Learning to love her little piece of the world. . .

A week in the life of Ellery Gray:

We love you, little lake girl!! 

3 Months Young

This little love is. . .

3 months

12 Weeks

84 Days

2,016 Hours. . . 

YOUNG!

Every single minute, that fills every single, hour that lingers into every single day, we are amazed at the miracle of her life and the blessings she brings to us!

Elle had a lot of firsts this month. . . 

She (and mama) survived her first flight!

She for the first time after being reunited with her Daddy!
Her feet are a favorite toy

She found her hands (and tries to put BOTH in her mouth at the same time constantly)

She has regular conversations with the ceiling fan!  She could talk to it for hours if you'd let her!

She also loves to coo at Pops (Emily's Dad).... those two have lots to say to each other

She's had many walks through the woods with Daddy in her little pouch.

She can ALMOST roll over but still DESPISES tummy time!

She saw her first snowfall, quickly followed by her first cold.

She put her toes in the sand for the very first time.

She went with us to our small group for the first time and got lots of lessons on life from the big kids

She met lots of new relatives & friends!

{Welcome to the world, cousin Kasey!!}

We're continually amazed by Elle's constant and contagious joy and curiosity . . . two traits that certainly exude from her Daddy! 

Here's to many more adventures in the weeks and months to come. . . 

It's a treasure to be your mama, Elle Belle!

Love you with all we got!

From Snow Flakes to Sandy Shores

After a week of Charlotte's legendary "Polar Vortex Round 2" and her very first SNOW, our Elle was ready for a change of scenery...

So Mama and baby jetted off to the warmer temps and sandy shores of Fairhope, Alabama to help host Aunt Belle and baby Ava's shower!

We can't WAIT to meet this sweet little cousin. . . 

Elle was such a trooper on the plane.  Not even a peep on the way there! 

Everyone was shocked to see there was a baby on the plane when we got off.

So proud of my little traveler!

Before the baby shower, Anna and I snuck down to the beach to give Elle her first glimpse of the bay.

  Though it was only in the 50's, we couldn't resist undressing her
and letting her put her tiny toes in the sand.

Can't wait for this summer for a REAL beach trip with Anna, Matt, & little Ava Lou!

This is one loved little Southern Belle!

Thanks for a wonderful trip, Anna & Matt!

We'll see you again soon, Fairhope- when your newest and cutest resident arrives.

Love,

Em & Elle

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!

---------

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.