Watching Him Soar


While I was home last week, I was able to go visit my oldest brother, Trey, at the Lanier Flight Center in Gainesville, GA.  This past Fall he passed the Flight Instructor Certification exam and it is now only a matter of time before he has enough hours to fly as a commercial pilot, his childhood dream.  It was Thursday, May 7th 2015, when I flew with him for the first time, and it was also the anniversary of my Dad’s funeral; it’s been 6 years. 

The 5 of us (my mom, myself, and 3 brothers) have come so far and I couldn’t be prouder of my family.  After the sudden loss of my Dad, it was like someone picked up our lives, threw them in a box, shook it around and then threw the box down a mountain.  It was up to us to put everything back together.   It's been my personal experience that as a Christian family we leaned on our faith, we always maintained a True North and we continued to move forward as a family under a blanket of prayer. But that is not to say we haven’t lost direction along the way and had set backs. It takes years to get to a healthy place in a healthy way, and it's not over.

Trey was finishing his sophomore in college when my Dad passed.  Like all of us, his world was turned completely upside down.  He moved home from Middle Tennessee University shortly after to be home with my mom and make it to Carson’s practices and games.  That was what was important at the time.   He lost credits during the transfer but kept working towards an IT degree at North GA University.  He started dating Anna shortly thereafter and also started taking classes on the side to obtain a pilot license.  His path was unknown and different from the one before my Dad passed, but that doesn't mean it was the wrong path.  After 6 years he is exactly where he is supposed to be in his life.  He got his degree, is marrying the love of his life, and flies a plane for a living.  I couldn't be prouder or happier for him and I know my dad would feel the same!

This past weekend we also celebrated Evan who graduated from Auburn with an Accounting degree.  My mom celebrated mother’s day with her Yankee Son-in-law and grand-daughter who was born in York, ME of all places.  And Carson, at 16, is the tallest sibling and is pumped to be heading into his Junior year of high school with a new football coach.  None of us are where we thought we would be before Dad died but life is imperfectly perfect for each of us.  We miss him everyday but the loss of his daily influence doesn’t define us; his loving impact while we had him here just made us stronger after he was gone.

 If you are in the midst of the fog of a loss, as some of my closest family members are, I hope you read this and know there is hope.







My mom's house is in the dead center!



{a smooth landing}




{i want to reach into this picture and give her neck kisses!}

{he loves her so much!}



{Roswelle is currently obsessed with puppies!!...the only thing she puts her bottle down for}

Spring Beginnings



For my southern family it was a Spring Break, but for Paul, Roswelle and me it was a Spring Beginning. Wasn't sure how to blog about our vacation on the picturesque beaches on Destin FL after the hardest winter of my life, no really, I feel like I say it every winter but this one really was the hardest. Paul was the first to spot a patch of snow when we got back yesterday...can't.even.  At least it's in the 60s now in Boston!

anywhoooo....it would be too long and too annoying (even as the one that went on the trip) to go on and on about everything we did and how absolutely perfect it was.  So I'm just going to post pictures from the week.  I hope you enjoy!
















andddd she's up!


She is standing!!  The sun was out in spurts today but that didn't stop the fun.  I took 200 pictures today (practicing) and I caught this sweet little sequence of Roswelle and Paul.  She started standing on her own yesterday.  We are all really excited for the steps.  However, I am enjoying the last few days of her being somewhat immobile...I'm told it's a whole different ballgame when they walk!





...next up, handstands!!


...or headstands. ;) #coachpaul

beach day snapshot


Paul, Roswelle, and I arrived in Destin, FL late last night.  It is just going to be the three of us in our family condo until Saturday when we will move into a rented house for a week that will hold us, Mom, my brother Carson, his friend Jeff, my grandparents, my aunt Wendy and hopefully my brothers Trey and Evan at some point (busy with work and school).  

These are unedited pictures from today - which I think is a total no-no in the photography world - but I don't have the patience to edit them while on vacation.  I have been messing around with all the settings and also loving my the new lens.  I spent 20 minutes following Roswelle around on the beach (which she absolutely loves - she can't get enough of the sand) and I got some pretty shots of her after all.  

btw - I can't believe how amazing it feels to have warm skin from the sun/air.  love.the.South.








I think she is going to start walking while we are here - I'll keep y'all updated!


Some Self-Care @ Tamper Cafe


Last week I met with my friend Mikhail to go over the basics of photography including focus/apertures/shutterspeed/ISO.  You would think after having a nice camera for 4+ years that I would know the basics but I have honestly been pointing and praying the picture would work.  After the mentoring session, I ordered a new lens for my nikon (just arrived over the weekend!) - he emphasized I need the right tools for successful pictures and this included a new lens, so I made the commitment and ordered the pricey item.  For those of you curious, I ordered a AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens. ALL of these pictures are PRE-new fancy lens.  

As Roswelle just turned one, I am making my love of fun photography and blogging more of a priority.  Paul has his hobbies/passions: a crossfit membership + a garage gym full of kettle bells, rings, and a squat rack.  And I have mine: a new camera lens, flower arrangements, and half-marathons. ;)  It makes us healthier individuals, partners, & parents to feed our passions and I'm thankful we make it a priority.  

I met Mikhail last week at a cool coffee/wine/beer bar right near his house in Medford.  Tamper Cafe (#tampercafe or tampercafe.com) has it all including a delicious menu, a full drink menu and an inspiring atmosphere.  I highly recommend for anytime of day!

I can't wait to share pictures with you with my new lens!! It makes me REALLY happy.















Roswelle Gray's First Birthday Party




It happened!  Roswelle Gray turned ONE and we had a wonderful party surrounded by loved ones who helped us be a family of three this past year.  It was a year of kisses, snuggles, giggles, sleepless nights, slept-through-the-night nights, tears, sickness, friendships, strength, prayers, praises...
just a whole range of emotions and milestones and happenings I didn't know existed.  

It snowed on Saturday (her actual birthday!) which was fitting considering this past winter. But we didn't let a few snowflakes damper the indoor garden party!  The planning was actually simple; selected the invitations, spent an hour ordering on etsy, and a few nights in front of the TV with a glue gun! I pulled on my family's strengths as well - my mom arranged the flowers, Sandy made the beautiful food spreads, Jenny made the tea sandwiches and helped me craft, and my grandparents ran my errands like picking up the cake and balloons!  It took the help of my family and the company of my friends to successfully pull off a wonderful party which was a great reflection of the past year.  

Below are some details with a few captions:

{a Roswelle Gray mantel}

{all of these items were gifts or framed mementoes (invitation & calendar)}

{party garland from etsy}

{a birthday crown from lovecrushbowtique}
{a year in the making - my favorite decoration!}

{delicious spreads made by Sandy}
{no space was left untouched of "Roswelle" decorations!}

{the cookies, cupcakes and small cake were from my favorite neighborhood bakery, Sweet Life Bakery & Cafe}

{we made her "smash" cake but ordered a backup just in case}
{a grain, dairy, and refined sugar free "smash" cake - I will share the recipe - it was so yummy}

{the most important part - family & friends!}
{loved having the house full}


{dads}
{party foul! )}
{ cousins <3 }
{a little blurry but so happy we got a picture of most of Roswelle's friends!}


{thanks again for the thoughts and prayers and help this past year!! Excited for more exciting things ahead!}

***Where are the cake-eating pictures you ask?? They are coming tomorrow in a separate post!  My photog-friend, mikhail, took the pictures <3***








Valentine's Day Wknd: The Inn at English Meadows




This year for Valentine's Day, Paul and I did something we hadn't done in over a year.  We went away for the weekend - just the two of us!  With Roswelle just shy of 11 months old, we were all ready.  My mom flew up and Roswelle was her Valentine this year :)  I made sure Roswelle had enough milk in the freezer, plenty of snacks for both of them, plenty of salt for MORE snow, and Paul and I headed north (there were tears on my part!)

We finally made it to The Inn at English Meadows which is the Bed & Breakfast we were headed to when my water broke almost a year ago!  The sweet, sweet owners David and Kate Parisi, remembered hearing our story and were so happy to finally have us stay! I can't speak highly enough of the Inn and our time in Kennebunkport, Maine.  It was just lovely, even in another snow storm, which says A LOT. 

This winter has been a tough one for me, I'll share more on that with you in another post.  It was nice to finally have some slow time with my valentine! Below are pictures from our weekend <3
{The FIRST bathroom in our suite.  I couldn't get enough of the space and cleanliness (and the beautiful floors!)}
{Heading into the second half of the Serenity Suite}

{our sitting area}
{having our own nespresso machine in our room made me quite happy}
{the second bathroom with a soaking tub and heated floors}

The rest of the Inn is impeccably decorated:





Kate, the inn keeper, is a wonderful cook/baker/host and it was fun to see what she came up with both mornings.

{a special treat for Valentine's day}

{one of the best things about being baby-free is the clean spaces all the time, including my placemat}




{cranberry scones}
{salmon scramble and potato hash}
{tea and treats were always readily available}

























My favorite dish of Kate's was the baked pear with ricotta cheese and seeds.  

As I said above, it was a great weekend with my handsome hubs pictured below, him in a scarf really makes me swoon ;) 
{I love some snapchat pizazz}

Oh and we also went to a farm!:

Roswelle Gray: Life at 10 months!


Roswelle Gray turned 10 months last week!  I haven't written an update on her in a while.  She is a busy baby!  She has 2 bottom teeth, is wearing 12 month clothes, and is super 'expressive' ;)

Food: She still nurses 4 times a day, I have to admit I am SO excited to be near the finish line at 1 year!!! She eats two fried eggs in the morning.  She snacks on bananas, pears, avocado, celery w/ peanut butter, and organic steel-cut oats (from Trader Joes) with applesauce and cinnamon.  She loves to chew on dried apples form TJs - they are unsweetened and the perfect size for her little hands to hold on to - great for when we are out running errands! Her favorite green is broccoli.  
She will eat anything orange: steamed carrots/butternut squash/sweet potatoes. She isn't a huge fan of meat yet. I also make her "cookies" which is 1 cup of almond flour, 1 tbsp of coconut oil, 1 banana, & 1 egg.  Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.  Paul actually loves them too! 

Sleep: She is a great napper - typically naps from 8:30-10am and then 12:30-2pm.  Sometimes I will get a 30 minute nap out of her around 4pm if I'm really lucky. She is sleeping from 6:30-6:30am.  The past week she has been waking up at 4:30 or 5:30 but she will go right back down if we go in and hold her for a few minutes (I personally refuse to get up before 6am so I'll do anything to get her back down that early). 

Favorites: She LOVES to be read to.  Her favorite books are the touch and feel (pat the bunny).  The only time she will sit still with us is when she is drinking a bottle or we are reading to her.  She loves to be held...so much that she will follow me around the kitchen and living room pulling at my legs nonstop.  Once she is up on my hip she is quiet as a mouse (probably hoping I don't notice she is there). I'm assuming this is a phase (fingers crossed!).  She will wave and will try imitate sounds we make with our mouth.  Andddd finally I hate to admit this but she loves Blues Clues. eek! One day when she was sick I turned it on and we watched it together snuggled up on the couch.  Now I tend to turn it on during her mid-morning snack when she is in her highchair.  She gets excited when she sees Blue the doggie and bounces to the songs.  I was planning to wait a little longer to let her watch TV but I've decided a 30 minutes every other day or so can't be toooo bad?! Oh and we love dancing around to the Disney channel on Pandora - it plays all the classics - check it out!! 

Now that January is almost over, Paul and I are looking forward to our first weekend away!  For Valentine's Day this year we are heading back to the B&B we were headed to when my water broke almost a year ago!  My mom is coming up and will have Roswelle all by herself for 2 days and 2 nights.  We are all equally excited :)  I'm also starting to pin/plan for Roswelle's first birthday.  I'm going to be baking this grain, dairy, and refined sugar FREE smash cake: http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/2012/02/graindairy-free-b-day-smash-cake.html. 

OK, I gotta get out the door to get to Trader Joe's!  We are literally out of milk and eggs and road salt and with the blizzard headed or way I have to get busy.  I'm so excited to take Roswelle out in her snow suite!  Check us out on Instagram for pictures! (@saralaurenl)

OHHHH and she has her first swim class this afternoon!! :) :) :)
{this is RARE moment - her mouth is never closed!!! so silly}
{about to crawl off the chair}

{pat the bunny!}
{sweet profile}


{chatting with Lady}

Thankful


There are many, many reasons I want to be home in GA this Thanksgiving, but we instead decided to wait to spend a full week there for Christmas. As time moves forward it is getting harder and harder for everyone to be under the same roof for the Holidays (and I know I'm the one who moved to BOSTON). But I will be with my family.  My new little family that Paul, Roswelle, and I make. :)  And we will be with Paul's family who love me like I'm their own, and I them.

Tomorrow is an intentional day of gratitude.  For some of us a day to reset our perspective, remember those we have lost, and reflect on what really matters. I'm thankful for health which is commonly a forgotten gift, happiness which is a choice I am lucky to make, and for these pictures that capture very happy moments from the past month.

Today, I'll be in the kitchen preparing for tomorrow.  My favorite movie of all time, Gone with the Wind, will be on in the background (on AMC all day today!).  It will be a good day!







{missing Trey who was busy flying all over the South-East :)}




































Roswelle Gray: Her 6th month of Life!

{my favorite recent photo of us}

Life has been busy lately and I can't believe it has been so long since I have done a 'Life with Roswelle Gray' update.  Before the passing of my uncle, I was actually in GA with my family for 10 days.  Paul went on a guys trip and was in NYC for work so it was a great week for Roswelle and me to head South.  

Roswelle will be 7 months on Monday, 10/21!!!!!  I can't believe I have a 7 month old!  Some highlights in Roswelle Gray's life: she is an AMAZING napper/sleeper - we just lay her down for her naps during the day (no rocking, shhh'ing, etc) and she sleeps 6:30pm-6:30am.  She is eating solid foods - her favorite foods are broccoli, oranges, and eggs.  She is still exclusively breast-feeding, we are doing the Baby Lead Weaning approach to introducing food, I'll plan to do a separate post on it - it has been a great experience for us. She can navigate all over the living room rug but no official crawling yet.  She LOVES attention...she will sit in her activity seat completely still until we look over at her and then she will start to bounce and smile and talk!  

*photo overload warning*
instead of writing out paragraphs of what we have been up to, I decided to show you through photos and captions!  
We got her all dressed up for church in Georgia! My mom jokes "the bigger the bow the closer to God" ;)
{Mia, Momma, and Baby!}


When I hang around my 16yr old brother with my baby on my hip, I'm acutely aware of how officially uncool I am. That's ok with me ;) guess I'll be what the young kiddos call 'basic'

Roswelle loves animals now!!!! She giggles when they lick her toes.  I think a trip to the zoo is in our future.
{some of my favorite moments at home are out on the back-porch swing}

{after 10 days they finally reunited}
{...}
{big, happy girl!}


{we meet Paul for lunch at least once a week - this day was his 36th bday!!}
{rare snuggles - she is usually on the move or asleep in her crib}
{discovering food!!!!}

{we were headed to a wedding - leaving the babies at home - my first full night away from her!!!}
{trying to act anything like parents on our big night out - kissy-face/peace-sign and all}
{little bit of a rough start on our Thursday morning}
{locked us out of the house with nothing but my sunglasses in hand. Used a diner gift card from across the street to get back in}

{still made it to meet dad for lunch - not how you should baby-feed :P}
{cheered on Auburn vs Miss. State - tough loss}


{Hung out with cousin Maddie!!!}
{went shopping like a big girl}
{took a long nap in Boston Garden during an unseasonably warm day yesterday}

phew, that's it.  I have just a few minutes before she wakes up from her morning nap.  be back soon!

real talk

Today is a beautiful Boston Fall day which should leave me feeling exhilarated, fresh, motivated.  But I've had some really bad days these past few weeks with the passing of my Dad's brother, my Uncle Tommy.  


I've been absent on my blog because of this and it just didn't feel right to jump right back into blogging about flowers, brunches and and seemingly seamless days without being real first.  Over the past few weeks I have had feelings of immense sadness, anger, weakness but also compassion, forgiveness and strength  It goes without saying that the loss of my uncle has brought up past emotions of losing my own Dad and I've decided to go talk to someone about it.  I can feel part of me saying I don't need to talk to someone, I will get through it just like I did when I lost my Dad 5 years ago, but I have a 6 month old this time and I know postpartum can happen for up to a year after having a baby.  I want to be smart and healthy for her if anything else.     

I do have my faith which has helped me get this far and will help me get back to a new normal, which we all do after a loss.  I believe Jesus conquered death and I believe God loves us in our darkest moments.  I've been reminding myself these things when worry and sadness start to creep in.  I also believe my own pain has a purpose.  I want to provide hope and strength to my cousins; it's an unfortunate bond that we now share and I choose to make it a strength of ours rather than a weakness.
"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others..." 2 Corinthians 1:4

I don't talk much about these things on here because this blog is a fun creative outlet for me but just like anyone else I have really bad days.  And among all of the perfect food pictures, my smiling baby and my "clean" house, I lose my temper, I feel inadequate and definitely insecure some days. 

But I'll be back tomorrow posting about a quick Fall re-do I did in the living room.  My heart is still beating and I am choosing to be life-giving by giving my time to others, being a healthy mom, and even writing on this silly blog.   


Because it's Monday...


...thought I would share some of my favorite pictures and videos that make me smile...even when it's a Monday.

A lot of these pictures are from snapchat, which is an app I LOVE. One of my girlfriends from GA (mer-mer) and I communicate through pictures all day long. I share my first cup of coffee of the day with her, how I styled my hair (or sometimes lack of style aka bedhead all day), or something silly Roswelle did that afternoon and she shares her growing baby bump, her messy living room from her 2yr old Gable, and even pictures from her pillow at night telling me goodnight! 

Have a great day, y'all!







Still not so sure...
My brother Carson jokingly asked if the stroller straps are organic...unfortunately they aren't.  :O








{I love this picture}

Life Lately: 2014 Summer Wrap-up


Welp!...summer is officially over.  It was the busiest and best one yet, we made it to Truro 11 out of the 13 weekends we had available this summer.  This past weekend, Labor Day Weekend, was the best weekend of the summer in terms of beach weather - ending things on a high note. 

From Left to Right: Sandy, Ross, Paul, Roswelle, me, Jenny, Maddie, Rob.  We used a self-time to take the picture and I actually like that we are off center just a smidge.  

This past weekend we made it out to an early breakfast at my favorite spot in Provincetown.

{something was very intriguing apparently}

The girls are great early in the morning.  Paul and I will be making it to a lot more brunch spots than dinner spots this Fall, which is a-ok with me. 
By the end of the summer Roswelle was very used to the beach routine.








In between holding their babies up in the air, Rob and Paul played endless amounts of volleyball this Summer.
{Roswelle loves to sit up and LOVES tags!}
{Roswelle and Gigi (Sandy)}
{bath time}
{I think every baby should be bathed in the sink at least once}
{Madelyn Grace agrees with me}


Roswelle is 5 months!  She sleeps through the night 90% of the time.  Her bedtime is 6:30pm on the dot.  Every night we have the same routine: walk 5-5:45pm, Bottle 5:45, Bath 6pm, Books 6:15 and eyes shut no later than 6:45pm.  She is becoming more interactive each week and it just keeps getting better and better.  She loves to read, roll-over, scoot!!!, and she is practicing sitting up on her own (almost there!).  She is still exclusively breast feeding and we are planning to introduce solids right at 6 months - I am reading up on Baby-Led Weaning (a method of introducing food) and planning to take that approach when the time is right. 


{she looked like a doll to me the other morning at breakfast - hello eyelashes!}
{baby curls}
It was a great summer!  (thanks for posing Maddie!)


Personal update: tbt (on a Wednesday) to my cheerleading days.  I'm running the Newport Half Marathon on October 12th.  I'm up to 7 milessss.  I guess you could say I was giving myself a little pep/cheer/dance here (after completing the run).  Paul kept making fun of me for saying I needed to get amped up for my run but it is true!! It is hard to get myself out the door knowing I'll be running for over an hour instead of taking care of my baby/family.  I have to continue to work on taking care of myself and I know the healthier I am, the happier(and healthier) Roswelle will be.  

Sooooo long Summer.  I'm welcoming Fall with open arms (in a cute sweater/scarf/boot combo).  ;)

Roswelle Gray: Life at 4 months


I'm writing this as Roswelle is finishing up her 12th hour of straight sleep.  Well, minus the 20 minutes she was awake this morning at 3:40am (and a couple other times when I just reswaddled her and she fell right back asleep). I finally had the courage and strength to sleep train her and to be honest it wasn't all that bad.  She didn't cry more than 20 minutes over the last 3 nights, average was 7 minutes of tears a few different times.  It wasn't blood curdling cries either...it was more "I don't think I like this" crying.  My biggest piece of advice is to wait until you and your baby are READY.  Her signs were that she would wake up in the middle of the night but would only be awake for 20 minutes, she wouldn't eat much when she was awake, and she would crank her neck while we were holding her almost like she wanted to be put down.  I listened and laid her down while she was still awake and she would lay there relaxing before she literally just nodded off to sleep - happened last night at 7pm.  She was ready to sleep through the night, she just needed a little encouragement. 

I may be tootin' my on horn a little early, we'll see what happens over the next few nights, but I'm going to enjoy this moment for now :)

My mom saved so many of my baby clothes and they now make up a majority of Roswelle's wardrobe.   I love how classic and simple the outfits are, they just don't make 'em like they used to!  She is in my little eyelit top and my pink ruffled bloomers.  My mom just recently brought up another batch of clothes; Roswelle will be wearing 'vintage' pieces until she is 2!


Speaking of my mom, she came to visit for a week!  


We had the best time...all of us!  Paul and I enjoyed some free time at new coffee shops, working out together, and going to dinner.  While my mom enjoyed quality 1x1 time with her grand-daughter.  WinWin for all of us. 

New favorite date spot, reading spot, anything spot - cafe nero.  AHmazing coffee shop right in the middle of the city.  It's a European chain and this is the first location in the States.  If you visit Boston you must go!  
I overindulged on cappucino's one night...had 3 and it was totally worth it.

Other randoms...
We have a mover/scooter!  She can get around pretty well by raising her legs and throwing them down.  I only loosely swaddle her in a blanket that I know she can get out of because of this.
My mom's birthday cake form the PB boulangerie in Wellfleet.  
Roswelle graduated from the bassinet in the stroller to the toddler seat.  She loves to look around and doesn't want to miss a thing!

Ok...I'm off to feed R breakfast and then heading to BYOB pilates.  Next post will be on the wall gallery I've been working on during Roswelle's naps!  I'm really excited to show you guys!

xo

#fitmom

It goes without saying that there are a lot of new worries that come with being a new mom.  Not only do you worry about the new tiny human that you are trying to keep alive, but your body just went through the most dramatic change since your first year of life.  

During pregnancy I really tried to stay healthy and fit.  I ran until my 28th week of pregnancy, I went to yoga twice a week religiously, I did spin 2x a week in my 3rd trimester, and I ate relatively healthy (brussel sprouts are really hard to get down while you are "with child" but I managed).  I still gained a ton of weight, 45-50lbs!! I've admitted to my close friends and I guess I'll admit it here, I weighed more than Paul at the end. eek!  Your body does what it is gonna do when you are pregnant...and you just have to roll with it.  

Back to what I said early tho, your body goes through incredible changes while incubating a baby.  My personal experience was gain 45-50lbs in 9 months (not a healthy thing for the average person), lose 30lbs immediately after baby (first 2 weeks), and then have the remaining stubborn 15 to lose while keeping your new bundle of joy alive.  ahh!  Oh and did I mention I couldn't diet (bc of breastfeeding) or workout for the first 6 weeks? so you just have to sit there...with your extra self.  

Personally, my recovery from a c-section was extra long (which was kind of discouraging to me - I thought I would bounce right back for some reason).  For the first 5 weeks I couldn't walk longer than 10 minutes or get up off the couch without wincing.  I didn't actively start exercising until I was in GA and Roswelle was 10wks old.  One day I had to finally tell Paul that I needed help getting back on the exercise train, I was scared.  It was going to hurt and be annoying and be inconvenient and I needed a motivator.  Enter "Coach Paul" - I call him that to be funny but in all seriousness he has been such a great motivator - most of the time working out w/ me for a 2nd time that day.  I would whine and even tear up about how hard it was and how much it hurt, but each time I got through a workout I felt stronger and proud of myself.

I now exercise 5 times a week on average and I am starting to fit comfortably in my pre-baby clothes and I am only a few pounds shy of my pre-baby weight.  Exercising is actually way easier than I thought to fit in with one baby - I must say, I DON'T KNOW HOWWWW moms do it with multiple kids.. but I will worry about that later. 

Here are my workouts from the past week:  

Thursday - BYOB pilates.  These classes are great because you don't have to find a sitter.  You just show up with your non-mobile baby and try to get in a work out.  The class isn't about the baby, it's about you.  You are just allowed to have a noisy baby and no one will blink.  Plus it's a great way to meet other moms!
Friday - quick 2 mile jog w/ Roswelle - sprinting up hills. total time 25 minutes.
Saturday - family WOD (Paul, me, Rob and Jenny while babies were asleep) 50 air squats for warm up, then "10 to 1" rounds of 10 burpees and 10 lunges (each leg - so 20), then 9 burpees and 9 lunges each leg, then 8 burpees and 8 lunges each leg...and so on down to 1.  cashout of 2 sprints to finish.  total time 14 minutes. we were dying at the end.
Sunday - 3 mile jog without baby. blasted rap music and took my time, enjoying being alone. 
Monday - 1.5 mile jog sans baby - broke it up with 8 rounds of 25 squats during the run.  It broke up the monotenous run and I had finished 200 squats by the end. total time 21 minutes.  Came back to Roswelle screaming and Paul sweating it out but it was worth it.  
Tuesday (yesterday) - cleaned the house.  all day.  :)

It's been hard but really rewarding to get back in shape. It's also nice to have a personal challenge that is about me and not about my baby.  

{baby pilates!}

{runnin'}

{a garage WOD in our garage gym}

In other news - my mom is landing in less than 3 hours!!!! She is staying 'til next Thursday. Yayayayayayay.  

Our week in Charleston

{Roswelle's first time on the beach!}

The last week of May, Paul and I flew to Charleston for my cousin's wedding.  Ashley was my made of honor and I was her matron of honor - cousins are the best and I'm so blessed to be so close with mine even though we live so far apart.  My mom rented a house on Isle of Palms for the week and we had THE BEST time.  We spent our time hanging with my family on the big screened in porch (with 10+ rocking chairs and a swing), going for walks on the beach (with the stroller), and just plain relaxing.  I got really used to always having someone around to hold Roswelle - it was kind of an adjustment when I got back to Boston!
{Our view and walkway to the beach from the back porch.}  
{impromptu family pic the last morning everyone was there}
{Four generations <3}

{bows and bows}

Roswelle did great on the beach.  I was a smidge psychotic about her being in the sun.  We aren't using sunscreen until next summer so I was sure to limit her time to 10 minutes and kept her covered in her stroller most of the time.  The great thing about the beach is there is almost always a nice breeze to keep her cool.

My mom's main desire that week was to rock Roswelle on the porch swing...they both loved it.
Roswelle got some quality time with her uncles... They are all naturals with her...in their own way. ;)

She also had plenty of quality time with her great-grandparents and her cousin Brinley who is 1 month older than her.  


While Roswelle was spending time with her extended family and me... Paul and Evan were non-stop on the beach.


Paul is a beach maniac.  He found this stump during the week and would lug it around based on the low & high tides to ensure it's safety! We started calling it "stumpy"...similar to Tom Hank's "Wilson" in Cast Away.  He went everywhere with "Stumpy!"



Paul and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary while we were there.  <3
Below are some of my favorite pics of Roswelle from that week.



Next up I'll be blogging on traveling with a baby!  It went surprisingly smooth for us.





Roswelle Gray: The first month

Well really the first 5 weeks because I basically blacked out that first week...walking zombie mode.  Having a baby is a crazy thing.  Your body goes through a traumatic experience either natural birth or c-section and then you are thrown into this new state of reality that is exhausting and emotional.  For me, having to recover from surgery while keep a little precious baby alive was a lot!  I literally cried from exhaustion but also cried when the nurse told me they had to take her out of the room to test her hearing.  Luckily Paul was completely level headed through it all and has seen me cry so many times that my crying over my new baby didn't phase him  - he kept reminding me that he had to watch out for me while I was consumed by Roswelle.  I was also lucky enough to have my mom stay with us for 2 1/2 weeks.  she did everything from getting my water (I would somehow forget it every time I nursed), doing endless laundry, grocery shopping, and just being here for moral support (like when I would cry because I wanted Roswelle to be healthy - and she 100% is).

Roswelle and I made it out of the first 10 days alive. I say Roswelle and I because the running joke is that Paul is sleeping more now than before he had a baby, one of us has to be well rested. ;)

Next up was a newborn photo shoot! We had our amazingly talented friend, Mikhail, come over on a Sunday morning for a little camera time in her nursery.  She was 16 days old. We had been getting some good sleep finally and Roswelle was proving herself to be an extremely relaxed calm baby...until that morning.  I was nervous and of course wanted it all to be perfect (the nursery, her outfit, my hair) and Paul was tense (he gets really tense when she cries and we had to remind him to smile!).  Well Miss Roswelle Gray picked up on our "new" moods and it threw her into an unfortunate fit.  She has never cried more than 4 minutes straight in her short little life...except for this morning when she screamed for about 2 hours as we tried to console her while getting our pictures taken.  I even took a 15 minute break to nurse her which luckily calmed her enough to get those great shots of Paul holding her in his hands.  Finally Paul and I gave up and gave her to my mom, once our energy left the room she calmed down and relaxed enough for Mikhail to get some shots of her sweet peanut face.  He got amazing shots of her in spite of the difficult situation...a screaming newborn, a dad that isn't smiling, and a mom with sweat behind her knees! Haha!

I've shared some of my favorite pictures from the shoot and you can see even more over at his website: http://mikhailglabets.com/blog/boston-newborn-family-photographer-2/ And while you are there check out his other work - he is super talented!  You might remember he did a lifestyle shoot of Paul and I making breakfast way back when we were well rested dinks. 

Roswelle is now on a pretty predictable schedule thanks to Babywise and The Happiest Baby on the Block books. I am currently blogging this while drinking my coffee, hooked up to the breastpump and watching her sleep next to me in her moses basket.  Paul has started taking the morning shift so I should give him credit for her sleeping peacefully right now.  

It's been a good morning :) Enjoy the pictures!

The white dress in the picture above was my mom's when she was a baby.  It is paper thin and priceless.  The pale pink dress in the pictures later on was my baby dress.  I have a picture of me in it at 1 month old and will put it up on another day :)









 












I've looked at these a hundred times and can't get enough of them.  I had him take shots of her nursery and will be blogging about all the details next!
  
and here is some proof about what I said above!

Roswelle Gray Lashway: Her Birth Story

Well, Roswelle Gray Lashway is 1 month old so it is about time I write about her arrival before I forget all the little details.  I started writing this a week ago but I just couldn't get it finished.  Time has flown by and I already miss the first few days with her but at the same time I can't wait to start another new day with our daughter. 

Her Arrival:
There is so much to tell.  I've been trying to decide whether to write all the details out or just summarize.  I love going back and reading some of my old posts and I'm sure I will want to read this to her one day so I've decided to list it all out just as it happened.  

Paul had booked us a weekend at a bed&breakfast up in Kennebunkport, Maine as a last weekend away together.  I was 37 1/2 weeks and it was just an hour and a half away from Boston so we figured if anything happened, we would be able to get back in time.  On the Wednesday before our little trip, during my weekly appointment with my midwife, we found out she was in breech position.  We were able to confirm that day via ultrasound which was kind of shocking.  I immediately started researching natural ways to get her to flip...I started doing inverted exercises on the ironing board (check them out at spinningbabies.com), I had an acupuncture treatment on Thursday and even did some moxibustion (where you burn moxa sticks by your pinky toe!). All while praying. On Friday morning, before leaving for Maine, Paul and I met with the ob-gyn to discuss the manual "version" (flipping of the baby by pushing on my stomach) which we had scheduled for the following week.  If none of this worked, we were looking at a c-section.  I really wanted an all natural birth - and was willing to do anything to increase my odds of flipping her!

We left the the doctor's office at noon after signing the consent form for the manual version and headed north for our weekend away! We stopped in Ogunquit, ME for lunch.  It is a cute little town on the coast about an hour north of Boston and we found a great spot on the water called Jackie's Too in Perkins Cove.  We had just finished mussels and clam chowder and were waiting on Paul's lobster roll and my crab sandwich when I felt a 'pop'.  It was down at the base of my pelvis and was an odd enough feeling to make me stop and wonder...and then the rush of water came.  My water broke.  I looked across to Paul and  just said "my water broke"!  He responded, "do you want to go to bathroom?"  He had no idea that water was literally gushing out across from him...all over the floor, a puddle in my chair and soaking my pants.  Literally what you see in the movies (I didn't think that actually happened).  I stood up and walked straight out of the restaurant, I didn't talk to anyone.  Paul wound up paying for our meal (even tho we never got it!) while I was outside standing by the car praying.  He rushed out.  Well, he first asked them to quickly wrap up that lobster roll (he was hungry...!) and then we headed back to Boston.  I called my doctor's office and let them know my water had broken while I had a breech baby and that we would be back to the city in 2 hours with traffic.  The OB immediately got on the phone telling me that I needed to find the closest hospital to us and to not come back to Boston.  If Roswelle started to come down the birth canal it could be very dangerous for her and me.  This really upset me, not only was I definitely having a c-section, it would be at a random hospital!  I was on the verge of getting REALLY upset (the tears were already there but it was more of a whimper than a breakdown).  Paul stayed very calm considering the situation.  Once he heard the urgency of the OB's voice telling us to find a hospital he started looking up hospitals on his phone, while driving, with his wife in labor next to him - bad idea.  He looked up from his phone and a blue "H" hospital road sign was there.  How often do you notice those?  And the chances of it being there exactly when we needed it - almost jumping out at Paul - we don't consider this a coincidence but what we often refer to as a "God thing".  It was just too perfect.  We were being looked after.  We turned left, following the signs and realized we were in a little town called York, Maine.  We were headed to York Hospital.  

I called the hospital as we were pulling in and was greeted on the phone by a sweet lady's voice.  In a panic I asked her if they had a labor and delivery unit which she informed me they did and I then informed her that we were pulling up to the main entrance.  I was placed in a wheelchair and whisked up to the 2nd floor (the top floor).  The hospital is super small and sweet with only 79 rooms in the entire hospital!  The OB walked across the street from his office to check us out.  Roswelle and I were both doing fine and I hadn't dilated at all at that point.  I had two options - get in an ambulance and be taken back to Boston to have the baby or just have the c-section there in about an hour.  Paul and I decided we were going to be having our baby that afternoon in York, Maine.  We were going to have a little Maine-iac. :)   My water broke at 2:30pm and she was out by 4:50pm!  I was 37wks & 4days.  She was 7lbs 2oz, 19 1/4 inches long, and was absolutely perfect.

After they checked her out, they let me do skin-to-skin with her on the operating table.  This was really important to me and I was so happy they basically did everything I asked.  Paul reminded me that it was hard to find a hippier place than Cambridge, MA (which is where she was supposed to be born) but I managed to find one in York.  She wound up latching in the post-op room.  The post-op experience was actually really nice.  It was calm and quiet with just the 3 of us in the room while we were periodically checked on by a nurse. We only had a few visitors, which is what I wanted. Rob, Jenny, and Paul's parents were patiently waiting to meet Roswelle once we got back to our room.  My mom's flight landed at 10:30pm and she was holding Roswelle by midnight that night.

Everything worked out just as it should have.  My prayers had been answered.  God had been with Roswelle and me through the entire process.

Random Roswelle Facts:

Roswelle was Paul's paternal great-grandfather's name and Gray was my maternal great-aunt's name. We decided to choose a name from each of our family trees.  I heard the name Roswelle over the summer while we were talking about family names with Paul's parents and grandmother.  I instantly fell in love with it for a girl's name.  Paul took a little convincing but eventually he warmed up to it and now he can't imagine her being named anything else. 

Her nicknames right now are #peanut #sniffer (an inside joke) #peanutsniffer and #squishypeanut.  She is a very very calm baby.  She only fusses when she is hungry or tired, which only lasts for about 4 minutes before her needs are met (first baby probs).  The longest she has cried was during her newborn shoot when she was 2 weeks old.  I was nervous and Paul was annoyed - and she picked right up on it.  I'll be blogging that next!  

Pictures from THAT morning - started out just like any other day!

  Paul took this 10 minutes before my water broke!




Below are some personal pictures from the first few days with her.

{in love, in shock, and in awe}


{her feet are clones of Paul's}



{2 days old}

{getting ready to go home}
{her NB sized dress was still a little big on her mini-peanut size}







{leaving York Hospital - I already miss it!}
{snug as a bug for the ride home - she slept the entire 1 1/2 hour drive!}
{she loves it when Paul sings to her...usually a country tune}
{her outfit for her first stoller outing}
{it took us about 20 minutes to get out the door}


{we made it 3 blocks and turned around}
{and she was held on the walk back ;)}

next up is a post on her finished nursery and a post from her 2wk old newborn shoot which I previewed on instagram!  be back soon!