Valentines Day Breakthrough

Usually, I'm always the one who wants to do something special. Whenever it's a holiday or special occasion, I'm the one that's all for the fancy dinners, fun outings, sweet surprises, etc. I always felt that in order for these occasions to be memorable, we HAD to do something special. And we HAD to take pictures to remember this special occasion. And often, if said occasion didn't quite go as I had pictured in my head, or if I felt like I didn't take enough pictures, or if I felt like we didn't DO enough...I would be left feeling disappointed.

But disappointed by who's standards? My own made-up ones?

Thursday night, I finally had a breakthrough.

You see, Valentines day is usually a big deal to me. Andrew and I started dating on Valentines Day in 2003, as just mere little high schoolers. So since this day sort of symbolizes the beginning of our relationship, it always meant a little more to me than just chocolates and flowers. And because it always meant a little more to me, I always felt like we needed to celebrate it a little more than the average. So over the years, we did just that. We did the dinners out, fancy dinners in, exchanging of gifts...but not just any gifts...super special, creative gifts...like memory boxes with pictures, old ticket stubs and CD's of favorite songs, T-shirt quilts that included shirts that had memories and meanings, jewelry, favorite framed pictures and so on. Basically, I had set this standard in my mind of what this day NEEDED to look like in order for it to be special, since afterall...it marked the beginning of "us".

Well I've realized those standards are dumb. I'm not saying that all those things I mentioned above are dumb. Trust me, I love a good crafty, creative gift, I still enjoy a fancy dinner out every now and then, and romantic dinners in still woo me. But to think that I HAVE to celebrate in a certain way to reach a silly, made up standard is just absurd. And I'm sorry to say it's taken me 10 years to realize it.

I went into Valentines Day with these standards set. I had all these expectations of the day going perfectly: Which included waking up before Andrew to surprise him with heart shaped pancakes that we would eat together at the table before he left for work, meeting him for lunch out as a sweet little family of 3,  and having a surprise dinner all ready for him when he got home with his gifts out on the table waiting for him.

Here's the reality. I was awake by 5:30 and couldn't go back to sleep so I was up wayyy earlier than I'm used to. Andrew overslept which meant breakfast was wrapped in tinfoil and sent with him as he ran out the door. As I was leaving to meet him for lunch, we ended up getting into a spat because we couldn't decide on where to eat (ha. typical us...or me, if you know me). I ended up going to 3 different stores until I finally found the Nori sheets that I needed for the heart shaped sushi that I was planning on making him for dinner. And 3 different stores with a 4 1/2 month old in tow meant an errand that would normally take maybe 30 mins took about 2 hours after you include the break to nurse in the Target dressing room, the diaper change in the bathroom, the constant consoling of the fussy baby who was overdue for a nap and the forever it feels like it takes to load baby in and out of the car each time (have I mentioned how much of a pain I find car seats to be when it comes to inserting/removing a baby??). This in turn caused dinner to be behind, which meant by the time Andrew got home...I hadn't even started on it yet. So much for dinner being a surprise! So he played with Addy while I made sushi.  Which I finally finished making at around 7pm. By this time, I was EXHAUSTED (Why again, was I up at 5:30am?) So exhausted, that I felt like I had been hit by a truck. And to top it off, I was so tired, that I wasn't even hungry anymore. So while Andrew enjoyed his heart shaped sushi, I decided to go lay down on the couch. Next thing I know, Andrew woke me up at midnight telling me to come upstairs to bed.
WHAT!? How in the world did I fall asleep for that long? But there was still food to be put away, dishes to be washed, tidying up to do and a baby to bathe, feed and put to bed.

It.was.all.done. My sweet Valentine of 10 years took care of ALL of it and let me sleep.
My husband gifted me with service and sleep this year for Valentines Day. And friends, let me tell you...that gift could not have been any more perfect for this mama's heart and soul right now. When I woke up and realized that all the usual things I take care of were already taken care of for me (while I slept, mind you!) without me even having to ask...I felt like I had just been gifted the best.gift.ever.

As I climbed into bed, I suddenly realized that I was OKAY with how the day went, even if it never matched up with the way I had it planned out in my head. I was OKAY with the fact that I only snapped 2 photos of the day with my iPhone. I was OKAY that the day did not match up to my silly made up standards. Because thats exactly what those standards are. Silly.
Instead, this Valentines Day may have been my favorite one yet. Because it was real. And normal. And perfect for us. Or at least the new "us" as a family of 3 :)

I kissed my husband goodnight, told him I loved him, rolled over, closed my eyes, and thanked God for  giving me such a wonderful husband who loves his wife and daughter SO well. And for letting me grasp how wonderful this new normal of life really is.

xo,
Brittany

3 months with Adalynn, and mommy playing catch up.

My sweet Addy Cakes,

Well, I hoped to write these posts (on time) every month for you, to keep track of your growth...but you'll soon find out that your momma isn't quite the best with anything being "on time". Nothing. Which is why I'm actually surprised that you came on time (In fact...a little early even!). I'm hoping that means you'll take after your very punctual father who is never late. Except for when I make him late. Oops.

Anyways, you turn 4 months old next week! So I wanted to at least play a little catch up on here before I get TOO far behind.

So your first 3 months. Phew. Can we say blur? But in a good way!..?

Your first month was probably the biggest blur of all. Mainly because of the mixture of sleep deprivation, transition, and not knowing what the heck we were doing.
You struggled with some jaundice when we first brought you home from the hospital which absolutely broke me down because you had to constantly be kept on the bili blanket (light blanket), and we were going to the doctor every other day to check your levels to make sure they were going down (which meant a heel prick each time too! UGH. I was a mess). But after lots of prayer and working hard...your levels finally came way down, and we got to resume life as normal with a newborn...or at least as normal as we could manage :) We were finding that you were a bit of a high maintenance gal in the beginning...as in you needed to be held ALL.the.time! Which, we knew as a newborn, you needed to be held a lot...but I'm talking ALL the time...ALL day. The second we would try lay you down anywhere, you'd start screaming your little head off. So that got old, real fast. But I tried everything I could to keep you happy...even if it meant holding you ALL day long :)
Sleep was pretty much non-existent for either of us this first month (and by either of us, I mean you and me, baby girl. Your daddy could sleep through a circus performing on top of a train in the middle of the loudest thunderstorm.) The only time we could get you to sleep even the least bit was if I would hold you (of course). So mamas against co-sleeping who might be reading this...please don't judge! We were in sheer survival mode at this stage, and we needed to do whatever it took to get you to sleep some and to allow me to sleep some. And just like the trooper I knew you would be you outgrew that, and we were finally able to transition you out of my arms at night :) As far as feeding, nursing was going great, and you were eating like a champ! (Which that, I will claim, you hopefully take after me. ha).

Month 2 seemed to get a little easier, as we felt like we were finally starting to adjust better to life as a family of three. You started giving us glimpses of your adorable little smile, and we kept falling more and more in love with you each day! Your sleeping habits weren't  really getting better, but you would let us set you down for more than 2 seconds now! Small victories :) We also noticed a little bit of a "silly" side emerge as you started making the most adorable little faces at us and loved to watch our faces as we talked to you. I discovered that you HATED tummy time, but LOVED to be carried around in the sling. This was a HUGE blessing for me since you still hated to be set down at all, but mommy really hit a point where I needed to start being more productive outside of just nursing/holding you. So you would let me throw you in that sling, and you would fall asleep in a matter of second as I would go about my business...taking care of chores, while you were nestled up against me snoozing away :) We also began to notice how strong you were already getting! From the week we got you home, you were already trying to hold your head up and had such a strong grip. Mommy swears that these early signs of strength mean your prepping to be a gymnast :) But daddy swears your prepping to play soccer. ha! Maybe both? Honestly...we don't care what sport you might grow up to play, or even if you decide to play one at all! We're always going to love you, unconditionally.

Month 3 was probably the best month yet! Not only were you getting more adorable by the day (or second!), but you finally would be content when set down, and became such a happy, smiley baby who was finally SLEEPING...and not only sleeping, but on a wonnnnddeerrfffuullll schedule! (which I would soon learn would NOT last long). Now the only catch was...you would sleep WONDERFULLY during the day...taking about 2ish hour naps like clockwork...but night time...not so much. You were doing better though, sleeping in slightly longer intervals, but still not sleeping through the night. Oh, girl....I hope you know how much I love you! The amount of sleep that has been sacrificed for you is crazy. But you are SO worth it. And you will ALWAYS be worth it.
You finally started warming up to your swings, and started noticing your toys that would light up.
 You also started chunking up some, and those cheeks became even more kissable! I mean, c'mon...look at that picture above. Those chunky cheeks and THIGHS! ugh. You make mamas heart melt every time I look at you.

Addy baby, these first months have been nothing short of amazing. Despite the lack of sleep, late nights, crying fits and (tons of) poopy diapers....we've grown to love this new normal. You, sweet girl, are hands down our greatest gift and biggest blessing. And we LOVE watching you grow.

Your biggest fan,
xo
Mama

3 Years

Dearest Andrew,

Welp, it's 2 weeks after our 3 year Anniversary - I wanted to write you this post before we went to bed the wednesday night on our anniversary, but you asked me not to spend the last bit of our anniversary on the computer, but to spend it cuddling on the couch with you and Addy instead...couldn't argue with that :)

3 Years. Can you believe it? 

 I love that we get to start off each New Year with an Anniversary, because right after we ring in the new year, we then get to celebrate another year of marriage! Clearly, SO much has happened in these past 3 years - from starting our Newlywed life in Wisconsin, to moving back home, starting new jobs, finding a new church, making new friends, moving 3 times since being back home (oy!), and most exciting of all...growing our little family with our precious baby girl :)

Hands down, my favorite moment of this past year was watching you become a Father, and meeting your baby girl for the very first time. You stared at her with such awe and amazement, and still do to this day. And that melts my heart. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life and for loving me so well, and now I also thank Him for giving our little girl such a wonderful Daddy who also loves her so well.

Life with you has been the biggest joy. Even when things get hard and we get on each others nerves, your always quick to forgive and make us both laugh and forget what we were even arguing about in the first place :) You put up with me and my occasional "brat-iness", and still manage to love me even though I make us late EVERYWHERE we go (and I know that's your biggest pet peeve!).

I also love that you find joy in the little things. Like pizza for our Anniversary dinner :)

...per our "tradition"(proof: blog posts about our 1st and 2nd anniversary with Chanellos pizza)

Andrew Paul White, thank you for your constant affection, love, support....and for always upholding your promise of keeping my heart safe :)

Life with you is my favorite. You're my favorite. 

Here's to year 4!

Love Always,
Your Best Friend

Addy's First Christmas!

Well, Addy officially had her first Christmas! And we officially had our first Christmas as parents with a little one... And let me tell ya...it made all of the celebrating so much more fun :) 

Since Andrew's parents were heading to Charleston on Sunday for Christmas, we had an early Christmas with them on Saturday night. 

My sweetest little gift :)

"Pwesent for me!?"

Addy and her GiGi :)

"Whatcha got there, Daddy?"

"You lookin at me?"

I wanted to capture some sweet shots of our little babe on Christmas Eve in her cute little Christmas jammies. That sweet gummy grin makes me MELT every time!

Christmas morning! We woke up at our house and did our "little family of 3" Christmas together before heading to my moms house to do Christmas with my family there.

And what's Christmas morning without hot, homemade cinnamon rolls? served with hot coffee too, of course :)

 Stocking time! Of course, mama filled baby girl's stocking with clothes. ha! (oh, and please excuse the horrid bead hair, ugly glasses and no makeup. thanks.)

haha...so posed :)

Sweetness!

Christmas afternoon at Grandmas house! Addy with her great-grandma Kim...or "Halmoni" as we call her (Korean word for Grandma)

Merry Christmas from The Whites :)

The feast! My mom goes all out...And it is always AMAZING.

Addy with her Nana

After lunch, poor girl was pooped! So she decided to nap it up while we all opened presents. Party Pooper! haha

But after her nap, she was finally ready for her presents!

Halmoni loves her some Addy. (p.s. check at that little pinky! ah! I die lol)

After presents, sweet girl decided she was ready for round 2 of nap time.  And she especially loves sleeping in her daddy arms...which this mama LOVES to see :)

"Hooray for Christmas!"

 While all the celebrating was definitely extra fun with our sweet Addy, it also made us extra thankful for our precious little gift, as it also allowed us to view THE best gift ever given in a whole new light. The gift of Jesus! The fact that God sent us His one and only child so that WE could be saved...literally folks...sent His sweet little child to be born and then die as a sacrifice for us!? Oh man does that set even deeper now having a child of my own.  It brings me to tears knowing that God loves us that much, that he would give up his precious little baby for you and me. That.is.LOVE. And I know I will be constantly reminded of that love every time I look into the face of my precious little baby, and I pray every day that she too, will grow up to know His love and desire it with all her little heart!

So I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and rejoiced in the greatest gift this world has EVER been given. 

XO
Mama White

Addy's Blog Debut!

So, it only took me about 2 months to finally introduce Addy on the blog...but hey...I've been a little occupied with a newborn :) Forgive me?

Anyways, I figured it was about time that Addy made her blog debut!

So blog world, meet:

Adalynn Iris White

Born Sept. 27, 2012 at 4:24am

weighing in at 7lbs,15oz. ; 20 inches long

Sometimes it's still so surreal that we're officially a family of three. But we are LOVING it. I feel like I spend my days constantly staring at her sweet face and smothering her with hundreds of kisses. I adore motherhood so far, and feel so blessed to have been entrusted with this precious little life. 

As for how we are doing so far? Still adjusting, but doing fine!

Sleep? She hasn't been doing very much of it at night - but that was to be expected. The longest she's ever slept has been in her car seat, and car rides have proven to be the ultimate sleep machine. 

She likes to be held ALL the time...like literally, I hold/carry her about 90% of the day because the second I set her down she freaks. So needless to say, my sling and wrap have been my best friends. 

She's been a champ with breastfeeding 

She makes the sweetest little smiles in her sleep

And she's finally starting to slightly outgrow her newborn clothes...which means she's almost officially an "infant"...which means she's growing...which, to mommy, means she's growing too fast...which means time needs to slow down. 

Since baby girl is actually napping right now (hallelujah!), I should actually be packing for our trip to Charleston since we leave...oh, in a few hours. But I just couldn't stand leaving ya'll hanging any longer!  So for now, I'll leave you with some pictures to recap some sweet moments these past 7 weeks.  

Miss Adalynn just a few minutes after being born. Those EYES :)

                                  

annnnd my heart melts

Addy's first photo shoot. We're learning that she loves the camera. And loves to be a diva in front of it too.

First family picture after bringing her home

Daddy's way of "multitasking". hmph.

The blessed K'tan wrap, aka my best friend, aka the only way I can be productive during the day with baby

 First family stroll in Colonial Williamsburg

celebrating her turning 1 month old!

Her first Halloween - she was our little Sushi! Some felt, an iron and $6 later, we had our first handmade halloween costume! :) 

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll! Can't wait for Addy to experience her very first Turkey Day! 

XO

Mama White

One month to go

Well folks, as of today...we are one month away from due date! Although, my fingers are crossed for a possssssible early arrival? Ha, me and every other preggo mama out there, right?

Anyways, this baby (and belly!) is definitely getting LARGE. And boy can I feel it. And boy am I ready (to get this baby OUT!)

35 weeks. Whoa, mama!

With one month to go, my body is finally at the point where I don't feel like myself at ALL anymore.

Sleep is miserable. But I just want to sleep all the time. I cry about every other day. Mainly because something aches or hurts so bad. I've got the waddle walk DOWN pat. I huff and puff every time I try and get up off the couch, out of bed, or up from my desk at work. My wardrobe is now down to about 6 things that fit. And the thought of a WHOLE month left of feeling like this makes me want to burst out in tears.

But I'm hanging in there. And I'm praying...hard. And I'm trying to remind myself that as much as I want this baby in my arms, and this big ol' belly gone...I also want her to be healthy, first and foremost. And if that means she needs to bake for a whole month more...than so be it. Her needs before mine. And I also try to remember that although we are SO excited for her to get here...these are also the LAST few weeks Andrew and I will ever have together...just the 2 of us. And that's a sweet thing to think about and to embrace. So we're trying to keep that in mind and make the most of these precious (and quiet!) last weeks.

With one month to go, we look back throughout this pregnancy and realize how SO incredibly blessed blessed we have been by outpouring of love, gifts, encouragement, support, and sweet words from so many friends and family! It makes my heart want to burst with joy thinking about all the amazing people in our lives who care about us so much...and knowing that Baby Girl will get to meet them all soon and feel the same kind-hearted warmth and love. We love you all, so so so very much.


So as we approach the arrival of our sweet baby girl soon, we ask that you all would just continue to pray for us...for our minds and hearts as we are just weeks away from becoming parents! For me and my strength and endurance...not only through this last bit of pregnancy, but also through labor. That her delivery will be as smooth and uncomplicated as possible, and even if it doesn't go quite as I had planned or hoped...that she would at least come into this world healthy and strong.

Hard to believe that not long from now...this blog will finally feature her sweet little face instead of my big ol' belly :)

The last leg and a lately list

As of tuesday, this belly is officially 28 weeks, which means we are in the last leg of pregnancy! What.the.heck. How did 3rd trimester sneak up so fast!? I will say, we are getting pretty anxious about meeting baby girl soon, so the fact that it's getting closer is definitely exciting! But then... I think about labor getting closer too...and thats when a little bit a fear sinks in and trumps that excitement sometimes. *sigh*. I've talked to plenty of mamas, read stories, watched documentaries (whoa is all I have to say about that)... so basically have heard it all. But I still think nothing can fully prepare me for what lies ahead in the labor and delivery room. Because if there is one thing I have taken away from everyone I've spoken too and everything I've read - it's that every labor is different and no two women are the same. So as we embark on this last leg of pregnancy and prepare for D-Day, we just keep praying that we would not let fear get the best of us, but that we would trust God, my body, and this process that He has designed. And what a sweet gift we will be blessed with at the end of it all :) So keep praying for us, folks!

So...enough about labor. Let's get you caught up a little on what us Whites have been up to! Since I've been pretty bad about updating regularly, my favorite way to "effectively" give a catch up-update is by just giving you a Lately List (as I like to call it), which is pretty much a picture list of a few things we've been up to over the last couple of months/weeks. First up:

1) Weddings! Baby girl has already been a guest to 4 weddings so far! We love this season of dear friends uniting in this sweet covenant and feel so blessed to take part in this special time in their lives. Here's a little shot of us at a wedding for a dear friend of mine from high school! It was so fun to catch up with friends from the past and see where everyone is at now...it was sort of like a mini reunion :) So best wishes to the new Mr. and Mrs. Lapastora! Thanks for including the "3" of us in your special day!

 
2) We moved...again! ha. Yes, hello 4th address in 2 1/2 years! Yikes. But want to know the kicker? We just moved 2 houses down....so at least we can say it was the easiest move ever! As to why we moved just 2 houses down? long story. But lets just say it was for the best. AND, if gave us the opportunity to finally paint some walls before we moved in. We never found it worth it to paint our other rentals because we knew they would all be pretty temporary  - but I'd had enough of plain white walls this time around, so we finally agreed to add a little color! And ALL the thanks goes to my wonderful in-laws for doing ALL the painting! Seriously - big thank you. The way you continue to love and serve us is such a blessing!

3) The nursery is underway! Of course I made sure this was the first room to be painted, as I was dying to get the first step started :) And I made sure to snap this little "sneak peek" picture to document the first little look. So stay tuned for the rest of the progress and final product!

 4) Andrew is now a 2 time Softball Champ! ha ;)  Andrew played on a softball team that my Step-dad put together , made up of mainly close family and friends.  So it was always a good time to go watch them play every week, as the "fans" were mostly family. And of course, these boys are always a hoot to watch and be around. So congrats WGTR for your second season as champs!

 5) Mini Beach Vacay: After having some crazy busy work weeks along with moving houses, Andrew and I decided it was time for a little "getaway". Our goal: A beach. Relaxation. Cheap. Fortunately, we have a friend who owns a little place down in Sandbridge, and was kind enough to let us stay there for free! So we packed our bags, extended our 4th of July vacation from work and headed down to Sandbridge for a long, relaxing weekend. Let me tell ya - time away, especially at the beach, is SO good for the soul! And exactly what this very-pregnant mama needed! It was SUPER hot the couple of days we were there (in the 100's), but was also the perfect excuse to live in the water the whole time :) BLISS, I tell ya. So thanks again Mike, for your generosity! These 2 "almost-parents" were so refreshed and blessed by this time away together, relaxing, and soaking up this last little bit of time "us" time before baby!

 Why, hey there, big ol-sun bathing belly!

5) Prayer Request: I wanted to include this in here not really as an update about us, but more for my family - and our need for extra prayer right now! Without getting too detailed, I will just say that my Aunt is currently at UVA preparing to receive a liver transplant tomorrow. My family (particularly my grandparents), have been through so much throughout this process with my Aunt, and we have all been praying hard for her, and her health and recovery. I so strongly and firmly believe that God is bigger than ANYTHING, and any sickness and illness -- so we have been praying hard that He would be with her and my family during this time to bring her healing. Because I also believe that prayer is SO powerful, I would like to extend this need of prayer, and ask if you all would pray for my Aunt and my family - for her healing, health and protection, and for my family who is at UVA with her now - for their strength and emotions as they support her bedside.

Bless you all for taking the time to catch up on our lives, for praying for us, and for always encouraging us!

XOXO
Brittany