Half-Birthday

Dear Birdie,

Six months ago, before I met you, that's what I called you.  You were my little birdie, fluttering away in mama's belly, the biggest and best surprise of all.  On April 9 you were born on a beautifully sunny day, and the best surprise I ever heard came from your papa's mouth that day- "It's Emery"- my next words, and I'll never forget how I felt when saying them, were "My baby girl!"

Emery Grae.  My beautiful baby girl.  You are six months old today.  How this time has passed so quickly (or so it seems), I'll never be able to figure that out.  Every parent I have ever met has told me that "the time passes quickly", and to "cherish every moment."  Those words never sunk in fully until you came along.  It seems you were born, I blinked, and now here we are today, six months later.  You have already come so far, changed so much- you truly leave me shaking my head in amazement every day.

About two months ago, we went to your 4-month well baby check-up and you received your second round of vaccinations.  Later that night, you were unusually fussy, and we figurred it was a side effect of having two shots that day, though we were surprised because you did so well after your first round.  The next morning, your papa and I were going along with our day, when I heard him say from the bedroom, "Heather, you should come here and check this out..."  After ensuring me that everything was OK, I discovered that what he wanted to show me was that you had a tooth!  A month later, you cut tooth #2.  You did so well with both of them- a little extra fussiness, but nothing we couldn't handle.  Now they are growing along, and they are so stinkin' cute.

You have the strongest legs!  You love for us to hold your hands so you can stand up.  You've recently started bending your legs a lot, so sort of standing/crouching/standing/crouching.  I think it's a result of your love of bouncing (in your bouncy seat) that is manifesting in other aspects of your day!

You have found your voice- some days you babble lots, and some days you are more of a silent observer with only an occasional "two cents".  You try out lots of new sounds- I hear lots of 'g's' and 'm's' especially.  It seems that when you are fussy, the consonant sounds come out even more!

Speaking of being fussy- you hardly ever are!!!!  Don't get me wrong, you have your moments, but you are one happy baby.  Your papa and I regularly observe how lucky we are to have such a happy baby.  You're quick to give smiles, giggles, and are usually content to entertain yourself for short periods of time (up to 20 minutes or so if necessary- not that we just leave you there and walk away, but we can be doing something else while talking to you, and you're happy to bounce and play!).  I've heard from everyone who has watched you before that you are the easiest baby- you don't cry when we leave, you acclimate to almost any situation.  This summer and fall you have gone with me to so many places- outdoor music festivals, restaurants, The Bywater, etc., and you take it all as it comes.  You love to be outside, love dancing with your papa and me.  You're simply amazing.

You can sit up now on your own- sort of.  We can't leave you sitting because you inevitably topple over, but you can do it, and you're getting better every day.  You haven't quite rolled over yet, but that's OK- you try every once in a while.  I'm sure you'll get there eventually.

Everyone seems to have a different opinion about who you look more like- me or your papa.  Some people say you look exactly like me, and some swear you look a lot like your papa.  I see both sides.  Which is how it should be!  I figure either way, you're lucky!! ;)

You've just recently started really sucking your thumb. You've always put it in your mouth, but only in the last few days have you started curling your other fingers over you nose and really used it as a soothing method.  It's adorable.

Food!  You are eating some solids.  You have tried sweet potatoes, squash, peas, avacado, bananas, and apple.  So far, peas seem to be your favorite.  I might have snuck a tiny taste of Plant's strawberry ice cream (made with coconut milk) the other night when we went to visit your papa at work.  It was a tiny, tiny bit, though!  I used to give you rice cereal, but not as often anymore.  The majority of your meals is still, and will continue to be, mama's milk (still pumping after 6 months!) for the remainder of your first year, and hopefully beyond.  

At your 6-month well baby check-up yesterday, you were 15 pounds, and 25.25 inches long.  My big girl!!

All in all, you are just the joy of my life.  Am I tired?  Yes.  Has my life changed?  Yes.  Is it all so worth it?  Wholeheartedly YES.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey, you'll never know dear, how much I love you, my sweet baby Emery Grae.

I love you, baby girl-

Stay tuned for 6-month photos and videos later this week!!!

It almost hurts...

I am so lucky to be here right now, sitting next to my beautiful, peaceful daughter as she sleeps.  Her skin is so soft, her lips are so lovely, her eyelashes so long and beautiful.  She is perfect in every way.  I am so grateful every day for the wonderful gift we were blessed with on the day she was born.  Since that day, our lives have changed in almost every way.  Our sleep is different, our day to day routines are different, the way in which we love each other is different.   I have been quite amazed with how selfless you become once you have a child.  No longer are decisions made based upon our wants, but instead they are based around her needs.  And I am OK with that.  There will come a day when things resume to some semblance of "normality", but why rush it?  It will always be different in some way, as now we have this little one to care for, no matter how big she gets.  I am in no rush for her to get big, but I do welcome and look forward to each upcoming stage. 

I often find myself just staring at her.  Watching her breathe (making sure she IS breathing!), her chest rises and falls, she makes small movements, and I am happy.  Her face rests on her arm as she sleeps, and I realize how alike we are.  How I am a part of this lovely baby.  She is a part of me. How lucky are we to have the ability to create life?  To create these mini-versions of ourselves, and then watch them grow up to be their own individual selves?  I am so eager to see who she becomes.  What will interest her?  What parts of Nate and I will she carry, and what will she surprise us with? 

Emery Grae, you are the joy of my life.  I feel so blessed that I get to be your mama, that I get to watch you grow, that I get to cuddle you as you sleep (for as long as you'll let me!), and that I get to call you my own.  Slow down, don't grow so fast, but I promise you that I will cherish each stage, every moment. 

As I revel on how sweet and lovely you are, I realize that my love for you is so big...it almost hurts.

Our musical baby

It's inevitable.  Our baby will love music.  Just like mommy & daddy. It makes me happy that some of the first few months we'll spend with this baby will be during the summer time, in Asheville, home to a plethora of outdoor festivals and shows.  Our baby will be well versed in the local music scene before mama returns to work. 


Since Birdie was conceived, he or she has already been introduced to some fantastic music in utero!  We saw The Flaming Lips in October, Beirut & Sebadoh in November, B.B. King in January & Ani Difranco in February!  Unfortunately, mama has to miss Feist in early May, but it'll be for a good reason.  :)  Birdie will be too young at that point to actually GO to an indoor concert!

Here's to great music, and introducing our child to it all from the get go!

This post is LONG overdue!

So....since the last time I've written (I'm sorry, it's been so long because for the longest time all I wanted to write about was this baby, but it wasn't time yet, then I got distracted with school, yada, yada...) I have announced to the world that Nate and I are having a baby!


So....it has been quite a journey leading up to now.  I am currently 22 weeks pregnant (5 1/2 months) and I love every minute of it (well, most minutes!).  My pregnancy has been a series of stages, and I think it'd be fun to share them :)

Pre-stage stage:  Am I pregnant?  Time to take the test!  Yay!  I'm pregnant!  And now the wait begins to tell the WORLD!

Stage 1:  Why am I not more sick?  Is my baby OK?  I haven't gained any weight.  Is my baby OK?  We are due April 14th!

Stage 2:  Oh, now I'm nauseous!  And starving! And tired!  Is my baby OK?  We heard the heartbeat!  Yay!

Stage 3:  Nausea subsided!  I feel better, and I'm not QUITE as tired.  Time to tell the WORLD!  I am pregnant, yay!  Still haven't gained much weight.  Is my baby OK?!  What's that pain?  Is my baby OK?

Stage 4:  My belly is starting to show...popping out juuuust a little.  Not enough for people to know I'm pregnant (not strangers, anyway), but I can tell!  Somewhere around now I have switched midwife practices (tell me I'd be selfish regarding ANYTHING concerning this pregnancy, and you don't get me as a patient!)  Getting a lot of headaches.  Is my baby OK?  I can feel the baby rolling around, like I'm on a rollercoaster, but not solid, unquestionable movements/kicks yet.  Is my baby OK?!  We had our ultra-sound!  What a perfect little baby we have growing!  Perfect little profile, perfect little nose...We are totally, completely IN LOVE!  And we have decided not to find out the gender..we're going for the surprise!  Ouch, that hurt!  Is my baby OK?!

Stage 5:  OK, my belly is definitely getting bigger now!  People who don't know me can tell I'm pregnant.  I have recently started feeling actual kicks.  But, wait, I haven't felt the baby move in a couple hours...is my baby OK?! 

And so it goes...notice a trend?  Welcome to motherhood, self!

Some days we just need to be...

Do you ever have those days when, you know you have a long to do list, yet you just feel like being in your mind, in your head, alone, no distractions?  Today was one of those days for me.  While I had intentions of being productive, I just could not gather the energy or desire to actually follow through with those intentions.  A lot of time was spent wandering from room to room.  I'd get up, walk into the kitchen.  Make myself something to eat.  Get up, wander into the office.  Check my facebook page.  Get up, wander onto the deck.  Soak up the sun's warmth for a few minutes  What I did not spend time doing was cleaning my house in preparation for our friend's visit (thankfully, they're not staying with us, or I would have had no choice!), or preparing for a new and quickly approaching new school year (I'll put it off another week).  While these things rank high in the list of importance, I wasn't ready to wrap my head around them quite yet.  Maybe tomorrow...

It may take a while for this blog to determine it's own course...I figure that eventually, I'll find a common thread that shows up frequently.  Until then, I'm just going to explore, move from room to room and see where it takes me.  I hope you'll take the journey with me.  And please, sign up to follow me.  The more the merrier :)

This is who I share my life with...

Nate and I enjoying our "staycation" in early July, 2011

Let's see how this blog thing works out...

Over the last year or so, I have started reading a handful of home improvement and mommy blogs.  I am interested in both of these things, and Nate and I are making plans to expand upon our little family of two, so I thought, what better time than to try this blog thing out.  I love to write, but don't put it to good use often enough for personal growth.  I find myself doing lots of writing for professional growth, which absolutely has its place in the ranks of importance, but I need to do some writing for me. 

I'm not sure exactly how this blog will grow, but as the title I have chosen suggests, I will be learning along the way.  I am currently learning many new things and growing as a result.  Hopefully, I can share some of these insights and learn from all of you as well.

Here's to new experiences.  "I am always learning."

xo Heather