Maternity.

We got all of our maternity photos back from the wonderful Sarah Scruggs (Again, Sarah, you are incredible) and I just had to share them. Rather than putting them on facebook, where the world can see them without asking, I thought I would put them up on the blog with a forewarning.


I wanted to put all of our favorites up, including some of the ones that show my bare Olive belly, because I think that fully shows the beauty of what God created our bodies to do! I am so blown away by these shots Sarah took. They really captured our joy and the emotion of that period of time in our lives, expecting Olive and delighting in how God was forming her inside of me. Seeing these pictures, especially the bare belly ones, reminds me to find thankfulness and happiness in what my body did and has been through. This is really important for me as a post partum mother, I think. We watch our bodies go through so many changes, and often times, at the end, we slip into the trap of self consciousness over our new "mummy tummy" and whatever else usually accompanies growing and birthing a child! 


So, I put myself out there and post these as a celebration of the pregnant figure and what God has done in creating Olive. For me, I think, it will be cathartic and an attempt at making peace with my body. 


Proceed only if you want to and it's appropriate for you to do so!

                 

 

She's here!

On April 1st at 4:44 am we welcomed Olive Rae into the world after a beautiful, natural waterbirth.

I can't wait to share her birth story with everyone who reads our blog! I'm trying to decide between writing a more detailed birth story and breaking it up into parts or just writing a more succinct one. I'll probably write a long one-- the details are what make it precious, at least to me!

This past week of motherhood has been indescribable. Our love for her was instant, but it is built upon every day that passes as we get to know this little person. We spend so much of our time just staring at her and kissing her all over (when she's not pooping, sleeping, or eating, which is pretty much all the time. haha).

There have definitely been challenges to overcome (sleepless nights, some difficulties with breast feeding), but there is so much value to the task that's been set before us. Parenting... motherhood... is such a high calling. God's glory is all over it. I know that it's cliche, but you do find that your heart expands in such an extreme way to welcome all of the feelings you have for this new little creature! At the same time, I've (and Colin has reiterated this feeling) never known fear like I do now. I can't imagine anything bad befalling Olive. It's too much to bear.

I am grateful for the Mother's heart that God is growing in me, and grateful to watch Colin develop more and more of a Father's heart. There is nothing like seeing those two together-- right now I am watching Colin start to put dinner together, wearing Olive in her Moby wrap. She's fast asleep snuggled against her Daddy's chest.

Thank you for loving us and our Olive Branch!