preciousness

almost forgot

Published November 19, 2011 | By Nicole

we totally went to disney last weekend.

we ate corn dogs that were the size of our heads, and mickey mouse ice cream bars while telling jackson stories about his uncle b losing his first tooth in one.

we watched the parade together, as a family, and i cried because that’s what magic does to pregnant women.

jackson met his hero.

no big deal.

Posted in family, magoo, sometimes i take pictures | Tagged family, growing right before my eyes, preciousness

i met my best friend’s baby girl today. she was all of 27 hours old and nameless. bundled and swaddled and bamboozeled with adoration from her two parents entirely high on the beauty of life and sleeplessness.

by the time i got around to holding this little cherub, i found myself amazed at how much i had forgotten about the newest of little ones.

like their noises. aside from their screams of OMG WHAT IS THIS PLACE AND WHERE IS MY AMNIOTIC FLUID, the nuzzle sounds as they root and then latch to their mama. the grunts as their squirm and get themselves as nestled to you as humanly possible. the gasps they make when they startle.

and goodness, i forgot how they startle. and then the arms go up with the fingers spread and you feel horrible because you, YOU, are the cause of their traumatic awakening.

watching my friend and her husband, new parents but taking to the role so easily and with such pride, i remembered the craziness that comes with it all.

to think that you spend days in a hospital (assuming you have a hospital birth) surrounded by doctors and nurses and consultants and all of these people who you picked to be a part of your birthing team because to you they are THE BEST at what they do… and then they just let you leave.

WITH A BABY.

FOR. EVER.

it’s insane. absolutely insane. void of all logic. these people you have entrusted your prenatal care to, your child’s pediatric care to, have all of a sudden deemed you worthy.

and good gracious, it is spectacular and life changing and immense in more ways than i can possibly convey in words.

words are so menial compared to the sounds that take place when a child is born.

it is those noises that tell the story. it’s the sounds of a mother sighing with relief when her baby latches successfully to feed. it’s the soft hum of a daddy enjoying his own skin-to-skin time with his baby girl. it’s the love that is felt with the stroke of a baby’s cheek. the care that goes in to changing a diaper on brand new skin. and the disbelief that all of this, all of this beauty is your world.

that kind of communication is where the heart of a family lies… noises included.

Posted in celebrating, family, love, parenting, writing | Tagged celebrating, family, growing right before my eyes, i'm a writer i promise, love, parenting, preciousness

halloween 2011: jackson’s choice

Published November 1, 2011 | By Nicole

my family has been here for the last 4 days and ZOMG did we have SO MUCH FUN. the laughter was abundant, the stories were hilarious, and the dogs… good gracious, y’all, the dogs. (notice red is not pictured. there is a reason why. our dog needs a tranquilizer.) needless to say, we had a blast! i am so blessed with a kickass family. SO BLESSED.

jackson picked out all of the costumes, mom’s dog included… this child is so loved. i don’t know a lot of adults who would go ALL OUT trick-or-treating in costumes and LOVING IT with a 3 year old. spiderman had an entourage of love and hilarity. hope you and yours had a wonderful halloween!

Posted in family, insanity, love, magoo, sometimes i take pictures | Tagged family, insanity, love, memories, preciousness

pm porch painting

Published October 5, 2011 | By Nicole

Posted in magoo, motherhood, sometimes i take pictures, wordless wednesday | Tagged growing right before my eyes, love, preciousness

hilton head island

Published August 19, 2011 | By Nicole

growing up with grandparents in florida, my brother and i spent a lot of time at the beach.

looking back on it now, i see that some of the most magical times at the beach are found in the evenings. staying up later than normal, eating ice cream until you’ve tasted every flavor, stumbling upon live-music during a night-time stroll, and sharing shellfish with good company.

now that my parents are the grandparents, i get to experience the beach in a new way while keeping the fond memories that warm my heart.

having an entire week in hilton head, sc, with my family (and paul joining us at the end of the week) was no exception. it was quite possibly one of the greatest weeks i have had in a VERY long time.