My Baby is 2!

I feel like with most moms there is a certain nostalgia when it comes to your child's birthday. I mean I'm only a mom of one and she is only TWO but I can't help but each birthday to think about that day when she came into my life. I was so nervous, scared and worried but at the same time so excited and filled with a kind of love I can't quite accurately express. I am probably overly hormonal or I really am just a sap but tears fill my eyes when I think of that day and how blessed I am to have my sweet Emerie.

Being a mom has really challenged me and pushed me so far out of my comfort box that at times I convince myself I wasn't cut out to be a mom. We hit, what I believe, are the terrible twos and the week leading up to today has been so frustrating and emotionally tough that I question if my sanity will be ripped from me this September when we add a newborn to the mix. 

But I LOVE being a mom! 

When I peek into her room at night before I go to bed I sometimes just stare at the beautiful little person she is fire and all! I sometimes even get tears (again, hormones) when I just stare at how precious she is and how I look forward to every morning bursting into her room to her usual jumping up and down smiles. She has so much "fire" as Nathan calls it and spunk that I know she will do pretty awesome things. 

She is an explorer and a outdoor lover. 

She loves dirt, sticks, and rocks. 

She LOVES bubbles insists on doing it herself. 

She loves being my little helper in just about anything I'm doing from my make-up to the dishes (some help is welcomed and some is not...)

She is independent and very smart (we've reached the push & twist medicine opening skills YIKES)

She is funny and has a laugh and smile that turns any frown right side up.

She is definitely a peacekeeper.

But more than anything.... She is my beautiful daughter and an even more beautiful Child of God. I feel His presence so much deeper in my life as I hold her and think of how special she is to Him. 

I love her and so on her birthday I will cry and reminisce about that beautiful night she came into my life. Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet Emerie Brooklynn!

(And enjoy my many many many pictures because I'm emotional and can't pick just one or even two!)

Pregnancy #2

I am currently 26 weeks along and this, like every other post, is way over due but I wanted to document some of this for my own memory so sorry if you don't like reading about old news!

Nathan and I had been trying to have a baby for awhile with no luck. We got pregnant so quick with Emerie that I didn't even consider that it wouldn't be like that every time.  We were starting to get discouraged and I really can't express how frustrating and sad it was trying with no success.  I had had a miscarriage earlier in the year and so combined with this I was starting to feel maybe another baby just wasn't going to come. During that time, I really developed so much love and compassion for those that have struggled with infertility for years. We didn't have to wait that long but I feel like I got a small peek into the strength that it must take to keep going month after month and the hope and faith it takes to believe that you will someday have your baby whether conceived by you or adoption or by whatever means it takes.

We weren't really sure what to do and knew it was too early to consider doctors or anything. We even started to consider Nathan going off his MS medication to see if maybe it was his new medication he was taking that was making it harder. We decided that we would try one more month and if it didn't happen then we would stop "trying".  I took a pregnancy test mid-January and it was negative. I cried and was so frustrated because I had really believed it was going to be a positive. I let Nathan know and we decided that we were just going to relax and enjoy our time as a family of 3 and not worry.  I spent then next week and a half just convinced that I was pregnant. I had symptoms like I was so I secretly bought another test and decided to take it without Nathan knowing so if it was another negative there wouldn't be another big let down. So one more when Nathan woke up early and took care of Emerie I ran and took the test. I have never been so nervous but it pretty quickly popped up with a positive. I cried and was excited and immediately decided that it was perfectly set up for me to surprise Nathan since he already thought he knew we weren't pregnant.

So I decided to make our favorite Asian food for dinner and make fortune cookies. The fortune inside would say, "You're going to be a daddy again! Lucky Numbers 9-18-2015 (what I guessed my due date would be)". It was such a fun surprise and I even got it on video. His reaction was just what I hoped it would be and it was so much fun to actually surprise him this time.

(The fortune cookie...it was actually really delicious)

     

Emerie went to the first appointment with us where they were able to do an ultrasound and hear the heartbeat. She continued to pound her heart saying "bum bum". It was pretty cute!

At our gender ultrasound.

And if you haven't heard (which is weird because I posted it like a month ago) we are having a cute little BOY! We are so excited and happy that we are going to have a little boy and sibling for Emerie. We might be crazy for having a baby in September during Nathan's second year which is supposedly the hardest year. Our original plan was for the summer but that wasn't Heavenly Father's plan so I'm hoping it will all work out and I won't lose my mind as Nathan will just not be around as much (and that's being generous) to help like he was with Emerie. But we are so happy and know this baby is coming at this time for a reason!

25 weeks 

Spring Break 2015 Part 2

Oh hey.... 3 months later... here is the part 2 of our spring break! Whoops! 

We got an amazing deal for our hotel and it just happened to be a Marriott Residence Inn which was perfect for us because it had a mini kitchen so we could prepare some of our food instead of eating out every meal. The hotel also gave Emerie this cute little bear (oso) that she didn't let go of hardly at ever during our trip and 3 months later she still sleeps with it at night! As a mom, that really made an impression on me and I would recommend our hotel so highly! 

We made a special visit to one of my old roommates who lives in Williamsburg while her husband goes to law school there. It was so fun to catch up and meet her cute little guy! We walked down their historic "main street" and it was amazing. Like I said in part 1 I am a sucker for good architecture and the old beautiful homes and churches were just amazing. Apparently, during summer this place really comes alive so maybe we will have to come back and visit and then we can finally go see Virginia Beach.

The Smithsonian museums are amazing and tiring all at the same time. Emerie loved the Natural History Museum and we literally spent the entire day just in that museum basically. She loved exploring and not having a ton of people around made it easier for me to let her do that. 

(We just happened to go on the only day of the week you can get into their butterfly encounter for FREE! SCORE!)

The Washington Monument was amazing and going to the top was really cool. Emerie was asleep the whole time basically which was kind of a bummer but good for her to get some rest after the Natural History Museum fun.

Figuring out the Metro was overwhelming for us (mainly me) at first but we quickly figured it out and it became Emerie's favorite place to run around which we did not love.

Our last full day was spent visiting the Capitol and the Air and Space Museum. We were pretty run down from all the walking and site seeing but we saw what we wanted to see and it was amazing! Our funny story (or not so funny at the time) was at the Air and Space Museum when we lost Emerie's coat. Emerie was having a meltdown and we were getting ready to book it out of there when we realized we had lost her coat. Well, that museum was ridiculously HUGE and I was ready to forget about it but decided she needed it so we split up I went looking while Nathan took Emerie to the lost and found. I looked for awhile and got frustrated so I prayed and I ended up finding it about a minute later. It was a great spiritual experience but one that left both Nathan and I pretty exhausted and less than happy to keep going with our initial site-seeing plan. 

So we left and at a great burger place and while we were leaving the restaurant towards the Metro we found this beautiful church and it somehow made the tiring day a little brighter, well at least for me.

On our way heading home for Ohio, we stopped and drove by the beautiful DC temple. It was so amazing blanketed in snow and it was just a dreamy. Someday I hope we can make it back and go inside. Overall, it was a great trip and I'm grateful, that despite some meltdowns from all three of us, we made it a great first Spring Break together as a family! 

Paulson Family Pictures

Good Morning!

So I am LONG overdue for posting these here but I have just been plain lazy and with only one computer and a husband who monopolizes its use for med school (okay reason I suppose...) that's enough for things to not get done.

Anyway, this family was the first family shoot I have done in Cincinnati which rather scared me more than I was expecting. I barely new the area and starting all over again out of your comfort zone is just hard. We luckily caught the BEAUTIFUL fall colors despite it being bitterly cold.  It was one of the fastest shoots I have done but that was okay with me as long as I was able to get nice pictures.

I think I was able to do that!


Enjoy!