September 11, 2019

Life with a Newborn

Posted in: Story of Us

Photo by Aly Hughes Photography

For years, people have asked Weston and I when we were going to have kids.  We avoided having kids for years because we weren’t ready and I have never been the type of person to fawn over babies.  I wouldn’t say we’re ready now, but I think that we are older and more mature to handle life with a newborn.  God knew the perfect time to make us parents and I wouldn’t change a thing. 

Even though we are sleep deprived, life with a newborn isn’t near as bad as everyone described.  I spend a good bit of my time taking pictures of Camryn, staring at her, and feeding her.  It’s definitely different from pre-baby me that felt like I had to be doing something productive every waking hour of the day.  Here are some of the things I love about our new life:

Newborn snuggles

I had never snuggled a newborn until after Camryn was born.  I was too out of it in the hospital to truly appreciate the skin-to-skin time when she first arrived.  It wasn’t until we got home that I realized how much I love snuggling with this tiny human.  I’m not sure how to describe the feeling, but it definitely surpasses coffee and cookie cake.  I just want to snuggle with her all day long.

Her facial expressions

I have to admit that Weston and I have spent the majority of our time at home staring at Camryn.  We are just in awe of how God created this life and that He chose us to care for her.  I wish we could know what she is thinking when she makes all the different facial expressions.  Her face goes from smiling to disgusted to crying to confused to smiling again in a matter of seconds.  It reminds me of a scene from the Inside Out movie.  We can’t help but laugh at her many expressions!

The way she looks at me

One thing I was not prepared for was the flood of emotions when Camryn and I locked eyes.  She looks at me in awe.  Like I’m the most important person in the world.  I cried the first time she did this at our house.  It was late at night and I had just finished feeding her.  Weston walked in and thought something was wrong.  Through tear-filled eyes, I managed to blurt out, “she looked at me!” 

Watching Weston as a dad

Weston has wanted to be a dad for years, but I wasn’t there yet.  He waited patiently for me to be ready and now his little girl is finally here.  To say he is the best and most attentive newborn dad would be the understatement of the year.  He doesn’t hesitate to cuddle her, change all the diapers, and share the late night feedings when I’ve had time to pump beforehand.  He sings to her, talks to her, and rocks her back to sleep.  One of the most rewarding parts of this experience is watching him pour his heart into our baby girl the same way he has poured his heart into me for the last 11 years.  I love how he loves both of us so well!

Life with a newborn has definitely been challenging and taken some adjusting, but we love it.  The days run together, which is why my blog post is a day late haha.  Forgive me for being absent on social media while I’m being present with my daughter.  I’m soaking up all the time with Camryn that I can because the newborn stage is the shortest stage of her life. 

If you’re a parent, what is/was your favorite part about life with a newborn?

  1. Douglas N. Shelton says:

    I don’t know that I could choose a favorite time in the lives of your kids when you were growing up. There were times that were challenging and there were times that we’re definitely more fun than others, but each stage head it’s own reward. I think my favorite time we just simply be watching you grow up and becoming the people you were meant to be.

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