Best baby in the office

Even though my sweet baby girl is crying right now, she is the best baby. I mean--babies cry. And all new moms think their baby is the best. I'm aware that this can be obnoxious for some. But, I am constantly amazed with our sweet Charis Root.

I started back to work on the 4th and Charis goes to the office with me 3 days a week. And she's amazing. I can spend from 6-8 hours in the office and she barely cries. Seriously. We have this rhythm of eating, playing, sleeping. She will amuse herself in her bouncy seat for almost an hour while I work or she'll sleep in the Moby for about an hour while I work. It's a really great set-up. I sat there looking at my sweet baby, realizing the life she is--she has a personality, a heart, a mind, desires, hopes, dreams. She's not just this baby that needs things from me...she's so much more and I realized that today and everyday I get to spend with her. I'm so thankful that I get to bring her to work with me. There are definitely times when it'd be easier to work without her there, but I love seeing her sweet face in between emails and phone calls. Plus, she is just so good. I am so thankful that she's "easy" for me while I'm working.
Here are a few pics from our days at work...we are working women!!

sleeping in the Moby while I worked

no bells & whistles with this seat, but it works

after the bouncy got old, she just chilled on my lap

happy winter

2 months old!!
I can't believe it's already been 2 months with Charis. I'm sure I will say this each month. These past 2 months have been so so great. Charis is such a sweet addition to our family. I'm constantly thankful that God gave us such a sweet surprise. We are loving her more and more each day, it's crazy how it builds and builds. So, here's what she's been up to in her 2 months:
- she is sleeping like crazy. which means she's sleeping through the night. (thank you Charis)
- she talks. well, not really, but she's definitely making more sounds and sometimes in response to us.
- Charis loves tummy time and does a great job holding her head up.
- she's gained some lbs...at her 2 month check up today she checked in at 11 lbs 15 oz and 23 inches long. not sure what all that really means, except she's a healthy one.
- she has the most intense stare ever. some people think she doesn't blink. but, this stare is so intense. i love it.
- Celebrated her first Christmas and New Year. (and had no idea)
- got to stay home with daddy for a few days while I started back to work. she'll go with me to the office tomorrow.
- as the nurse asked today: is she smiling? yes. is she tracking you with her eyes? yes. is she pushing up on her elbows? yes. check on all the developmental stuff. i guess.

she was ready for the game!
I'm realizing as I'm thinking about things she does, she doesn't really do much, but we love to watch her all the time. From changing her to feeding her to holding her to watching her on her mat...no matter what it is. What a really fun 2 months it's been. We are looking forward to the many more months ahead that we get to have with Charis. She's beautiful. She's sweet. She's feisty. She's stubborn. She's delightful. She's the best baby ever. and we love her like crazy.

me and my little lady!

twenty ten

Happy New Year!

As we reflected on this past year we thought about how this time last year we had no idea, nor the intentions, that we'd have a baby in 2009. We are so thankful for the surprise of Charis Root. some other highlights of the year:
- going to California together for the first time and exploring beautiful northern cali...love it.
- spending a week at Frontier Ranch with some high school girls
- getting away to the beach TWICE this summer
- moving from an apartment to a house
- friendships
- being pregnant...i know, weird. i LOVED being pregnant. i never felt more beautiful and confident in my entire life than when i was pregnant. really.
- giving birth to our beautiful baby girl. it was unreal. i would do it again.
- watching my husband become a daddy
- turning 31. i guess it can be a highlight. (it bothers me that under most gym memberships a "young" person or family is defined by people 29 and under. does this mean i'm not young anymore?)
- becoming a mommy
- learning more about who God is and that He loves me with a ridiculous and unconditional love...being able to trust Him a little bit more and believing He knows what's best.

We are in a better place today than we were a year ago and look ahead with hope at what this new year will bring. Wishing you all a FULL year.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:16-19

video chatting

we got a video camera for christmas thanks to paw paw & maw maw. we've been shooting lots of video and trying to figure out how to share it. so, here is our first attempt at uploading it and sharing it. some of our sweet little lady talking to us

Merry Times

I love Christmas. I love the meaning, I love getting presents, I love the eating, I love the quiet and the chaos, I love stockings and ornaments, I love time with family, I love the traditions. Going into the holiday this season I was struck by how busy we get. It seems like so many people I talked to were just "so busy." This really bothered me. I'm not sure why we run ourselves ragged or put ridiculous pressure on ourselves during a time of year that I think was intended for something else. I think back to a "silent" night over 2000 years ago. Jesus entered our world as a sweet and needy baby in the presence of his parents and some animals. There wasn't a bunch of rushing around or busy-ness. I was fortunate because I'm still on maternity leave and a 6 week old doesn't require much, so the holiday was chill for us. And I like that.

Charis wishes you a Merry Christmas!
Adam and I are trying to figure out what traditions we'd like to have for our family. I absolutely love traditions, so it's fun trying to come up with things we'd like to incorporate for our family. In reality I don't want myself or my family to lose sight of the season. I mean- there is video proof of a 7-year-old Amy counting presents and greedily going through her pile. We all get caught up. I'd just like to intentionally make the effort to come back. Maybe it was the rain or maybe it was having a new baby, but we got to spend a quiet Christmas day together watching When Harry Met Sally and Scrooged, and holding our sweet baby girl or watching her discover her world. It may be cheesy, but she's been our best present. I am thankful God knows what's best for us. I'm thankful He gave us Jesus.
I wasn't good about taking pictures, but here are a few of our sweet little lady.

Charis in her santa dress

spending Christmas watching Charis play

Windy Gap

The first time I went to Windy Gap was the summer after my sophomore year of high school. My parents had gotten divorced and my dad was remarried. I had gone to a different high school than what my junior high fed into b/c those years sucked. Fortunately, I was involved in a church youth group with leaders that loved me, so I wasn't completely lost. I knew a little about Young Life, but as a Christian kid I didn't approve of it. But, the Lord has something in store for me. I found myself on a van to Windy Gap with a group of kids from North Myrtle Beach. It turned out to be the best week of my life and the best thing for me. I learned more about what it meant to follow Christ and more about God's love for me. It was amazing.
Since the summer of 1994 I have been back to Windy Gap many times...as a camper, work crew, leader, and staff. This week our Region went for it's Winter Staff Retreat & Christmas party. We got to take Charis for her first (of many) trip to Windy Gap. And it was a great trip. I am proud that we made it through her first road trip...even if it was just 3 hours away for 3 nights. She did awesome. Plus it was great for me to go and just be with my family and not have to be "on" the whole time. (usually part of my job is to help my boss organize and run this)

the family at the GAP
One of the highlights of our trip was capturing Charis rolling over!! Yes, I admit, I am that new mom that thinks everything her baby does is cute and amazing. You've all been there ladies, so don't judge. Adam is really diligent about giving Charis "tummy time." I mean-really diligent. Last night he had her on the floor of our cabin and she is bobbing her head up & down. I decided to take a picture of it because she is just so cute! After I snap the first picture she proceeds to roll over! And I was able to capture it on film (well digital). It was just so cool. I must say that I'm not ready for our little lady to be doing anything major. After being told a million times that "this time flies" I am trying really hard to soak it all up and enjoy her being a baby. In the meantime I will soak up her little milestones too.
Think of it like a flip book

every kiss begins with Kay

This post has nothing to do with Kay. It's just that the horribly cheesy commercials play all the time, so it's in my head. This post is about the fact that our baby girl is ONE MONTH OLD!! holy moly. That's just crazy. I'm constantly in a stay of disbelief that my life is where it is. This isn't what I planned. So much of my life is not what I plan. God is continuing to show me that He has a plan and to trust in His perfect and pleasing will. Oh how thankful I am that He has given me this amazing little girl at a time like this.
I guess the best way to really capture this past month is through some highlights, revelations, and experiences we've had. So, here goes...

Charis at 1 month!

• i love the sounds Charis makes...she hums, moans, grunts at all times. nothing is sweeter to me than those noises.
• i love to watch Adam with her...dancing, singing, rocking, even sometimes when he says something and i ask "what" he says, "i was talking to my daughter."
• i love the way her head rests on my shoulder in the nook of my neck. love that.
• i learned the hard way that babies "wake up" after 2 weeks, so the 6 hours of sleep was just a fluke. ohhhhh okay.
  
• after being told how fast this time goes, i am making a conscious effort to enjoy all the moments...the sweet ones and especially the hard ones
• we've loved having so many visitors. i love seeing others loving on our baby girl. some of my girls from Country Day have come to visit and that's been so fun watching them.
• we celebrated our first Thanksgiving with some friends. i'm not sure she was fazed. But we did make our first turkey (local, organic, & free range i might add).
• i love to kiss all over her...her cheeks, her neck, her hands, feet, but especially the space on her neck. oh i could squeeze her.
• i love the way her hands stretch out just like Adam's.
  
• i am amazed at how i can wake up from the most wonderfully deep sleep when i hear her making her noises at any hour.
• she has the sweetest cry.
• we've watched Adam's Saints win some great games! (like beating New England)
• we are learning a new normal for us that includes this new person...i mean--for the rest of my life. getting out of the house takes more work, planning and the perfect timing. eating is a feat too...usually we take turns.
  
• i've learned that getting up in the middle of the night isn't that hard for me, it's the evening hours after 9pm that i start to fall apart.
• my love for her grows with each new day. i mean for real. when she smiles (even if it's not the real ones yet) my heart sores. and when her bottom lip pokes out in a frown, i am so sad and find that i would do anything to take away her sadness.

my mom bought this outfit in Germany...a scarf?!
This has been an incredible month. Didn't think I'd be here this time last year. But could not imagine it any other way. I am more in love with my husband too. I am so thankful for the way he helps me, especially in those moments I need him most and don't know how to ask. I love the way he loves Charis and how he says it so much. This is definitely an adventure for us. Everyone tells you it's the best & hardest thing you'll ever do. Well, you can't understand that until you are in it. We are in it and I'm beginning to understand it. I still can't believe I am a mom. wow.