Pure JOY

Some of our dearest friends, the Guinn's, had their little bundle of "joy" last week. It was fun going through part of my pregnancy with Julee and exciting to have a girlfriend to talk baby stuff with. Trey & Julee welcomed Joy Avery into the world this past Wednesday. We went up to the hospital to see this precious little family and to introduce Ella and Joy (since they are required by their mammas to like each other and be best friends). Joy is absolutely adorable and Julee looked amazing! Here's a couple pics of our visit to meet baby Joy...

So tiny!!!!

Best friends meeting for the first time :)

Ella looks so big next to Joy

Us at the same hospital almost 4 months after Ella's birth

It was funny to see Joy and think how tiny she was, but not be able to remember Ella being that small (even though they were about the same size at birth). It's crazy how fast they grow up and how easily we forget. As I reflected upon my own experience with those first few weeks and life over these last 3 1/2 months, I thought about things I miss about Ella being a newborn, things I'm glad we don't have to deal with anymore, and things that I love about the place she is in now.

Things I miss about Ella being a newborn...

~her being so tiny (even though I can't remember how small she actually was)

~her ability to sleep anywhere at any time

~the smile that came across her face while falling asleep (still happens sometimes)

~just having a newborn baby girl

~the sounds she would make while nursing (they were hilarious and so loud)

~rocking her

~just holding her for hours and watching her

~cuddling with such a tiny baby

~her newborn smell

~the way she fit in the sling; so tiny and curled up

~the sounds she made while sleeping (overwhelming at the time & caused me to miss out on sleep, but I miss them now)

~trying out all the firsts with her (bouncer, swing, stroller, tummy time, sling, etc.)

~how easy it was to swaddle her so snugly and how that soothed her

Things I'm glad we are done with...

~dealing with jaundice

~the constant fear of SIDS or her not breathing at night (this hasn't completely gone away, but has lessened)

~waking up to feed every 2 hours

~the uncontrollable crying and emotional roller coaster I was on (due to hormones or baby blues or whatever caused me to be an emotional wreck for many weeks)

~the sleep deprivation

~the feelings of not knowing what to do as a mother (still feel this at times though)

~the first few weeks of breastfeeding (they were so hard)

~recovery from childbirth

~the consuming worry, fear, & guilt

~meconium

Things I love now about the stage Ella is in...

~cooing & babbling

~smiling

~laughing & giggling

~how observant and alert she is

~experiencing all the new things with her

~reaching and grabbing for things

~cuddling with her (it's different than it was when she was a newborn, but it's still my favorite thing to do)

~rocking her (she fights it now, but I manage to rock her every now and then)

~how she turns to look at me when she hears my voice

~the smile that comes across her face when I come to get her out of bed

~how excited she gets

~her holding her head up on her own

~being able to go places with her

~a more scheduled life (naps, feeding times, bedtime are all somewhat consistent)

~being able to read her more and know what she wants or needs (at least most of the time)

~watching the excitement on her face

~watching her discover new things on her own (so much more of this to come)

~bath time and playtime are so much fun!

~how she starts to "talk" when I sing to her like she's singing along with me

~knowing that each day will bring even more changes in our little girl

~that my milk has been sufficient for her and helped her continue to grow and be strong

~that she doesn't want to lay down; she wants to sit up at all times and be a part of things

It's so fun to watch Ella grow and change and mature and learn new things :) Each day is better than the one before, but all of them have been special and true blessings. I can't get enough of her! I want to hold her and kiss her and love on her all day long!!! Joy is such a perfect word to describe what Ella is in my life.

15 weeks old