As I sit here feeding this sweet baby girl, I think about all of the people that love her that she hasn't gotten to meet yet. Anthony and I hate that that's the case, so I am going to try and let everyone get to know her a little bit through here. I know it's not the same, but I hope that this can do until everyone can meet her!
We have had our girl for 10-1/2 weeks now and she has been so great. Everyday she learns something new. She is now at the point where she's learning how her hands work and is really entertained by them. She also has a little doll that she has really taken to, and it's so cute. She loves to give her kisses.
We didn't know what to expect when we brought Aspen home. I guess it's just one of those things that you learn as you go, but we haven't felt unprepared even for a second. I can say now, I really understand why parents can be controlling or weird, or whatever you may want to call it. We love her SO much. Every night I pray for her, reminding myself that she is God's first. He's just borrowing me to help grow her into the best version of herself that she can possibly be in order to serve Him best. She is ultimately His and He will use her for what He needs, and I sure hope that she understands that one day. It's even hard for me to grasp sometimes. No matter what, I pray that each breath of hers is orchestrated by Him and that each heartbeat is stronger than the last, bringing her closer to her ultimate purpose.
The night before we went to the hospital I cried. Anthony asked me what was wrong and I told him that I was just really sad that it wasn't going to be just "us" anymore. Like never ever again. I know it's bratty, but I really enjoyed it being just us. I knew our whole world was about to change and there was no stopping it. Three days later and we had the most perfect little girl and all of the sudden we can't imagine life without her. Everything DID change, and it was good. All of those thoughts fled my mind and I was so thankful for my very own little family. Something I had spent years praying for.
The first few weeks were stressful and hard. Being away from our friends and family definitely made it tough. I never thought I would have a baby without my family there with me, but it ended up being so special for Anthony and I to start OUR family and this journey together. His mom was there with us and that was such a blessing. She flew out here, took care of our pups, and drove back and forth from the hospital everyday to check up on us. Oh and we came home on Thanksgiving to a FULL Thanksgiving meal waiting for us. She's pretty amazing.
Over the next few weeks we had more visitors and people helping us in so many ways. Calls, packages, texts, letters. You name it, we were taken care of. It's pretty crazy how much love we have been shown and how much Aspen is just adored by our families and friends. We are hoping we can come home sometime during the spring so that everyone else can meet her. We will keep y'all updated on that!
SLEEP. Most new moms talk about their lack of sleep and how exhausted they are, but Aspen sleeps soooo well. She would sleep through the whole night if I would let her! (hopefully she stays that way) BUT mean ole mom has to wake her up to eat and change that stinky diaper every few hours. Thankfully she goes right back to sleep each time. I've been so lucky and really was only exhausted the first week or two. I am so glad because lack of sleep really messes with me, as it does most people.
EAT. We are still breastfeeding and she does great with that. I mean it. She does not miss a beat when it's time to eat. She even does great when dad has to give her a bottle. It takes her a little bit to realize what is going on, but she catches on quickly.
MOM. Aspen loves Mama! She has started getting a little short tempered when I'm gone now. During her first two months she would do just fine if I had to run to the grocery store or something, but now she is NOT happy when I leave. Poor Anthony gets to listen to her scream for an hour or so until I come home. It takes him a day or two to forgive her. :P
DAD. Aspen still loves Daddy. She loves looking into his eyes and snuggling. She loves laying on Dad's big chest and tummy time with him. We just put together her little circular play station that she can sit in (since she can hold her head up pretty well now) and she loves to laugh and play with us when she gets in there. She loves to kick, kick kick! If you're anywhere near her when she gets going, well you better watch out!
DOGS. This little girl loves to watch her dogs. They have done pretty good with her too! River likes getting up and sniffing her with the the occasional lick. Sammie, well, He's getting better. He mostly just keeps his distance. :)
Thanks for reading everyone. We appreciate all of the love and support that we have gotten so far from all of our friends and family. I will try and post updates every now and then like this so you guys can feel like you know our girl just like we do! We love y'all and are so thankful.
-xoxo
Anthony, Emily & Aspen
Thank you so much for sharing! Keep the pics & updates coming! Love you all!