Nostalgia. Oh, and a Baby Photo Challange.

This photo is being submitted in the Trendy Treehouse Baby Photo Challenge.

This has been the first full week that I’ve been participating in photo challenges from various photography blogs, and I have to say that I’m really having a fun time. I LOVE seeing other people’s photos and learning about how to better my own photography.
 

So, with that said-

I’m nostalgically shifting through William’s newborn photos that we took one cold winter’s day back in February. Oh how he was so tiny.  So fresh. So new. I’m amazed at how quickly life changes in just a few short months.

Along with these photos, I’m also reminded of how far we’ve come in William’s health. We’ve been in and out of doctor’s offices, lab visits every 2-4 weeks, countless tubes of blood have been drawn, sleepless night and days of pure stress and worry. This is one of the reasons why I’m exclusively 100% breastfeeding. With all the ups and downs of his liver and kidneys, I want to make sure that he is getting the best nutrition possible. 

My boy is strong. He’s a rockstar. We’re rockstars. And we’re living life to the fullest and embracing the hand that has been given to us.

~Em

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Momma & Me

 This photo was taken a week after William was born.

The Paper Mama is holding a photo challenge with the theme, Mama & Me. Fun, right? I decided to join in on the action and add a photo of my baby squirrel and I.
 

The Alaskan light was reflecting off of the snow and tip-toeing its way through our curtains, dancing on our linen, and lighting our room like Wrigley's Field. It was the perfect photo opportunity to capture our Babe.

I love this photograph. Perhaps it's because William's skin is so fresh and wrinkly. Or perhaps it's the way he is scrunching his face, begging not to be woken. Or perhaps it's because his tiny naked little body fits just so on my forearms.

 I look at him, and I am a different person.

~Em

Black and White Wednesday- The beginning of our Alaskan Journey

This is my very first Black and White Wednesday, hosted by "A Long Road to China".

I took these photos of my daughter a few months after we moved to Alaska. It was a time of big changes for our little family, the beginning of long-once-in-a-lifetime journey.
We were scared. We were nervous. We didn't know what to expect.

Little did we know, this small city was magical. We've grown and learned so much; more than we've ever imagined.

We are forever changed. Thank you Alaska, for giving us new eyes.

The Blog Guidebook

As I was blog hopping and catching up on my reading, I came across this- "THE BLOG GUIDEBOOK." Since I'm a newbie to blogspot, it immediately got my attention. I'm all for learning new ways to enhance my blog and meet other military wives, parents, photographers, artists- you name it! The Blog Guidebook is perfect for just that! It's so easy to navigate around and view other blogs, which are narrowed down by category.

Check them out and jump on board to "The Blog Guidebook".

Safe Harbor

There are some weeks where I grab the steering wheel of my boat and cruise off into a beautiful crystal blue horizon with a sky full of puff-ball clouds, shiny silver-toned dolphins dipping up and down by my side, while sea gulls call from over head. There are weeks where I throw out the oars and just drift; land wherever the tide takes me. There are also weeks where my boat is on auto-pilot and without resistance, I go with the flow. But then- oh then- there are those weeks where my ship is sinking. I’m panicking to stay afloat, patching up the holes one at a time, then two at a time, then three, but no matter what I do or how quickly I weld the holes closed shut, water is still leaking through, the boat is still being swallowed up by the ocean, and I’m still going down.

This was one of those weeks.

My to-do list was racing through my head over and over, each time adding more to-dos. Anxiety was taking on a life of its own, and I felt so confined and claustrophobic. I was tangled in the cobwebs of the city and I wanted nothing more than to get my house in order and spend time with my lovies.

So, that’s what I did. I abandoned that sinking ship, and swam like hell to my lifeboat.






I scrubbed and bleached, organized and re-organized until my head was clear- until the blue elephants were lifted from my shoulders, and I could steadily breathe in and out.

When that grey cloud that hangs above my head starts to blow over and pushes the blue elephants away, a rainbow appears and that is when I can fully enjoy the small moments that makes mommyhood so wonderful.

And wonderful it is. I adore our nighttime rituals.







We read.





We play.





We just be.







And sometimes, Krysta draws pictures until it’s time to crawl in bed. She made me the tiniest, biggest heart-felt card ever. It proudly adorns my nightstand.






After a mentally and physically exhausting day, nothing is more soothing than the washing of a naked baby. The smell of lavender, the popping of bubbles, and the splashing of tiny hands is enough to wash away any and all stress, and put me in a relaxed state-of-mind.







Everyone has days like these- some more than others. It’s what you do with it that makes all the difference between having grey clouds or rainbows.

I’m now chartering through calm waters, in my safe harbor. My home. My family.











HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE! HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK!

~Em