Mi Amor

Update...

We spent most of the night in urgent care.  Croup led to stridor, which is by far the single most horrible sound I've ever heard coming through the baby monitor.  It sounded like her lungs were just 'stuck' and we'd dash back there to snatch her up and make sure she was breathing.   Turns out, she has freaking RSV again + croup + now two ear infections.   A steroid shot and some breathing treatments have us back to just "sick" now, which is good.  

I had an itty-bitty newborn session scheduled for today, though.  Poop!  

Do you hear that?

That's my sweet girl wheezing and coughing.   It's got that distinctive croup-bark sound to it, and it's stressing me out.  

We've even resorted to taking her outside to 'reset' her lungs (I read it online and figured it couldn't hurt) and it worked...  she stopped coughing, caught her breath, and Jason's now getting her back to sleep.  

If she wakes up in a horrendous fit again, she's coming into our room where I can make sure she's okay all night long.  Even if it means none of us sleep.  

Her doctors appt is at 9am tomorrow... I made it at 4:27pm, right as they were closing up for today - and there must be something to Mommy/Daddy intuition - because she wasn't near this bad then.  

Being a mom is HARD!  

Sweet Sara

So as it turns out, Sara is big enough that I couldn't trick her into sleeping the entire time... and she also didn't find my shenanigans entertaining, in the least.  She is, however, beautiful - and she ADORES her Mommy, Katie... you can see it in her eyes when she looks at her.   So sweet!   She has the most perfect dimple in her cheek, but didn't really feel up to sharing it whenever my camera was in my hand.  That's okay... we're going to go back next week and I'm going to trick her into liking me.

Isn't she beautiful, though?  *sigh*  Was my baby ever this small?

McKay session...

A few of my favorites!  This family is so fun, so kind and I lovelovelove capturing them with my camera.

Curren's story...

 

Things with my  little photo gig are starting to really blossom, and I'm so excited by that.  We're starting to look at websites, business names, etc.  I'm deliberately trying to go very slow with it, though - I want to learn, not just 'do'.  Does that make sense?  I've been learning since early on in High School, when I would spend hours and hours in the darkroom - but it's still fun and interesting to me.  I would rather do one session, step back, look at what I could've done differently, better - and then go to the next one.  I'm rambling.  

I really, REALLY loved the experience of being the birth photographer for my friends, this week. I feel like the field, while small, is the perfect combination of my photojournalistic style/experience and my love of babies.  (Who DOESN'T love babies, though, really?).   

Aron & Suz posted the slideshow I made them on their blog, so I'm going to take that as a sign that it's okay for me to do the same...  As I watch this, I see the shots that I missed - and shots that I wish had turned out a bit better, but I feel like the story is there.  Suzanne was so incredibly strong and determined, and Aron's absolute love for his wife was palpable in the room.  And then there was Curren...  so sweet, so new, so obviously annoyed that he was out in this cold, bright world.  But so obviously loved.  

(and keep in mind, YouTube makes everything so grainy... )

What a day!

I did my first birth session this morning...  Suzanne called me at 3am, headed to the hospital.  Her goal, that she had been pursuing passionately, was an unmedicated VBAC - and she did it!  Her sweet baby (until she posts his name, I won't) was born at 6:20am, and I was home in time to have Charlotte to her 845 pediatricians appointment.  

What an amazing experience!  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to document this for her and Aron.

Charlotte's stats: 27 inches long, 18lbs 3.5oz.  She's an itty bitty!

What a birthday looks like... with smash pictures!

I was busy pretty much the whole day, so I was able to take a few - but most of the pictures were taken by other people.  When you're the Mom of the birthday girl, you have a lot to do!

Charlotte's party was fantastic!  Dear friends of ours with more space opened their home to us and helped us celebrate her first year.  Having a birthday so close to Christmas, though, makes it look like Fisher Price/Step 2/Little Tikes threw up all over our house.  You can't take two steps without stepping on an elmo, tripping over a walker, kicking a piece of the kitchen set, or hearing a strange voice singing an irritating song.  But Charlotte LOVES it!  She's definitely in "play" mode now...  and really only comes to us when she wants to eat/sleep/be changed.  

Thank you so much to everyone that has celebrated this year with us...  not just at the party, but with prayers, hugs, well-wishes, etc.  We survived!  

Anyhow, here are a bunch of random pictures of her day.

The Invitation

Charlotte's Circle of Friends

Because we were having the party at someone else's home, we tried to keep it small.  I know that I didn't get pictures of everyone...  actually I myself got practically no pictures of anyone - but what can you do? Here is who I did get. 

Madeline, Ella & Mia

Bestie Prestley

Dreamy Pierce

Super-fly Levi

(who, we're told, specifically dressed up for Charlotte - and calls her on his cell phone)

(You can also see Aunt Crystal, and C's cousins Joshua and Samantha in the background)

Wild and crazy Dealey

Maggie and her baby brother (and her parents, too!)

Miss Tiffany (and half of Mia, in this picture)

The Outfit

Miss Nicole and Mommy worked together to make this special birthday shirt for Charlotte.  Her little chucks were the perfect accessory.

Opening gifts...

 

The Cake

I might be the meanest mom in the whole world, but up until today - Charlotte has had no dessert.  No cake, no cookies, no pies, no ice cream, nothing.  My thought being that her tiny little tummy only had so much space, and nutrition is vital for an itty bitty growing and developing so quickly, so she didn't need it.  Now that her birthday has happened, though - all bets are off.  She really wasn't terribly enthusiastic about it... but she did finish it.

The Next Day...

Christy made Charlotte a second cake, specifically for some "smash cake" shots.  Unfortunately, I didn't think ahead enough and all I had for set up was a sheet - but we made it work.  Again, she wasn't terribly enthusiastic... she was more about crawling away.  I also didn't think about a diaper cover - but hey!  She's at least wearing the real turquoise bracelet that her Auntie Mir brought her from New Mexico.  

Some of these aren't as sharp as they should be - but please keep in mind, I was getting cake all over me during this, too.  Her daddy and I had to pick her up and put her back in place every 45 seconds so that she wouldn't track orange buttercream icing throughout the house.

It's been a year. One whole year.

I can't believe it.  How did this happen?  It simply flies through your fingers...  one minute, they're putting this squirmy, wrinkly new person on your chest - the next minute, you're planning her birthday party.   When you're dreaming of it and your body aches for it - you really have no idea just what "it" is going to be. How all encompassing "it" is.

(from the hospital, less than 24 hours old)

My sweet, sweet Charlotte... if I had to use one word to describe you, it'd be silly.  You make us laugh, you make yourself laugh, and you love to playplayplay.  You'll crawl up to us super-quick, lay your head on our lap and squeeze a hug, then giggle and run away.   You often get so tickled by the simplest thing... sometimes I'll just blow in your face, and you'll laugh like it's the funniest thing that ever happened.  You're ticklish on your ribs, on your back, on your neck, under your chin, and most of all - right where your thigh meets your torso.  You splash half the water out of the tub during your bath each night, love to put stuff on your head and as of this week - the sweet hairs on your head are finally long enough to touch the spot where your neck meets your back.  But only when they're wet.  

You aren't walking on your own yet, but you get braver each day.  Today you took one step, completely by accident, then looked at me in amazement at what had just happened.  With your walker, though, you're burning tracks into our carpet.  Our toes will never be the same.  You're starting to slim down, I think I notice a roll missing each week.  I don't know how tall you are, but you're still rather petite.  As of tonight, you're wearing mostly 6-9 month jammies - but there are still one or two pairs of 3-6 in your drawer that we can get on you, and zipped up.  

You LOVE to have us read to you.  We usually read 2-3 books before each nap, then 3-5 before bedtime.  Right now, you're going through a separation anxiety phase where you need us to sit by your bed while you fall asleep at night, and we're okay with that.  You love to sit in our laps while we read, and rock and rock and rock... 

You've started giving us kisses.  Open mouthed of course, lol.  We'll take them! A month or so ago you were saying bye-bye, but you decided to stop doing that.  You still say mama, dada, cat and once in a while - baby.  You're an excellent pointer... you point at stuff you want, and stuff that's just interesting.  You can point at a picture of your daddy and say Dada, and the same with a picture of your mama.  You dance all the time and like to tap your foot.   You squeal with delight when I chase you on the floor, and then always return the favor by chasing me back.  I'll hide behind the couch and startle you, and you'll laugh so hard it makes me cry.  

If Mama had to name one favorite little Charlotte-ism, though, it'd be the way you twirl your hair.  It's a dead giveaway that you're sleepy, but it's just the sweetest thing I may have ever seen.  I pray that the image of your little chin, long eyelashes, big sleepy grin and finger twirling your little strawberry blonde ringlet never, ever EVER leaves my heart or my minds eye. 

It's overwhelming, sweet girl.  I could never have imagined a love like this.  

xoxo, 

me

eta: I didn't take the photos in this post...  the newborn shot was taken by my HS friend, Tobin, when his family came to visit us at the hospital - and the one year portraits were taken by a professional.  :o)  It would be QUITE the trick to get a portrait of us three, with smiles, and me not looking totally frazzled.