It’s unusual these days that I actually sit at a computer. Most of the time, I’m checking emails, catching friends’ updates on Facebook, and browsing the daily deals of Zulily on my phone, so typing on a keyboard with a screen bigger than the palm of my hand is nice.
I have been waiting to truly jump on the blog scene again until there was something to update about baby 2. So far morning sickness and fatigue hardly seem like something worthy to report. But a special moment did come Friday at last when the doctor announced we would be welcoming ANOTHER BABY GIRL!
O, how happy this made Anthony! I couldn’t have cared less either way, seeing as I saw the positives of both genders, but Anthony, O, Anthony, wanted nothing but another snuggly, sweet girl. And now that I know it is a little girl, I am thrilled with the idea of raising sisters.
I never had that sister relationship myself growing up; my parents adopted my little sister when I was in Junior High, so the age gap is too much to have the close bond that I hope and pray my girls will have. I’m already imaging girl weekends, mani/pedi dates, wedding planning (O, my, it just occurred to me that we better start saving now for TWO weddings!), and pregnancies. I can’t wait for tea parties, or perhaps my girls will be athletes. Either way, I’m looking forward to the sweet spirit that girls bring into a home.
I’ve been told that raising girls is hard, and all I can say is I’m up for the challenge! Now, if Anthony and I can just decide on a name!
I like to call this Sophie Anne’s reaction to the news that she is going to be a big sister. Photo 1: “O, yay! I’m going to be a big sister!” Photo 2: “Wait, what exactly does that mean?” Photo 3: “O, yay! I’m going to be a BIG sister!”
I have taken quite the hiatus from the blog world, but I’m back to announce some exciting news: a new baby Byrnes will be making his/her debut this year!
I stopped blogging around mid-September of 2011 because I felt that I had, for all intensive purposes, fulfilled what I had set out to accomplish when I began blogging, which was of course to document for sweet Sophie girl some precious moments and memories that she sadly would never remember herself. I felt my time dedication to the endeavor waver, and I believed that stopping our twentyearsfromnow blog at Sophie’s one-year birthday would be a perfect ending place for this special space. I missed it almost immediately, but I didn’t want to continue unless I had a commitment and dedication to the updates.
However, it would just seem unnaturally unfair to have documented so much of Sophie Anne’s life for her, and even our time together when she swam in my tummy, without giving the same gift to another baby. And with this in mind, I have returned. I have returned to document the love, the preparation, and the excitement that is and will float around our house anxiously for the next several months.
Now, if we can just get out of the first trimester, so I can smell a cup of coffee without running to the trashcan and stay awake past 8:00.
Everything’s about to change….again…and we just can’t wait!
It’s that cozy time of year when autumn leaves flutter on the windshield as I drive back roads to school each morning. It’s deep purple sunrises and sunsets. It’s rolling into work on Monday morning still wearing the musk of bonfires in my hair and digging out coats from the attic to find forgotten treasures from last year in the pockets. It’s taking Sophie Anne on her first hayride and pumpkin patch adventure as I’m reminded of my past kindergarten field trips and junior high tractor trailer rides through hay fields. It’s when my Sophie was born and when Anthony slipped me that note that started us all. It’s when we spent every Friday night crowded in the student section wearing Panther red and knowing that the entire town was there to support our boys. It’s where I hold my greatest memories from close family holidays to simple time spent drinking hot chocolate to escape the cool, crisp air. It’s smores and popcorn, sweatshirts and boots. It’s beautiful all around. Each season holds a special place in my heart, but Fall, dear Fall, you are by far my favorite. Thank you for showing up again this year.
Dear Sophie girl,
Lately whenever we are in crowds of people, you will happily reach your little plump hands out and grunt for someone to take you out of my arms. Whether it be your Mimi or Papa, Omi or Poppy, or one of Mommy and Daddy’s friends, you are content to be passed around graciously making friends with whoever you make eye contact with.
I must admit that this new preference for others has bruised my heart a little, leaving me sad that you no longer want just Mommy to hold you. It has to be a glimpse of the emotions I will feel one day in the future when I will become the embarrassment of the century, worthy to be avoided and passed over for your friends.
I want to you remember, however, that you and I, girlfriend, have something special between us. We are tied forever together, sewn and intertwined so deeply that it can never be separated. Nothing you can ever do or say can lessen my love for you, dear girl. You are a part of me, flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. You are the tangible example of my and your daddy’s love for one another and the embodiment of every hope and dream I have ever had.
I love you, sweet girl, and even when I’m an embarrassment, even when I’m an annoyance, and even when I’m so uncool, remember that you’re stuck with me for life, so you better get used to the random silly dances, the obnoxious singing, and the suffocating kisses-they are here to stay until death do us part.
Love you, Sophie Anne,
Momma
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an iphone photo update. Being away from my sweet girl five days a week is a little easier when I get sweet photos like these.
Who doesn’t like a good sandbox?
My girl enjoying our favorite place: Barnes & Noble!
Look at our teethies!
Are there mash potatoes on my face?
Such a big girl playing with her toys
Looking so sweet
Good naps make for good days
I think I can see ten years into the future in this photo.
Do you see this hair?
“Heeeey!”
Park fun with friends
Sweet baby Kaylin
My little ballerina
And our love’s the only truth
That’s why I run to you…Lady Antebellum
It was the kind of weekend that fits a year into two days. The kind of weekend that awakens your senses, breathes goodness into your hurried heart, and forces you to realize just how incredibly blessed you are.
Along with some good friends of ours, the Taylors, my little family stole to the mountains once again to capture that glorious refreshment that camping alone can provide a frazzled family. For two days we nestled in between two great cliffs on a ranch in northern Arkansas, awakening to the sounds of horses’ hooves, cozying around the fire with good wine and laughter, and watching as our children’s wonderment in the world around them became overwhelming.
We stepped into little hill country shops with antique aprons that made my heart melt, aged bookstores that made me nostalgic for my grandmother’s attic, and cafes that could give Manhattan swanky restaurants a run for their money.
The everyday hustle and bustle has produced a heavier burden lately on my little family than usual. We’ve been swept into the rapid tides life can sometimes bring, losing ourselves in the endless “to dos”, the tiresome obligations, and the relentless all-powerful dollar. We needed to remember, to remember how beautiful of a life we are living, to remember how blessed we are, and to remember how strong the love that flows so seamlessly between us truly is.
We found the truth in that love this weekend as we woke slowly with nowhere to be, as we gazed in amazement as a herd of twenty-five elk leaped across our vehicles, and as we watched little hands catch crickets with surprise. We found the truth in that love as Anthony and I stole kisses beside a glowing fire, cuddled a sleeping beauty in a cozy sleeping bag, and snuggled in oversized sweatshirts and sweatpants.
It was a beautiful weekend, one I miss already, but that I hope to bring into this week. I may not be surrounded now that we are home with autumn leaves or rolling hills that expand as far as the eye can see, but I have a precious girl and an incredible man who are just as inspirational to remind me to slow down and enjoy a bit more.
We joke that one of these boys just may steal my little girl’s heart someday. Look at the blue eyes that accompany these blonde cuties!
Dear Sophie girl,
I don’t know what exactly I want to say to you other than I’ve been thinking a lot recently about who you are going to be and what role I want to play in that. Recently I’ve realized that so many of my hopes and dreams are still unclear, still intangible, still so far away, and I think back to what I could have been doing, what I should have been doing, to make my dreams a reality so long ago. I always took the safe route, Sophie girl, the one that ensured me success with little effort or pain or humility, and while I can’t complain about what reality so graciously welcomed me and our little family, I can’t help but fear a little that the things in the far away places of my mind that fill my night wanderings will never be achieved.
It’s a common theme, I’m sure you will notice someday, that I struggle with what is practical and what keeps my heart longing. It’s a struggle you too will face someday undoubtedly, and I think that’s where I want to step in.
So today I am here to say, Sophie, that I want you to know that it’s ok to fail. I know that sounds absurd and quite possibly like the worst motherly advice I could give you, but looking back on the mistakes I made, it’s so obvious to me now that I allowed my true passions, the things that excited me and gave me life, to fade for the things that seemed like they should matter. I abandoned the half written novel because there was a science project that required my attention. I neglected the short stories in that spiral notebook under the mattress because college application essays weren’t going to write themselves. I continue to stare blankly at the computer screen when I go to write because the endless “to-do” list that floods my mind creates permanent writer’s block.
I don’t want the same for you, my sweet girl. I want you to be unafraid to run after your dreams with complete conviction and abandonment. It’s ok to occasionally fail the math test because you were up all night strumming the cords on your guitar strings (Yes, I just gave you a few free passes on bad test grades). It’s ok to miss a deadline or two because the only thing that requires your undivided attention at the time is perfecting a graceful pirouette. It’s ok to major in something that everyone will consider a waste of money or an unstable job market, and, sweet Sophie, please know that it’s ok to try for something and to not make-it the first time or the second time or even the thirty-second time.
Your daddy will be such a role-model for you with this: pushing through obstacles to make his dreams a reality, even when it seems like it won’t work or it isn’t practical. I want this for you my darling girl. Just like the quote that inspired this blog title, the quote that I’ve worn as an anthem my entire life, but have yet to truly embrace, remember that “twenty years from now you”ll be more disappointed in the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
I love you, little monkey, and I am cheering for you, for whatever dreams you have and whatever ambitions you choose to chase.
Love,
Momma
From the time Sophie Anne was born, we have toted her all over God’s creation. From trips shopping with my girlfriends to game nights and drinks with couples, Sophie was present. We found ways to weave her schedule into ours, experiencing life with her, rather than solely in her absence. She’s taken road trips ranging from four hours to our trek to D.C., which required sixteen hours of car restrictions.
And as a proud momma I can honestly toot that our girl is a breeze to incorporate. She’s enjoyed kid-friendly travels to the zoo and solely adult restaurants alike with little difference in her behavior. She plays independently or flashes her contagious smile to draw everyone into her flirtatious games of giggles and tricks.
This week required my girl to exemplify her incredible flexibility in greater bounds. It began last weekend when we took her on her first camping trip. I worried a bit as we packed the upgraded 4 man tent into the back of the Jeep, fearing the environment would be too anti-baby for even our girl. After all, the ground isn’t ideal for crawling or sanitation. But Sophie quickly proved otherwise. She happily giggled as she sat in the dirt, legs spread out in front of her, digging her fingernails in the ground. She sat on our laps at night, watching the fire with the same awe and amazement that Anthony and I have. She would pat hands with the other children on the trip, draw them into her mesmerizing trance, and give them big, wet kisses. She was wonderful, and Anthony and I were convinced that taking Sophie on her first camping trip was much easier than even taking Sky on hers.
Then on Monday we made the trip four hours to my brother and sister-in-law as they welcomed their precious Kaylin almost a month early. Endless hours of waiting room entertainment would prove daunting for most parents, but again my Sophie rose to the occasion, content to sit on our laps jabbering and playing patty cake or pushing the blocks around on the floor.
Sweet baby Kaylin at just over 4 pounds
My girl knows how to travel
My mom remarked to us at one point, “Sophie is so good at adapting to new environments. Your dad and I think it’s because you and Anthony go and do.” I had to stop and smile as I thought to myself, It might actually be working.
Anthony and I vowed from the very beginning to not be the stereotype: the youngsters who had kids and let them end their time of fun and excitement. It’s true that barhopping days are largely behind us, but we never cared much for that anyway. We continue to do the things we love with our favorite little girl. Does it get any better than that? Camping, eating out, visiting with friends with the added goodness of a gapped tooth 11 month old who brightens every room and quickly focuses my priorities and attention? I think not.
There’s so much through the years that we will screw up in this whole parenting thing, but so far, dragging my girl along for the ride has proven to be one of the best decisions we have made yet…close to choosing breastfeeding and co-sleeping. Two other posts for two later times.
I became an aunt yesterday, and Sophie has her first cousin! Kaylin Michelle was born 9/26 at around 3 pm. This tiny angel weighed in at only 4 lbs and 10 oz, but she’s being tough! So blessed to have another sweet girl join our family, and it doesn’t do good things to my baby itch.
With a special little girl’s big birthday just a month away, I’ve given a lot of thought to just how we were going to celebrate. I knew that my simple family would want nothing more than close family and friends to attend, surrounding our sweet girl on her day with the same love and excitement that welcomed her almost a year ago.
Anthony did up the invitations that should be printed and mailed by the end of the week. I’m not sure what the copyrights are on the pictures on my desktop, so I won’t show the ideas in my head, but think harvest festival meets picnic meets drive-in movie. Here’s a link to some of the inspiration for what I hope to be a very quaint, very sweet backyard picnic and movie first birthday party for our girl:
http://www.countryliving.com/outdoor/decorating/weekend-house-parties-0806
