6 Weeks and 33 Years

Well, Molly's 6 Week birthday and my 33rd birthday have come and gone.
I will say it has been 6 of the most wonderful weeks of my life.
Seriously.
I think it is a combination of her sweet self, Aaron being home with us, & the unbelievable God-given love of motherhood that has overwhelmed my being that has made it more spectacular than I could have ever imagined.
I am cherishing every moment and loving what is becoming the new normal.
The first 6 weeks of parenthood have been magical and enchanting.
Everything is new.
I see life differently.
I have a protective instinct I never knew existed.
I have thoughts and ideas I never knew existed.
I have a new life, a new outlook, and a new baby.
Fresh from Heaven. Pure and delightful.
I absolutely love being a mom.
My favorite thing to do is hold her.
I even miss her when she is in the car seat.

The 18th was the 6-week mark for Molly, and it was filled with joy, but also fright. We had a spur-of-the-moment doctor visit because her jaundice is still hanging around. After the pure misery of having her bilirubin tested again and a LONG night of worry, we got the best possible news. We are just going to wait it out and check it again in 2 weeks. That news on the 19th was the best birthday gift I could have ever received.

To top it off, we bought a house on my birthday, too. We are super excited and will finally be able to move out of this rental at the end of June.
A fantastic birthday as a new mom!

Announcing Molly

Molly's mama took her photograph. I think she is flirting with the camera!

Brit (Karber) Epperson, my super-talented former neighbor & all-around special gal, custom designed Molly's baby announcements. We L.O.V.E. how she captured our little family of three (or 4 with Fletcher)!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom who:
*sat in the hot car under a shade tree for hours every summer day so I could swim.
*created mystery suppers for no reason other than just because. Seriously, what little girl wouldn't want to hunt for the knife in the piano bench. I loved it!
*who made holidays so much fun.
*who was okay with the fact that I thought, "Mama made me mash my M&M's" was a real song.
*played the piano late at night while I was in bed - I loved that.
*taught me right from wrong.
*sacrificed her own wants for mine.
*who walked a 5K this past fall just months after her serious, scary illness.
*is now the grandmother of my precious daughter.

I love you, Mom.
I'm thankful for you.
You made my childhood delightful.
You are more than a mom, you are my friend.
I don't know what I'd do without you!

P.S. Mom, please don't kill me for posting this picture. I like it. We are at a movie in Arizona last summer.

1 Month

May 6, 2010
One month of Molly - my baby, my sweetheart.
She is more aware of her surroundings.
She is smiling.
She is fun.
She makes us laugh.
She grunts, groans, squeals, squeaks, moans, & laughs.
She has a doll that I bought her the first week she was home.
It is so cute.
She is my baby doll, and she has her own baby doll.
Yesterday, on her one month birthday, I was holding it up for her to see and hear (it crinkles and rattles), and I put it down to go get her blanket or something...
When I came back this is what I saw. I don't know how it got around her wrist, but I love it - she is wearing it like a bracelet. Maybe my girl likes jewelry already. I hope so. I have a slew of it just waiting for her play time! I have loved jewelry my whole life and kept most of it for just this baby girl!

Hanging Out

The cutest drying rack in the world...look at the tiny clothes.

I don't dry anything but towels and socks and sheets in the dryer.
I haven't since I started doing my own laundry when I was in 8th grade.
Molly's clothes look much cuter on the drying rack than Aaron's or mine!