renniebird... four months

Wow, I am actually posting these the exact day Serenity turns four months! 

Ha.  Ha.  Ha.
Yes, wrote the beginning of this post yesterday... and then motherhood happened and I am late posting pictures again.  ;-)  Oh well.  I *did* get the pictures taken, so yay!

a baby for christmas

Just two days till Christmas.

Just a couple of days from when my world was turned upside-down... twice.

Both times by a baby.

renniebird... three months (a wee bit late)

Okay, more like a week late.
I know I keep saying it, but it bears repeating:  Time.  Is.  Flying.

in my life

big families, little families

It has been a week since my family returned to Indiana.  One week of it just being our little family of three.  Also the first time I have spent my days with just Rennie since she was two weeks old (I cannot believe she will be eleven weeks old in a few days!).  Thankfully, I feel like our adjustment to this "new normal" is going pretty well!  Still, I miss my people like crazy!

rennie-bird... two months

Where is the time going?

Today my little Serenity is two months old.  She is a chunk of sweetness, weighing over fifteen pounds already.  She has discovered her tongue and loves to smack it and stick it out.  She has also found her fingers and has figured out how to put them in her mouth.

She coos and giggles like crazy these days and is generally a very happy girl (especially when she's getting her diaper changed!).

octoberness

It has finally begun to cool down in the desert of southern Utah.  As someone who grew up in the Midwest, where trees thrive and turn into every color imaginable this time of year, I can struggle with the warm (sometimes hot) days of a western "autumn" and the lack of color since bushes and tumbleweeds lack diversity.  ;-)

But October is my favorite month.  And I am determined to keep it so.

Autumn Trends Fashion Event

entering october

As October begins I can scarcely believe how much has happened in the last month.  These pictures are sneak-peaks into the last four weeks.  They have been so exhausting and overwhelming, but also so beautiful and priceless.

one month

My darling girl is one month old!

Serenity has turned my world completely upside down (hence the lack of blog posts!  My apologies...).  She is an absolute joy.  She loves snuggles and is learning how to laugh!  Her favorite times of the day are definitely when she is nursing.  ;-)  I am utterly, hopelessly in love.

when hopes are fulfilled

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Proverbs 13:12

a weary 'thank you'

"no one else will ever know the strength of my love for you.

after all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside."

a baby girl's room

This is Serenity's nursery.

Though she will be sleeping in our room for a while, I have enjoyed putting together a space for our precious girl *so* much.  This is the smallest of our three bedrooms, but it beautifully holds all of her clothes, blankets, and toys (most of which were given to us).

my little life

I live in a world of grand schemes, lofty goals, and great achievements.

Stronger.  Richer.  Skinnier.  Smarter.  Faster.

 Success is marked by letters after your name, toned muscles, money in the bank, or a busy schedule.

of growing bumps, baby showers, goofy husbands, and nurseries

35 weeks!

Time is flying, my friends!  Maybe it's the fact that I've gone into the "nesting" stage of pregnancy and am constantly busying myself with projects... maybe it's all of the last-minute shopping for our birth and first few weeks with a brand new baby... maybe it's the fact that I am now officially full-term (OH MY HEAD!), but I can scarcely believe we are nearly halfway through August and only a few short weeks from Serenity's due date (if she behaves herself... right now she's measuring two weeks ahead!).

summer moments

It is hard to believe that these pictures are already two weeks old...  Today I am 35 weeks into this crazy-amazing pregnancy and I have spent my day in bed with a sore throat and cough (hence the lack of current bump pictures... hopefully tomorrow or Saturday I'll take some!).

coffee joy... maternity outfit

summer showers... maternity outfit

believing, smiling, living...

Weeks 26-31!!!  Time is flying!!!

Oh, my friends, I have utterly failed with posting weekly bump pictures... so this post is an update on my life as well as a catch-up on preggers/life pics!  :-)

haven

I am a very visual person.  Images speak to me powerfully.  And so, as you'd expect, capturing moments into pictures means a lot.  These photos were taken on my last day in Indiana, nearly two weeks ago now.  Hard to believe.  My family (with the exception of my mom, who came out to Utah in April) has only been able to see me twice since I got pregnant and the next time we lock eyes on each other I will be holding a little bundle of baby in my arms (and then probably won't get a chance to hold her again till she's screaming to be fed).

nelipot... maternity outfit

nelipot ---- (n.) one who walks barefoot

life's treasures

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I recently spent ten glorious days in my dear Indiana with my beloved family.

memories in pink... maternity outfit

belles fleurs... maternity outfit

wishing, anticipating, living

 

Seeing… beautiful blooms everywhere as the weather warms!

Hearing... birds in the morning and, sometimes, the very high-pitched bark of our neighbor's dog (which isn't nearly as pleasant)

Embrace the Blimp!... maternity outfit

April and May-ness

22 weeks!

Wow... April and May have gone by so quickly!  I can hardly believe it is nearly June.

three years... the three of us!

It has been three years since a twenty-two-year-old, baby-faced man placed a ring on my finger with eyes so soft and glimmering with tears. Three years since we began this journey together.

so much more than "pretty"... maternity outfit and thoughts post

 

happy thoughts

As I'm sitting here on my couch this overcast Friday evening, olive oil treatment soaking into my hair before my lazy-late-day shower, my thoughts are buzzing.  Trying to find my place... wondering for the future.

So many opinions from so many places; some helping, others only sending me into a new, whirling void.

magical days

There are weeks that fly away without anything significant to mark them.  They still have their special beauty -- their worth-living-ness.

Then there are weeks that will stay with you forever.  They are the days where you have laughed so loudly, cried so purely, lived so epically.

Those are the days of magic that make you oh-so-thankful to be alive.

This last week was just that.

evening breeze... maternity outfit post

 

Hello friends!  

Soooo, I am thrilled to be pregnant.  I know what a miracle this baby is and am thankful every moment... but it has not been easy.  The first trimester was dreadful and second trimester still has had difficult moments/days.  And clothing-wise things have been interesting.  Maternity pants are fine, but they aren't always the most comfortable thing.

 In walk maxi skirts to save the day!  They are soft, stretchy, and so versatile!

halfway

Spring is definitely here in Southern Utah... The fact that I was wearing short sleeves by Valentine's Day should have been a hint that it might be getting warm soon.  ;-)

hard days, big prayers, beautiful answers... yes, this is a gender-reveal!!!

15 weeks

Last Friday started as a nightmare.

By mid-morning I was experiencing agonizing back and abdominal pain... I cringe even thinking about it.  It was excruciating.  At first I tried to lay down and see if it would go away, but only a few minutes told me that wasn't possible.  My wonderful pastor's wife ran me to the ER.

where the heart is... indiana trip and second trimester

If home is where the heart is, my heart is in a constant state of confusion.  

Home is Andrew by my side.  Home is hearing Baby J's heart beating.  Home is the faces of my parents and siblings around me.  Home is where Promise waits for me.  Home tears me in different directions.

when God says YES

Me and Baby J at 11 weeks!

Parenthood means sacrifice... and I am already glimpsing a small picture of what that looks like.

the skies i'm under ~ 1 year anniversary!

 It has now been a year since I renamed and revamped this blog of mine!!  Wow...

from my new home: the couch

For about the last month, life has been going to the bathroom a lot, being tired and nauseated all of the time, and throwing up more times than I can count.  I am pretty much living on our couch and our red, fuzzy blanket is my new best friend.

Guest posting!

Hello, lovely readers!

I realize how little I've been blogging recently, but between fatigue and constant nausea (yes, pregnancy seems to be going well!) I just haven't had the brain-power.

I am, however, being featured in a blog post as a guest writer sharing answers to some Godly Beauty questions (which, thankfully, I was able to write before morning-noon-and-night sickness set in).

If you'd like, take a moment to read this and also explore Nela's blog, "Beloved Star"!

<3

miracles forming