Being a Mom: The Best Job in the World

I've spent the last few posts talking about the blessings, but also complaining a little about the difficulties after having Lilly. For this post, however, I want to address a few of the precious joys of being a mom to my daughter.

1. Those morning stretches after she gets out of bed are so funny to watch, always starting my morning off with a smile.

2. Even if I don't always like it, Lilly loves breastfeeding so much that she starts smiling and flailing her legs and arms all around just in anticipation of getting some milk. 

3. We have dance parties at least once a day in which we turn up the Disney music and proceed to dance around the apartment while singing along.

Tongue Out!

4. Curious George is our favorite TV show, and sometimes Lilly even stays awake for a whole episode ;)

5. Every time she takes a nap or goes to sleep for the night we put on Pandora and let Lilly fall asleep to one of three stations: LDS Hymns, Steven Sharp Nelson, or John Schmidt. She tends to be in a happier mood and fall asleep easier while listening to their music.

6. Her little hiccups are the cutest darn things you've ever heard!

7. She makes the funniest little faces, my favorite being her "squished" face where she pulls her face into her neck and lets her little chin rolls come out. 

She LOVES that Baby Carrier

8. She's reached the stage that she will copy the faces and try to copy the sounds that you make. Her favorite is anything that requires sticking out her tongue.

9. If all else fails, put her in the baby carrier. She loves looking around for a few minutes until she falls asleep all squished up into your chest.

Practicing for the Teenage Eye-Rolling

10. When she starts to fall asleep, her eyes begin to roll into the back of her head while her eyes are still open. It is totally hilarious and adorable all at the same time.

11. Bows, flowers, and hats are so much fun to accessorize with. Little girls are so much fun to dress up!

12. I love it when she falls asleep while laying her head on my shoulder. Every time that happens, all I can do is let out a sigh and reflect on how everything that happens in one day is so worth it for just that one moment.

I love being a mom because it has really helped me realize just how much my mom and dad must have loved me when I was little and how they continue to love me just as I love my my little girl. This truly is the best job in the world. Nothing cold ever persuade me to choose a better profession than Mom.

Lots and Lots of Smiles

After those first few weeks of total chaos and less than the desired amounts of sleep, the smiles that come in later weeks make it all worth it.

Our little bean is now six weeks old. Six weeks!! I know that doesn't seem very old, but to us the time is just flying by. I'm not going to lie, those first few weeks were really rough. I was running on fumes and I'm sure Kaleb was doing the same but paired with going to school and work on top of it. 

All Smiles with Grandma Persson and Aunt Sarah

Now, it's six weeks later and we are getting the hang of things. Sure, we still don't get incredible amounts of sleep (that 3am feeding is really killer!) and we still struggle to soothe her cries sometimes, but when she wakes up in the morning and gives us that big grin we know that every tear, diaper, and waterfall of puke is all worth it.

We had the special opportunity to experience lots of things in the past few weeks. 

1. My parents and younger siblings were able to fly in, giving Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jared their first look at Lilly. They loved every minute and even helped babysit overnight!

2. Kaleb and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary and enjoyed our time at the Cheesecake Factory, watching the movie Pan (which was very good), and spending the evening at Anniversary Inn, especially enjoying the lack of a 3am feeding :)

Lilly with Uncle Josh

3. Kaleb's parents drove down for the weekend, giving Grandma Kjar her first moments with Lilly, grandchild #4. Watching her hold Lilly and just pour out her love was priceless.

4. Lilly was blessed at church on Sunday and was given a very special blessing by her daddy. We recorded and typed it up for her so she can look back on it when she's older. 

We are so blessed to have this little girl... Exhausted... But blessed :)