I think it is time to change up the outfit posts on Mondays. I need some new creative spin to keep the motivation going. With so many bloggers doing fashion posts now, its time to think outside of the box. I loved when these posts were centered around modest fashion, and I would like to bring that back a little as well as change up the main focus of the post. It may be more photography based or color themed, but whatever it is, I promise to keep it interesting:) Thanks to those of you who left some great feedback on facebook and instagram. I have some new ideas to work into the blog thanks to you! A special thank you to my friend Trish who reminded me that when we have a restlessness with our passions and creativity its often an indicator we need to reach higher and challenge ourselves beyond the norm. I was so inspired by this that I got out the good old bedside pen and paper and started jotting ideas.
Moral of the story: Surround yourself with people who uplift and encourage you to be more, and once in a while reach higher than you think you are capable of:)
P.S. How am I adjusting to life with three? Giving myself three months before I feel guilty about anything. Thanks to Lindsay for the perfect “adjusting to a new baby addendum.”
Nanna and Papa…the reason I have survived this first week as a mother of three!
There aren’t really words to describe that first week of life of a child. Despite the post labor pains, the sleepless nights, and adjustments at home, there is an unprecedented joy and peace that takes over my heart to have this tiny being in existence. I can’t bring myself to put him down very often. There are only a few precious months when their innocence and dependence on you is so pure and simple.
Watching each member of the family experience little Max takes that happiness to another level…
My husband couldn’t wait to tell everyone his boy was a whopping 9lbs 9oz. and looks at him with such pride. He holds him with such delicacy. It stops me in my tracks to see him love our children. I don’t think I could love him more than in the moments he cares for his family with such dedication.
Gabriel has amazed me with how long he wants to be near Max. This morning, 15 minutes went by of him just holding and gazing at the baby before miss Veronica demanded a turn. He proudly announces he has a new little brother named Max to every visitor we have. Each day he has made sure to have some quality time with his baby brother, and it gives me hope that he will be his life long friend and protector.
Veronica makes sure to check on the baby every ten minutes or so and she always has a diagnosis for him. “Baby Max is cryin.’ Needs paci.” She has already tried to nurse him…oh dear. She is going to be the second little mother to him, and I will have to make sure she doesn’t smother him. This video is of their first meeting in the hospital…
With each child I have grown more aware of just how fleeting the time is, and so I have ignored the laundry and the growing mess in our room, and just held him a little longer. Everything else will come and go but the time we have with our children is irreplaceable and irreversible. I know there will be rough patches with adjusting to life with three little ones, but we have moments like this to hold onto to get us through…
*Full disclosure: The smartest and most convenient baby bath and baby seat we have ever seen was a very generous gift from 4moms.com and we are so grateful to be able to use them for baby Max!
Emily is a girl after my own fashion loving heart. She has this ability to nail every look she puts together and has impeccable taste. She also happens to be an incredible mother to little Capri. So thankful to her for being here to share what so many of us mothers can relate too…getting our children ready for the world.
My life changed forever on the day that my husband and I welcomed our sweet little girl, Capri, to our family. I remember it like it was yesterday! We went in for a routine check-up and were told that our Capri was not going to wait any longer, she wanted to meet her mom and dad three weeks earlier than expected:) As you can imagine, going in for a check-up and being told on the spot that you will be having your baby within the next couple of hours was a little overwhelming for a first-time mom! I didn’t get to hold her for over 6 hours as she spent some time in the NICU, but when I finally did, it was well worth the wait! Since then, I feel that I haven’t really let her go, and I don’t plan to anytime soon:)
Today, Capri is the life of every party and it is so much fun watching her little personality begin to develop! As she grows, so does my role as a mother in her life. All parents wish that they could give the moon and stars to their children, and we try to do everything we can to help them avoid hard times, scrapes on their knees, and bumps on their heads. Sadly, we can’t always be there to protect them from everything, so I hope to instill in Capri the ability to stay confident and happy while facing the challenges that she is sure to come across in her life. This still isn’t an easy thing for her mom to do, so I will be learning along the way as well:)
Today I have the privilege of introducing you to one of my favorite go-to sites as a mother….Small Fry Blog. Its loaded with the coolest ideas to get involved with your children including project, party, and adventure ideas. Love the girls behind this blog, and I know you will soon be a daily visitor. I am so grateful to Jenna for being a guest today and sharing such a beautiful perspective on motherhood…
Thinking back to the night before I had my second baby, Jude, where was I? Uncomfortable, wanting, wishing, waiting. Not knowing what would happen the very next day at 4:06 pm.
The hour we became a family of four and my entire life changed. It’s funny how that works, how what you’ve known forever just shifts in this short but monumental moment. A moment that when remembered, lifts me up in to a euphoric happiness even on the saddest of days.
I delivered my second baby without an epidural. On purpose. I’m not amazing – every mother delivers a miracle no matter what route they take, I’m just a crazy person who did it unmedicated. Regardless of opinion on the matter, I loved my experience & I’ll tell you why.
Choosing an unmedicated birth and the rewards there after have truly changed the course of my life. While I know it’s not for everyone, it gave me the confidence in my life to try new things, and to conquer my days and not just surrender to them. To make choices based on my desires, and not by what’s popular. I learned that I’m capable of really hard things, that I’m the master of my fate, and that when I really believe I can do something, I can.
I reflect on this past year, and it’s full of things I never thought in my wildest dreams I would accomplish and achieve. I look at little Jude and I see in him all the things he has given me the strength to do. I want him to know forever that a life time of serving and loving him will never amount to what his precious soul has given me.
It’s a grand misconception that a baby, because of the nature of his demands and needs, takes away from a mother, but I’ve felt quite the opposite. While some days can be difficult, my boys have given me such profound blessings: love and purpose. In their eyes I see eternity. I see what’s most important. I see my priorities. I see my family.
I met Jen through blogland this year, and ALMOST had the chance to meet her in NYC before miss noreaster crashed our party. Jen is the cutest gal in town with the two cutest kids on the block. You instantly wish they were your next door neighbors. Love this girl! So thankful to her for taking over for the day and sharing her parenting goals. Its gotten me thinking! …
Hi IHOD Readers!
It’s Jen from Jenloveskev! I am super excited for Anna as they welcome their new bundle of joy into the world. In January our second daughter Finley was born. What a blessing she has been to our family. I’ve loved becoming a Mom of two little girls. Recently, I decided I wanted to write out some parenting goals for our family. I thought I would share a few of those with you today…
1. I want to be spontaneous and easygoing, with enough structure though that will give them the security they need.
2. I want to be able to instill in them a passion for life.
3. i want to teach them to have good manners and be polite.
4. I want to play outside with them a lot.
5. I want them to hear more music than TV.
6. I don’t want them to remember me on my phone/computer all the time.
7. I want to pick up and go places with them on a whim.
8. I don’t always want to worry about schedules or making messes.
9. I want our house to be filled with laughter and love.
10. I want to create situations where they can use their imaginations as much as possible.
11. I want to lead by example. I want to be a good role model for them.
12. I want them to know there is no limit to what they can accomplish.
13. I want to teach them to be kind to others and have a generous heart.
14. I want our family to always be adventurous and value the importance of seeing new things.
15. I want to teach them to value and respect each other as siblings and us as their parents.
16. I want them to know they can dream big and we will be there no matter what to support them.
Have you ever written out parenting goals for your family?
I met Kelli this year through blogging, and feel as if we are old friends. She has an incredible spirit about her, and a heart of gold. Not to mention she is an insanely talented artist. So grateful she is here today to share a very delicate piece of her heart. I know you all will love this family as much as I do!
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Hi! My name is Kelli Murray. I’m an illustrator, graphic designer, and blogger. I’m mama to a baby girl named Rylee Jean, and wife to a boy named Sam. And I’m so happy to be here!
When Anna asked me to write something about motherhood, there were about 100 things I felt like I could touch on. How having a baby changed my life for the better, the challenges of being a working mom and striving to find that balance….being present and intentional with my daughter without sacrificing all of me. There were just so many things! I have never in my life made more mistakes nor grown more as a person than I have the last year after having Rylee. But what changed me more than all of that is something that happened more recently.
2 months ago we lost our second baby. The moment I saw that little heartbeat on the monitor, I was attached. I couldn’t be more excited to grow our little family and to give Rylee a sibling. I dreamed about what they would look like and the sound of their cry….and I looked forward to growing that little person inside of me for the next 9 months. But God had different plans. I tried to be rational about it and tell myself that it happens all the time. But knowing that didn’t help the emptiness I felt inside. All these hopes and dreams I had for this tiny soul, were suddenly gone. It was one of the most heart breaking things I’ve gone through, and yet, it changed me completely.
I didn’t expect the piercing sadness….and at the same time, I didn’t expect to be flooded with an overwhelming thankfulness for the perfect, healthy little girl that I do have. I hold on to her just that much closer. Loosing that baby opened my eyes to the true miracle that pregnancy really is. The fact that a woman’s body has the ability to grow new life is beyond me. It softened my heart to those struggling with infertility and it reminds me every day how thankful I am to be a mom. Motherhood is a gift, and nothing I ever deserved.
So in the end, all I can be is grateful. I still look forward to the day when we can add another member to our family, but until then, I am doing my best to fully enjoy the one I’ve got.
Maximilian Francis
This little boy has surprised us in more ways than one in his first few days of life. Its a crazy thing to finally have in your hands the little person you were growing for nine months – to finally see who this little being is.
As you may remember, I had a non-birth planto try a water birth, but kept an open mind that things could change easily when the time came. Its a good thing, because Max decided to come in his own way…much faster than I bargained for.
Before the birth:
Gabriel and Veronica were both born on their due date so I had a gut feeling this little one would carry on the family tradition. His due date was on our 5th anniversary, June 28th. Gabe and I went out to dinner and one of our favorite spots in Atlanta where we went the night we got engaged. It was so cool for us to be able to have some time together before our family grew again. I was having strong braxton hicks throughout dinner but had been having those off and on for a few weeks so I didn’t give too much importance to them. After we got back late and went to bed I couldn’t sleep. I was in and out with that instinct that the baby was coming. I finally dozed off and woke up with a very strong contraction around 1:30 AM. I knew right away this was it. I timed the first few and they were only 4 minutes apart. I thought it was really strange, but I knew if it went anything like Veronica’s birth, that I had better respond quick.
There was no laboring at home or waiting it out. I did the rounds…
I woke up Gabe, he jumped out of bed, and quickly got into game mode. I went into the guest room where my sister Jana was staying to tell her it was time. (She has been our lifesaver these past few days taking care of Gabriel and Veronica for us. ) Having a sister to share all of this with is pretty awesome. And she told me she had never gotten to witness someone going into labor before…check that off your bucket list sista! And lastly, went in to kiss my sweet little ones one last time with tears in my eyes. I knew when I got back everything would be different. Good, but different. Its a last goodbye to a cherished phase of life with just those two.
The labor:
The contactions were intense to begin with so I told Gabe red lights were fully permissable considering we had a twenty minute drive to the hospital. He had no problem getting into speedy race car driver mode as we flew down the highway. I called the midwife almost immediately after contractions had started and was told she was already at the hospital with another birth (thank the Lord). I was trying my best to focus through the crazy pain, and had a growing sense that the baby wanted to waste no time in making his or her debut. Half way there between sharp turns and attempts at deep breathing, my water broke. I knew the water birth was not happening at that point and I started to simply pray for strength to get me through whatever was about to come. Gabe zoomed into handicapped parking right smack in front of the ER entrance. As I stepped out of the car the door seemed miles away. I wanted to just crawl at that point and from my experience with Veronica, the baby was pretty close to arriving. Don’t worry, I made it through those doors and Gabe pushed me in the wheelchair back to labor and delivery. I was so thankful for my calm and patient midwife who greeted us as we flew through those doors. I barely had time to get a gown on before I felt the baby transition. For those of you who have been through natural labor, you know this is one of the peaks of pain. Tears were flowing down my face and I wanted to hold up the white flag of surrender. What kept me going? I knew I was minutes away from meeting the little one I had been waiting so long for…
The Delivery: They barely got the IV in and I knew it was time to push. All I will say is that what followed was the most difficult and painful experience of my life. I felt the rush of prayers of all of my family and friends, I heard my husband’s steady words of support as he cheered me on through the last stretch, and I gave everything I had to give because I knew it was all that remained between me and my baby. Four pushes later at 3:05 am, I heard that sound you ache for as a mother to know they are alive and well….the sweet newborn cry. Gabe turned to tell me it was a boy and I almost passed out from the overwhelming mix of pain, relief, emotion, joy, and triumph. I barely had the energy to wrap my arms around my baby and I couldn’t get any words to form. I just knew that this was it….this was all worth it. I loved him so deeply already….that strange beautiful mystery of love at first sight. The phenomenon of willingly giving up your body to be broken for another being so that they can have life. Sound familiar? I certainly have a whole new level of gratitude to God for his own sacrifice for me…
The extras: I knew from the moment I saw this baby boy’s black head of hair and big frame that Maximilian was going to suit him well. My last appointment, the midwife told me not to expect more than an 8 lb. baby. I had my doubts from the way I felt those last few days, and sure enough ….a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz. 21 inches long chunker. Gabe is very proud, and I am hoping this means my dream of a chubby baby may come true. And this might very well be the first child that resembles my spanish roots! We will see. Its a Catholic tradition to name your children after role models or saints that they can look up to as they grow. The story of St. Maximilian and St. Francis of Assisi have always been a favorite of Gabe and I’s and we know they will be great guardians of little Max:)
Who will you be Maximilian? Your dad and I talk about how we can’t wait to see who you become. You have a really selfless dad who will show you how to be a man of truth and fight for all that is good in this world. You have a brother and sister who think you are the bees knees and can’t stop squealing over you. I have a feeling you will get plenty of love around here. And me, well, lets just say I am a puddle of sap for you and I can’t put you down. You are snuggled up next to my leg as I write your story. We are ready to begin life with you!
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P.S. Stay tuned as I share with you some of my very favorite mothers and their stories this week on IHOD as I take some time to rest and soak up time with my little ones. Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers these past months. I am so grateful for each of you!
