comparison & encouragement

since becoming a mama, i have read a few blog posts about the struggles of being a new mom. there are so many great blogs that highlight the pressures and struggles new moms face- especially regarding comparison. it's no secret that women struggle with comparison, and i love reading about women who put forth effort to not compare themselves with others. they always say that the first step in overcoming sin is recognizing it. us new mamas already have enough on our plate, why add worrying about how soon your baby is walking, how fast you are loosing the baby weight, or how clean your house is. and yet most of us fall prey to comparing ourselves daily with each other.

yesterday i took my weekly trip to get groceries and was shuffling around the store trying to get everything on my list while making sure ruby kay was content. a sweet lady working at the store interrupted me to tell me the two kindest things you can tell a new mom. first, she told me that ruby kay was an adorable baby, and the she told me that i didn't look like i just had a baby. for the rest of my trip i couldn't get our interaction off my mind. in the midst of her busy day, she took 10 seconds to encourage an overwhelmed stranger. how hard is that? her random act of encouragement was the highlight of my day and caused me to think about how i want to spend more time encouraging and less time comparing myself to others.

yes, i can't fit into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. yes, i sometimes forget to shower some days. yes, my baby is almost three months old and still not on a consistent schedule. but rather than focusing on how i am "failing", i should think: did i spend time in the word today? did i spend time loving my husband and daughter today? did i find ways to encourage others today?

i have always loved the quote by theodore roosevelt, "comparison is the thief of joy". it is such a good reminder to not waste time comparing. here's to encouraging over comparing!

gold foil print found {here}.

2 months with ruby kay

to our sweet ruby kay,

can you really be two full months old? so much has changed in the two short months with you as our daughter. at first, our lives felt so chaotic and disorganized: from the lack of sleep, both of us learning how to breastfeed, allowing my body to heal from surgery, and overall adjusting to life as a family of three. we have created our 'new normal' with you, and wouldn't trade it for the world. your addition has been such a compliment to our family, and your daddy even said yesterday that we should have started having babies earlier. watch out for siblings! :)

at your two month checkup, you weighed a healthy 11pds 2oz, and were 22 inches long. your doctor told us that you are a healthy baby, and answered all of our questions with affirmation that everything is going perfectly. we have so much to be thankful for! 

this past month we went on a few out of town trips that have proved you are a great traveler. that must be your mama in you! our destinations included the lake of the ozarks, branson, mimi & papa's house, and eureka springs. luckily, you are a great sleeper in your car seat too making the car rides so enjoyable and stress free.

some sweet things to remember from our second month with you are:

-your cheeks & how they seem to grow each day 

-your sweet, long eyelashes

-how you still love your paci, and suck on it even when you are in a deep sleep

-your deep blue eyes that we can't get enough of

-how you smile & coo at us whenever we talk to you, you just light up whenever we engage with you

-your clenched fists that relax a few minutes into nursing

-how you have slept through the night a few times this past month giving your mama such good sleep

-how you are love contrasting colors- your mobile, the allens bookshelf, razorback parties where everyone wears red 

-how you love to kick & squirm, especially when watching your mobile

-how well you sleep on your tummy (supervised naps only)

-and lastly, how i was able to hold you while watching your sweet niece enter the world- such a sweet memory!

cutie patootie!

we can't get enough of your big blue eyes! (photo credit: my mom)

rubes, we sure love you. thank you for being such a great baby. we love you so much and yet our love grows more and more each day.

{1 month with Ruby Kay}

goodbye to nina

today is a sad day. today my mom left for thailand after being in america for the summer. goodbyes are normal for our family, but never get easy. we have been blessed to see our parents often on their visits back to america, but life still isn't the same when your parent's permanent residence is halfway around the world. 

for the month of august, my mom was here in northwest arkansas awaiting the birth of my sisters baby, and then stayed to help them adjust to life with their sweet ellanora. since my sister and i live in the same apartment complex, and in the same building as us, ruby kay's nina was still very close by. even though she has been here for my sister, i still got to enjoy my mama since we live so close. 

i wrote my mom a thank you note for all her help with becoming a mama myself, and found myself in tears when i thanked her for becoming my friend. it is such a sweet transition becoming a mama, because i think that is when your mom becomes more of a friend and encourager than a mom. i will forever treasure the week i went overdue with ruby kay, because it was such a great time with my mom. we had fun outings everyday alongwith long walks and overall great conversation. 

mom, i love you so much and am so thankful for you. you are such a sweet nina to ruby kay, and we already miss you like crazy. thank you for being so great and for spending so much time with us.

thoughts on being a mama

we just got home from ruby kay's two month doctor checkup. it was such a good checkup and we left so encouraged that ruby kay is a happy, healthy baby. we have so much to be thankful for. while we were waiting for the nurse to give ruby kay shots, ben and i were looking through all the instagrams i have taken of ruby kay. even though she is still a tiny baby, i can see her growing so much. it makes my mama heart so happy to be with her through all of these changes. even though is sounds cheesy, i really feel like this is what God created me to do. to be a mama. even with all of the challenges of being a mama and selflessly caring for this little girl, i wouldn't trade her for the world. 

i asked my mom to take a few pictures of me with ruby kay to remember what we looked like together at this phase. when i am at home all day long i typically don't dress up, so we took these after an outing a few weeks ago. my current wardrobe is typically running shorts, a tank top, and a messy bun. why get all ready when my hair will either be pulled out by baby fingers or pasted in spit up? :)

it's also fun to remember where we brought ruby kay home--- to our sweet, little apartment #7. i love our sweet humble life, and can't wait to look back on this season of life with fondness at our simplicity. 

ruby kay, i sure love being your mama. you are such a joy to be around, and my love for you grows more an more each day. thanks for letting me love you!

ruby kay & the arkansas razorbacks!

this past saturday we took ruby kay to her first razorback tailgate! it was sunny and hot, but we still enjoyed our quick visit. our secret to success with bringing a newborn tailgating were: parking at a friends house who lived close to the game, sonic drinks, bringing ruby kay's nina, only carrying a light diaper bag, and staying for only a bit over an hour. ruby kay's daddy sure loves football, so the best part was enjoying it alongside him.

family picture!

proud daddy with his girl

this little lady was such a trooper during our little visit. ben actually went to the game, and we went home and enjoyed nap in the nice, cold air conditioning. as the weather cools off, we may actually stay for a game! and just as a side note, does anyone notice a sweet little girl getting chubbier? i think we'll keep her! 

life with our sweet girl

time sure seems to be flying since ruby kay joined our world. flying in a good way. each day she grows more and more alert and interactive with us, and we are just loving it.

a good friend once described the first few months of parenting as a challenge because of the one-sided relationship you have with your new baby. your world revolves around their every need- nursing, burping, diaper changing, spit-up cleaning, bathing, dressing, bouncing, holding, soothing, kissing, and overall loving of your little one. in reply, you receive poopy diapers, spit-up stained clothes (theirs and yours), sleepless nights, and cries upon cries. basically, it's a one sided relationship. but, it's not all bad--- the older they grow the more they love you back. starting the beginning of ruby kay being a month old, she started intentionally smiling at us. and now that she is almost two months, the smiles come overflowing from her. it's such a joy to start to receive her love, even in the small form of smiles and baby-coo's. 

a peek into the nursery

since we are currently living in an apartment, ruby kay's nursery is shared with our guest bedroom. there are many pros to living in a small space- keeping all our baby supplies in one place (pacifiers, changing station, hair bows, etc), being able to hear her cry when i am in another room, and living like a minimalist. 

we had such a fun time putting ruby kay's room together before she came and tried to keep everything gender neutral. people often would ask what our nursery "theme" was- and my only answer was navy, yellow, gray, and red. i think ruby kay fits so well into her nursery now that she is here. some of my favorite parts of her nursery are:

-the pom pom cluster made by my baby shower hostesses originally for the shower, now on display for ruby kay to admire from her crib

-the books on the shelf from my work's "book shower" they threw for me. it was hard to choose from all the great books ruby kay has!

-the homemade quilt i made for "baby seiler" before i knew that she was ruby kay

-my diy elephant mobile

-the sweet print gifted to us right after ruby kay was born with all her birth details

and now to show the star of our show: miss ruby kay, herself! i love how tiny she looks in her big bed. she is such a sweet girl, and i'm so proud to be her mama.

1 month with Ruby Kay

to our sweet ruby kay,

you are officially one month old and have changed our lives. both your daddy & i can't imagine life without you. you are the sweetest baby, and have made our transition into parenthood so easy. you are such a good baby- sleeping 6+ hours through the night (the record has been 9pm-5am), rarely cry, and are almost always happy and content. our love for you grows deeper each day- so much that we can't imagine loving you more. one of the first nights with you was pretty sleepless due to many feedings, but i woke up with a stronger love for you because of sacrificing my sleep for you. it is so humbling to realize how dependent you are on me for food, warmth, and love. i am so thankful that God chose me to be your mama.

already over this short month, you have grown so much. especially in the last week you seem to be changing before our eyes. your growing is bittersweet- i love how interactive with us you are, but don't want you to grow up so fast. everyone says that their kids grow up too fast, so i'm trying to savor each moment i get to spend with you.

some sweet things to remember from our first month with you are:
-how you love to be swaddled, especially at night and how well you sleep when swaddled tight
-how well you sleep when you are close to mama's chest, and how you fall into a deep sleep every time you are in the beco carrier
-how you wiggle your arms and legs as soon as you are free from your swaddle
-your sleepy hints are when your eyes cross, then you smile and then you slowly drift off
-how you hold your head up while i burp you after nursing and our cheeks touch
-how often you have the hiccups and how much your tiny body shakes from them
-how much you love your pacifier
-how you fall asleep every time we put you in your carseat, and almost always stay asleep during our outings
-how well your eyes focus on us when we talk to you
-how you are beginning to smile when we speak to you

your daddy and i love you so much, ruby kay!

 

ruby kay visits the farmers market

family of three!

this past saturday we braved the farmers market with some good friends of ours. my recovery from my c-section has gone really well, and have been ready to show ruby kay our favorite things to do in fayetteville. the weather here has been really hot lately, so we attempted to go early in the morning to avoid the heat. our kind friends greeted us with breakfast from ricks (my favorite!). we enjoyed an easy going morning at the farmers market just walking around and catching up with our friends.

each day gets better with our sweet ruby kay. she is such an easy baby, and we just love her. i already feel sentimental about her growing up, and find myself just staring at her and all of her expressions. i get so excited for her to get bigger and more interactive with us, but then i don't ever want her to grow up and want her to stay teeny tiny forever (she is still in newborn clothes, and her 0-3 month onesies are so baggy on her)! we have so much to look forward to- but also so much to enjoy now!

life with ruby kay

ruby kay is now ten days old. i can hardly believe that we have been parents for ten days! we have enjoyed life with our little one so much. it was so great to have our families here for her birth, and for a few days after. both of our mom's were so giving and servant-hearted. it was so nice to come home and have everything in our house taken care of- all i had to worry about was sweet RK. the past two days i have been on my own with her, and enjoying settling into "normal" life. 

ruby kay is such a sweet baby. she has been sleeping so well (typically only one night feeding), and each day its gets easier being a mama. she loves her pacifier, and nurses well (and often!). she rarely cries and only gets fussy ever so often. even in these short ten days, we already feel like she is changing so much! if you haven't noticed, ruby kay has captured our hearts.

our little GIRL is here!

on july 9th, benjamin and i welcomed a beautiful girl into our family, and named her Ruby Kay. our little one's name was chosen after ben's great grandmother ruby, and both of our moms: judy kay and susan kay. she arrived via emergency c-section, and weighed 8 lbs and 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. 

we are head over heals for our ruby kay, and have spent the past 4 days cuddling and getting to know our sweet girl. both sets of grandparents have been here to visit too, and we have been blown away by the support and encouragement of our friends and family.

rodeo of the ozarks

my dad arrived this past saturday, and we decided to welcome him to arkansas with a trip to the rodeo! ben and i went last year with friends, so it was fun to see it all again. saturday was the final night of the rodeo, so we were able to see the best of the best. 

 the boys tried a fried snickers, which looked awful- but tasted not too bad.

my feet got so swollen (and dirty), and have been swollen ever since! im ready for this baby just to be able to have my feet back!

our emcee really hammed up the american pride since it was the day after the fourth. they played the Superbowl commercial "god made a farmer" and then brought out these cute kids and eventually this soldier. i may be hormonal, but will admit i shed a few tears. he said that this is what america is- kids who are our future and soldiers who defend our country.

it has been so fun to add my dad to the mix. he gets along so well with ben, and their interests are pretty identical. it's so great to never have to worry about ben getting along well with my family- sometimes i wonder if he likes them more than i do- just kidding!

if you haven't ever been to the rodeo, you are missing out. good, wholesome fun can't be beat. hope to see you next year, rodeo of the ozarks!