i have shared before that my babies were rotten. i’ll say it; i’m not afraid. jaren would agree with me. we just birth really tough infants; however, they grow into really sweet and mild-mannered (for the most part) children, so i guess, it makes the first six months worth it. there is a thick fog that hangs over their first months of life, mostly because we are so sleep deprived and weary from all the crying that it is hard to remember much of that time, let alone enjoy it. just because they cried mercilessly doesn’t mean we didn’t marvel at the miracle of their little-ness and the joy they brought to our home. when i am with other new babies i do the same, and i am reminded of the blessing and gift new life is: silent or spirited. i am also so intrigued by what is happening inside their little bodies, and how they have the things big people have only, well, little-r.
did you know: babies are born with poor vision, but recognize their mothers right away? there is something to be said about that, not sure what it is, but something should be said. anyone want to say anything? 😉
probably my favorite image of a mother and her new baby:
did you know: babies are always born with blue eyes, within a few minutes of delivery their eye color can change.
did you know: according to research at the university of texas babies like pretty faces better than plain ones. (how did they come up with the data on that one? who knows, but it’s interesting right? and how does a baby know to distinguish beauty, and if it responds immediately to its mother then wouldn’t she automatically be beautiful to the babe? i’m just saying…)
amy, shane, and reese, your baby cries a lot. what does that say about your faces? what does that say about my face and jaren’s face? maybe that’s why our kids cried for six months. 😉 (hahahaha! you know i am kidding!! i think you are all so gorgeous i left feeling like it wasn’t fair…)
she isn’t crying because she lacks love, warmth, food, care, fine accessories or beautiful faces to look at. she cries because she just has a lot to say. that’s all. someday you will love all her chatter.
my new favorite little girl/big sister image:
did you know: babies respond well to touch – which stimulates the production of growth-promoting hormones and helps the body become more responsive to these hormones. in one survey it was shown that premature babies who were touched regularly showed 47% more weight gain.
good to know. 😉
a daddy in love with his new daughter:
did you know: babies sometimes need background noise to help them get to sleep (the womb is not the quietest place in the world). some sounds that are known to relax and soothe babies include: a recording of their mother’s heartbeat, the sound of a clock ticking, a recording of a stream, waterfall or sea, a vacuum cleaner, air bubbling through a fish tank, running water from a tap.
larkin fell asleep instantly to the vacuum. we have burn marks on our carpet from letting it run so long. (nothing caught on fire, it just got, well, warmish.) she still sleeps now with a noise maker; we never leave home without it.
big sis might make a little extra back-ground noise. 😉
did you know: newborn babies spend between 15 and 20 hours a day sleeping – in bouts of sleep lasting 20 minutes to five hours.
too bad those hours couldn’t be tacked together in a really long spurt at night, right? interestingly enough ruby didn’t sleep much during our shoot. too much to see and be a part of:
did you know: contrary to the old wives’ tale, babies are not color blind. they prefer strong primary colours – particularly red and blue.
christmas was a great time to come to this world if red is a preferred color.
i don’t think you need a statistic or any research to know this baby is so loved and was welcomed with much joy and anticipation.
amy and shane craved a new baby, and the craving was finally met. now i think they crave sleep, and quiet. 😉
she has a big spirit in an itty bitty body, and did you know, that’s wonderful.
amy, shane, reese, and ruby, thank you for reminding me that babies are cool. i loved our time together. when can we hang again?
happy new year! may you enjoy the year’s moments with this new babe, and her rockin’ sister.
much love, kamee