Popeye Smiles

I'll never forget this morning, we were just laying in bed and I grabbed my camera. I loved every frame from this roll of black and white film. I love the way he looks at me and smiles at me with his gummy crooked Popeye smile. Being Hurley's mother is the absolute best. 

Gummy grins

 One of the best things about having a baby is getting to experience life again fresh through their eyes. Watching Hurley try food for the first time was absolutely amazing! He had been watching me for months, sitting in my lap while I ate, reaching for the food every time I took bite to my mouth. He was ready. I was waiting for his teeth to start to show (which indicates his digestive system is ready) before I started giving him food. So around the 6 month mark- his first tooth appeared! It didn't appear without some sleepless nights, crying, and fever. My sweet angel. My heart broke watching him struggle. I'll never forget the first time I handed him a red pepper I was eating at dinner that night. He took it and stuck it right into his mouth so confidently. He sucked on it, like he would use his tongue while nursing. I could tell he could taste the red pepper but was confused why it didn't disappear like I had been able to do with my food. As time went on, I fed him avocado, which he made the funniest face when tasting it for the first time. Next I fed him banana and then carrots. 

It's so cute looking at his "one tooth" grin now. It's the first time, I realized he is really growing away from his baby stage fast. I'll miss his gummy baby grins.


Hurley 6 Months: melt in my arms

Contax 645 | Portra 400 

 My love you are 6 months old in these photos. SIX! I love love love every single finger, toe, and roll on your body. This was a big month for "firsts" for you! You started to sit up unassisted,  roll over, and rock on your knees this month. I'll never forget the first time I saw you rocking on your knees in your playpen! I jumped out of my chair and put my video on my phone on you as fast as I could. I have been watching you try to do this for weeks now. At first you couldn't quite engage those knees to get the legs to move you forward, so you used your head and two hands to get around when you needed to. Most of the time, you'd wind up moving backward. So you started rolling to get where you wanted. To get to mom, dad, or to get to a toy you wanted that you saw. 

You also cut your first tooth this month, starting eating foods, and my favorite... you loved to stick out your tongue! You loved reaching for our food for the last few months, but your favorite is when I sing to you at night. We sing "3 little birds" by Bob Marley and you melt in my arms. It's my favorite feeling when you melt in my arms right before you close your eyes to dream for the night. I never want to forget the feeling. I never want you to grow out of fitting in my arms either.  


My heart

Nursery + Family Photos by Erin Jean Photography

Where do I begin? It's been just over 6 months since my life was changed by the birth of our son, Hurley. It almost feels too precious to use the English Language to describe it all. In short, it's truly been as magical as I thought it might be, but more. The only way I can describe motherhood is that I've been transplanted on another planet with an angel who cannot communicate, but whose love is divine. This angel loves me so purely, that typing this brings tears to my eyes. When he looks at me, the world around me fades away. It's glorious. and it's hard. Maybe it's hard because so many days there are so many unknowns? I have learned to reach deep into my soul and to trust my instincts in every decision I make. I have learned to see past the "hard", that these days cannot and should not be quantified as anything but fleeting. I can never have them back. There are days where it feels he grows inches by the day, by the moment. And I hang onto each moment. My soul has never known a love like this. I've never lived, I mean truly truly lived until my arms held him. He's my world and it feels like my heart is crawling around outside of my body.