Trying to catch my breath...

*Gasp!*

I lost my breath.

I don’t remember what I was doing, but I saw an old picture of Gabi a couple months ago and it took my breath away. In one second, I was grappling with seeing my beautiful child & feeling those gooshy, mommy emotions, and being so sad at how fast the days, weeks, months have seemed to fly by. There she was, sitting on the floor with her Pooh Bear looking bleary-eyed up at the camera. Sweet innocence! I wanted so desperately to reach through the picture and snuggle again with that little girl. Ivy was a month old when I saw this picture of Gabi and maybe there was a bit of post-birth emotions at play, but I felt that Time had hit me and I couldn’t help feeling that Time was slipping through my hands.

 

Gabi after waking up, staring up at the camera

 

The next few weeks, I continued to be extra weepy when I mused over the last two years since Gabi (and now Ivy) have been in our lives. I still get weepy when I’ve gone through a few nights of little or no sleep (thanks to having a new born) but overall, I couldn’t be happier to have had the time of my life with this little girlie. She is full of life – from the way she colors on the sidewalk with chalk (maybe she’s the next Van Gogh!) to the way she loves running around in a circle over and over and over and over again, cracking herself up as if she’s just heard the greatest joke ever told in the history of the universe. Her smile can crack open even the most calloused heart. I want to learn from her on how to love life’s tiniest details, how to get excited over little events, how to sing, giggle, hug, play, show empathy for others.

But most of all, I want to soak up these moments, days, weeks, months - pour them in a bottle and keep them with me forever.

 

One of my favorite smiles

 

June 9, 2011

 

Summer 2012 - a little over a year old

 

Gabi's first Easter - 2012

 

 

Showing off her impeccable fashion sense

 

My girl - looking like a big kid

 

Jumping In

Hey all! I've been thinking about having a blog for a while now, so I thought it's time to throw my hat into the ring. I am a self-described neat freak and cleaning nut. I always knew I'd be a mom someday - as a mom I've grown to love baby wearing, have made my own hybrid version of attachment parenting, and try my best to practice gentle parenting. That's the short version. Here's the long of it:

I'm 32 years old. What?! Where did time go? I don't feel like a 32 year old. It seems like just yesterday I was getting ready to graduate college! I started college with a major in Vocal Music Education. My junior year, I decided to switch to Fashion Merchandising and ended up in retail management for several years. I quickly burned out in retail so I thought I just had to go to grad school for Historic Costuming - I landed at the University of Nebraska. I met my husband shortly after moving to Nebraska; we got engaged after knowing each other for 5 months and were married 9 months later. We found out we were expecting our first child shortly after we were married. Whew!

I've been married to my best friend and husband, Matt, for nearly three years. We have two girls - Gabi (2) and Ivy (12 weeks), and one angel baby. I am in awe daily at how much my heart has grown to love these little ladies so very much. Gabi is extremely energetic and makes me laugh nearly every day with he antics. Her favorite activity these days is running around in a circle, bobbing her head and doing some sort of "trotting" action with her feet and legs, all the while laughing and giggling. Ivy likes blowing raspberries and making funny noises. She's also started to smile, which is often the highlight of my day. (If you haven't seen a little baby smile at you, I highly recommend it!) 

 

Wedding Day 09/04/10

 

I have posted a ridiculous number of photos and status updates about Gabi on Facebook. She just turned 2 but she is so smart (I know, I know - every parent things that about their kids) I have to remind myself that she is just 2 and not older. Plus, she's super tall for her age, so she looks older. She's bull-headed but has the funniest sense of humor I've seen in a kiddo her age. She is full of love and loves being a big sister. My world changed the second I met her and I love watching her grow.

 

Gabi at the pool

 

Sweet Ivy has only been with us a short while, but she's captured our hearts in a big way. She's pretty laid back, only crying when she's hungry. With two little kids I haven't devoted nearly the time to taking photos of this girlie like I did with Gabi. I suppose that's pretty typical with the second child!

  

Ivy at 2 months

 

 

Well, there you have it! This is me jumping in.