Look Who's 3 Months!

At 3 months, Susannah is smiling a lot more (though for this photo shoot she only wanted to make spit bubbles with her mouth, chew her shirt, and look at her feet). She laughs a little here and there but mostly just takes in her surroundings (usually Ila chasing Sydney back and forth around the house and me yelling at Ila to stop pulling Sydney's tail). She now can roll over from her stomach to her back which she did for the first time when I was taking these pictures! This girl is very easy going, doesn't nap very regularly during the day, but is sleeping great at night. I started putting her in the bumbo seat and she always wants to be in an upright seated position when we're holding her. She also loves her activity mat and grabs at the dangling little animals above her. We are so in love with this chunky little nugget. Enjoy the photos!

Right after she rolled over for the first time!

Easter Baptism

more posts/ pics coming soon!....

This Easter our little Susannah Banana got marked as Christ's own forever - baptized, that is.

(Click here to see the post on Ila's baptism for photos and thoughts on that)

Thanks to all the family who made the trek for her special day.

SuSu's godparents - Catherine and Nate or "Catanate" as Ila calls them

Auntie CaCa and Uncle Bla Blak. Yep, that's what we call them

notice the entire baby is over-exposed in this pic

 Leah got baptized too! She's wearing the dress that Ila wore on her baptism

The 4 of Us!

It's Back

Lately I've been experiencing what I call "new mom anxiety." I didn't really consider myself an anxious person until I had Ila and started worrying about everything that could possibly happen to her. Especially in the early months when this new LOVE is so intense, the fear of losing her could also get intense. I'm pretty sure I didn't let anyone hold Ila without sitting down, practically hosed people down with antibacterial spray as they entered the house, and didn't let anyone watch her for at least 11 months. OH, and the thought of balconies made me shudder. (I know at least a couple of you moms can relate!)
It got better over time, but man, becoming a parent is a big deal and a big responsibility and I surely couldn't do it without God's help. Like for reals.
While I'm a million times more laid back the second time around with Susannah, the anxiety is starting to creep in again. Thankfully, the scenes I play out in my head are so ridiculous it's pretty easy to recognize. No, Ila's hand isn't going to get whacked off if she playfully feels the wind outside the car window. And I'm pretty sure no one is going to walk in the house and take Susannah when I'm not looking. (Though there are some weirdos around here).
But it just goes to show how powerful this love is for one's child, and what brings me peace is knowing that God loves them even more than I do. I can find rest in remembering that, while it's my job to do my very best to love and protect these girls, I am not in control and I'm not supposed to be. What's more important is that I trust the Lord and ask Him to equip me to be the parent He wants me to be. Thank the Lord we don't have to do this thing called life on our own! I need all the help I can get.
    Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
   my hope comes from him. 
-Psalm 62:5

Thank you kristinmoorephoto for these amazing shots!

2 Months

Our little girl is 2 months old now!

Yesterday at her check up she clocked in at 14 lbs. 3oz. and is 23 inches long.

We love our little chunker!

At 2 months, every time we smile at this little munchkin, she gives us the biggest smile in return. She has incredible head control and about a million rolls to squeeze. She is really really laid-back. The few times she has cried, like really cried, Ila has laughed because she thinks it's so funny Susannah can make loud noises. She is sleeping a long stretch of about 6-7 hours at night then gets up one or two more times to eat before going back to sleep. She's starting to make those cute gurgly sounds and is cooing a bit too. Her favorite thing ever is our faces, so we spend a lot of time standing over her saying "hiiiii! hiiiii!" It's just ridiculously cute to see her face light up. Ila is still a very loving big sister, but we're working on ways for her to interact with Susannah while being GENTLE. She's sort of addicted to her sister in the way she literally can't keep her hands off of her sometimes. Any advice on that is welcome!
(Now hopefully one day I'll transfer some of this into her baby book!) 

Capturing The Moment

Capturing that perfect moment can take a lot of patience...

(Though I think Ila is trying to capture something else in this one)

But sometimes it just works...

That Face!

Can you handle this face?