined.  I am so grateful.