Easter Weekend

We went back to New York for Easter. We haven't been back since Thanksgiving. It was a long overdue trip and a much welcomed distraction from the monotony of life around here.

Noella did surprisingly well in the car for 4 hours both ways though she didn't sleep much on the way out.

Wide awake and staring at all the trees as we drove

Micah and Becky were nice enough to let us stay with them over the weekend. The last time we had slept on their pull out couch was our wedding night. It seems like ages ago. It was nice to be home again.


I was super sneaky and took a few family shots on our way to their friend Kerri's house for an Easter Egg hunt.

Corlin was pretty awesome at finding all the eggs.

Caden was pretty pro too.

The fruits of their labors

We visited Jason's dad on Saturday and Noella slept on him for 2 whole hours. She hasn't done that with anyone but Jason or I. It was amazing. She really loved him. It was like she already knew who he was and that she needed to be there to keep an eye on him. It really confirmed to me that she met her Grandma Noella before she came down from Heaven.

Proud Grandpa Chauvin and a rather starving Noella

Sunday afternoon we spent with the rest of Jason's family at his sister Julie's house. The food was amazing. So so good and as usual, there was plenty to be had and lots of desserts. Aunt Julie was just smitten with Noella. It was so nice to see Jason's family again and what a change there has been in their relationship with him in a short year. It was last Easter that i met his family for the first time. We were just engaged then. It's amazing how quickly a year passes and how much can change over the course of a year!

Rather smitten Aunt Julie

a very much in love Uncle Jimmy

We also took some newborn portraits for Noella on Sunday thanks to the amazing talents of Becky. I'll post some when i get them back. I am really excited about them. We took some gorgeous shots. And yes, i did the traditional naked shot on the bear skin rug. Except it wasn't a bear skin it was a sheep skin. And she peed on it. and then on me. It was... an eventful shoot for sure.

Here's a sneak peek

I really missed it out there. I missed the landscape and the lake and the atmosphere of being in NY. It's a lovely part of the country and it will always hold a special place in my heart for obvious reasons (like Jason... and the Trudells).

I especially missed the ferries

And the beautiful houses on the lake

I'm glad to be back home and back in our routine though. It was kind of hard on Noella to get used to all the new noise and smells and faces and she didn't always nap when she ought to have. Surprisingly enough though, on Monday, she was right back to her old schedule without a hitch. She took the trip really well. I'm very proud of my little girl and can't believe she's almost 6 weeks already. It doesn't seem like that long ago she was barely born and all slimy and warm on my chest. Time sure does fly when you have a little one.

Just a little update

Jason was nice enough to take a few pictures of Noella and I on Saturday morning because i had realized that we hadn't had any pictures of just the two of us since she was just born.

This one is my favorite.

Jason finally got our taxes done and submitted on time which is awesome. It was something we kept planning to get done but something always came up. It's just a big relief it's done for this year.

We just had to put two new tires on our car which was quite the stretch for our increasingly shrinking budget but it's one less worry for us at the moment. We still have yet to get Jason's car running but it's on our list of things to save for.

I'm trying to get back to work so we can finally start to build rather than deplete our savings. The hard part is going to be getting on the 7-11pm shift so we don't have to worry about a sitter for Noella. Well, maybe not getting onto that shift, it's going to be surviving that shift after taking care of a baby all day. We will have to just wait and see what the next few weeks bring and whether or not a position pops up for me.

Noella had her first doctor's appointment. She's in the 99th percentile for height and the 83rd for weight. The pediatrician was impressed by her strength and ability to not only lift but support her own head for so long at only 3 weeks old. She is a super smarty too. She tracks Jason or I with her eyes when we walk past her and already tries reaching for objects dangled above her head. It's an amazing process to watch this tiny helpless little girl grow and learn and it's something new every day. I can't wait to see what she learns to do next.

Sleeping through

The Bambino slept through the night last night.
All the way through.
7 straight hours.
It was so nice. :)

I have to admit though, i woke up in a panic at 4AM when i realized what time it was and i hadn't heard a peep from her yet. She had a hard time going to bed last night so she didn't go down until almost 9:30 which is an hour and a half later than usual. I was worried that maybe she had woken up and i hadn't heard her because we have a fan in our room now but then it occurred to me that even though we have that extra noise, you still can't sleep through a mouse farting in our apartment because this building is so still and quiet at night.

This is her excited face.

She's also a huge fan of her exercise mat. Her vision is developed enough now to recognize that there are objects above her and she's working on the coordination to bat at them. She also likes to watch herself in the mirror thing that hangs at the top of her mat. I am perpetually amazed at her development and growth. She's only 3 weeks and is just starting to fill out her newborn size clothes and it won't be long before she's going to out grow them. I can't believe it's only been three weeks.


She's only a peanut but she is the center of this man's universe. It's baffling sometimes how much you can love something so small. I still can't believe i made her. 9 months of mood swings, sciatica, and morning sickness, 20 hours of labor and 45 minutes of pushing produced the most perfect little girl i've ever met and it was so worth it. I couldn't have picked a better baby and i am so excited i get to watch her grow up.

Super wieney

That's me.
I'm a super wieney.
I can't bear being away from my husband for more than 12 hours.
Less than 12.
I almost had a heart attack yesterday because he was an hour late getting home. I knew he had to stop at my parents house to pick up our laundry. (Thank you Madam!) And i also knew he couldn't get out of there without at least 15 minutes of "shootin the breeze" with my uncles. And yet somehow, i was worried he was laying in a ditch somewhere.

This morning, much like every morning, my heart ached when it came time to kiss us goodbye. I missed him already and he wasn't even out the door yet. I just love him so. He's my very best friend in the whole world. (Apologies to a certain blonde and brunette but it's the truth) No one makes me laugh as hard as he does and no one i've ever met understands my brand of crazy quite like he does. Even in my postpartum mood swings (which have begun to settle thank heavens!), he was right there to make sure i was okay even if it meant Noella was going to fuss for a minute.

He goes to work everyday to a job he isn't the most confident in doing and still manages to get up with me for every midnight feeding and early morning diaper change. This man is amazing. I'm so lucky to have him. He loves us unconditionally even when i'm being a brat.

I love the fact that even though we struggle financially and have differing points of view on most subjects, our fights have never turned into shouting matches and have never lasted longer than a few hours of tense silence until one of us cracks and we are sent into a mushy puddle of love again. There may be a few cynics out there who might think it's just because we are still "newlywed" but i'd like to think it's because we picked the right one. We balance each other and that's what a good marriage should be. Balanced.

And if it makes me a wieney to admit this man makes me weak in the knees, than i'm a super weiney and proud to admit it.

Two Weeks

Noella is two weeks old.
She is holding up her head. We found her belly button. She has her first doctor's appointment on Wednesday. I can't wait to see how big she has gotten compared to birth. She's eating well and a super happy little girl.

See!? It's an Ellie Bellybutton!

She loves her Daddy talking to her. Mister is so so sweet with her. It brings tears to my eyes to see them together. He waited so long for her and thought at one point he wasn't ever going to be married or have children and here we are. Starting our own family. In a little apartment with bills to pay and cupboards to fill and a Bambino to love. We are all grown up and man is it amazing and overwhelming all at once.

I will be 22 tomorrow. I think this is the first birthday i can 100% honestly say that i have everything i've ever wanted. I have a wonderful husband who is so so loving and sweet. A brand new perfect baby girl. A home to take care of. And an excellent camera to document our little life with. I can even fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans after only 2 weeks! Life is pretty dang good right now. No. Not good. Perfect. For now.