Matt & Brittany at 35 weeks

Introducing Sadie, 13 days old

Email me at sarah@fishlipsphotography.com to reserve your spot!

NEW BLOG ADDRESS!!!

Same great blog (that I haven't updated in, um...FOREVER),

BRAND NEW ADDRESS!

From now on, the address for this blog is:

http://www.fishlipsphotoblog.com

Don't worry, there will still be lots of pictures of Elizabeth. ;)

This little blog started out as a family blog,

mainly for the grandparents- haha!

But it's grown and morphed into something different.

I felt l wanted to recognize that & celebrate it

w/a brand new address.

I'll be back with you on Monday- blogging on a regular basis.

I've missed y'all.

I love ya more than my luggage!

xoxo,

Sarah

January 7th

Last night you stayed up too late. We were at Nana & Papa’s celebrating Elijah’s 8^th birthday. We didn’t get you into bed until 9pm. This morning I woke you at 8:45am. You were cranky. You are so much like your mama in your sleep needs, it’s scary. You’ve been in Mother’s Day Out programs before, but this was a new one- at a sweet little church just up the road from our house. It feels like a momentous occasion, as this is the program we’ve wanted you in for 18 months. But first you were too young, and then they were full. But a spot just opened up, so here we go. We had to buy you a nap mat to take, because you’ll be napping on the floor. I don’t see how this is possible. You seem way too young for that. Aren’t you still my baby? When did you turn into this great big girl?

You ate cheerios in your highchair while I packed your bag. You whined a lot, sleepy cranky girl. I was worried about how you’d do today. Right before I got you dressed, I noticed an email from your daddy. It said, “If you think about it, take a picture of E with all of her stuff for school.” I’m so glad he reminded me. Your mama- the one who takes all the pictures, the one who is a PHOTOGRAPHER, was so worried about getting you out the door and into this new environment- it didn’t even OCCUR to her to take some pictures.

So I took you outside to snap some pics. You never ever look at the camera for me anymore. I put your new little backpack on you. You fell over. I picked you up, but that thing was so huge & heavy, every time I turned around you’d fallen over again. You were not amused by this. I snapped a couple pics and then took it off you. Got a few pictures of you with all your gear for Daddy, loaded you up in the car and drove the 1.2 minute drive to the church.

When I dropped you off in your new room, with your new teachers, you screamed bloody murder. But really, I knew you’d be OK. Your teachers seemed so sweet and reassuring. I reassured them that this was NOT your first MDO experience and that I knew you’d calm down pretty quickly and do great.

It was gorgeous when I went to pick you up at 2pm. Sunny & 65 degrees on this January day. I decided to walk, leaving the house with my camera and your little red wagon. I felt a little silly pulling an empty red wagon behind me, but knew it’d be worth it once you were in it. Five minutes later I was at the church. I stood in the doorway of your room. You were all the way across the room from me, and your back was turned to me. You sat on the floor playing with a toy with another little girl. Totally content. Your teachers RAVED about you. You napped on your mat just fine and ate everything I packed for you. You loved the playground- you were particularly passionate about the slide. You loved painting so much that you were quite annoyed when they made you quit and clean up. Finally, we called your name and your teacher helped you up and turned you to face me. When you saw me, you lit up and a huge smile came across your face. You ran to me with your arms outstretched, “Mommy!” I felt, in a funny way, that I’d waited my whole life for this moment. There are moments like that as a mother- that feel too good to be true, like something out of a movie. That fill up every single place inside your heart with happiness. You’ll know what that feels like someday.

I put you in your little red wagon, and pulled you home (stopping to take pics along the way, of course). Inside your bag, your teachers had tucked a report for the day. They have a string of words that they circle. My mood was: active, fussy, happy, unhappy, independent, talkative, quiet. Today they’d circled: active, happy, and independent. Just the words I’d have wanted them to circle.

We went in the living room and I put the camera up on the cabinet next to the couch. You played for a little bit. Then you crawled up onto your little chair on the other side of the love seat, peeking your head over and saying, “cheese!” over and over again while you looked at the camera on the cabinet. I finally clued in and grabbed it. You did it again. Not just allowing me to take your picture, but suddenly, out of nowhere, WANTING your picture to be taken.

Thanks for looking at the camera at least once today, honey. I love you.