Mother's Day

Being a mom is hard. I’ve only been at it for a month and it’s definitely one of the hardest times in my life. But also—the most rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And that’s saying a lot, because I desperately want to sleep for a significant amount of time, like a week.

Becoming a parent also puts into perspective how much my parents love me. It’s hard to fully understand until you look at your little girl and know how much she needs you and that you would do anything in the world for her happiness.

Throughout my life, I’ve had so many strong, caring women (mom, mother-in-law, grandmothers, aunts, etc.) who have really shown me what being a mother means. Words can’t adequately describe my gratitude for their support and encouragement over the years. 

Mom- you are one amazing lady.  I really hit the jackpot with you for my mom.  Thanks for still partaking in those sleepless nights to help me with ECW.  You taught me everything I know about being a mom and I'm so glad I was able to learn from the best.  I love how much you adore Emmeline.  Most importantly, thank you for being such a wonderful woman of God and teaching me that nothing is impossible with God.  Thanks for being my biggest fan!

While becoming a mom has been hard at times, I am so thankful for the support of my mom and mother-in-law. They have been a tremendous blessing to Jeremy and me, as we transition to the role of parent. I’m so glad that Emme Clare has these 2 wonderful role models, as she grows up.

Rita- Thank you so much for welcoming me into your family from day one.  I could not ask for a better mother-in-law.  You have done so much for Jeremy and me and we so appreciate you.  Thank you for raising such a wonderful and caring son, who is also a wonderful father.  I'm so glad Emme Clare has you as a grandmother. 

Thank you MaeMae and Gram! We couldn’t do it without you!

One Big Month

I can not believe Emmeline is already one month old! It’s gone by so fast, but at the same time, I feel like it’s been a year since I had a good night’s sleep. Right now, I’d be happy with a solid 4 hours- maybe next month?!?!

Our lives have been completely turned upside down, but we have so much love for this tiny baby girl.


Sweet Emmeline-

You are the joy of our lives! We love you more than words can express. We spend so much time just staring at your sweet, little face. You’ve grown so much over this past month—I think your doctor is going to be really happy with your progress at your one month appointment.

At your first pediatrician appointment, you weighed 5 lbs 6 ounces. We think you’re a little over 7 pounds right now.

Just when I think we have a routine going, you remind that you’re a baby and I can’t schedule a baby. Overall, you are so good. You cry sometimes and your dad and I just don’t know why. Rest assured- your momma has read every article and blog on parenting and feeding a newborn. It’s hard to admit that sometimes, we don't have all the answers.

You’ve met so many new friends and family this month and they absolutely adore you. If I fall behind on sending out pictures of you, I hear all about it. You make so many cute facial expression and all kinds of noises. Some of those noises are a little embarrassing for a lady like yourself, but we won’t tell anyone about those.

We love singing you songs, rocking you, reading you books and cuddling with you. We try to soak up every moment, because we know you won’t be our “little” baby for long.

We hope you always know how very much we love you and how blessed we feel to be your parents. God has blessed us so much with you in our family and we could not be happier or more thankful.

Love,
Your mommy

Time for a Paci

We were waiting until that 4 week mark, so we finally gave in and let Em have a paci.  The jury is still out on how much she likes it. 

She will keep it in her mouth for a little bit, but not too long.  I'm not sure if it's about preference or if she just doesn't have the hang of it quite yet.  We'll see how it goes.  I'm not going to force it on her!

Nap Time

A Visit From Aunt Ali

Aunt Ali is in vet school and unfortunately, that means she can’t pick up at a moments notice and drive to Texas, even when her favorite niece is born.

We are so excited that she took a little break from school and came to spend a few days with us. We had such a great time and Emme Clare was so glad to finally meet her.

I would love to show you pics of all the fabulous restaurants we went to and all our shopping steals. But I’m pretty sure our days revolved around one sweet, little baby. We had takeout and watched Emmeline.

We apologized to Ali for the lack of excitement, but she said- she got what she came for- quality time with Emmeline Clare!

Happy 1st Easter!

Several weeks ago, I wondered if ECW would make her appearance in time for this Easter. Little did I know, she would be 2 weeks old!

We had the pleasure of hosting my family for an Easter celebration, complete with ham and an egg hunt. I’m so glad that Em’s first Easter was so special.

A friend from Peru, Jacke, was visiting my parents and she got to participate in the Easter fun. I think she enjoyed learning about the American Easter traditions.

After lunch, we headed out for the Egg Hunt. Although most of the hunters were adults, don’t think it wasn’t an intense search for eggs. One person even took a tumble (I’ll not name names) and no one is sure if the fall was a result of aggressive reaching or if they were purposefully tripped (again, I’ll not name names).

Uncle Big E offered to take Emme’s basket and get her Easter goodies. Oddly, there was not a single prize egg in her basket. Hmmm.

Such a fun day with family and friends. Happy Easter!

FOUR Years

Amidst this craziness of becoming first time parents, Jeremy and I celebrated our anniversary!  FOUR years.  Time has flown and it's so surreal that we have an extra person celebrating with us this year.

I didn't expect much for this anniversary- things have been so crazy.  And we are hoping to limit Em's exposure to germs, so we are trying not to take her out until she's 2 months old.  Plus, it's a successful day around here when I get a shower, but Jeremy made it so special.

First of all, he made beignets for breakfast.  We took a trip over the summer to NOLA and had the delicious beignets from Cafe du Monde.  He duplicated those at home and they were amazing!  I was beyond impressed.

I had been asking him for a while to try and take off of work on our anniversary.  He doubted that he would be able to do that, but he handed me a card first thing that said- I'm spending the day with you and Em.  I was so glad!

For most of the morning, we spent time together- pretty sure that time was spent napping.  And then, we had to take Emme to her 2 week doctor's appointment.  All was good there and J took me to get a much needed manicure (see to do list from Em's birth day).

Then, he served up a delicious dinner (with the help of Central Market).  It was so nice having help with Emme all day and spending time with the two people I love most.

I recently read an article about how a lot of marriages fall apart after the birth of a child.  While  it's definitely a challenging time, I know that I love Jeremy more than ever.  Seeing him as a dad, makes my heart melt.  He loves Emmeline so much and that is priceless.  I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful partner in this adventure.

Happy anniversary, Jeremy!