I hope I remember.
Like the way Meli sticks her feet up in the air when she nurses. She’ll be on her back, head turned to my breast, and at least one of her legs is straight up in the air.
Like the way she’s always flipping me off. She can’t keep her hands away from her face and often her middle finger gets “caught” on her cheek. I like to think she’s practicing for later.
Like the way she’s so good in the car. We’ve dragged her EVERYWHERE and she’s only three weeks old and she’s such a trooper. But she likes to go fast – let the MPH drop below 40 and she starts to complain. She likes the bumps too.
Like the fact that I can’t listen to Sunshine On My Shoulders without bursting into tears – especially the line “If I had a day that I could give you, I’d give to you a day just like today” which makes me think about the day she was born and how sunny it was in the OR and how I thought of G and how happy that would make him.
Like how I can eat now. Really really eat. And I can remember how sick I was when I was pregnant, but I can’t remember how the sickness felt. I miss her inside me – I really do – but it’s so nice to eat!
Like how she sleeps with her arms over her head like her dad. And she has long skinny legs like her dad. And his lips. Definitely her daddy’s lips.
Like how alert she is! When her eyes are open, they’re always focused on something. She loves to look around and is so curious!
But mostly I want to remember how everything is the same, but so different. And the love. All that freaking good love that flows like breastmilk.
You will remember and you will surprise yourself when you do. I am missing my kids being babies after reading your entry. They are only 6 & 9 but sometimes baby seems so long ago.
She is very beautiful. Thank you for sharing her with us.
Gorgeous, simply gorgeous. Well done, best thing you’ve ever made. And no seaming!
Those eyes! She’s beautiful. I don’t think you’ll ever forget.
Precious baby!!
Oh ja, that´s like it is, so much and much more. Never knew how much love you can feel for only one little person.
Nice pictures, cute girl!
Enjoy all the eating, when breastfeeding I could eat like never before.
my best wishes
Sibylle
LOL at the comment about no seaming! No ends to weave in either…
THIS POST is what I was waiting for–the pictures, the Cara pictures!
xox Kay
I’m not a sentimental girl but you’re making me tear up. I remember being surprised by how in love I felt the first moment I saw my daughter. I was totally blown away.
All those great love songs? You can totally sing them all to Meli! Even the girl ones! And the Boss ones!
The Many Moods Of Meli — well, we may be missing a few moods, but these are wonderful pictures; thank you so much for sharing them. Writing down & taking pictures of the things you want to remember helps lock them in; because the sleep-deprived, prolactin-bathed brain does tend to blur it all together.
She is so bright-eyed and beautiful.
So happy to see that you’re taking joy in her. And she really is adorable.
So beautiful… yes, you will always remember, even during the rough spots. Maybe especially then.
What a sweet pea! And guess what? I’m pregnant (again). This time I have faith in the outcome! My HCG was 197!!!
What a cutie!!!
You’ll never forget – I’m almost 19 years in and I still remember the day she was born as if it were yesterday
I’m so glad you are a photographer.
Your photos are beautiful, and this post made me think of my girls, when they were first born.
Even though I had girls, I still find that hearing John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) brings me to tears.
This is such a precious time for you. Savour the moments.
What a beauty…what a wonderful mother you are.
Don’t forget to get video! It’s wonderful to see them even in a few months. The baby will love watching the videos, too!
I agree, it is so nice to eat again!!
What a sweet baby you have & amazingly enough, you’ll grow to love her more and more!!
Many blessings, Mrs.C.
She looks SO MUCH like you.
That was a wonderful read! Being a mom is so beautiful, isn’t it? It is so cliche but it is like wearing your heart on the outside. One of mine will be one this month and it is surreal to me. Seems like just yesterday I met him for the first time…..
She is GORGEOUS! Remember how you feel now 13 years later when she tells you she hates you–I remember telling my mom that REGULARLY because NO ONE understood what I was going through. Ah, good times! She really is a beautiful baby! Enjoy her lots!
Ah Cara, she is absolutely beautiful! The most amazing thing, is that this feeling never ends!!! It just gets better and better!!! 😀
Oh man, Sunshine On My Shoulders reminds me of listening to my mom sing to us when I was little… I got choked up, too.
I agree with Kathy, thank you for sharing the love with us.
She’s beautiful! And she absolutely has YOUR eyes!
OHH how sweet she is!
She is SO beautiful and your words are so poetic and heartfelt. You got me teary again. I love that. I love seeing this baby and hearing about the love.
Absolutely fabulous pictures and sentiment! Both of my kids favored the “hold up” position. Nice to see that again.
Keep writing all the good stuff down so you can read it when the not so good stuff happens later! She’s adorable!
She’s a stunner! You and G did nice work there, lady! 😉
Thanks for sharing the gorgeous photos, and I’m thrilled to hear everyone is doing so well.
I wrote stuff down in my journal when I had a free moment because I knew I would forget. As my baby start each new phase, I marvel at what she is currently doing. What she used to do seemed so long ago. They really change fast! I love your photos of Meli!
Beautifully put. And what a beautiful girl! I just found out a few weeks ago I’m expecting #2, and it’s making me remember all the things that happened along the way with #1!
Beauty and love. Plain and simple. Doesn’t get much better than that.
She definitely looks like G, though I see some glimmers of C. Mostly, I guess she looks like M.
; )
XO to you all.
Amen.
First Day of My Life by bright eyes brings me back to boys baby days and he turns only 3 today. was there anything before him? and number two is due soon, your photos and words really tug at my heart. absolutely beuatiful.
What a gorgeous baby and beautiful photos!!!You are very talented. I am glad that you are enjoying your Meli and motherhood. I loved your expression ….All that love that flows like breast milk…..so VERY TRUE.
All the best
Antigoni.
Isn’t she lovely…..
I have songs that belong to each girl, I’ve made them the ringtones for when they call me. Gillian was born in May, her song is My Girl. I sang that song so much.
Isn’t prolactin the best?
She’s SO beautiful! Mommy love is wonderful…never ceasing!
Oh my! Beautiful pictuers of a gorgeous little one… I loved your comment on Sunshine on my Shoulder! I can’t listen to Annie’s Song without bursting – walked down the isle to that one 🙂
Oh man, You’re almost making me want to do it all again. Baby lust, baby lust!
I found that I loved each stage more than the one before. I especially loved the “sleeping more than 3 hours at a stretch” stage a lot.
Enjoy her. She is beautiful. Congratulations
So sweet. Check out Elizabeth Mitchell’s You Are My Sunshine cd if you want more weepy wonderful baby music. And about the practicing for later? I took every opportunity to kiss my babies’ behinds so that when they tell me to kiss it as irritable teenagers I can say, “Been there, done that!”
She’s beautiful. Enjoy every day!
You bring tears (of joy, for you) to my eyes.
Too much! She is beautiful. Oh, that baby nose…
Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures. I particularly like the third one where she seems to be looking over your writing…perhaps checking for spelling errors.
It’s nice to be reminded every once in a while just how much we love our kids. Even when they’re twenty.
Oh my gosh, I think I can feel my boobs trying to lactate, and it’s been 3 years since I last did.
Those are great memories. One of my favorites is how each of mine would fall asleep at the breast, then their little head would tip over and a little trickle of milk would come out, like they fell asleep mid-swallow or something.
You two did make an aweful purty baby. Congrats again!
Great photos – she’s a cutie!
Gosh, Cara, is she beautiful. And she looks very thoughtful! And your photography is beautiful as well. I know what you mean about missing the feeling of carrying a baby. I still miss that feeling 8 months out.
Oh, you will remember. You have give Meli and yourself the best possible gift — this blog. You will always be able to look back and be reminded of how special every little minute was. Congrats again and here’s hoping that all the special moments make it to the blog, for your most special future reader….Meli!
I love to read a blog that makes me smile a nice warm smile – remembering my own little one (he’s now 18). When he was a baby he always managed to sleep on his back with his arms folded behind his head…and he still does to this day when he is sleeping a relaxed sleep…that makes me smile, too…congrats and keep taking the pictures…j
Isn’t it the absolute greatest!!!! Life can be SO FUN!
Oh, she’s gorgeous! Mazel tov! It is funny the things you will remember. Enjoy every minute you can and congratulations, again.
What a beautiful baby! I still can’t believe mine are l4, l7, and
20. Seeing your pictures brings it all back. I’ve always said
if I could do anything over, it would be to hold my boys
as newborns!! Congratulations and best wishes.
You have the right attitude-enjoy and cherish every moment. When Em stood on the bimah a couple of weeks ago, as she became a Bat Mitzvah, I thought about how I’d fully experienced all the “moments” that had brought us to this place and was so glad that I had.
We adopted her in the summer of 1995 and everytime I hear Mary Black’s, Summer Sent You this verse will have me in tears:
Done with time and patience
I moved with the crowd
Lonely in my silence
and being without
Then all in one instant
straight out of the blue
Out of all its goodness
The summer sent you
Enjoy every second and she is so lovely!
-Me thinks She is her Fathers’ daughter – esp that first picture!! Lovely photos – enjoy – every moment!
You are so right!! It is in the little things! Enjoy them, cherish them, they only get better and better – things change, but the discovery and excitement of each new change is enthralling. Your pictures have brought back very fond memories for me. Mine are 12, 10, 8, 6 and 3 – I cherish each day as it comes. Your baby is beautiful!!
Too freakin’ cute.
So great to share all of this with you and all of the memories you are bringing back for all of us with older kids. Eight and seven came like a rocket 🙂
Beautiful pictures, Cara! She is amazing and so are you.
ah, she’s gorgeous! file all these little moments away for later 🙂
I love the thinking photo. That’s just precious. Some of the memories will fade, but you’ll remember enough. It’s great that you’re writing it down and keeping photos. You’ll be surprised what will jog your memory later about your little one. She’s beautiful!
well, it must be Tuesday and here I am the last to see!
BEAUTIFUL! You made my day.
She is beautiful! You won’t forget any of those things. She’ll do even more amazing things as the days go by. Glad to hear it is going so well!
She is beautiful… make sure to print this and save it until she is a teenager and then you can look back at it and smile when you are about to pull your hair out… 🙂
Your pics are incredible – she’s beautiful. I’m so happy for you.
Your photos will never be the same. Amen! She’s gorgeous~keep a notebook around even if just to scribble a quick note~give it to Miss Meli, some day:)
Oh my newest baby did that leg thing while nursing till the day she was weaned-thanks for bringing back that sweet memory! I love those little things-the babies and the things they do-what ablessing. Congratulations, truly. She is beautiful-and she really looks like you in her eyes 🙂
That first picture is the announcement one. Can’t stop looking at it. xo kay
Beautiful pics, beautiful sentiments, beautiful baby! Glad to hear that it’s going so well :). That love is amazing, isn’t it?
She’s beautiful! Most of those things you will alwyas remember, but in time there are more and more things you don’t want to forget, and the memories do tend to fade around the edges. I wrote all the things I really wanted to remember in my childrens’ baby books. Not only does that help me not to forget special moments, it’s fun to go back and read about them with your children when they are older.
She is impossibly beautiful. And OK, it’s totally not the same, but I get all teary when I think of that “If I Had Words To Make A Day For You” song from Babe, and I just have to hug the little one.
Do you catch yourself rubbing your belly? A friend of mine had to tell me, “You know he isn’t in there anymore?” I’m glad things are going well for you.
Cara, She is so beautiful! What a darling baby!
awwwwwwww……
She is beautiful, so beautiful.
What a beautiful post. “Sunshine on my Shoulders” makes me cry too.
Oh, Oh. My heart.
She’s amazing! I can just feel the love 🙂
So beautiful. Definitely the cutest baby ever.
so very beautiful, cara. sending you so much love!
My kids are 8 and 11.
Trust me: you’ll remember. 🙂
Wonderful. Wonder. Full.
Perfection.
I don’t think you ever forget these details. My kids love hearing about those times. It totally cracks Hannah up to hear about how she would do gymnastics moves while nursing. She is such a beautiful baby! I’m so happy for you and G!!!!
She is a cutie.
Could someone hand me a tissue please? She’s beautiful and I hope I remember all the little things, too. I try to write things down as I think of them to help jog the memory and pictures really help, too!
It’s like falling in love, over and over again, every day!
Breath-taking pictures!
My gosh, she is a beautiful baby. And I’m not just saying that. Great photos, too, though that is to be expected. 🙂 I think it’s great to have all those memories to be on the blog. I keep meaning to blog the pregnancy, but I am failing miserably!
Oh Cara! What beautiful pictures!!! and what a sweet post!!! and OMG WHAT A CUTE LITTLE GIRL!
I’m so happy for you!!!!!! 🙂
It is the little things. She is so darling.
Your words are meaningful, your baby is beautiful and your photography is stunning. I feel privileged to see these intimate images. You’ve captured her personality at this age in a way few mothers can.
Thanks.
Dude. Your posts keep making me cry! (In the good way.)
Again, I am so, so happy for all three of you. Not much else I can say about it. 🙂
What a beautiful, beautiful post. You will remember…. I promise.
Wow! My little guy is 5 months old and looking at your adorable little girl makes me so sad (in a good way) because it seems like just yesterday that he was born. Belated congrats, I’m really happy for you!
She is beautiful! Your pictures are amazing. Be sure to back up your files and save to a disk. Hard drives can crash and you absolutely can not lose those precious pictures. I am so happy for you!
You will remember! And now you have this beautiful post to help you. She is so very beautiful! Thanks for sharing all of the photos!
Wow – your daughter and these photos are both amazingly beautiful.
Congratulations on your baby girl. She is stunning. I’m sorry I missed the announcement post, but I’ve been MIA from blogland trying to keep sane with my three little monsters. Lovely lovely little monsters. Congrats again. 🙂
Such a lovely post beautiful baby! Yes, you will remember, no worries! Babies grown up so fast, aren’t they? I still miss my son as a newborn. =)
This is a lovely post! I love that you have taken the time to reflect on all these wonderful things. 🙂 And because you mentioned the song, I want to share my digital scrapbook page that I did last year with a photo of my son. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunnynole/427104903/
oh goodness…how amazing new life is! She will never stop amazing you!
stunning portraits of her~