You Made Me a Mother

People always ask me "How do you like being a mom?"  

Well, nothing quite sums it up better than this little video:

I felt you. You were a pea. Then a lemon. Then an eggplant. I followed advice. I read twelve books. I quit coffee.

Could you tell I was scared?

I talked to you, sang to you... I wasn't ready.

But then you were here. Ten toes. Eight Seven pounds. Love. Big fat love.

I held you. I fed you. I realized that I would spend my life doing things to make you happy -- and that that would make me happy.

And then there are the times I want to give up. You've made me rethink my sanity. You've made me want to fall on my mother's feet and tell her that I get it.

But then you smile and you say my name -- and you grab my hand with those little fingers.

We're growing together. We are seeing the world like it's new. I will open my heart and love will rain down all over you. You'll giggle, and I'll do it all over again. And we will walk hand in hand. Until you let go.

I God made you, but you made me a mother.

I know we have so far to go and so MUCH to learn - but these past (almost) three months have been the best of our lives!

Our Elle has continued to amaze us with her joyful personality and sweet, sweet countenance.

Hands down, the best part of my day is the beginning of hers!

I walk into her room and as soon as she sees my face, arms flail, coos begin, nose wrinkles up, and a smile that melts a heart spreads all over her face!  

Every single day she reminds me of one of my favorite verses:

"This is the day the Lord has made.  

We WILL rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Yes we will, little Ellery Gray.  Yes we WILL!

I love that gaze.

I love that each new day is a fresh start.

I LOVE that God has entrusted Michael and I to guide her heart towards Him.

And....this little one LOVES bath time! 

Since she's almost outgrowing her Puj Tub. . . we thought we'd snap a few pictures of "tub time" this past weekend:

I wish we could press pause at this stage of her life.  It's SO much fun. . . but as so many have told us, we're sure that "the best is yet to come."

Much love to you all,

Em & Elle (and all of her furry friends!)

Week 9

What a fun week we've had with our little girl.  She's met SO many new faces and has cooed sweetly back at each of them!

We celebrated Wes and Michael's birthdays at Christy's house over the weekend.  Ellery met her great grandmother and was clearly in awe of her beauty and strength:

A beautiful picture of a Grandmother and her girls!

Celebrating with the birthday boy!

And sweet girl didn't even complain when we dressed her up as a mini Cam Newton.

She certainly didn't help them on the field, but looked cute tryin'!!!

 Lots more fun to come in week 10!! 

Love to you all,

Em & Elle

And...we've got a 2 month old!

My how quickly that happened!  I now fully understand why, as a new mom, everyone tells me to treasure every moment.  They do grow so fast, making me realize all over again what a treasure every single second is.  Just the other day I caught myself feeling guilty for spending a whole hour staring at this sweet little face.... 

I had to remind my busy-is-always-better-self to be OK with the slow down, to hold on to these moments with everything I've got!  Because, as everyone else has told me, before I know it, she'll be crawling towards other adventures and these snuggles won't come quite so easily.

So in honor of Elle's 2 month birthday, I'm reminding myself to "hold on..."

Hold on to tiny hands; admire wiggly fingers and toes.  Kiss those cheeks all day long if needed, sing silly songs, and cherish the sweet coos and giggles and squeals of this fresh new life learning how to be a part of God's great world.  I will stop wondering if was a complete waste of time to gaze at Elle's tiny newborn face hour after hour.  It's not.  It never was.

Hold on to the realization that this tiny person loves me for me, no matter what outfit I'm wearing (mostly they all end up with spit up on them anyways), how I cook, how many loads of laundry I managed to fold, how much I ran today, or if my hair looks better blonde or brown.  She just loves.  And I should too!

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This past week was a busy one for Ellery.  She got to spend the whole day with Mimi and Grandpa Wes while Michael and I celebrated his 33rd birthday. We're SO very grateful for grandparents who love us by loving our little girl so well.

Although Michael and I had SO much fun celebrating together, I'm pretty sure this was the best part of the whole day. . . 

Late night snuggles with his baby girl!

 In other news....Elle is kicking off the second month of life by moving from her rock 'n play to her big girl crib!  She looks so tiny in there :

Like pretty much everything else in her little life, she handled the transition like a champ!  Didn't even seem to notice the difference.  We are so thankful for her sweet spirit and laid-back personality.... AND for her consistent sleeping through the night!  8-5 is her new sleep schedule, without even a peep.

Happy Two Months, Ellery Gray!  

We love you so.

A little Photo Shoot

One of our dearest friends, Dianne Personett, also happens to be a fabulous photographer in the Charlotte area.  We asked her to come shoot some pictures of our little one at home when she was about one month old.   Here are some of our favorites:

We love you, sweet little Ellery Gray!

It's a joy to be your parents and an honor that God entrusted you to us.

http://www.dpersonettphotography.com

http://dpersonettphotography.com/blog

Happy New Year

As we look back, Michael and I are in awe of God's faithfulness and provision over the last 365 days!

What an adventure it has been!

Psalm 89:1
I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

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On New Year's Eve, Ellery got to stay up until 9 p.m. and even got a NYE kiss from her friend Cole!

Though we didn't wake her at midnight to ring in the new year, we surely did count our blessings with these sweet friends for all that God did in 2013.

Much love to you all in the New Year!

We can't wait to see all that God does. . .

Love, 

M, Em, & Elle

Week 7 Highlights

 Christmas was a wonderful whirlwind of wrapping paper, PJ's, family dinners, friends, football, trips, and LOTS of cuddles with our little girl.

Without a doubt, the best Christmas yet!  

After reading The Night Before Christmas, Michael and I got to play Santa on Christmas Eve while this sweet one slept.

On Christmas evening, Michael surprised me with a night away at the Ritz, so Miss Elle had her FIRST night away from Mom and Dad.

Although we missed her so much, Papa Knotts and Karla took such good care of our little girl.

After the celebrations in Charlotte ended, Elle was clearly exhausted:

After a good night's sleep and lots of snuggles, Elle took her first road trip to the mountains.

She was a trooper!  Slept the whole way and was ready to cheer on UNC in the Belk Bowl when we arrived:

and. . . the Panthers the next day!

She's Daddy's little good luck charm.

Other Week 7 Highlights:

sleeping through the night!

smiling and giggling like crazy

{especially during what we have dubbed "happy hour"from 8-9 am}

loves to "stand up"

{with help, of course}

fascinated by story time and loving her Jesus Storybook Bible

and....of course, still loving bath time!

Thank you all for making this Christmas so very special for us and for our little girl!

We love you,

Michael, Emily & Ellery Gray