Mommy's Model

Can't get enough pictures :) That's all.

P.S. For those who asked- my birth photos were taken by my sister! I set the camera settings, showed her a few buttons to press, and she did a great job!

Harper is 3 weeks

Harper is 3 weeks old, already!

Life has been good. Taking everything day by day with adjusting to two children. I'm lucky to have hubby at home for a few more days still. However, he returns Monday :/ I think what worries me most is staying on track with eating right and having time to take care of myself! The biggest reason for that is to provide the good stuff to Harper! I know it will get hectic at times...often.

Speaking of nursing. We are doing great. With Addison I struggled every single minute of every single day the first three weeks. I didn't have enough supply, so I supplemented which ended up backfiring even more. Also, her latch wasn't strong. We stopped all together by 4 weeks. I was devastated and felt like a failure. Addison was never a good sleeper either. I was lucky if she solidly slept an hour day or night- and that is no stretch of exaggeration. It took her until 19 months to sleep through the night. Lucky thing she is cute, huh? :) The exhaustion physically and emotionally terrified me about ever having a second child.

I prayed that Harper would go easier on me. From the first latch at the hospital she has been amazing. She will nurse 8-10 minutes each side and sleep for 2-3 hours. It seems like the last week or two she's been wanting more at one point during the day. So it requires extra nursing for a few hours. But still, I can't complain. She's growing super well and sleeps for 'periods' of time. She is very tummy sensitive. A good burp is a must, or it's spit up/hiccups/crying. And she hates being on her back 90% of the time. She has to sleep at a good incline. We co-sleep half the night. The other half (usually the first part of the night) she is in the rock and play. I'd like her to be in the rock and play all night soon. At two weeks she was up to 6lbs 13oz and 19.75 inches. However, I would not be surprised if she put on a whole pound this week, she is surely filling out!

And here she is on her 3 week birthday...
Let me just say she's a tough client!! I'm lucky to get any shots of this little turkey.

Harpers Newborn Photos

A few of the newborn photos I have managed to get during the first two weeks! 

Harper's Birth Story

It was a last minute decision to schedule an induction. I went my whole pregnancy thinking I'd let her come on her own. My water broke with Addison 5 days early, so I figured I wouldn't make it to my due date anyway. By my 38.5 week check up I was nearly 3cm. At that appointment (on a Tuesday) we scheduled an induction date for that Friday, for multiple reasons. But let's skip forward...

Friday morning 5am I wake up to see snow covering the grounds, I had no idea it was going to actually snow. We were expecting rain. I opened the front door, an began silently panicking if we'd be able to make the drive. We decided that it should be okay being it had stopped snowing hours prior. The high winds were blowing the snow across the roads, visibility very low at times. A couple slick spots, but the plow trucks had been over the main roads. Most definitely a blustery snowy morning we will always remember. 

We get to the hospital at 6am. Paperwork, IV (nearly fainted), blood work, more paperwork, etc.

Doctor comes in and breaks my water at 7:38am. At that time I was still 'nearly 3cm'.

I almost immediately began contractions on my own. About 8:30 they started pitocin. Contractions grew intense and consistent. By 9:30 I wanted an epidural! 

The nurse checked at that time and I was still at 3. I felt like it was going to be a long labor at this point and no progress. I finally got the epi around 10am. My doctor came at 11am and said I was 5cm and it should go quicker from here! Around 12pm I felt like the contractions were harder and maybe? I was feeling pressure. I was checked by the nurse and she said she believed I was fully ready!

I began pushing at 12:15. The room was calm and relaxed. The epidural was spot on. 

At 1:00pm she entered the world and was thrown on my chest. I could not believe I had made yet another beautiful being. That moment is so surreal. There's nothing in the world like it. Nothing.  


Our beautiful girl was 6lbs 3oz and 19.5 inches long.
She has a tad bit of brown hair. 

Then there is this moment when baby is all cleaned up and handed over to you to keep, for life. And your husband joins in as you 'ooo' and 'ahh' over the new life you created. That you've patiently waited to meet for nine months. 

And you instantly fall in love.

Addison came to visit that night and the next day. It was the part of the journey I was completely terrified about. I thought about it much more often during my pregnancy than actually giving birth. The possible pain from labor, I was fine with, I knew generally what to expect. I was not fine with the thought of my first baby being upset mommy had a new baby. And that she had to see me and then leave again. To my surprise, she was completely happy and content. What a weight off my shoulders! I have her grandparents and my sister to thank. She loves them so much and was thrilled to hang out with them.

And she loves her new baby!

I could not have asked for a better labor and delivery. I could feel her moving out of me, but no pain like I had with Addison. It was pretty amazing. 19 hours for Addison- 5 hours for Harper... what a difference! I felt great after in comparison. It was also nice to have the rest of the day to eat, recover, and enjoy visitors. She is nursing like a champ so far and sleeping fairly well. So happy, she's a sweet girl!

Welcome our sweet girl, Harper Emilia

Our baby girl came into the world on January 3rd 2014 at one in the afternoon.

She weighed six pounds, three ounces and was nineteen and a half inches long.



We are so in love with our tiny girl. She is perfectly healthy and sweet.
We are adjusting to a family of four, taking it day by day right now!
Addison loves her too.



Birth story to come.