The Journey

     I think the quote goes, "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey." Well,  Malley's first plane ride was a journey. We have a pretty easy baby. Happy most of the time. Adaptable. Smiles a lot. Sleeps through the night. Easy going. But she doesn't like to be hot. Just like her mama. I like to be between 71-74 degrees. So yesterday, everything was going so well. Luggage checked. Security line was easy (three cheers for the family line!). Hubby and I even enjoyed a leisurely lunch at the airport. There were lots of kids on our flight, which means lots of understanding parents if Malley got fussy. We were able to family board, which is a big deal on Southwest! So there we are, in our seats waiting for take off. Just waiting. I notice it is warm. The "pre-flight" air is not really cutting it. Malley's face is getting red. Still waiting. 20 minutes pass. It's getting very hot, so I pull Malley's legs out of her one piece outfit. We're all sweating profusely and Malley is crying. Loudly. We get ready for take off. Bring on the A/C! And then nothing. The captain comes on and says the A/C is broken and we're returning to the gate. My husband keeps suggesting we strip her down, but I keep refusing. She's wailing. She breaks into heat rash. Naked it is. So there we are, 45 minutes later, soaked in sweat, and they repair the plane with duct tape. Comforting, right?  I was just focusing on our destination, which was my mom's house.
    This journey was kind of lousy, thus far.  There was a single guy sitting next to Ken.  I had to breast feed Malley because I was too confident to pack a bottle.  Smart thinking, new mom.  And she was not interested in the Hooter Hider or any other stitch of fabric on her being.  So there I am, feeling like a National Geographic TV special.  I was mortified.  Pretty sure the guy was smart enough not to look, but still, it was WAY out of my comfort zone.  My husband was the "buffer" in the middle seat, but I don't think it did much good.  The poor guy actually switched seats with the kid in front of him (he said it was so he could sit by his girlfriend, but I am pretty sure it was to avoid the Biology lesson in the seats next to him).  In a way, it is kind of like being baptized as a new mom.  I was pretty confident that we would never see him again.  Two trying hours later, we were on our way, and our sweet naked baby fell asleep. She slept the whole flight! I nursed her on take off and landing and she was perfect after A/C!
     The return trip went beautifully, as well.  So, in the end, her first plane journey went fairly well after the duct tape saved the day!  Oh, and guess who was on our return flight and moved quickly past the open aisle seat next to us?  Same guy!  Lucky us! We're busy making memories over here, and this one will forever stay burned fresh in my mind.

The "before" shot- trying to distract Malley from the heat by looking out of the window.

She was so very over her first plane flight.  

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Pretty soon we're taking Malley's first plane flight! I have received lots of advice from experienced traveling mamas.  I am sure it will be an adventure!  Ken and I love to travel, so we figured we should go ahead and start traveling with the little now to get her used to the idea.  Perfect plan, right?  Pretty sure our suitcases look like we're moving to my mom's house.
We had an amazing dinner last night with my bestest friend.  Almost 20 years of friendship.  I am a lucky gal!  We sat at the Kitchen Table at Brennan's. YUM. We ate. We drank. We laughed till we cried. It was the perfect way to end our her 20's!  I may have to do an entire post on our fabulous meal....but for now, I will just show you the most incredible New Orleans barbecue crawfish with waffle and goat cheese grits.  If ever my soul had a food soulmate this was it, friends.  Holy cow.  Delish!

Food of the Gods.

My awesome best friend!

This little beauty is 98% rolling over!

Important things to take on our trip.....jeans, chargers, socks, fleece, baby.....

(New) Motherhood

Reflections on Motherhood
It is so much more incredible that I ever could have imagined.  This precious life is ours to hold and mold. We're responsible for showing her the world and making sure that she is the very best that she can be!

The love you feel for your child is simply unlike any other love.  It is just incredible.  Unwavering.  Defining.  Encompassing.

I view my own parents differently now.  They are such great parents.  I hope to be the same.  Sometimes, when I am staring at Malley, I think, this is the face I will remember on her graduation day, on her wedding day, and many other days as she grows older.  I am sure they've done the same!

Having our first child has changed me and the mister.  It has made me see him in a whole new light.  And it's a light that I love.  The way he looks at our baby is just incredible.  It makes my heart swell with joy.  Marrying the right person is magnified in moments like having a baby and bringing them home.  He's my hero.

I am so excited for this phase in my life!  I have wanted my own children since I can remember.  How lucky to be able to fulfill my dreams!  Motherhood is everything I imagined and so much more, and it will be great to get to watch our family grow!

We are so excited to show her the world.  Travel, explore, try new foods, cook, listen to music, craft, play, learn, shop, fish, and just sop up all of exciting things we have to look forward to as a family.

This week we're on vacation, but I hope to get her monthly updates posted.  How has it already been 3 months?

Also, this week my best friend turns 30.  Crazy!  We're celebrating big!  We have a double date at Brennan's Chef's Table.  Woohoo!  I mean honestly, it could be Luby's and I would probably be just as excited about a double date with my bestie, but I can't wait to celebrate 30 years of her fabulousness.  And, her sweet parents have offered to babysit for the night, too!  Bonus!  Cannot wait!


                                             
                                                           Mother's Day Brunch at Triniti

Pouty Mother's Day face.

Her precious smile.

Adorable feet!

Little moments like these make me so incredibly happy to be her mommy.

Love these two with all of my heart!

Moms

Mother's Day was extra special this year as a new mommy.  I feel like an insider now!  I have finally joined the "Mommy Club," and it has been great thus far!  I am blessed with a wonderful mother, and a very special mother-in-law.  Malley Grace is a lucky gal!

Now that I am a mother, I look at my own mom in a whole new light.  She did a remarkable job as a mother, and I find myself wanting her advice and to document all that she did so that I can do the same for our children.  I hope that one day, Malley and I will share the same bond that I do with my mom.  She's always there for me.  She lives far away now, but she comes to visit once a month (probably because I live with her grandchild, but whatever it takes, right?) We talk daily.  I can call her panicked about some new mommy fear and she pretends I am normal and then tells me I am a good mom.  Sweet.  When Malley was born, it was so great to have my mom there.  She (and my dear husband) hung out with me during 36 hours of labor and kept me focused and calm.  Moms just know what to do.

Growing up, I always thought my mom was perfect.  She knew every answer, did everything very well, and was all around superhuman in my eyes.  Now that I am a mom, I can see that she probably took many leaps of faith, worked to stay patient and calm, chartered new waters, and questioned her own decisions, just like I do.  The trick?  She always kept her game face on.  Our daughter is only 3 months old, but I often think about how I will handle certain situations that my mom faced.  It's kind of like a little peek behind the curtain of motherhood.

No craft project is too big or small for this lady.  She sews. She knits. She embroiders. My mom and I love a good craft.  Always have.  I remember in middle school when I wanted some Christmas light bulb earrings.  We stayed up late planning, and I went to bed.  The next morning, she had created the Christmas earrings of my dreams.  I bet she still has them too.  They were perfect.  Then there was lots of puffy paint t-shirts and homemade button covers.  This lady made the 90's attire awesome for me!  Fast forward to college when she made all of my bedding, because I wanted to design it myself. Most of it is still in my guest room!


And then she made all of the bedding for Malley. Along with 1,000 other monogrammed items.

She's just wonderful.  I am so lucky to have her and hope to raise our littles with the same love, creativity, thoughtfulness, kindness, and dedication.

My mother-in-law is also wonderful.  She's just cool.  She uses her iPhone more efficiently than I do, and she had an iPad before I did.  She "Yelps" restaurants.  See?  Cool. She is a wealth of knowledge, but she doesn't give unwanted advice.  She's supportive and kind.  She can grow anything, and knows every bird on the planet.  She raised my husband, and I am pretty sure he wasn't an easy child.  She lives up to her name, Grace.

Mother's Day Craft

Spoiler Alert for Malley's Grandmothers!
It's almost Mother's Day, and this year, it's extra special!  This is my first year to celebrate Mother's Day as a mommy, and my mom and mother-in-law get to celebrate as new grandmothers!  So, to honor the special day, I had to do a craft.  An easy craft, given that my little is not quite 3 months.  So I searched Pinterest and found a craft that my friend sent me a few months ago. Super simple, but it will be a fun memento!  And of course, they never turn out exactly like Pinterest.  Pinterest users must not have used real live children--- or maybe not squirmy newborns.

I bought Crayola washable paint and got my daughter craft ready in her diaper.  Classy.  She's already making that, "Oh, Mom" face.

Washable Paint, Brush, and Paper....pretty basic!  Oh, and a towel is helpful, too.

Paint your baby's foot in a fun color pattern or solid.  I would recommend one foot at a time...

Both feet painted simultaneously was a little daring.... I like to live on the edge.

Press the feet onto the paper...left on right side and vice versa.  Having fun yet dodging tiny painted feet?

Use all of your artistic talent to draw a caterpillar in the middle....

And voila!  Beautiful baby art! 

Happy happy Mother's Day!

Picture Perfect

Newborn Pictures were a big deal to me.  I love pictures.  I treasure them.  I even dabble in photography.  I obsessed over which photographer to use for months before actually picking one.  And when I say obsessed, I mean I obsessed.  My husband was surely tired of hearing me discuss the options!  And it paid off!  I love how these newborn pictures turned out.  I used Christine Tremoulet in Houston, and she is always so much fun to work with.  I even let her in my house 8 days postpartum when I looked like I had been hit like a truck. That's dedication to good pictures, right?  And she didn't even judge me for the swirl of baby that hit our house. Nice lady.  You know how most newborns sleep, right?  Which makes for those adorable sleeping baby photos that I yearned for.  My baby didn't get that memo.  She fought her noble fight for six hours until she finally passed out!  She must get her sleep stubbornness from me her father.  Anyway, there are so many great ones, and I am saving my favorites for Malley's birth announcement....which I will finish this week! Here is the video that she created, too.  I just love it and the sweet time in Malley's life that it captures.  It makes me cry tears of joy.  I can't wait for Christine to capture her milestones throughout her first year!

I cannot believe how much she has already grown!  I am loving the phase we're in now with all of the smiles, cooing, talking, sleeping (all night long!), singing, grabbing, and interaction.  But the newborn phase seems to have disappeared in a flash.  They (they meaning every parent on the planet) warn you about it "going so fast" from the moment they find out you're pregnant.  Everyone does.  But what you don't realize is how true it is!  Lots of the parenting advice you receive is for the birds.  "Sleep now while you can!"was my favorite.  I actually am not a sleep camel and can't store sleep, so I am just going to do my best to stay rested.  Thanks for the tip.  But the speed of growth is something you don't really understand until your baby arrives.  It is a wonderful and miraculous gift to get to watch our littles grow!  

The enlarged quality isn't great, but still fun to see them.

                                                       Our (mostly) sweet dog Nola.

Her precious feet.

Love this little baby!

                                                        Sweet sweet moments.

My Cat in the Hat book from childhood.  We love to read to this little!

Our little family! We've revamped our bedroom since then....more on that later......

I bought this dough bowl right before we got married at an antique auction.  Pretty sure I had these pictures in mind when doing so.

                                            He loves this baby so very much.  It melts my heart.

One of my favorites!

She was tired, but just refused to sleep.  Sweet baby.

                                         Photos captured by Christine Tremoulet