It is seriously so hard for me to keep up with this blog anymore. I honestly don'tk now how regular bloggers do it. I think because I am a photographer and deal with hundreds of photos everyday, I get sooo overwhelmed by my own personal ones that I just don't have to pick the best, fix them, get them up on the blog, etc. Well... here's a shot. We'll see if this will take me like all day to get finished. Excuse that half of these photos are iphone pics, but it is my main-day-to-day-capture-the-moment camera. I love my iPhone. (despite the fact that since the OS4 update it runs like crap)
At 5 months, Chloe is:
Wearing her lightening hair in cute new ways
Trying on cute dresses that she got as gifts before she grows out of them
Riding on a boat! (just once, but it was fun!)
Rolling over all the time from back to tummy, but still can't quite get the other way (even though that was the first way she rolled over weeks ago)
She's spending lots more time outside with her friends & family
Still sleeping very well through the night, waking up sometimes... and taking pretty regular (short) naps about every 2-3 hours. Usually you are tired and cranky by 7:00pm!
Trying to sit up oh so hard! But occasionally toppling down...
Sitting on the front porch steps with mommy & daddy
Eating new foods, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and pears (also looking just like her daddy - what the heck)
Talking and babbling and yelling. You go to the nursery at church now because you are too loud :) But we love it at home!
Becoming friends with Tycho... :)
Laughing, smiling, and seemingly in love with everyone!
Also... TEETHING! I don't have a picture though, but your first bottom tooth is popping through ... started on your 5 month birthday!
I thought life went fast before... it is nothing compared to now. I cannot believe it has been almost 3 months since Chloe was born and I was pregnant with her. It seems like just yesterday, yet also a lifetime away! Chloe is changing and growing and a lightening speed. It is all so unbelievable. I can't get over her... everyday we are just in awe of how gorgeous she is, how cute, and how special she is.... and how much we love her. The love is like deep, wide, and thick... if that makes sense. It is all encompassing.
We put her in her crib a few weeks ago and she is doing fantastic. She has started "sleeping through the night"... going from stretches of about 9pm to 5am, then growing from 8:30pm to 5:30am, and last night, 8:00pm to 7:00am - that is ELEVEN HOURS. I am in shock. I know it won't happen every night but I am soooo proud of her. And she didn't even nurse or have a bottle directly before bed last night, she actually sort of refused it, so the last time she had eaten was almost 12 hours prior around 7:00. It's insane!
Brian loves his daughter a ton. We often just look at her and marvel at how awesome, beautiful, precious she is to us. He takes a hands on role in paretning, not afraid to tell me his opinions and to tell me to back off, and let him take over. He's sometimes cleans the house while I'm gone on the few errands I run without the baby, and he is giving me countless back massages (my back is totally out of whack from lifting chloe, the baby carrier, and shooting weddings again). I love my husband so much. Our family is so incredible to me!
I've started shooting weddings/working again. It is a whole new ballgame with a child. For three main reasons - 1) I miss her so much for that 8-10 hour stretch I am gone, everytime I see a child I want to grab it. She is on my mind a lot. 2) It is very difficult to juggle it with breastfeeding and not getting a break sometimes. I am not always able to pump and this can become, shall we say, uncomfortable and can also screw with my milk supply for a day or two afterwards. But it is worth it. I've also noticed I'm taking more pictures of children at the weddings .... like my camera is drawn to them! and 3) I can hardly get any editing done during the week because she keeps me hopping. Sometimes she'll nap for an hour or two and I can get some things done, but the house needs to be kept in some semblance of order, dishes and laundry have to be attended to as well. It is tricky to balance, but I love love love Chloe's addition to our lives, it is all worth it. And I am super blessed because I have so many people who can help. My mother who is invaluable to me and loves Chloe so much, my sister and father help out, my Aunt Mary and cousin Rebekah are also helping me too. Another friend Kelly has watched Chloe (and I think really enjoyed it) twice for me without asking for any money. One of my best friends Christy made us another meal yesterday AND cooked one for us in the freezer. Even at almost 3 months, people providing us with food is HUGE. I am so grateful.
In other news our good friends Christie & Bill had their beautiful baby boy Jackson. He is a little peanut and it is so wonderful to be sharing this experience with so many good friends.
I also will have some pictures of Chloe with a few other of my friends babies that I hope to post later. Oh she's starting to pick her head up really well. She still doesn't tolerate her tummy for more then about 10 minutes at a time, but the boppy is helping her.
Also, Amy's wedding is quickly approaching and her shower is coming up. We have a few things to do to get ready but I think it will come together well. I can't believe my little sister is going to be married soon. I am so excited for her!!
It is so cool to have friends around you who are also pregnant. I have my dear Kristin who I used to work with, my photog buddyPenny, blogging friend & once-modeled-for-me Brooke, and also some amazing girls in my small group. We are all between 5-6 weeks away from each other, it's so cute! I pray for all our babies to be healthy!! If Kristin was in this picture she'd be in between me and Megan, and Penny in between them. Brooke would be between me and Christie :)
Megan is almost 30 weeks, I'm almost 25, and Christie is almost 19! So far I'm the only one that knows the sex of my baby (girl), Megan is keeping it a surprise and Christie finds out in 2 weeks! Woo! Oh and of those not pictured, Brooke is having a boy, Penny is having a boy, and Kristin is having a girl!
We're 16 weeks today and I'm excited, because that means in 4 weeks I'll be HALF-FREAKING-WAY. I don't even believe it. I pray we can find out the sex of the baby that week as well!
16 Weeks Development: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.
Also, tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower).
Also thinking of Molly, Abraham & children today as they remember their baby girl Felicity Margaret who would have been two years old today. Prayers and comfort with you as we remember!
Sang at a funeral for a family of a young man and woman from our church. It was very hard, and so emotional for all. I had some weird brain synapses that prevented me from making the connection as to who they were, but when I got there and saw her, I remembered everything and the whole situation and was so honored to be a part of it. I hope I could give even a tiny bit of comfort with the song "How He Loves." My heart goes out to Sandy on the loss of her husband. She is a couple weeks away from delivering their second child. I can't imagine what she is going through. God's love and grace was evident today as the family is reeling, you can see support is rising up all over.
R.I.P. John and love and sympathy goes out to them.
Been thinking a lot this week about the transition in going from young, 20-something, drop everything and go, do whatever we want, stay up till all hours people... to young mom & dad, and young family we will become in 7 months or so. I've wrestled with it a bit... it's hard to realize how different things will be, but I know the sacrifice will be so so so worth it. I think it hit me because this week I missed 2 fun, random things I could have done with some of my best friends who don't have children, because I'm simply exhausted by 10:15 pm and can't barely keep my head up. It's utterly impossible when you are at this stage, and every friend I've spoken to who's been pregnant agrees that it is like this, especially in the first trimester. This baby begins to change the woman, I believe, long before it really truly affects the man. I had an emotional week, but as hormones are raging I believe this is ok. The amazing thing is seeing how Brian wants to help me as much as he can, and I appreciate every tiny move he makes for me and in helping me. But even at some moments, he needs his own time and to be able to go and just be free, especially if I'm just going to be sleeping! haha.
I guess I have this weird fear of losing friends and changing relationships when we have a child. I always do fear those two things anyway in friendships, especially after being hurt and burned by one a few years ago that has still to this day messed me up and makes me believe all our friends will inevitably get sick of or drop us. Regardless of that issue-that-is-totally-my-own ... I know things will inevitably change. But I pray that the transition will be smooth, and we won't fall off the face of the earth too much. But... if we do... it's worth it for that little life growing inside. Who knows how it will all be??
As you can see - I'm a crazy rollercoaster of this, that, and the other thing right now. So, bear with me!
Went to lunch with my good friend Kristin Untisz who I used to work with at EO a few months back. She is also pregnant and a few weeks ahead of me! I'm jealous of her tiny visible baby bump because she actually had a flat stomach to begin with :-)
Anyway it was so fun to be with a friend going through almost the same things as me and be able to talk baby without worrying about boring the other person. I pray we both have health pregnancies and babies. I feel close to her and her baby already!
I started wearing maternity close last week. I was just so sick of everything making me uncomfortable with it's tightness... I gave up. So I started earlier than some... who cares! And also found out Angie Collins, a fellow vocalist is pregnant with her fourth baby!! She's about 2 weeks behind me. So weird how so many pregnant women are surrounding me!!! And also my friend Penny, a fellow photographer, is right around where Kristin is, at about 12 weeks.
Crazy - baby time!! God please keep our growing babies safe and sound and under your complete protection. Only you are in control, and we will do our best to protect and care for our baby by our own actions - but ultimately you are deciding their fate and their lives! You are knitting them together! Praise God!
For today just trying to edit photos like a mad-woman and deal with this ridiculous heat and humidity! It is so nuts! It's amazing how it just makes me feel so gross!!
