putting things into perspective

today I got restless

I wanted to go do something

but the rain and Everly made getting out and about a little tricky

and the fact that I had a to-do list that needed my attention

we did get a walk in before things got too stormy

but other than that we've been house-bound

at one point I was feeling a tad stressed with the masters homework I 

had to finish before this weekend

and still frustrated that I am still needing to supplement E with a good amount

of formula to not starve her

and even though I had dishes to unload and laundry to put away

and thank you cards to write, I was feeling bored

and that was when the mr. reminded me of what is most important

Everly was sleeping next to me while I was working

and he said

"just look at her, we cannot be stressed about anything when we have her.  just look at that little bundle of joy, it will all be fine."

and that is so true

because right now she is sleeping on me while I type with one hand

and that could never be a bad thing

so even though every day might not be jam packed with

outings and adventures

and some days we will just need to stay home and get things done

we are lucky to have our Everly

oh hey, I'm three weeks old today

well, technically I'm three weeks and one day old today
this week I have been very busy with the following:
-I rolled over from my tummy to my back while laying on the sofa with daddy
[apparently that is pretty cool for someone my age]

-used my pinky fingers to hold my own bottle
[my mom was so impressed by this she was snapping photos of me like mad]
-my mom finally figured out I wasn't getting enough food and she started giving me extra goodness in a bottle and I gained a whole pound in one week
[now I don't have to go back to the dr. until January!]
-I accidentally petted our kitty Luna while doing one of my many daily stretches, I liked it, she liked it, I think I'll do it again soon
-I had my first shopping trip to the mall where mom left very happy because she found some dresses she said she can feed me in, so that sounds like good news for me
-I had two thanksgivings where I met so many family members, I think holidays are going to be some good times for me in the future
-we found grammy her christmas tree and decorated it
[the whole thing exhausted me so I slept through it all]

time for me to get back to my napping
it is pretty much my favorite thing to do right now
-Everly Mae

hunting for the perfect christmas tree

today the mr. and I helped pick out the family christmas tree for my mom's house

it is something we have done ever since we were dating

and this year we got to bring our little Everly

so we decided we should also bring the camera for yet another first for E

my family has been buying our tree from the same man since I was about seven

so getting to bring our little one with us just seemed pretty special

this is just one of many traditions I am so excited to continue with our little family

happy turkey day

I hope that everyone celebrating today had an amazing Thanksgiving

I know that the start of the holiday season could not have been any better for us

because this little one pretty much could brighten up any day

especially those days that are all about being thankful for what we have 

so no matter how big or small your holiday was today

or whether you celebrated with friends or family

I hope you too found much to be thankful for

blooming bath bliss

a while back when I was on the baby boards of pinterest non-stop

I stumbled upon the Blooming Bath

I instantly thought it looked like a little piece of bath time heaven

before it had arrived we tried a couple of sponge baths while we waited 

for E's tummy to heal

and she was not having it, not one bit

not to mention that bath time was something I was very nervous about

Everly is tiny, and throwing water on her just seemed to be a little scary for me

as soon as we got our Blooming Bath getting our little lady clean

became on of my favorite times of the day

and E absolutely loves her bath time too

the only time she gets sad now is when I take her out 

of her big comfy flowery cute bath 

and the best part, you can just use it in the kitchen sink

hang it to dry or toss it in the dryer for a few minutes

so there's my mommy approved product 

if you have a little one, or one on the way, I highly suggest the awesomeness

of the Blooming Bath

oh hey, I'm two weeks old today

today I turned two weeks old

I've been working hard to gain weight, things are still going slow

but I think we will get there soon

this week I've been loving the following:

-the Christmas lights around the windows

-staring at clouds, every chance I get

-being on my tummy

-sleeping on whoever will cuddle with me

-getting to see my auntie two times in one week

-finally deciding that I am calling my grandma "grammy"

-finding out that my thumb is pretty cool, but really, any of my fingers will do

-my dad makes the craziest noises and they always make me happy

-my mom loves taking a "late night nap" with me

-taking baths are now awesome, I think I'm officially a water baby

-making sure my arms and hands are always free, 

I especially like when they are above my head

not a bad two weeks if I do say so myself

-Everly Mae

the one post I wish someone would have written

even before I was pregnant I read many different posts 

from the various awesome mommy bloggers out there

I was ready for so many parts of pregnancy and motherhood

what to pack for the hospital, what to expect your first couple of days of parenthood, etc.

however, the one post that I wish I would have read

would have been about clothing, yes, go figure

this past week I have realized that I officially have no "nursing friendly" clothing

like none

there are downsides to dressing very modestly and loving dresses

they pretty much make it impossible to feed the little lady on the go

so here is what I wish I would have been told before delivering:

1) your body will bounce back to close to your original size right after baby [nature is crazy awesome like that], but don't expect your old wardrobe to work like it used to, and maternity clothes are also not going to fit how you want, so you most likely will have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear - and this may sound silly, but that could in fact get some "baby blues" tears flowing, and flowing fast

2) loose fitting dresses are great for your changing waistline, but if they are not button down or have thin straps, they are not going to work for on the go feedings

3) invest in some button down tops and cardigans

4) know you will be fitting into your jeans, but they will not feel as comfortable as those awesome maternity ones you have been used to for the past couple of months, buttons and zippers are just not as great as that elastic waistband you have been rockin', so be warned

so bottom line, check your closet before delivering to see if anything you own 

will work for nursing

and if it won't, take a trip and buy a few things for yourself

not just your soon to be baby

because dressing Everly is officially the easiest part of my mornings

dressing myself on the other hand, challenge number one

out and about with a little baby

I think before you become parents for the first time

you really have no idea how it is all going to go down

we had some ideas and hopes for how we wanted to parent

but were our ideas simply unrealistic?

well for the most part, we are getting through our days just the way we wanted

so yesterday we finally got out and about in the neighborhood

and went for our first walk as a family

Everly even went to her first food truck last night

[a true passion of her father's]

so yeah

we are birthing baby in tubs, co-sleeping, baby-wearing parents

and we couldn't be happier about it

oh hey, I'm one week old

I cannot believe that our little Everly has already been here for one whole week

I'm feeling very lucky to have fallen into motherhood fairly easily

we have been blessed with a healthy baby who sleeps

our biggest challenge this week has been keeping the weight on Everly 

I was pretty sure I would have an eight pound baby

and instead, I had a baby who weighed 6lbs 13oz at birth

and then by wednesday she had lost 13% of her body weight 

dropping down to 5lbs 15oz

now considering everything that could happen to a baby,

we knew this was a very manageable situation

but being a new mama and just seeing your little one get smaller by the day

wasn't the easiest thing to handle 

but after a few tears and some great support from the mr.

we powered through, knew that everything would be fine

it just might take time

so since wednesday we have been working around the clock to keep the 

little lady fed and full

which meant supplementing with formula

and we used a little syringe to feed her to not interfere with nursing

four dr. visits later we are officially moving in the right direction

and today we found out she weighs 6lbs 4 oz

and yes, the husband did hi-five Everly after we took her off the scale

very proud moment for these new parents 

so happy one week of life miss Everly Mae

ten on ten [november]

why yes, this is my first ten on ten as a mom

so I'm pretty sure you can guess what parts of my day I was shooting

1. good morning  2. waking and stretching  3. belly kisses  4. first trip to where mom & dad met  5. snuggling with great uncle  6. sometimes this happens when you're little  7. ready for our first bath  

8. well we handled our first bath ok, but was very happy after  9. skin to skin with daddy  

10. the laundry can wait to be put away

happy ten on ten

we are thankful

november is a month to be thankful

and this november we have even more to be thankful for

our friend Geoff of The Goodness came the morning that Everly was born

to take some images of her first hour 

and we could not be any luckier to have these moments forever captured

here are just a few of my favorites

and yes, we are in love

like completely in love

everly mae is here

our little everly mae arrived monday, november 5th

at 7:24 in the morning 

weighing 6 lbs 13 ounces and 20 inches long

we have been home since tuesday and all is well

these are just a few of my favorites from our trip home from the hospital

she is perfect.

38 weeks

well, we are coming to the end of my 38th week

the waiting game is interesting to say the least

you never know when the day is going to come

right now things are so calm and I have so much free time

[like I have never seen my sink so dish free in years]

and I know in a blink of an eye everything will be very different

but I just couldn't tell you how

even though the unknown can be scary

the mr. and I are getting very excited

 and since I have made it to my masters class this weekend

[the one thing I asked Everly to do for me]

we are officially getting on some of those natural induction tricks my midwives 

have been mentioning lately

so tonight I will be drinking organic raspberry leaf tea

[even though I HATE tea]

wish me luck, it is seriously waiting for me on the coffee table right now

and I'm scared

yes, drinking tea, that is what I'm scared of right now

trying to keep things in perspective

november first is for starting a photo challenge

it has been some time since I have taken part in a daily photo challenge

but I've decided that this month might be a great reason to play along

I'm thinking that I'll be taking even more photos than I know what to do with

once Everly Mae arrives, and while I wait for her

I have a little more time since I'm on maternity leave

so here goes

play along, especially if you are on instagram

if so - tag your photos #FMSPHOTOADAY to see everyone else 

who is joining in too

happy first day of november - find something that starts with the letter "c"

and...go!