Tuesday, October 9, 2012

All Smiles

Nola's newest skill: Smiling!

Before last week, the only smiles we saw were in her sleep. I got her up one morning after not sleeping for very long and she gave me a little smile. It turned any fatigue I had into instant energy and brightened my morning! Since then she is a smiling machine. Her smiles mostly come out in the morning. More recently she's added cooing into the mix. It's so exciting to see her learn new things. At least I know when I haven't had enough sleep that I can look forward to sweet baby smiles!




Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Six Weeks Old!

Our sweet Nola is already six weeks old! I can't believe it! She has changed so much since she was born, hard to believe they change so quickly. She smiles at us, and it's not just gas, she really smiles on purpose! I can tell that she's becoming aware of the world around her and I love the innocence in her eyes as she takes it all in. Sleep deprivation has been quite an adjustment but I know that I'll look back on these quiet moments in the middle of the night and cherish them. I love seeing Christopher with her. He turned into a puddle of mush the moment the ultrasound tech said "There's nothing sticking out! It's a girl!". He truly loves her and that makes my heart melt! Our little Nola has changed our lives and brought us so much more purpose and joy!


Then there's a baby in the baby carriage!

We were on the 5 year plan when we got married, but like every other timeline we had set for ourselves, we decided we were ready earlier than 5 years!



December 28, 2011: I was in denial really, I knew I felt a little off, but I thought there was no way this was it. We had been trying for a few months and it honestly didn't seem real that we would actually get pregnant. I finally decided while I was at work that I would buy some tests on the way home even though I was convinced they would be negative. I didn't wait for Christopher to get home because, like I said, I just thought they would be negative. Imagine my shock when the second line we had been hoping for showed up before I even set the test down! I flipped. I cried. I danced around.  Our dogs probably thought I was crazy, I just couldn't believe it. I knew I had to do something cute to tell him but I didn't have a lot of time, so a simple letter from Baby telling Daddy that they couldn't wait to me him would have to suffice! We were thrilled....and a little scared!






August 21, 2012: I heard the dreaded words during pregnancy...high blood pressure. Then I heard the other dreaded words...bed rest. With the combination, the doctors decided to induce labor at 38 weeks, so we went to the hospital to have a baby! After 15 hours of labor with 2 hours of pushing, Nola Caroline arrived at 11:16pm weighing 7lbs 14oz and 20in long! She was a red head and she looked like her daddy and she was beautiful! 




Then comes marriage...

August 14, 2008: It was Thursday, I was at work and I thought I was going to NC that evening to spend the weekend with Christopher. I walked back into my office to a package on my desk. I was really confused as I opened the package to find a scrap book. As I started to look through it I saw pictures of Christopher putting the scrap book together and I was even more confused. Then I saw him coming into my office...wait, he's supposed to be in NC! When the blind fold came out, I was officially stunned, almost too much to realize what was actually going on. He drove me to Charleston, SC and recreated our first day of "officially dating" that we spent there. I had been swept off my feet and had no other answer but YES on Folly Beach as he was down on one knee with a diamond in his hand!





December 6, 2008: I woke up that morning excited yet calm. It was our wedding day and I couldn't believe I was actually getting married! The day went off without a hitch (other than almost forgetting to get his ring to my sister right before she walked down the aisle, thanks for running Dad!). We were married and so excited to start our lives together! Our honeymoon in Mexico was a BLAST and it was nice to go somewhere warm in December! We had our whole lives ahead of us when we got home to our little one bedroom apartment and I couldn't be more thrilled with where we've been and how God has blessed our marriage!


First comes love...

Looking back, all things pointed to us being together. You know, like it was "fate" or something. We just kept running into each other at what seemed like the most random times and places...

April 28, 2007: I was in the middle of finals and a week away from graduating college. I decided a day trip to Andrews, NC to see some friends in a band play a show would be a welcome break from studying. I made the (underestimated) 4 hour drive to the mountains of NC not knowing I would be meeting my husband for the first time. Christopher tells it different, he says he noticed me pretty early on...I really didn't notice him until the end of the night (in my defense his band wasn't the one I was going to see). He told funny stories that I still remember to this day and he says he still remembers what I was wearing. Little did we know we would see each other again. 

September 23, 2007: I had moved back home after graduation and was working with the youth group at church. Christopher was still touring with Fighting Instinct. The youth pastor brought them to our Sunday night service for a concert and I wasn't sure if they would remember me. I knew I would ask the first member I saw if they did and guess who just happened to be that member. After that night we became friends on MySpace (remember that site?) but didn't communicate, until October.

October 11, 2007: I was up early that day because I had a Hanson concert to go to and a chance to walk a mile with the band. Once I got inside the venue and the show started I looked down from my spot on the balcony and saw someone I thought I recognized...but there was no way he would be HERE, much less by himself (which was how it appeared). I kept looking throughout the night but never approached him to confirm my suspicions. The next morning I had a message on MySpace from the night before and sure enough it was him. He had heard I would be there and he had to take his sister and her friends.

That conversation hasn't ended...






We're the Burrows!

Our attempt at keeping up with those far away and introducing ourselves to new friends! Here we blog...