I am making a goal to start sorting through our gazillion photos. It is out of control. We fill and dump our memory card without ever actually organizing any of it. And, we don't back them up. So, basically I live every day in fear that our computer will explode and all of my memories will die.
I don't really know where to start, honestly. Writing on our blog has helped me to keep up somewhat in the past, but we really fell behind when we lived in New York. I'm really happy that Flickr got rid of Flickr Pro, or whatever they called it. They now allow an entire TB of storage for free. I've just decided to start by sorting through our mess of photos and uploading them to our Flickr account. But, there are so many photos and they are all over the place! I would totally love any advice on the subject.
Anyway, scrolling through old photos has made me so happy. These photos were from Halloween weekend last year, and never made it on the blog. Back when Penny and Eliza were still buns in the oven and we all lived just a subway ride away from each other, we went apple picking with our friends in upstate New York. Sometimes, I really miss the East Coast. It's just so... East Coast.
This was the most perfect day with friends.
Also, I had to include this pretty great series of groups shots taken by Alpha. Miss you guys!
This last weekend we headed south for a much needed vacation. Eliza prepped for the trip by going completely bonkers for three days straight, so that we would be good and ready to take a break. Love this girl. Actually, she was such a rock star on this trip. It's funny that she is sleeping in every picture we took with the SLR, when she is so smiley and awake in all of our instagrams. I wish I had taken more photos, but we were having far too much fun!
We basically tried to cram as many stops as we could into this weekend. We started in Newport Beach to see the Crosby's- where Eliza got to meet her future BYU roommate, Miss Penny. Then, we stopped in Aliso Viejo to see Sam's cousin and her sweet girls.
Finally, we spent the rest of the weekend in Santa Barbara with the Williams. It was the best weekend ever. We played on the beach, ate the best tacos and seafood, attempted to crash the Postal Service concert, spent a day walking the pier, and partied at The Sandman Inn. It was so great to spend time with good friends. The best friends are old friends- when we get together it's like we never skipped a beat. Minus the fact that Jo Jo is two years older, Sam and I have a babe, and Andrea is super pregnant. Little Josie was in love with "Baby Eliza." She is going to be a super big sister.
Southern California is a dream. I can't get over how beautiful it is, or why you would ever choose to live anywhere else. (Until we were stuck in LA traffic for five hours!) The trip was far too short, and we are already missing the beach. I'm glad we got a little taste of summer- and an excuse to use those tiny baby bathing suits. Beach babes are the best.
Way too many laughs and good times to count. This trip helped us realize that we can do this. You know, be a parent and still be adventurous. Eliza handled it all so well, and we totally survived without a scratch. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. We can't wait to take her on more adventures!
Little Miss E is two months old. Well, she was two months a couple of weeks ago when I first started writing this post. It's kind of funny how long it takes me to do something like this. I use whatever little stretches of time she gives me! She's a bit bossy!
It's hard to believe she has grown, but it's obvious that she's bigger. These days she absolutely kills us with those smiles. Once she figured out how to smile, and saw how excited we were to smile back- she never stopped. I can't get over those huge, open-mouthed gummy smiles! Her whole face lights up.
She is also starting to get a little chatty. A friend of ours let us borrow one of those play mats with the toys that dangle from an overhanging bar. We put her under that thing and she will chat it up with the little toys for a good 20 minutes. I try to get things done while she's occupied, but mostly I end up peeking in at her and trying take videos with my phone.
Sam and I laugh because it seems like almost every day when we finally wrangle her into her crib and she is out for the night, we throw our bodies onto the couch to veg- only to realize that we are both just scrolling through pictures of her on our phones. Parents.
Eliza at two months old:
-a smile that kills
-learning to giggle
-loves to chat
-the sweetest coos
-still hates tummy time
-but, can hold her head up like a boss
-mover and a shaker
-scoots her way to the bottom of her crib every night
-loves going on walks with mama
-sometimes lets us snuggle during her "morning glow"
-always looking around
-sleeps a 6 hour stretch at night
-grabs and paws at things
-a tiny thumbsucker
-loves being outside
-gets bored at home
-still battling those tummy problems
-holds out for days, then has massive blow outs
-starting to gain some chub
-has one little roll on her thighs
-ok with bath time
-hates putting clothes on
-could bounce on the yoga ball all day
-growing, growing
-sucks on her little fists- very loudly
-stares at her feet
When we were pregnant, Sam and I took the Bradley Method Course to prepare for the big day. It was a 12 week course that met every Wednesday for 2 1/2 hours. I thought it seemed a bit much at first, but it ended up being really helpful- both for labor, and for our first steps in parenting. You obviously will never be fully prepared for it all, but this class got us as close as we could possibly get. I'm the kind of person that likes to know exactly what is going on with my body. I think I would have been much more freaked out if I wasn't as prepared as we were.
One of the nice things about the class is that you meet every week with couples who are going through the exact same thing as you. Also, during the last class of the course the instructor invites former students who have recently had their babies to share their birth stories. Sam and I volunteered to speak just last week, and it was actually really fun. They were shooting off questions left and right, and I was feeling like a superstar mom. It was hilarious because we shared our story immediately following another family who had a very rapid labor. They had to call an ambulance, and she hardly made it to the hospital before the baby arrived. From beginning to end, her labor lasted around 3 hours. So, I pretty much freaked out the class when I followed up with my labor story- which did not last 3 hours, but 3 days. Ha!
In our original class, all of our due dates were within a couple of months of each other. When the course ended, we would get email updates when all of the babies were born. And, last weekend we all got together for a reunion! How cute are these babies?
It was so much fun seeing everyone again, and swapping baby stories. One of the moms took these photos. I don't know where I was when they were taken- pretty sure I was inside eating or something (oink). I love these, though! I especially love all of the photos of the dads and their babes. After watching these dads support their partners for months, it was beautiful to see them cradling their babies. And, the photo of the three dads rocking the football hold is priceless.
I highly recommend taking a birthing course- especially the Bradley Method. If you are in the Bay Area, you should take it from Sabine Henrie. She is an excellent instructor, and extremely kind and loving. She has an open-door policy for life- meaning you can call her with questions whenever you want. She is also a former dancer, and mother of two.
Let me know if you have any questions!
