18 months and a new haircut!

I am definitely late on posting an 18 month update on Amara....yikes! We got her first all over hair cut this weekend, and since we had some friends in town visiting, we were able to really document it. Thanks Sarah!!

 Amara did REALLY well. She only cried when she actually saw the pair of scissors, so I turned her away from the mirror and our hairdresser, and all was well. She played with a bottle of hair product ( taking the top "off " and putting it back "on"), which helped us out a lot as well.

All I can say is, "WOW!!" Amara is so grown up feeling. It feels so appropriate that I am writing this post on the heels of us having company in town this weekend because Amara has captivated my heart this weekend while entertaining our guests. I am glad that I don't have to speak this update because I would probably lose it and start crying trying to get my words out.  

The things that really sum her up right now....the things that I really want you to know ( and for her to know) about her 18 month self is that she is full of pure joy. She loves to entertain, and it is really starting to come out in her personality. She loves making people laugh!! She gives great hugs and kisses! She just started making the actual kissing noise, which MELTS me. She says "peeeaaase" and "thank you", feeds herself oatmeal and yogurt, loves to stir our drinks with a straw, loves wearing shoes, chases Sadie around with any toy that is loud, scary and possibly on wheels, she goes to the church nursery without crying, still obsessed with pushing shopping carts, even MORE obsessed with the Target dog that appears on the tv screens in the back of the store, says "cheeese" every time a camera points and shoots, watches her 1 year video on repeat daily and shakes her head "no" anytime I start to sing or dance. It makes me feel great! ;)

These things barely scratch the surface of all the little things she does to make us laugh ( or cry) everyday. This weekend, we have let Amara stay up until 10 or 11 each night to visit with us. She is so full of energy and doesn't want to miss out on a thing. I have been eating it up. The eagerness that I usually feel to get her in bed each night has disappeared.

 Just when I didn't think it any more possible....I fell deeper in love with her this month. 

It's not that there was room in my heart for that love to grow, but that my heart swells to make room for my growing love for her.

 Today in church, we talked about abiding in Jesus and what life looks like without Him. What is OUR purpose?  I know that without Jesus and a loving God, I am NOTHING. I cannot be half the mother I want without Him. I know that we are to produce "fruit" in our lives. Amara dear.....you are part of that fruit for mommy! If I do nothing else in my life, being your mother will make me feel more complete than anything this world could offer me. I will not take credit for the woman that you grow up to be, but I want to do my best to equip you to succeed in all the ways that the Lord would have you do so. Daddy and I pray for you daily!! Even when daddy is away, he prays for us! I feel it! We have spent more time apart than together as a family in these last 6 months, but we were covered in prayer and loved on by family and friends. You are so loved, and I couldn't be MORE proud of you as I sit here and reflect on your 18th month. We love you boots!

16 months "mama"....

Amara became a 16 month old this month!! This post wouldn't be complete without me , once again, saying that I can't. believe. it. For me, time as a mom flies and goes so extremely slow all at the same time. Does that make sense to ANY of you mamas out there? It is only in hindsight that I feel how quickly it all goes.

All I can say is that I am having an absolute ball with her. I feel like those thoughts of "there is no way I could love another baby as much as I love her" have started to creep into my brain, and until it is proven wrong ( someday), I just choose to believe it for now. This is the month that I FINALLY heard the word "mama" roll off of her adorable little lips. I have been waiting and waiting for this moment, and it finally happened! It wasn't like she was trying to figure out her "m" sounds either. It was a genuine running to my leg and hugging it kind of thing. My eyes definitely got misty. I am sure that other mom's ( and dad's) can agree that in that moment, it is like getting a big fat check for all of the hard work you have done. That is how it was for me anyway. A few of her other words ( depending on the day) include cow, dog and cup. She has learned nose, mouth, teeth, socks, cheeks, hair, eyes just to name a few.

Amara's little legs are starting to understand that they can actually run and stomp. It very entertaining for me to let her walk around most of the places we go. It absolutely melts my heart when she looks up at me and reaches for my hand. It is even better when daddy is home because she can hold BOTH hands and do her running/stomping thing. This child does NOT let a note of music play without breaking into dance. I am not even exaggerating a little bit. Her belly laugh is out of control, and I love that for now mommy is funny. Yes! She loves brushing her teeth too! So much that her teeth have not been thoroughly brushed for the past few nights ( bad mommy, I know) due to the fact that she just holds it in her mouth and sucks on it. When I try to pry it from her Kung-Fu grip, she then tightly closes her mouth and will not let me brush. This has all been recent, and I am hoping it is a phase. A few other things she is loving right now are pushing the garage door opener, drinking out of a cup with no lid, everything Sadie ( our dog) does, and any type of electronic device.....sigh.

Amara Claire,
   Daddy and I are so absolutely in love with you. You have enriched our lives immensely. I wake up and go to sleep with you on my mind, and what I can do to help you along in this life. Your smile does more than just make mommy smile. It gives me serious butterflies in my stomach. The kind that make me want to squeeze all your cuteness so hard that you might "pop".You are such a social butterfly. You don't know a stranger, which is so cool, unlike mommy and a little scary all at the same time. I know your cuteness plays a large role in the amount of attention that you get, however, I am fully confident that you have the heart and personality to match. I love praying over you at night before I lay you down. It is my time to get to talk to Jesus about you. I pray for sweet dreams, peaceful rest, that your heart be fully open to Him, for all of the joy you bring us, and for your sweetness....among other things.   I could never thank Him enough for giving us the opportunity to be your parents. Boy, we are just the luckiest!!

Love you Boots!

Mama and Daaaaa

Beware: there is "mommy dancing" in the very blurry video below. Sometimes, we have to be silly to get these amazing laughs out of our little ones. Totally worth the embarrassment, right?

4 MONTHS

     Today, Amara is 4 months old. What can I say? She is growing into such a funny little girl. She is all belly and hair! The smiles are still there, but now we have added our voice to the mix. I think she found it. It doesn't come out all that often, but when it does, it is loud, proud and oh so cute!

     She is definitely a people watcher. She is so alert and aware. She enjoys sleeping on her side. We don't quite have our head control down, but we are about 70% there I think. She can do tummy time and hold it up completely as she smiles because Gabe and I are usually screaming "YAY!!" We have our 4 month doctor's appt. on the 25th of this month, and I can't wait to see how much she weighs. She is definitely feeling heavier and squishier! I LOVE IT!! I pretty much kiss her chunky thighs everyday! Everywhere we go, we get stopped with things like "She looks like a doll!?!" "Look at all of that hair!!!" "She is such a beautiful baby!" and I think to myself.....WE DID THAT!?!? ( well, God did that) We still can't believe how much attention she gets. She is quite the show stopper, and I am not complaining.  I am so proud to carry her on my hip and show her off.

     One of my biggest prayers for Amara is that she grow up to just be a good person! I know it sounds so plain when you say it, but it seems to be harder than we think. I just want her to know who she is and it be GOOD! Obviously, this encompasses a lot of things, and I pray for so much more than this, but I just want her to light up people's lives! :) Ya know.....the same way she does mine!

Here are some other 4 month pics .....

She is continuously balling her hands up and either looking at them
or stuffing them in her mouth!

It is amazing how much I walk in and find her laying like this!

At her first basketball game watching Aunt Jordan
Cheer!

P.S. Babe, if you are reading this......( I know I will have to e-mail you the link because you don't read my blog), but I LOVE YOU and we have made it 4 months. You are the best daddy a little girl could possibly ask for! There is no man that will ever love her more!

3 months baby!!!

Man oh man..... Has it been 3 months already?!?! Time is flying by, but each day is getting better and better. We are celebrating with an "ugly Christmas sweater" and 3 hairbows! Amara's personality is blooming and watching her smile seriously is the best thing in the world. As I sit here typing, I don't even know where to begin explaining all of the amazing things 3 months has allowed us to experience. Our biggest accomplishment this month is sleeping through the night. At first, we were still getting up to put her paci back in to soothe her, then we slept one night all of the way through and realized that neither one of us had to get up to tend to her overnight.....It has been smooth sailing ever since! 7-8 hours a night!!

Amara is smiling bigger than ever, loving her play mat, working up some spit bubbles, starting to laugh, responding and recognizing voices and looking around to find the matching faces. My favorite part of her little baby body are her legs that won't quit....her chunky thighs to be exact. OMG!!! She just goes with the flow! We are just loving our family dynamic right now, but I have always dreamed of having around 4 kiddos. I have to admit, I love giving her all of my attention. I often think that there won't be a chance that we will get another "perfect" baby, but I know God has us!

I still can't believe that God chose little ole me to be the mother of Amara! It is a job I don't take lightly, and Gabe and I just continue to pray for her and that God does something AMAZING through her. She has already changed my life, and I can't wait to see what the future holds!!

Here is to 3 months!!!

2 months of baby bliss!

It is time for Amara and I to reflect on her 2nd month...as she sits in my lap and keeps turning red from trying to hard to poop.....here goes...

Amara has continued to be such a joy to our family. I am already amazed at how much she has changed our family dynamic and how much she has changed me as a person. I can speak for Gabe and I both when I say that she is our world now, and we actually LOVE it. She is smiling now, which is the biggest news at the moment. She still looks at us like we are crazy most of the time, but smiles are coming more and more often. My favorite time with her are mornings. God says His mercies are new every morning....that goes right along with a mother and her child. We both wake up happy to see each other and ready to face to day no matter what happened the day before...I have forgotten any frustration. The nights are getting MUCH better, as she is starting to sleep longer and fall back to sleep with a paci.

She is becoming very "talkative." I could sit and listen to her "coo" all day long. I am so anxious to hear her little voice and see more of her personality come out. She is a joyful baby, and she shines from the inside out. She also seems to be very contemplative also ( like Gabe). We have endured the first of our diaper explosions this month....gross :)

All in all, we are thriving and our little one gets cute by the day ( to us anyway)

These are the many things Amara is doing at 2 months.....

First Bus trip to daddy's show! 

Napping in her big girl crib :)

Drooling and blowing spit bubbles

Throwing fits....yes.....she throws fits only when  I am around

LOVING her pacis

Making a poop face in almost every picture

Actually pooping silently all over herself, then just chillin

Sharing space with Sadie

Shopping

aaaand SMILING...

ONE MONTH!!!

I am officially a mom. As if birthing a child isn't enough to give you that title....I have gone even further by embracing a "mom hair cut." I eat my meals standing up ( usually with a baby in my arms), I shower at night mostly, I find myself whispering a lot, I am constantly thinking of the next chore I need to complete and at what point should I attempt it, I no longer carry a purse, but I rock a super cool mustard yellow diapy bag ;).......all of these things plus many more are becoming the norm for me.

I am really embracing my house still looking like a married couple's home, not a married couple with a kid's home. There aren't toys everywhere YET!! All of this to say, I am enjoying every bit of motherhood. Gabe just returned home this week from a two week tour in Canada. We get to be a family again, and it feels great to have him home to help with a nightly feeding ( which is the best) and give her lots of kisses. I missed him so much. I have got to get my energy up to have some special time with my husband. It has already been a month....it is time to have a date night.

Did I just say ONE MONTH!?! Crazy huh? Amara is growing and changing everyday. We went back to the doctor ( who was my pediatrician when I was a child) for her check up and she is 8 lbs and 4.4 oz. Perfectly healthy doc says!  She is starting to look around more and focus her eyes. We have seen a couple of smiles, but still mainly when she is pooping or dreaming. They absolutely melt my heart!! She loves to eat and snuggle. Overall, she is a super happy baby! Time is already flying by and I just want to take in every moment. I want to take pics of her every second of the day. :) Gabe leaves for another tour the first week of Novemeber.....she will change so much in that time! I can't wait to see what the next month holds for our little family. I am looking forward to her first Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Amara's ONE MONTH "photo shoot" below.....Happy one month baby girl!

You can see here why we needed the paci in the other pics :)

Some other sweet moments we have been able to capture....