Blogging is a hobby that I very much enjoy, but since I became a mother, my blog often gets neglected. I still get on here and post a few things every once in awhile, but these days most of my posts are about my kids and are no longer DIY related.
Three weeks ago, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world! And so this afternoon, while my husband has the twins at a birthday party and I am sitting in a unusually quiet house, I thought I'd sit down and attempt to get a blog post up. I was going to share Charlotte Adalynn's birth story on my blog, just as I shared my twin birth story. I still plan on doing that, but for today, I thought I'd get back into the swing of things with an easy post, which is why I'm blogging about Baby Girl's newborn pictures.
Overall, Charlotte has been a really good baby. She sleeps much more than my twins did, on average 20-22 hours a day! This is why I was surprised and a little frustrated (at the situation and nothing else) that she was awake and fussy for the majority of the time we had her pictures scheduled.
Even with a fussy baby ~ and two toddlers who refused to sit still unless you gave them a cookie or put a TV show on for them ~ Kingfish Photography still managed to get some beautiful pictures of our newest addition to the family. Dave has always taken great photos for our family. Be sure to look them up on Facebook if you are local to Indiana.
Here's the thing with newborn pictures. Yes, I want to get them taken within two weeks of birth while the baby is still squishy-cute, teeny-tiny, and extremely sleepy....but boy oh boy do I not look forward to getting any pictures with me and the baby when I am two weeks postpartum!
I remember feeling this way when I had the twins too, and I would say that most moms feel the same way! I mean for heaven's sake, I just birthed a child...or two, depending on which birth I'm referring too.
While some women do pregnancy and postpartum beautifully, I do not! I gained 60 pounds with my twins and 38 pounds with this baby! That does not come off in two weeks time, so pictures are the last thing I want to be in. And this time around, I only lost three pounds from the day I went into the hospital to the day I came home from the hospital! How does that even happen? I birthed a six pound baby and a placenta! I'll tell you how...POSTPARTUM SWELLING! I had it crazy-bad with the twins. My legs looked like tree trunks for weeks. And with this baby, I surprisingly also had quite a bit of postpartum swelling even though I never swelled in this pregnancy.
I say all of that to say that while I hate the way my body looks in pictures with my newborns, simply because I'm still 20-30 pounds away from my pre pregnancy weight at two weeks postpartum, I still TREASURE these pictures with my newborn babies. They are special, and I don't regret getting them taken. In fact, I'd kick myself if I didn't get them taken. Pictures are special to me. They are what triggers my memories, and I want to remember these years of having little ones at my feet and in my arms needing their Mama, because one day, they won't need me anymore. One day they will be grown.
So for now, I treasure the moments and I treasure the pictures, even if I don't love the way I look in them. While I may want to crop out my belly fat here and there, the reality is that this is ME.....this is my NOW....these are the MOMENTS I live for....the SEASON of life I will miss more than anything when it is over. Saggy belly, tired eyes, wide hips, unwashed hair and a temperament that is easily frustrated and hormonal ~ this is my postpartum self, beautiful in its own way. The reality is that I'd rather look like my postpartum self with a baby in my arms, than to have my pre pregnancy body back and never know the gift that is motherhood through child birth. Thank you Jesus for this gift. May I never take it for granted.
All pictures were taken by Kingfish photography and may not be used or copied without permission.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to you,such a beautiful family!