Little Moments

Austin started smiling at me for the first time back on Sunday, the day he turned 3 weeks old. It took me by surprise because I wasn't expecting smiles for at least another week, and he's smiled at me every day since then. I love seeing his face light up and his eyes crinkle at the corners.

The first thing Nicole does in the morning after I've changed her diaper is rush into my room to peek over the side of the pack and play to shriek "Hi, baby!!!!" right in Austin's face. She gets so excited about him sometimes, and it's adorable.

Austin slept for a 4 hour stretch this week (the first time he's slept that long since when we were still in the hospital, I believe) and I felt so energized the next day as a result. It reminded me that there's a light at the end of the tunnel with these nighttime wakings.

We got our first snowfall of the season last night/this morning. Suddenly I want ALL the Christmas things!!!!!!

I didn't get any good pictures of Nicole in her costume on Halloween, so I may or may not have had her put her wings and tutu on and hold her candy bucket so we could pretend it was Halloween and I could snap some shots haha. She likes to put them on and wear them around the house. And so the dress-up begins... Also, there were some people who thought she was a butterfly and some who thought she was a fairy, so we're just going to call her a Butterfly Fairy. It would help if she would let me put things on her head, like a tiara or flower wreath for a fairy or antennae for a butterfly... 

Motherhood feels easier this time around, for multiple reasons. I wish I could go back in time and give new-mom-me some pointers on how to make those first weeks with Nicole more manageable.

There are tough moments, but having 2 kids isn't as crazy and hard as I thought it would be. It's awesome how Austin fits right into our lives and how it feels like he's always been here.

I feel like my heart has grown, like the Grinch's on Christmas morning. I live for those moments when my heart feels like it will burst from all the love. Seeing my two babies side by side and thinking of what good things the future might hold for our little family definitely makes me teary. Amidst the sleepless nights, hormonal outbursts, and constant lingering smell of sour milk (hooray, spit-up) I find that there is so much in my life to be thankful for. So much.