Noah: 11 Months

This month brings some excitement to Noah’s photos… I have finally caught his little teeth on camera!!

I’d say he has 3.5 teeth as of today, and here are two things I’ve learned in the teething process:

1.  The top teeth hurt a lot more coming in than the bottom ones did.

2.  Babies will chew and destroy their cribs.  (yes, my child has now surpassed my dog in the “furniture-destroying” category…)

But holy cow, that grin… I forget all about the chewed-up furniture when I see his sweet, toothy smile.  Happy 11 months, Noah.  Can’t believe you’ve been on the outside for almost a year!

Chris & Leah’s Magical Duke Gardens Engagement

There really is something magical about the golden hour.  The setting sun, combined with a couple so in love, makes for the perfect evening.

I met Chris and Leah through our church, and these two are so kind and easy to get along with.  Before they were engaged, Chris would drive just about every weekend from Virginia to spend time with Leah in Chapel Hill.  It has been so sweet to see them voyage into engagement and wedding planning!  It was a great day when we heard Chris had found a job down here and they didn’t have to be long distance anymore.  I think they seem happy about that, don’t you?

Chris and Leah, I’m so happy for you!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Sneak Peek: Chris & Leah

Here’s the first of more to come from Chris and Leah’s session at Duke Gardens this weekend!

Hope this makes your Monday a little less Monday-ish!

This thing, it changes every day…

When I was pregnant, everyone had their own stories to share about the experience of motherhood.  I listened eagerly, trying to imagine the unimaginable… but even with various anecdotes and advice, the same message came through:  you will learn to love like you’ve never loved before.

I would definitely say that’s true, but the concept hasn’t really fleshed out like I thought it would.  The moment Noah was placed into my arms, I remember feeling relieved, thankful, in awe… love?  Yes.  But it was a different kind of love.  It was love that didn’t know a thing about this baby, other than the fact that we shared the same life, breath, heartbeat.  He was a tiny and precious creature that I wanted to protect.

As the months passed and Noah developed more and more personality, I began to love him into a fullness that was unimaginable to me on the day we met.  He laughs, he makes decisions, and he responds to us in ways unlike others.  He is a unique, AWESOME creature.  And here’s where I come to the place other mothers were before:  where I can’t explain how I feel, because it’s a completely new and unique experience for me.  Why does the English language only have a single word for love?!

Please don’t read this and think all days are filled with musings on warm fuzzies– I definitely have days where there are tears, fevers, frustrations, and an all-around lack of patience.  But isn’t that the same in all our relationships?  What profound grace that we have been given one another to share this fragile life.

May Self-Portrait: Hope Town

Hope Town:  a special place I called home for two years, and a place that still has a piece of my heart.  Last week I traveled back to that beautiful Bahamian island to visit friends and introduce Noah to people who have become family to us.  I’ll be blogging later about the whole trip, but I wanted to make sure that I got in a self-portrait this month of me in one of my favorite places.

The porch behind the Mission House is one of my resting places.  You can feel the wind, hear the ocean, and really just be still there.  I used to sit out there many evenings, reading or just listening.  I don’t do either of those as much now, and this trip really reminded me of that.  I have a chair outside that is becoming one of my still places in Durham, but man oh man is it good to hear the ocean while you’re being still!

Here’s to the ocean, to Hope Town, to stillness.

“The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still.”  – Exodus 14:14

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