Caroline Grace {2 Months)

My darling Caroline Grace,

This month has been our greatest month yet together. Something happened around 6 weeks - I went from loving you to falling in deeper love with you. Maybe it's the smiles you generously give me now, or the happy eyes you show me when I walk over to pick you up, or the grip of you holding my finger so tightly when you eat or the snuggles we share alone in your nursery at bedtime. There are so many gifts you give me now and I just want to drink you in all day, every day. It still blows me away to think you are mine, and that you are half me. You have such a mellow and happy temperament and we really feel lucky. I can't believe how fast our time together has flown by and that I'll be back to work in the blink of an eye. I love everything about you and you are the greatest treasure of our lives. 

Love, 

Mommy

Two Month Highlights:

• You eat 4 ounces during each feeding and you go back and forth between breast milk and formula equally. 
• You're still in newborn diapers and I love it because I want you to stay little forever. 
• You're newborn clothes are a tad too tight these days but the 0-3 months are still a tad too loose.
• You rolled off your boppy sitting on the couch onto the floor while I was right next to you and it scared me to death. I called your doctor and she told me I was probably more shaken up than you. Let's not do that again.
• Even though you didn't mind one bit, your face is finally starting to clear up from your horrible case of baby acne.
• You took your first beach trip and loved the sand.
• You love to stand up and your legs are getting so strong.
• In addition to smiling a lot you've discovered your tongue and love to let it hang out.
• You're starting to roll around your crib more so I have to replace your expensive SIDS-risk Pottery Barn ruffle crib bumper with something more practical (and probably a lot less cute).
• You sleep from 8:30 pm until somewhere between 4:30 - 5:30 a.m. but we are working on dropping that feeding and stretching your slumber to 7 am. 
• Still on the fence on your hair color but lots of people think it's red.

2014 Summer Vacation {Orlando}

This year's summer beach vacation with my family started off a bit different than usual. Instead of heading straight to Cocoa Beach, Matt and I road tripped home to Orlando first to spend some time with my family and celebrate my Grandpa's life. 

Mom & Dad's House

Our little munchkin was a total rock star for the drive down from Charlotte. Barely adding any time to our usual drive, Caroline slept a lot, ate at her scheduled meal times and didn't really get fussy until the very last 30 minutes. In her defense, she was being a trooper over her impressive poop explosion that we were trying to make it home to take care of. All in all, the ride down was great even though I was cramped in the back seat with Charlie and Caroline. 

Saturday afternoon was Grandpa's memorial service. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful and we had over 100 guests attend to celebrate his life. During the service guests stood up and gave their testimonies about how they were affected by the generosity of both Grandma and Grandpa in their lives. Both my dad and I spoke and we both chose to tell short funny stories about Grandpa. After all, he was such a funny guy and it only seemed appropriate to honor him in that way. Following the ceremony my family hosted everyone over for a big party.

Caroline rocked a bonnet for the first time and was a fan. We have so many 3-6 month dresses with bonnets and I am so glad we got the chance to dress her in one for the service, even if it was a little big.

While in town Caroline got to meet three more of my besties - Aunt Shannon, Aunt Ashley and Aunt Staci. 

 It was so wonderful spending time with these pretty ladies and they were absolutely smitten over Caroline.

 On Monday and Tuesday we shopped, ate lots of yummy food, took naps and read by the pool.

 Mom and Dad have a beautiful backyard (Dad's pride and joy) and with so many babysitters on hand made it easy to relax.

 Dad has been working on his backyard for over a decade to get it in prime paradise shape. And now they are empty nested and planning to downsize. I can't believe I've never shared this pretty place with y'all until now!

On Wednesday we left for Cocoa Beach...

Caroline's Newborn Announcement & Photoshoot

I'm a little late in getting this post together since Caroline is almost two months already, but better late than never! Here is a peek into our mini newborn photoshoot and our birth announcement!

We received several monogrammed diaper covers for Caroline before she was born and I knew they'd be perfect for her photo session. I wanted the shoot to be super simple -- bow and diaper cover and that's it! No crazy props or costumes, just a precious sleepy babe on a white blanket.

As for the photography, I looked into several local newborn photographers and was shocked at how crazy expensive a newborn shoot would cost. Not to mention, I couldn't find a photographer who didn't come with a boatload of animal wings, toys and fairy dust. So instead, I decided to break out my 50 mm lens and snap a few pictures using [this] tutorial and [this] tutorial. Before shooting, I picked out a few pictures on Pinterest to inspire my session. I really liked this shoot, this shoot and this shoot.

In short, here's 10 tips from my shoot:

1. Schedule the shoot within the first 10 days after birth and at the baby's sleepiest time of day.
2. Use an area of the house with the most natural light. For me, that was right under our biggest window in the kitchen.
3. Set up the shoot and have everything ready before grabbing the baby. I used the pouf ottoman out of Caroline's room, added a heating pad to it to warm it up for a few minutes and topped it with a big white duvet, clamping the top to my laundry drying rack.
4. Make sure the room is nice and toasty, especially if you're shooting an undressed baby. I cranked my space heater up on high and set it nearby (this is key to keeping the baby happy).
5. Make sure the baby is extra sleepy. I fed her right beforehand. You can also use white noise so the baby isn't disturbed by anything during the shoot. I swear by the Relax M. app on my iPhone and use a combination of slow waves and rain to keep Caroline dreaming.
6. Keep burp cloths and outfit changes nearby.
7. To pose the baby, hold the baby tightly in the position you want until he/she relaxes (a handful of seconds) and then gently let go. The baby will magically stay in position for a few minutes.
8. Use a camera lens you are comfortable with. I used my 50 mm lens and it did all the work for me.
9. Shoot several different times until you get the pictures you want. I snapped a few pictures in the morning while Caroline was happy and then again during her next nap time later that day.
10. Have a helper nearby. Thankfully my mom was here to help straighten the blanket and position Caroline's bow a million times while I stood back and snapped the pictures from lots of different angles.

After selecting which photo for the card, I sent it over to my girl Laura who designed the announcement for me. I absolutely love how it turned out (and so have our friends and family)!