Baby A Letter: November 1, 2013

The fourth installment of my pregnancy writing!

Pregnancy Week: 22 (almost 23!)

Dearest little pink sprinkle,

You have officially made your presence known to the world!!!  On Sunday, after my last letter, I got to feel you kick me on the “outside” for the first time!  Let me just say, it was by far the coolest thing I have experienced to date.  I was lying in bed reading People magazine and texting Corie about baby Jacob when I started feeling you squirm a bit more than usual.  Low and behold, when I rested my hand on my lower stomach, you decided to kick me!  After a few more seconds, you did it two more times!  Of course, it brought me to emotional, happy tears and your dad thought I was crazy once again.

On Monday night, we spent the evening at your Mimi and Papa’s hanging out with Aunt Ashley and your cousins before they left for Colorado.  When I told your Aunt Ashley I could feel you moving, she wanted to try and feel too!  I laid on the couch next to her with her hand on my stomach for about a minute before she felt you kick her.  It was really slight, but she felt it and it confirmed that I really was feeling my little baby girl!  On Wednesday night, we went back out to Louisville for dinner and your Mimi got to feel you too!

Every night this week, I have spent poking and prodding my tummy to try and feel you.  It works best when I lay down for a bit before you make yourself known to me.  Last night, on Halloween, while lying on the couch next to your dad, you started kicking me really good.  I asked your dad to give me his hand to try and feel you too.  His hand was on my tummy for maybe 10 seconds before you said “HI” to him for the first time.  He had to ask me if that was me or you he just felt.  When I answered it was most certainly his daughter, his response was, “It’s like there is an alien in there.”  It must have been more exciting to him than he let on because he left his hand there for two more kicks before he went back to watching football.  Of course, I went into a fit of happy tears again over the whole experience.  Let the constant kicking begin!

These past few days have been my first days really feeling pregnant.  My stomach feels like it is ready to burst most of the time, I am getting more uncomfortable and I can feel you inside doing your acrobatics all the time.  In fact, people have started telling me that I have started to “look” pregnant this week too.  For being almost six months along, I will take it… but I have enjoyed being on the small side for so long!  I am certainly not looking forward to trying to get you to quiet down at night so mommy can rest and for sleep to become impossible.  There doesn’t seem to be much room in my tummy for food lately either, which is quiet the disappointment since I have always been a big eater.  Oh well… you are worth every second!

This weekend, mommy and daddy will be in Norfolk with your Grandma Jamie and Grandpa Doug.  I am REALLY hoping that you “perform” for them as well.  You are Grandma Jamie’s first biological grandchild and neither she, nor Grandpa Doug, were involved much in the pregnancies for grandpa Doug’s grandchildren.  Everyone is so excited for you to come into the world.  I hope you can’t wait as well. 

There is nothing else new to report this week, so I will stop rambling.  I love you baby girl of mine!  Only 17 more weeks to go!

Love you,

Your mommy

All About Amelia- 6 months

Today's post was supposed to feature Amelia's 6 month photo shoot.  We were scheduled at 10:45am last Friday, but Amelia fought her morning nap and refused to go down when she usually does.  At about 10:15am, she finally crashed and I made the judgement call to skip the shoot and reschedule for this week (sometimes, sleep is the most important thing, am I right?!).  Usually, this isn't a big deal as our photographer is a family friend and very flexible/accommodating.  Unfortunately, Nebraska weather has NOT cooperated with us at ALL and it has been gloomy, rainy and miserable all week.  We all know that natural lighting is key to a good shoot, so still no photos.  I am hoping tomorrow will be nicer for the very first Nebraska Husker game of the season and we can get some good pictures taken in the morning!

 All ready for Husker football tomorrow

That being said... Two weeks ago, I introduced myself, but I didn't let you all get to know miss Amelia.  I would love it if you Confetti Babe readers would play along and let me know some facts about your littles; it doesn't have to be 10 like my list!

Fact #1:
Amelia was born on our six month wedding anniversary.  I have always had a thing about "1/2" milestones, so this was really exciting for me!  I can't wait to celebrate our anniversary and her 1/2 birthday every year together in August!

Fact #2:
Amelia is SO close to crawling at only 6 months!!!  She rocks, planks, scoots forward and backward, flings herself forward... but she can't quite figure out how to move her arms and legs at the same time to actually crawl.  This momma is so NOT ready for her to hit this milestone.  How does time fly so quickly?!

 Scooting across the kitchen floor

Fact #3:
We are attempting BWL (baby led weaning) in our household.  So far, it is going great!  No gagging or choking, and with absolutely no teeth to speak of, I am pretty impressed.  So far, her favorite foods have been guacamole, baked beans, pickles and chicken.

First time trying a pickle

Fact #4:
Amelia is the only one of all her cousins who does NOT have blue eyes.  All seven cousins on my side of the family and two (there is another on the way!) on my husband's have some form of blue eyes.  Right now, Amelia's eyes flirt between brown and green.  I am thinking they may settle on hazel, but only time will tell!

Big brownish green eyes

Fact #5:
We do not co-sleep in our house.  This is not for lack of trying; I really wanted to!  Amelia, on the other hand, has always wanted her space!  She has been sleeping in her crib since she was a month old.  I also let her sleep on her tummy because she has had amazing neck control from birth.  This might not make some mommas feel comfortable, but it worked for us!  Currently, Amelia is a side sleeper and it's the cutest thing I have ever seen!

 It's so fun to see these eyes peaking out at me from her crib!

Fact #6:
Since I have already mentioned Amelia's cousin's (she has 9, soon to be 10!), I will say she is the "luckiest" of them all.  Amelia is the ONLY grandchild in the same state as her grandparents!  We are very fortunate that both Brandon's parents and mine have stayed put in Nebraska.  Although I would have liked to move away from home at some point, even for just a little while, I cannot imagine leaving our family now!

Getting lovin' from her Mimi and Papa

Fact #7:
Amelia loves to be startled/scared.  I do not know where she gets it from as both her dad and I hate it!  Things that would make most babies cry make little miss Amelia smile from ear to ear.  When the dogs bark at nothing and I about jump out of my chair, I look over and Amelia has a huge grin.  The best way to get her to smile for the camera is to ignore her and then "ROAR" at her.  While it might sound crazy, it totally works!

Fact #8:
This little girl does not giggle yet!  We have tried just about every trick anyone has given us to get this peanut to chuckle, but nothing has worked.  She has a fake cough that she does often and we can occasionally get a "ha" out of her.  But so far, no full belly giggle.  I was concerned as I have never encountered this before (first time mom and all), but our pediatrician assured me she is just fine developmentally and she will laugh in due time.

 You would think this face would accompany a giggle... no such luck!

Fact #9:
"Jesus Loves Me" is her favorite song.  When I was pregnant, I used to sing it in the shower and she would kick like crazy!  It is my go-to trick to calm her down when she gets really fussy and we sing it every night before bed as part of our routine.  She usually only makes to about the third verse before she succumbs to sleep.  I only wish I had a better voice so she could hear what it was supposed to sound like!

Fact #10:
Amelia prefers anything that is not her toy over any actual toy she has.  A plastic bottle, a keyboard, the chip bag, her pacifier clip, a baby spoon, the remote (what IS IT with babies and remotes?!)... these keep her entertained for several minutes at a time!!!  She loses quickly interest in her Sophie, rattles, stuffed animals, touch and feel books, toy cars, just about everything we have purchased for her!  Is every baby like this?  We have actually given her a remote without batteries and her own keyboard and mouse to play with instead of ours to pacify her.

Well, there ya have it!  Ten random facts about my mini-me, Amelia Grace.  I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I loved writing them!  Feel free to play along and let me know some facts about your babes!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Capturing the Memories

When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited to capture every single moment of my pregnancy and my little one's milestones.  In my efforts to be the "perfect mom," I started writing pregnancy letters to my "womb baby."

 

4 months preggo and starting my letter journey!

I wrote my first letter to baby when I was 18 weeks pregnant.  My goal was to start earlier, but we got married when I was 13 weeks pregnant and finalizing everything for our wedding took up so much more time than I originally planned.  I faithfully wrote a letter from 18 weeks until I was 38 weeks pregnant.  It is crazy how quickly we forget about our pregnancy ailments once our babe is in our arms.  Or is that just me?  I hope Amelia enjoys reading these letters years from now as much as I loved writing them!  I also hope that I commit the time to do this for baby #2 when that time comes!

I continue to write monthly progress letters to Amelia, filling her in on the little bits and pieces from her first months of life.  I even went so far as to create her own email address to email these letters.  Call me crazy, but at least I secured her a decent address by the time she needs one. (yes, I think about those things at night when I can't sleep!)  While she is little, I think it's easier for me to find the time to write to her every month.  My goal is to have her father and I hand write letters to her every year on her birthday and give them to her when she turns 18. (holy cow... that will be 2032!)

The second thing I did to capture my memories for Amelia was to start a baby book.  I searched high and low for the perfect book.  There were several things I was looking for: detailed family history/pregnancy information, monthly highlights for the first year, milestone pages and continuing on to at least her fifth birthday.  My mom finally located the perfect book in a small boutique in Norfolk, NE and surprised me with it at Amelia's baby shower [similar items here and here ].  So far, I have been diligent about writing each month and trying to capture all the little moments.  I absolutely loved looking at my husband's baby book that my mother-in-law kept for him!  Sadly, my mom never got around to making one for me and can't even remember what my first word was!

 A page from Amelia's baby book (ignore my handwriting!)

Pictures are another great way to capture just how small our babes once were!  There are so many options out there for monthly photo shoots!  Some of my favorites include: monthly stickers, writing on chalkboard [here] and wooden blocks [here].  We have a gender neutral, monthly sticker pack from a local natural parenting store [similar stickers here ].  My goal is to use these for each baby, (please let there be more babies!) so I went neutral instead of the super adorable gender specific ones!  I photograph Amelia every month in the same spot: her changing pad and her rocking chair.  It is absolutely crazy to see how much she has grown in just 6 short months!  I strongly suggest using the same spot for each photo so the "scale" stays proportionate to actual growth.

 2 months old (so skinny and little)

 

5 months old and chunky as ever

Th final idea I have yet to incorporate, but plan on starting soon (like tomorrow!) is a milestone calendar.  My mother-in-law tracked just about everything my husband did as a child from one to three years.  On her calendar, she included new words and sentences, how high he was counting, special activities and outings, family birthday parties, potty training successes... you name it, you can find it on Brandon's calendar!  I had NEVER heard of such a thing and I cannot wait to start working on Amelia's!  I think it would be great to start at birth, but since I wasn't that on the ball, I would like to start tomorrow (her 1/2 birthday!) and record from here until whenever seems appropriate to stop.  I found some milestone stickers on Amazon [here ] and a 2014 calendar on sale at Target.  Because the year is already half over, I will most likely backdate some pages to include milestones that I recorded in her baby book!

These are the stickers I ordered off Amazon

Alright momma's... this is what I have done and still want to do for little miss Amelia.  I would LOVE to hear what you all have done to capture the memories of your littles!  I am always looking for new ideas.

Have a fabulous weekend!

A Midwest Hello, From Sabrina (and Amelia!)

Here was my first post from Confetti Babe! Hopefully most of you know me already, but just in case, here is the lowdown!

Hey Confetti Babe readers!  My name is Sabrina and I am the newest addition to the Confetti Babe Blogger Team.  I am so excited to share my life (and my family) with you all!

I am 26 years young and a first time momma to a five month old, Amelia Grace.  Amelia was born on my husband, Brandon, and I's six month anniversary (You do the math!).  Brandon owns his own tile business, which had really taken off in the past year or so.  This allowed me the opportunity to quit my job as the Director of Sales for a Skilled Nursing Facility and stay home full-time with our daughter.  We live in a small town outside of Omaha, Nebraska.  There really is no greater place to raise a family than the Midwest!  AND we are home to the number one zoo in the world, the Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, and the College World Series.  If you ever get a chance, come visit!  You won't be disappointed.

I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelors in Business Management and a minor in Marketing.  My passion for learning and writing was put on the back burner as I navigated the early stages of first time motherhood and am excited to fine tune my skills again and enter the blogging world!

My childhood obsession with being a ballerina has been projected on to poor Amelia.  I am constantly buying and making her tutus!  I can't wait to write a DIY tutu post down the road!  These have become a staple in our all of our photography sessions.  We are fortunate enough to have two family friends who are amazing photographers and willing to handle me and my little diva!  For Christmas last year, Brandon got me a Nikon D3200 and I am excited to put it to use for Confetti Babe!

With fall right around the corner, I cannot WAIT for football and hockey season to begin!  We are avid football watchers, mainly rooting for the Steelers (NFL) and the Cornhuskers (college).  Every weekend will be dedicated to cheering on our favorite teams!  My husband's family and I also participate in a Fantasy Football league, which I won last year!  I am not your typical girly-girl and can't wait to share my passions with you all!

I also enjoy supporting momma shops through Instagram and Etsy (that's how I found Confetti Babe!), cooking healthy and DAIRY FREE meals, finding mommy and me matching outfits, scoring awesome deals at Target (I mean really, who doesn't love Target?!) and spending time with my family and friends!  I cannot wait to share more of myself with you readers each week and get to know you in turn! 

 Until next time,

Confetti Babe Blog

I recently started blogging for Confetti Babe, a fellow IGer/blogger/Etsy shop owner.  Currently, there are four other mommas who also blog along side me. Although I find myself struggling not to "keep up with the Jones'," I enjoy peaking into other moms lives with their littles.  I hope this commitment to a regular blog post every week keeps me in check!

That being said, my blog here has been on the back burner.  That should NOT be the case and I am going to be better about it.  From now on, my regular Friday posts on the Confettibabe blog will also be featured here along with my usual ramblings.

You can check out the Confetti Babe blog anytime and look for giveaways, other posts and general good readings!

Happy Labor Day weekend, y'all!

Baby A Letter: October 27, 2013

Another pre-baby letter for your enjoyment!

Pregnancy Week: 21 (almost 22!)

My Baby girl,

It is hard to adjust my thinking to your new date!  Although it was only pushed back four days, four days is a whole lot closer to a full week and it messes with my “weekly” calculation.  This week, I finally started to look “pregnant” instead of just bloated.  Coworkers have started commenting on my little belly and people have even started to touch it… which is just weird at this point because I am by no means “big.”  Thankfully, momma’s clothes still fit and the belly band I bought last week is a lifesaver that I should have invested in ages ago!

Last weekend, your daddy and I finally went on our little Honeymoon to Kansas City.  It was so nice to spend five days together, just the two of us.  While I cannot wait for your arrival, it is going to be a big adjustment to share your daddy with someone else.  He is my favorite person in the world (tied with you, of course!) and I hope you can find a man just like him someday.  A man that pushes you to be a better person, challenges you daily, knows all your faults and loves you anyways, and most of all, a man that can make you laugh until your sides feel like they are going to burst.  I know that you are going to have him wrapped around your little finger the day you come into the world and he will always be your “favorite.”  And just so you know, I am OK with that!  You will love both of us equally, but a fathers bond with his daughter is an exceptional sort of magic; an unbreakable, unwavering bond of love that always holds a special place in your heart.  I hope you come to treasure your daddy just as much as I have cherished mine.  Daddies really are the greatest!

In Kansas City, I convinced your dad to take me to the outlet mall!  I know that we will get more than enough clothes from friends and family at your showers, but I really can’t help myself!  Knowing that I am picking out clothes for you that will be captured forever in pictures and my mind makes my heart surge with happiness.   So… $300 or so later… you have more clothes to add to your closet and your father becomes more puzzled with my actions by the day!  I even bought more things online for you when we got home.  Hi, my name is Sabrina, and I have an addiction to baby clothes shopping!

We also went to the Chiefs game on Sunday while we were in Kansas City!  If you can believe it, the Chiefs are 7-0 right now; the only unbeaten team left in the league!  For a team that won a whopping two games last season, it is pretty remarkable.  Wandering around the stadium with your dad was so much fun and I really hope we get to take you to a game someday.  You must really enjoy football, or it was extremely loud inside the stadium, because you were so active during the game!  I think I even felt you kick me on the outside for the first time!!!  As excited as this makes me, I really can’t wait to start feeling you all the time so your daddy can enjoy it too!

As the days go by, I notice you moving around inside of me more and more.  It is no longer confusion between you and a gas bubble; you, my dear, are becoming an active little gymnast!  My first day back at work from our vacation, you were the most energetic you have been to date.  I am convinced it was because you got so used to having your daddy around that you were jumping all about in protest. Daddy, on the other hand, thinks I am crazy.  I feel you moving around the most in the evening, especially when we are relaxing on the couch watching TV and when I first lay down in bed for the night.  This has me worried that you are going to be a night owl like your daddy is and your mommy used to be.  While it is fine right now, when mommy has to go back to work, this might cause quite the problem!

I almost forgot to tell you about your reveal party!  Mommy made everyone guess what they thought you were before we made the announcement.  Surprisingly, almost everyone guessed correctly that you were a girl!  Daddy, mommy, Mimi and Papa were the only ones to guess you were a boy!  Mimi has said you were a girl from the day she found out we were expecting, but, she changed her mind after a dream she had the day of the ultrasound.  In her dream, I pointed to the ultrasound monitor and asked the technician if that was “the thing?”  Apparently, this meant you were a boy and Mimi changed her vote.  Papa guessed boy because historically, Koch men don’t produce many girls, and statistically, the odds were in serious favor of you being a boy.  Guess genetics don’t always predict the future!

Everyone was SO excited when we finally opened our gender reveal box!  Mommy spent hours making that darn thing, decorating the outside and then filling it with pink streamers and “It’s a girl!” balloons.  It was totally worth every minute I spent on it though.  Capturing those moments on film are something I will treasure forever and it was so much more fun than just saying “It’s a girl,” and getting to see everyone’s reactions.  Mimi cried, of course, since you are their first granddaughter and both Grandma Jamie and Grandma Carole were close to tears as well!  We even got some goodies for you at the party!  Papa and Mimi just got back from New York City and brought you back an adorable little onesie covered in a grey button print.  Grandma Jamie and Grandpa Doug got you a whole basket full of items: a photo album, froggy slippers, onesies, a froggy sleeper, a rattle, my old bear play mat.  Needless to say, you are already one spoiled and well loved little girl!!!

Your name is still up in the air.  While I am sure that when all is said and done, your name will be Grace, I am still not 100% convinced this is the name for YOU.  I hope you love your name (whatever we decide) as much as I have loved mine.  Names last a lifetime and I want to give you a name you deserve and that fits your personality… and a name that I can yell at the playground and not have every little girl’s head turn!  Scarlett is still one of my favorites, but your daddy isn’t on board.  Although, if we went by his suggestions, your name would be Kernel, Lamp, Cleopatra, or something else absurd.  He thinks he is just so funny; he is not!

Updates on your momma:  Still no cravings or anything fun of the sort to report!  They say that your second trimester is supposed to be the easiest and that really appears to be the case!  Hopefully, I will get lucky and my third trimester won’t be any harder than the previous two.  I still end up sleeping on my back most nights (something they say you aren’t supposed to do, or be able to still do at this point!) because it is the most comfortable.  Pillows are my best friend and I finally bought another body pillow because your dad kept stealing mine.  Aunt Ashley said that during the last weeks of pregnancy, I am going to need even more pillows to try and get comfortable with my bulging belly!  That should be fun since I already take up most of the bed the way it is.  Leg cramps are getting a bit better because they usually wake me up before they get as bad as the first two times did.  Usually, I am able to stretch them out pretty quickly and don’t have to wake up your daddy to help.

Until the next time little girl,

Love,

Your mommy

Dreams in to Reality

I always think of all these great blog posts during middle of the night feeds.  They are witty and captivating and the words easily flow from my fingers to the screen.  Then morning comes, I can't remember a darn thing and I find myself typing and deleting and retyping every thought that pops in to my head.  Does this happen to all bloggers
I look back on m y favorite blogger, Hey Natalie Jean, and I can't find a single post that I didn't adore.  She manages to make me laugh, cry and connect with her  like she is my very best friend in the whole world.  Do some people have  gift with words and others don't?  I suppose even if this blog doesn't make all my wild fantasy's come true, at least it's a place for Amelia to look back years from now and see what her momma was like on the daily.
Dreams are a funny thing.  I grew up with two dreams: to be a lawyer and to be a mom.  During high school, my ambition to get in to law school was high and I worked my tail off to maintain good grades and participate in as many extracurricular's as possible.  For a senior project, I had to interview a female in my field on career guidance and advice.  After an hour long Q&A with the perfect candidate, one thing became shockingly clear; I could have the career of my dreams or dedicate my life to my family.
Why, as a female, do most of us have to make the choice between a career and a family?  Why can't we "have it all" like our male counterparts?  I wish I knew.  But it was then and there that I threw my law school dreams out the window and made becoming a mom my number one priority.  This may not be the ideal choice for some, but for me, it was.  Many of you might be staring at your screen in disbelief at my choice or screaming about equality and feminism and throw in a few profanities in for good measure.  But, whatever.  What's done, is done.
Fast forward a good eight years and my dream became a reality.  Amelia entered my life and BOOM!  I was a mother.  Now what?  My dream is complete.
And this is where my struggle comes in.  I found my dream guy, my picture perfect babe and am fortunate enough to dedicate my life to being a stay at home mom.  So... where do I go from here?  What dreams can I dig up and bring to fruition? Enter... writing and blogging!
Here goes nothing! A new dream to bring to life!  Happy Friday y'all!

Baby A Letter: October 11,2013

Time Hop back to the half way mark of my pregnancy.

Pregnancy Week: 20

Dear baby GIRL Koch,

Today, we finally found out that you are a baby girl!!!  Seeing you on the ultrasound was completely surreal.  Every new feature the technician showed us put me in awe... from your little curled up fist to your beautifully formed, moving lips.  You already have all the organs you need and things are functioning perfectly!  Although we were excited to find out your gender, knowing you are okay in there was really the greatest part of the whole appointment.

I still can’t believe that you are growing inside of me.  The doctors said everything looks “normal” and that you are cooking right on schedule.  They did push your due to date back to March 4^th instead of February 28^th.  Let’s hope you don’t have to stay in there that long because your mommy is now anxiously awaiting your arrival!

From the day we found out we were pregnant, I always referred to you as my “pink sprinkle.”  There were never any feelings or intuitions one or way or the other on what your gender actually was, but with two Koch grandson’s already, I secretly hoped that you were a girl.  I did the Chinese birth calculator twice just to see what it said; the first site said you were a girl and the second one said you were a boy.  As time wore on in my pregnancy, I started to think you were a boy with how easily everything is going and we already had your name picked out.  In fact, your Aunt Ashley even started calling you baby Oscar! (Don’t worry; we weren’t ever considering naming you Oscar!).

I am sure you have already heard a million times now that my first born daughters name was going to be Chloe Grace.  And as you know… your name is not Chloe Grace!  Your Aunt Kim stole that name right out from under my feet and named your cousin it before I was even out of high school!  And now… your naming game begins!  I will, of course, continue to keep you updated as to what we are considering.  My name was supposed to be Maria and I am so happy your grandparents changed their mind on that one!  Maybe you will feel the same way someday?

Tomorrow is our big reveal party for your grandparents and great-grandparents.  I hope they are as excited about your arrival as we are!!!  Shopping can commence and I already know that you are going to be spoiled beyond belief!  That was one of the main reasons I secretly hoped you were a girl.  You will never be the first grandchild on either side… but you can darn well be the first Koch baby girl and the only grandchild in the state for the Engelmann side!

A little update on your momma… I still don’t look very pregnant.  It is a great feeling and I am not going to complain!  My weight is finally back up to where it was pre-pregnancy and now I can begin to actually gain some weight; approximately a pound a week for the next several weeks!  There still aren’t any new craving developments…  Although, I have been having a lot of root beer floats and smoothies recently that always seem to hit the spot!  Still no heartburn, indigestion, sleepless nights or any more leg cramps this week!  The leg cramps are really the only bad part about this whole pregnancy thing!

I can’t wait for tomorrow and the coming weeks!  Until next week, little one!

Love,

Your mommy

Time Keeps on Slipping...

Into the future...

Why does time seem to pass so much faster with a little one in our life?  I feel like just yesterday I was prepping our spare bedroom for a nursery and BAM!  My little girl is on her way to being half a year old.  Part of me knows this is inevitable, but the other part wants Amelia to stay a baby forever.  Every day it seems like she learns something new.  Watching the world through the eyes of a child really is one of the greatest gifts ever.

She is hitting milestones at a rapid rate.  In the span of a week, she learned to:
   *roll over
   *sit up alone
   *laugh (only a small HaHa)
   *find herself in the mirror
I mean seriously!  What the WHAT?!  Just tonight she stood up on her own holding on to just my fingers.  Is it awful that I wanted to push her over?

I am in the process of scheduling her 6 month photos and family portraits.  That should be interesting because Brandon hates having his picture taken and just wants to goof around.  So much prep to do for such a small snippet of time.  But that's the way it is with kids, isn't it?  I need to figure out a color scheme, start shopping, order a 1/2 birthday crown to coordinate theme and figure out where we want to have outdoor pictures at.

We are extremely fortunate to have a family friend who is a photographer.  She took my maternity photos, Amelia's newborn (like 8 days old) and 3 month photos and she will be who we use for everything in the coming months/years.  She is FABULOUS to work with.  If you are in the Omaha area, look up Posies Photography.  I promise you won't be disappointed with Mary Ann!  Once I get better with this whole blogging thing, I will backtrack with our life and upload many of these pictures.

Until next time!