My Baby Girl

Who is it that has...
simultaneous smiles and frowns?








legs for days?








dark blue newborn eyes?








caps and not clothes?








huge hands?




squeaks for cries?




socks for gloves?




sleepless nights?








pondering poses?








family surrounding her with love?












the happiest mom and dad?




That's right - it's Cora Kaye!  She arrived, Monday, the 16th, at 5:26 pm.  Cora weighed 5 lbs, 8 oz, and measured 18 in long.  We are so in love.

Bye Bye Bed Rest

I have been anxiously awaiting being taken off of bed rest.  During this time I have realized how blessed I am to live close to such amazing friends and family.  

My friends, sister, and sisters in law rocked out my nursery.  They made sure I had everything I needed and got it set up for me!  My mom and Miles' mom spent day after day doing my chores, washing baby clothes, and sometimes just keeping me company.  My dad, my aunt, and father in law made special trips out to my house to bring food and break up the monotony.  I can't explain how amazing all of the support was to me.

Miles did a wonderful job with my sudden "absence" from our household and our social life.  He did great keeping up with things, and, mainly did a great job keeping me together.  Because, despite all of the support and care, I had some bad days and nights dealing with my situation.  

All in all this experience taught me some life lessons and changed my perspective a lot.  To be completely honest, though, I'm still not ready to fully reflect on all of that at this time....

I am selfishly, unrealistically, BEYOND EXCITED that tomorrow I am being induced, delivering this baby, and being taken off of bed rest.    I can't wait to meet our baby girl,  I can't wait to be "better," since delivery is the solution to my health issue, and I can't wait to come home and move on in this new faze of our life!!

Come on, April 15th - you've just turned into so much more than tax day!!

  

Hello, World!

Happy Birthday to the newest member of the Schneider family!

It's the debut of our new nephew... Campbell Benjamin Schneider, born at 7:45 am on April 7th!!

Sarina did such an amazing job throughout her 20+ hour labor.  Matt was also a trooper, being with her every minute of the way.

Campbell weighed in at 8lbs and 8oz, measuring 22in long.  He is a big boy.  He is, of course, taking up an even bigger place in all of our hearts.

Now, they're in the midst of the newborn reality.   It's the beginning of what will be an amazing adventure in their little family.

Congratulations, Matt and Sarina! Welcome, baby boy, Campbell!

The Second Year

Happy Two-Year Anniversary, Miles!!
*Yesterday :)

Two years ago in Mexico.

I feel like I've been married longer - not in that bad, it's never going to end, type of way - but in the, I feel like I've known you forever type of way...

Nine years ago in college.

It's always funny, when you're getting married, to hear everyone say things like, "The first year of marriage is sooo hard," or "The first year of marriage was really fun and easy!"  As with most things in life, people tend to want to warn you, share their experiences, and project their lives on to your own.

In our first year.

People don't mention much about the second year of marriage, though.  It's the year you're left to fend for yourselves.  And, you crave it by that point.  You want to be left alone, to focus more on creating your own family, as a couple.  Miles and I did that.  We made an effort to be one another's partners and to put our needs first.  Other people might have not even noticed, or maybe they were offended, but the second year was our chance to move on from the after-wedding glow and into building upon that sweet foundation.

In our second year.

Things in our second year of marriage happened quickly...
We took a quick vacation to Mexico.
We quickly (and surprisingly) became pregnant.
We spent the quick-paced holiday season with loved ones.
We had 2012 quickly slap us in the face with health issues.
We thanked God for our family and friends' quick willingness to be there for us.
We quickly developed a relationship TWICE as strong as in our first year of marriage.

Now, we know our third  year of marriage is truly going to change us.  We will be parents very soon - a mommy and a daddy to a sweet baby girl.  It is special, and it is scary.  Our relationship will grow and change, as it does every year.  I don't know what people think, what advice people might share, or how other's third year of marriage fared.

All I do know, is that we will come out THREE times as strong.

I love you, Miles.