Family Alive

Everytime I think back to how we were so surprised to find out Analise was on the way, I can’t help but stand in awe. Married just 3 months, our plans were for kids in a couple years after we’d had some time to enjoy being “just the two of us”. Even as the pregnancy continued and a baby became more and more real, it was still impossible to know what our lives would be like when she arrived. I wondered if I would know how to be a mom. I worried that we’d miss out on all the things we could do together without a little one to think about. I tried – unsuccessfully – to imagine what our lives would be like. We were really excited, but there was so much uncertainty.

It’s been 3 short months since Analise burst into our world, after months of anticipation. I can’t imagine our lives without her. Being a mother came naturally, and I love it. Brian’s an amazing father – Analise could watch him all day, and she’ll just break out into a grin when she sees him. Sure, it’s harder to do things with a baby. But it’s no less fun. Seeing how she grows and changes every day makes it hard to get anything else done:) And her smile… when she’s smiling at you, there’s no room for thoughts of “what might have been”. God knew – far better than we did – that our lives needed Analise. We needed to be stretched, and to learn to give, and to see that it’s always possible to love more. And as for the future, there’s nothing more exciting than the thought of seeing who she’s going to be and having her to share in everything else that lies ahead of us.

WE ARE SO BLESSED!

Ok, enough sentiment:) At the top left is a picture of my lovely daughter from this past weekend. Though she’s full of smiles, it’s so rare for the camera to catch one! To the right, a second smile from last week. She’s EXTRA smilely lately because she’s got her TOES to play with! (By the way – if you’d like to see a bigger picture, click on the image, and you’ll find a printable picture.)