I Hope They Always Love Each Other This Much

Meeting Aunt E

Alternate Title:
Trying to Photograph Two Babies, A Photo Essay in Futility

Honey should have stopped after this photo, but I think she believed she could do better.







Cooper never moved. I’m not sure he even blinked.

We Grow Big Babies

This is Cooper and Lucy together when Lucy is two weeks old. Cooper was born in December, so he is …. almost exactly 6 months old in these photos. To be fair, Cooper started out tiny, but Lucy won’t take long to catch up to him.

Olivia wanted to get in there and lay with the babies – she looks like a giant compared to them! I can’t get over how she went from being my baby to this sassy little girl the second her sister was born.

The Day Before We Became Four

The day before Lucy was born Olivia’s school had a Field Day/End of the Year Party at one of the local parks. I figured (correctly) it would be the last time for a while that I was able to get outside in the heat with her, so I took her. I wasn’t sure how many children there would be and I was a bit nervous about losing track of her or having to run after her, so I got my mom to come with me. Turns out that it was a nice time, no running required, but Honey enjoyed watching O play.

Olivia’s teacher, Dawn, did face painting. I was surprised that she sat so still and let Dawn do it.

Olivia was all about the slides, showing off for Honey.

Sno-cones and Disney tattoos were also part of the fun.

Honey’s office is just down the street from the park, so we walked back there after the party with her to eat our lunch in the cool air. Momma was hot.

And huge. HUUUUGE. I hate publishing these pictures, but I think they might be the only ones I have of my pregnancy since Christmas. Sorry, Lucy, I didn’t enjoy documenting my return to Whale-Like Proportions.

The Scariest Three Days of Our Lives

After three quiet and relatively restful days in the hospital, C and I brought Lucy home and looked forward to spending Memorial Day weekend getting settled into a new routine. Saturday morning Lucy started to develop some gunk in one of her eyes, and my mom suggested that we call in to the pediatrician’s office and ask about it. The nurse who answered our call suggested we take her to the ER because of how young she was – infections can be so dangerous in babies that new – so less than 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital, we were back there again.

After sitting in the ER for a few hours, we saw a doctor. We happened to change a diaper while she was there and Lucy had developed a diaper rash (that we now think was a reaction to the wipes we used). The combination of the eye gunk and the rash made the doctor suspect the worst – a serious infection – and she immediately sent us to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Mobile. We were terrified and exhausted when we finally got admitted and in our room on Saturday night.

Lucy was poked and prodded with needles and finally hooked up to an IV – she was dehydrated because she had hardly eaten all day – and they started running fluids, antibiotics and antivirals around the clock. We sat in the hospital for three long days as we waited for the results of her cultures to return. Because she was so tiny, it was very difficult to stabilize the IV, and Lucy’[s squirming would bend the needle after about 24 hours. She had one in her hand, her foot and finally, in her head. That one turned out to be the best one because her squirming didn’t affect it. Tuesday morning we received the fantastic news that Lucy was perfectly healthy and had blocked tear ducts, something that 1 in 4 babies are born with.

I’m posting this because I want Lucy to be able to see this when she is older. My mom has noticed that I tend to be more protective of Lucy (as compared to Olivia at the same age) so if that continues, maybe these photos will help her understand why.

School Fun

Olivia loves to go to “school” – this past year she went to a Mother’s Day Out a few mornings each week. The last week of school they had dress up days for the kids, and one of them was “Crazy Hair Day.” I was scheduled to have Lucy four days after school ended, so I was hot, tired and HUGE by then but Crazy Hair was manageable. I’m so glad that I got my act together, because Olivia loved doing this. She was so proud of her ‘do that she kept it in all day, which is unheard-of.

Friends Like Family

Lucy, my dear child, I hope one day you know the people in these photos and how much they loved you before you were even born. Our sweet, sweet neighbors became our friends when Olivia was a little more than a year old, and they have been just as excited about Lucy’s arrival as our family.

This is “Oh-ie” as we call her (Big Olivia). I think she loves babies more than any other child I have ever met, and our Olivia thinks this is her best friend who is always at her beck and call.

Oh-ie’s big sister, Maddie, and Momma, Jennifer. I don’t know what I would do without this family.

Meeting The Fam

Lucy had lots of visitors at the hospital those first couple of days, so here she is meeting her family. I know there is a picture of her with Pops, but I don’t have it (send it to me so I can put it up, Pops).

Hey Honey!

Sneaking a peek at Pappy.

Snuggling with Gran.

Gran and the girls

Momma and Lucy both catching some shut eye – I crocheted the blanket she’s wrapped in for her

Lucy and Daddy spending some quality time together