screams to smiles.

During our fourth attempt at bath time, TJ + I became even more aware of just how big our baby boy is getting. The three that came before this one were full of screams, each one with a few less screams than the previous, none so much as that very first one. Although this particular bath time began with those same screams we've been hearing, they only lasted a few minutes before the smiles and happy wiggles began. Our awareness of his increasing awareness to everything going on around him was displayed when, while he was screaming as I sprinkled him with water, I began talking to him + telling him all the good things about bath time. When he finally locked his eyes on me and paid closer attention to my voice + tone, he began to smile. Not too much longer after that, he started to "coo." Swoon!

It's, also, incredible how much he has grown just in the several short weeks between our first bath time and this one. He's getting chunkier every day, and his little body is filling out all over, especially his face (mmm, those cheeks!) + belly. I can't for daddy to fill the tub back up this afternoon for our weekly Saturday tradition so we can watch all the ways he has continued to develop just in the past seven days. I'm looking forward to putting my persuasion skills to good use again, and I'm even hoping for some giggles to be heard throughout the entire bungalow as he falls more in love with splish-splashing in the tub!

then and now.

I once thought of you while you were in my womb + daydreamed about what your sweet face and little limbs would look like. Now, I get to stare at you whenever I want + memorize you from head to toe as you grow and change each day.

I once held you with my hands + rubbed you in hopes that you would instantly know my touch. Now I hold you in my arms while I praise God every single time I cuddle you close to me + squeeze your cheeks + rub your belly + grasp your tiny hands + kiss you all over + simply exchange smiles with you.

You have gone from living in my womb to living in my arms, and I love that I still get to carry you with me everywhere I go. It's still hard for me to fathom that you're really here with us and that our gracious Father picked me to be your mommy forever, but I'm so thankful that it's true. I've never known a sweeter, more steadfast time than this, and your daddy + I have loved you more with every passing second since you became ours. Six weeks have come + gone, and they have taught me more than I even realize about you, your daddy, myself, our God, the world we know now, and the world we will know in eternity.

Braxton Michael, I can't wait to keep watching you, teaching you, and loving you.

*All photos above were taken by my dear friend, the incredibly talented Emilie Carol Uphoff. 

snow baby.

When there is snow + ice outside and your newborn baby boy has never experienced it before, what do you do? Well, you bundle him up really warm and go out and play in it, of course! One day, he'll be old enough to throw snow balls at us, and as much as I am looking forward to those glorious days ahead, I am loving this season of winter snuggles + only leaving the warmth of the bungalow when there are memories to be made outside.

Making new memories has never been so much fun, especially since I've got two boys to make them with now!

baby lilla.

This past Sunday, we celebrated our beautiful friend + mommy-to-be, Wimberly, and her soon-to-be daughter, sweet baby Lilla. We have had many opportunities over the past six month to perfect our art, and the baby shower professionals united to exercise our talents for the fourth time since the end of June. Maddox, Crawford, and Braxton were all spoiled in the same way, and it was so much fun to decorate in pink for the first time! We ate until our hearts were content + made homemade onesies + prayed specific prayers based on Proverbs 31 over Lilla + laughed + enjoyed watching Wimberly's glow become more profound as the afternoon went on. If this baby girl is anything like her mommy, she will be a beautiful instrument in the kingdom of God.

As much fun as us mommies have together, it makes me giddy with excitement to think about how our kiddos will grow up to be best friends, too. So much to be thankful for right now, as well as so much to look forward to in the years to come. We can't wait to meet you + welcome you into our world, baby Lilla!

a new kind of romance.

Nothing has been the same for Teesh + me since the twelfth of January, and this Valentine's Day was one more thing we did differently. Instead of going to a fancy restaurant + eating a fancy dinner, we had dinner + decor brought to us by some dear friends. While our baby boy slept, we enjoyed some delicious barbecue + fixin's by candlelight in our pajamas, complete with champagne flutes filled with sweet tea. I've always loved simple things, and even though life has become less simple in many areas, it is increasing in simplicity in others. This new version of romance that we have found ourselves living in beats all the other versions by a long shot.

wuncle turns thirteen.

What's a birthday without a party to celebrate with the whole family? Especially when you turn thirteen. Y'all, my littlest brudder is thirteen. A teenager. I'm sorry, what? I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that I was holding him as a little baby. I'd still hold him like that if I could, but the kid barely fits on my lap these days. I'm beginning to embrace the fact that he's getting older, along with the complimentary fact that I am, too. It's hard to believe that I was the one with the newborn in her arms at this party, because it has always been someone else. All the more proof of the recently stated truth: I'm getting older + growing up. I won't lie, though--growing up is pretty fun!

In addition to having a party, it's, also, not a birthday without the traditional birthday selfie with the birthday boy. I can't wait to still be taking brother + sister selfies with this dude when we both have gray hair. Yep, it's going to happen.

bath time.

Two Saturday afternoons ago, just two days before B was three weeks old, it was bath time at the bungalow! It's not every day that you get to give your first baby his first bath, so while I did the bathing, Teesh snapped the pictures. Braxton was unsure about what was happening at first, but once the warm water that I was drizzling over his bare body cooled down, he made up his mind about how he felt about it. The blood-curdling screams lasted for the duration of the bath, but they immediately stopped once daddy wrapped him up in his Winnie the Pooh towel. Yep, mommy was the bad guy, and daddy was the hero. I didn't mind, though, because I love to watch my two boys snuggle. B was content enough in daddy's arms to fall asleep + settle into a position that showed off his cute wittle cheeks that make us swoon. It was a very exciting half hour, indeed.

Saturday has rolled back around, so you know what that means: it's time to scrub-a-dub-dub again! I may even be able to convince daddy to give it a go for round three. This Valentine's Day will be filled with more love than every other Valentine's Day we have celebrated together combined. And more screams + snuggles + sugar, too! I'm beyond thankful + equally as blessed to call the two most handsome valentines mine all mine. This wife + mommy has never felt more romanced in all her life, and I love that my Father has ordained this life of joy for me. Nope, no one knows how to sweep me off my feet quite like He does.

the newest teenager.

I'm really not sure how this fella, my littlest brudder, is a teenager. I remember learning of his conception, holding him with he was just an itty + bitty baby, going to his t-ball games, making him take selfies with me before selfies were cool, and that's just the start. Thirteen years have gone by in a flash, and even though he doesn't like to hug + kiss me like he used to, I know he still loves me. Nope, not even his professional eye-rolling skills can convince me otherwise. And, besides, I have no problem holding him down and laying a big, fat one right on his cheek right after I tickle him into delirium.

Wilber (now known as Wuncle) is the same age that I was when he was born, and now he gets to love on a little baby boy just like I once did him. I can't wait for Braxton to grow up and make memories with him just like I did + still am. I don't think Wuncle will be as bossy as me, so they may find themselves getting into mischief more often than we did--but don't worry, mommies have eyes everywhere. In our family, we simply call it "the look," and I've been practicing for years.

Happy birthday, Wuncle!

Even though we all had our doubts (three words: middle school + hormones), we're happy that you made it to thirteen. Hip hip hooray!

braxton michael | brand new + one month.

It has been one month since Braxton Michael Bargeron decided that he was ready to make his grand entrance into the world. It was so much fun to anticipate his arrival for so long, but it is exponentially more fun now that he's here. A very small part of me wants to be sad that just in two weeks time he already fills out this onesie so much more than he did for our first little photoshoot, but the majority of me rejoices over getting to watch him grow bigger + stronger right before my very eyes. I am certainly not going to ever wish time away (well, maaaaybe with the exception of middle school), and I will always be there to make a big deal out of all the little things. I'm still keeping my camera at arm's length, and those smiles I get, especially in the mornings, are the brightest spots of my days.

He was just two weeks old here, freshly home from the hospital:

And now he is one month old with the cutest little cheeks + personality:

This past month has been one wild ride, and you have been the star of the show! You eat about every three hours, and you are quite the little chugger. I have to stop you several times so you can take a break + to make sure you don't eat so fast that your tummy gets upset. You may only be a month old, but your gas is already louder + stronger than your daddy's; we constantly find ourselves laughing at what comes out of you! You are, also, very alert + talkative throughout the day. During our play time, you look at whatever is around you, and you especially like to stare at lights + all the pictures on the wall in front of you when you lay on my lap on the couch. When you look around, I look at you and wonder what you're thinking about + learning. I loved praying for you before you were here, but my prayers for you have kicked into an even higher gear now that I can hold you in my arms + tickle your toes + rub your belly + hold your hand. Your smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and when you laugh...swoon! You love to make noises, and we call you our little dinosaur because that's what your little sounds remind us of. Your chirps + grunts make me think you're going to be a social butterfly like mommy, and daddy says that's just fine with that. We recently tried out our Ergo wrap for the first time, and I was just wondering...do you think you'll still want to be that close to me when you're seventeen? Okay, that may be a little dramatic, but I absolutely love having you so near + hearing your sleepy breaths up against my chest. Never have I ever loved someone the way I love you. I hope you don't get tired of me telling you that every day for the rest of your life, because even if you do, I'm still going to say it. I can't wait to watch you keep growing this next month so I will have more room to cover you in kisses!