thanksgiving weekend

It was the best having my siblings come stay with us for Thanksgiving. We spent the weekend touring museums, finding new favorites at We The Pizza, staying up late watching movies, devouring four whole pies, sleeping in, and eating Thanksgiving leftovers for breakfast. And yes, three out of those six things have something to do with eating. We know where our priorities are.

P.S. We really really missed you Mom, Dad and Jilly! We'll make next year, THE year!

today I like monday

Shoes: c/o Blowfish, Jeans: UO, Top: Gap, Coat: YesStyle, Pin: c/o Much Love Illy

Oh Monday Monday. I used to hate you. Still do a little. Not a huge fan of Tys leaving for work at 7 - just so you know. But today I like you. Today, you are bringing me Christmas. A Christmas tree, lights and bulbs, three stockings and probably a new wreath to be exact. Our very first! That's right. This is the first year we're not traveling for Christmas, thus the first year we actually have time to enjoy tinsel, blinking lights, etc at home. And by george we're gonna bring it. I'm looking at you peppermint bark, A Very She & Him Christmas and itty-bitty Santa hat.    

thankful

 

via

Just wanted to pop in for a quick hello. Did you guys have a good Thanksgiving?? I hope so! Ours was wonderful. We spent it at home with a very large, delicious meal cooked mainly by my domestic sister. {I helped with the cranberries. Holla!} In our pajamas. On a Thanksgiving picnic blanket on our living room floor. Low-key doesn't even begin to cover it. And it was perfect.

I have so much to be thankful for this year. A wonderful family. A loving husband. The sweet and precious blessing it is to be Everett's mama. Our warm home. The blessing of the Gospel in our lives. And little things. Like the fact that it's 60 degrees today and we're going to spend it with family exploring our nation's capitol. Also hot chocolate. I'm thankful for that too.

Happy holidays to you all! And happy black friday shopping. And happy Christmas music listening. Let the season begin!!

the good. and the bad.

Boots: Hunter, Jeggings: Target, Top: Gap, Leather Jacket: c/o Windsor Store

Right now, it's 6:00 on Tuesday night. I'm sitting here with a cup of tea while I feed my sweet baby. My favorite song is on. Tys will be home soon. And my siblings will be arriving for Thanksgiving week {hoorah!} in approximately five hours.

Also.

All three floors of my house have died and gone to you know where. My still undone laundry pile is literally a load of crap. And I took my freshly washed, fed and changed son to the doctors today only to discover the poor guy had soaked himself clean through by the time we got there. The nurse said to me, "oh. does he have anything CLEAN he could wear?" I am a mother scorned.

But hey. I actually smell decent. Like baby lotion. So we're gonna chalk this up as a good day.

becoming mom

Shoes: Simply Vera Wang {Kohls}, Jeans: UO, Top: Gap, Poncho: c/o Koo De Ker

These past three weeks have been amazing and exhausting. Completely absorbed in delicious babyness - the cuddles, the loud grunts and high-pitched coos, the every hour or two feedings, the quiet awake time, the endless diapers, that fuzzy head, the way he listens so intently to Lisa Kelly and Myleene Klass, his naked bum and perfect triangle mouth. Most days my clothes smell of either milk, spit-up or pee. Or on really productive days - all three. I've become both a lightning fast diaper pro and his bodily functions' personal cheerleader, and if I manage to shower before Tys gets home, he exclaims "Woah! look at YOU!" Yes. I know. If I really feel like blowing his socks off, I have dinner made too. But I try not to get TOO carried away. That's happened ... mmm ... once. 

It's a balancing act, this mommy thing is. I bow down to all of you miracle workers who have more than one. And you single mamas - double bows for you. I'm pretty sure the only reason I'm able to function on a relatively normal level is because of Tys. Somehow he knew how important "me time" was, even before I did. And he makes sure I take it while he gets his baby time. Whether that's a nap on the weekends in a quiet room all to myself, long nightly showers or a girls night out at the Cheesecake Factory. 

Thank you my love, for not allowing me to become Momenstein. Fatherhood looks good on you handsome man.

happy almost birthday

Today is my due date. 

But instead of being at the hospital, we're home with our three week old, dressing him in hats that are still much too big for him. Birth story of how we welcomed our little Everett Stone coming this week! But in the mean time, here's a little owl baby to help ring in your Monday. {Owl baby, and his big strong neck! Mama's so proud.}

saturday morning donuts

 

We live up the street from a Dunkin Donuts. {we know. we know} And since Saturdays no longer merit sleeping in, last week we decided to take a family walk and replace it with something equally as sweet. {Kind of. Pretty sure nothing is as sweet as getting more than an hour at a time} Old fashioned for me and glazed for him. Baby slept through the whole thing ... and then we walked home and joined him. There really is nothing better than one big family nap in our comfy bed. With a tummy full of donuts. And a baby that makes kissy lips in his sleep. Hip hip for Saturdays! Bring on the weekend.

guest post: my favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood, by Sarah Larsen

So happy to have my sweet friend Sarah from For The Love guest posting today! I remember a similar moment! Thanks so much for sharing Sarah!

One of my most treasured memories happened during the very first few minutes of meeting my new baby boy. After he was placed on my chest, he managed to wrap his tiny baby fingers around my index finger and held on. It was as if to say "Let's do this together."

guest post: my favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood, by Naomi Davis

eep! such a treat today! The lovely Naomi from Rockstar Diaries was so sweet to share such a beautiful birth moment with us. Thanks so much Naomi! We love your little E!

when i think back to that first week with eleanor, i am filled with so many emotions.

i remember the exact moment about an hour after eleanor arrived when the last nurse left our room and we were finally alone for the first time as a new little family. just me, my husband, and our new baby girl. it was 2-something in the morning and i hadn't slept for the past 36 hours. i was exhausted and still in so much pain. i also remember feeling like i wasn't even inside my own body, rather watching myself and my little family from the ceiling. but i remember that moment so clearly when it was finally just the three of us alone.  my husband josh leaned over me as i held and fed our new sleeping baby and he began to cry. we hugged and cried together for a long time as we stared at this new little human being in awe. we offered a prayer of gratitude together to our heavenly father for entrusting us with something so special, so healthy and beautiful, so pure and perfect. it was somewhere during those first few moments as a mother, looking at my husband now as a father, that my faith in God grew. my purpose in life now seemed so clear and this overwhelming new love and responsibility kicked in that i didn't know i had for my new baby girl. 

our entire world changed for the better back in february when we met eleanor for the first time. it's been a bittersweet experience to see her growing and developing and changing so fast (somehow she is already 9 months old! please someone slow it all down!) but i think it's safe to say that it just keeps getting better and better

baby + shower

We're convinced it's the most fun you can have on a Saturday night

guest post: my favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood, by Jen Lula

So thrilled to share this post today! The beautiful Jen from Jenloveskev is always a go to inspiration for killer mama style. Not to mention I die a little bit every time she posts pics of her adorable Rowan! Thanks for sharing such a beautiful moment with us Jen!

Hi Everyone, it's Jen from Jenloveskev! I first want to give a big huge shout of congrats to Sydney and Ty on there new little bundle of Joy. Welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood guys. Everett is one lucky little dude. 

When I hear about a new baby being born, I can't help but start reminiscing about Rowan's birth. What a magical moment in our lives. One that changed me for the better in so many ways. I have very dear, dear memories of that first week, but the one that I hold the closest to my heart was that "golden hour" after the baby was born. We had decided to have all procedural things delayed for the hour after her birth. Most hospitals will allow you to delay those things if all is healthy and well with baby. When Rowan was finally born, there was such a euphoric joy in the room. I seriously don't remember any one else in the room other than Kev and Rowan. For one solid hour it was just about the 3 of us. We cried, we laughed and we stared in disbelief that this little, beautiful being was perfectly half Kev and half me.  I will always remember the look on Kev's face as he realized just how much he already loved her. Rowan lied there covered in blanks, her heart agains't my heart and we cuddled for the first hour of her life. It will forever be a memory that brings tears of joy every time I think of it. What a blessing!

10 things

1. I'm willing to sweat it out in a warmer-than-normal house just so I can leave him in a diaper and blankets. I can't get enough of his baby skin. And his finger toes. And the blonde peach fuzz that covers his shoulders. It would be a dang crime to cover that up.
2. Breastfeeding has not been the easiest thing in the world. The first week hurt. A lot. But oh when we get it right, it's the sweetest moment. I would do anything for those happy grunts.
3. It's a little embarrassing how much Tys and I refer to ourselves in the third person as "mama and daddy".  But it's kind of our favorite role.
4. Sometimes when Tys is upstairs with Everett, I'll hear him burst out laughing. I'll ask what happened and he'll say, "He just peed all over everything! Again!" Nothing phases him. He loves that little boy. And woah, I love him.
5. I remember the first time we pulled out our newborn diapers. I couldn't wait to show Tys cause I couldn't believe how tiny they were. I thought, there is NO WAY a little bum is going to fit into these. And now they look huge on him. Can he please be this small forever?
6. Showers are a very necessary and very beautiful thing. Thank you husband for making sure I still get a little me time every day.
7. It's amazing how little sleep you actually need to survive.
8. Yes, your hair falls out. No, I didnt think it was possible for these locks to get any thinner. But indeed, they are proving me wrong at an alarming rate.
9. Who cares. I have a baby.
10. One-handed, left-handed typing? It's kind of my thing now.

guest post: my favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood, by Emily Frame

The lovely and incredibly creative mother of two, Emily Frame blogs over at Ruffling Feathers - one of the first blogs I ever started following religiously! {P.S. Her style - I die} So excited to have her guest posting today! Thanks for sharing Emily!

the first week with a new baby is unlike any other days in your life. i have so many favorite quiet moments. the worry on your partner's face wishing you didn't have to feel any pain, followed by the absolute adoration when all is said and done. the looks my husband gave me those first hours - i was his hero!

the relief and joy at their first cry. and your first cry too! that first good cry after you have a baby is so cleansing, all of those emotions spill out, fear, excitement, overwhelming earth-shaking love, it feels so good to let it all out. i'm mean really, your body has earned it!

watching your baby through the eyes of others. how your husband beams at them. how your parents puff their chests with pride at their little grandbaby. your little brother's disbelief that this thing really came out of you. the awkward baby handling, no one, no matter how much experience they've had, is ever really sure how to gracefully hold a newborn.

their hospital head. you can't beat that smell. a mixture of soft baby skin and clean, antiseptic alcohol swabs. if only i could bottle that smell!

sunrise feedings, when you exchange gazes with one another in soft morning light. picturing their perfect little body floating in your tummy, realizing it was them all along. wondering how you're going to pry your blubbering blissed-out self off this tiny angel and ever get back to real life.

time suspends if only for that week and everything is calm. soak in it, Sydney! don't worry your little head with anything but that sweet boy, because those worries find their way back on their own soon enough.

guest post: my favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood, by Joy Cho

Joy Cho, from the ever inspirational Oh Joy! is a new mama too! {Her beautiful little Ruby is only a few weeks older than Ever} Amazingly, she agreed to share her new mama moments with us - which I am thrilled about! Thanks so much Joy! And congrats again mama!

A week or so before my baby came, I was at a friend's house and she showed me this book, When You Were Born, that she received after delivering her first baby. There was a line in the book that describes a mother seeing her baby for the first time, and the mother exclaims, "I know you!" Those words brought tears to my eyes as I could only imagine having that feeling someday soon. When Ruby came into our lives (a week and a half early), my labor came and went so fast, that I barely had a moment to realize what had happened or get as emotional as I thought I would during her delivery. Although I knew she was once in my belly and now out in the world, it seemed so surreal that it just didn't hit me right then. Later that night, when we had her in our hospital room, I looked down at her and she started hiccuping. Those were the same hiccups I had felt in my belly multiple times a day for months, and here she was out in the world doing the same thing...hiccuping multiple times a day. I found myself looking at her and saying out loud, "I know you!" because at that moment, I realized that the person I had been carrying around for nine months, who was physically closer to me than anyone else in the world, was finally here. She had the same personality I grew to know and love just by feeling her movements previously in my belly. And now I have this chance to get to know her with the same quirks but with us now as part of our family.

family portrait by Rifle Paper Co.

all photos by Oh Joy!

guest post: my favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood, by Joanna Goddard

 So beyond thrilled to have Joanna from the widely read and beloved A Cup of Jo guest posting today! {I'm pinching myself!} Thank you so much for sharing Joanna!

My favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood: When I first saw Toby's face.

After nine months of pregnancy, I felt my heart swell a million times over as I finally looked into my baby boy's squinting little eyes. I just couldn't believe that he was looking right back at me--his mama!!! What was he thinking during his first moments alive? I just stroked his head and cooed at him and told him how much I loved him. Surrounded by bustling nurses and my excited picture-snapping husband, I only had eyes for our little one, and I felt so full of love for everyone and everything. As I wrote in my birth story, I would have a million babies just for that moment.

P.S. For a good read, be sure to check out Joanna's Motherhood Mondays - a weekly series about what it's *really* like to be a new mom!

Happy Monday!

Love,

Old Man Poulton

week one

I'm not sure I have the words to accurately describe the love high that is week one. In fact, I know I don't. It's felt like one day and forever at the same time -- the happiest we've ever been. Getting to know our little Everett - his coos, his grunts, his perfected ability to pee on us {which we have no qualms with because that means it's bath time}, his drunken smile after a feeding, the way his froggy legs tuck under him or how his arms sprawl out across our chests while he sleeps. Or my favorite move - when his skinny legs fly up and hang in the air while he stretches his toes.

It's still sinking in that he's ours. And mine. I have a son!
While it makes me a tiny bit sad that our little Ever is already a week old {and that it's even possible his face has changed so much already!}, I am so excited for all the upcoming weeks, months and momentous occasions that come with them. Like this week's excitement, when he kept his eyes open and stared at us for 10 whole minutes. Oh, those still-dark-blue eyes. Melt us like butter.

guest post: my favorite moment during my very first week of motherhood, by Natalie Holbrook

 So excited to have one of my favorite bloggers, Natalie from Nat The Fat Rat guest posting today! The woman gets my funny bone every time. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful moment with us Nat!

when huck was brand new and freshly scrubbed they wheeled him to me in his plastic bed, all tiny and small and wrapped up like a present. my heart skipped a little beat. i was so excited to see him again. i'd forgotten what he looked like already. all i could remember was what he felt like.

as his little cart came closer to my bed i strained to see him. under that little striped hat i could see his nose, my nose, bless the poor dear heart he got my nose, and then there was that feeling again, that strange feeling of quiet and awe as i watched his tiny profile move across the room, as though they were wheeling to me my very own piece of god. a piece of god that i got to take care of.

and in those few seconds here and there when his eyes would focus and he could see me, it was then that i could see me too. maybe for the first time, or maybe just more clearly. but there he was, there i was, and there we were. when i think back to the day he was born, that is what i remember most.