Oh Baby!

As some of you may already know, Christopher and I had our official mid-pregnancy ultrasound last Friday morning. This sweet baby of ours is a healthy, kicking little girl!

I honestly thought we were having a boy (although deep down I did have my suspicions.) Christopher and I both grew up in happy homes with big brothers and were hoping our family dynamic would be the same, but it looks like things will be a little different for us! More than anything, we're happy this little one has all her fingers and toes, a perfect beating heart, tiny little bones. I was on edge for a good chunk of the ultrasound with that irrational motherly "what if..." fear, so I was so thrilled when our tech told us everything looked good. Then we went out and bought an insane amount of pink.

After 23 weeks, I think I'm finally beginning to feel pregnant. My belly is becoming rounder and I've been feeling little flutters for about a month now. Last Wednesday, I felt baby girl's first official kick. It was so strong that I jumped out of shock! And then of course, I cried. I'm so emotional these days anything makes me cry... sappy commercials, a text from Chris, the Story Corps segment on NPR. Oh baby, indeed.

Holiday Love

  Photo by Haley Sheffield, quote by Abby Mallet, via her comment on Kate's post

I wasn't kidding in my last post: Michigan winter has arrived, and I think it's here to stay for a while. After a bizarrely warm weekend in the 70s, the temperature has dropped to a high of 36 today and doesn't break out of the 40s all week. Yesterday, it snowed - big fat flurries that fell from the sky. The wind has a bitter edge that I haven't felt in nearly a year, leaving any exposed patch of skin red and icy cold. Oh winter.

I can't say that I love the cold, but the holiday season and all the little family traditions make the chill bearable. Sipping chai under a blanket with Christopher. Mom's pumpkin pie. Sitting in front of my parents' fireplace. Christmas morning. Family game night on New Years. Those memories, that love... they really do sustain you until spring.

7.14.12

A beautiful bouquet of zinnia and statice from the wedding

This past Saturday, my big brother Martin finally tied the knot! The wedding was simple, traditional and so very sweet, with beautiful farmers market flowers, delicious poppy seed crusted chicken and lots of love. He couldn't stop smiling and I've never seen Mary, his new wife, happier. I know their life together will be wonderful.

Congratulations, Martin and Mary!

On Presents and Apples...

What's that now? Why yes, that is a stack of awesome birthday presents... including a Canon Rebel DSLR!! Chris and I picked it up after my birthday breakfast dinner on Thursday. Mr. Ross also surprised me with little treats hidden around our house... a box of Zebra Cakes here, a copy of Bridesmaids there. He's so cute. Natalie and Duane gave me a copy of Wildwood, a children's novel written by the Decemberists lead singer Colin Meloy and beautifully illustrated by Carson Ellis. Grace Bonny's Design*Sponge at Home, was a little gift to myself. And it is glorious.  

On Saturday, we took a drive over to Corey Lake Orchards for some apple picking and to test out the camera. This was my first orchard trip and I couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. Almost every apple was in season, and we were able to sample the varieties straight off the trees before adding them to our bushel. My personal favorite was the sweet, crisp, and slightly tart Cortland variety. We purchased a half-bushel of mixed varieties for $8 and ended up with 23 pounds of apples. Yikes. Feel free to pass along any apple recipes you may have... apple crisp is the only thing I've mastered so far.

My little niece Adalynn and her parents also joined us (this was actually her second trip to the orchard) and as you can see, she has fully perfected the baby smirk. I can't believe how fast she's grown... she's almost six months old! Her sweet, friendly personality is definitely starting to shine and I love how much she's chunked out.

I'm excited to start experimenting with my camera... I need to brush up on my Intro to Photography notes before attempting any manual settings just yet, but I definitely look forward to using something a little more advanced than Instragram on iPhone (as much as I love it.) Needless to say, I had a wonderful birthday.

Baby Girl Stanton

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.... I was working on one Monday afternoon while waiting in Bronson Hospital, but it was interrupted by the birth of a beautiful baby girl.

Meet Baby Girl Stanton (her parents still haven't decided on a name just yet) Adalynn Eislee Marie Stanton. 19 inches long, 5.132 pounds. She was a breech baby so they had to do a c-section at the last minute, but she is healthy and keeping her parents awake through the night.

I've never actually been around a newborn -- she's so sweet and tiny! She has her mama's lips and nose and her daddy's eyes and brow bone. I haven't seen her fingers or toes yet because of her sleeper, but her little ears are adorable. Oh, babies. She really is so beautiful and I'm so excited to be a part of this little girl's life!