Judah Turns 1...

Today, I think I've experienced just about every emotion possible as Judah turns one. Happy, because he's such a blessing and brings so much joy to others. Sadness, because as hard as I've tried to soak every moment up, it's still passed by too quickly. Thankful, because it is an honor to have been given this precious little gift and excited about the ways that he's growing and changing.

Being a mom has taught me what true love looks like. Motherhood is the ultimate sacrifice as you give up your time, your body, your lifestyle and your freedom to nurture a new little life. But miraculously, it's worth all of it. Every morning snuggle session, a deep belly laugh or watching Judah discover something new is what makes my new role worth it. Still can't believe that he's ours for forever!

Here's a little something just for you my precious boy!

Judah,

From the moment that I first saw you, my heart grew a size bigger and was immediately filled with love for you. I've tried my best not to worry too much and to allow you room to grow and explore. My favorite time of day is when I pick you up from your crib and bring you into bed to nurse and snuggle with you. Becoming your mom has allowed me to learn so many new things about who I am and how to depend on Jesus more to. He is so good to us and my prayer is that you will experience the love that the Father has for you. I can't wait to watch you grow this next year!

I love you and Happy Birthday sweet boy!
                                                                                                                                

                                   

 

                            

                                 

Judah's 6 Month Pictures

The saying is most certainly true that "for the young the days go fast and the years go slow; for the old the days go slow and the years go fast". I cannot believe that Judah has been in our lives for nearly a year now. He is truly such a joy and it's difficult for me to imagine my life without him.

 As much as I miss the squishy, cuddle-filled newborn days, it is so much fun watching him roll, laugh, babble and make messes during meals. I want to bottle up each new thing that he does so that I'll never forget his curiosity, his sweet sounds or simply his innocence.

On the hard days, it's truly amazing that after he takes a nap, my heart usually misses him and I can't wait to scoop him up again. Even after the hardest nights, all it takes is one little giggle in the morning (and let's be honest a cup of coffee or two) to melt my heart and I'm putty in his little hands.
I cannot believe how much I love Judah and to know that my heavenly Father loves me more and is intimately aware of my thoughts, my heartbeats and each breath I take is absolutely incredible. I'm so thankful that He has allowed me to see the parallels between motherhood and my relationship with Him. He is so gracious with us and I'm so grateful for the way He shows up in the most tender ways.

All too soon Judah will be crawling, walking and talking and I will yearn for these days I have with him now, so I'm trying my best to savor this time and not let the days blur together.
                                                                                                       

        

Judah David McClanahan

These past three and a half months have absolutely flown by! So much so that I haven't had a chance to write about motherhood (and how much I'm loving it) or post pictures of our precious Judah! I've actually picked photography back up have been posting pictures of other people's beautiful children ha! It's weird how that works, you would think as a photographer that I would have a million pictures of our little family but I've actually not taken that many (insert new goal here).

Judah David McClanahan was born on September 21st, 2015 and weighed in at a perfect 7lbs. 4oz. It was a long 37 hours of labor but thankfully a quick and smooth delivery. Drew and I hadn't decided on a name but as soon as Drew saw his dark hair and dark eyes, Judah just fit him beautifully. We wanted his name to have both biblical and sentimental roots. Judah means praised in Hebrew and we loved that Jesus' lineage can be traced back to the tribe of Judah. David means beloved in Hebrew and throughout the pregnancy we prayed that one day he would become a man after God's own heart. We also named him David in memory of Drew's best friend who passed away when Drew was in college.

Being a mother is wonderful, difficult at times but overall I'm just loving it. From the moment the doctor placed Judah in my arms, my heart has been so full. I've tried to soak up each little stage as much as humanly possible because I know that these cuddle filled days will soon be replaced by a little one who won't want to stay in one place. As much as I'm loving being at home, I know myself and knew that I needed to work from home in some way. The Lord has been faithful to provide photography jobs, a part time position at Refuge Coffee Company and I'm about to dip my toes into selling essential oils with DoTERRA. Sounds like a lot but it works out well, usually during Judah's naps and most of the time I have the ability to bring Judah along with me which I'm so thankful for.

I've been reading "For the Love" by Jen Hatmaker and am learning about giving myself grace while trying to balance life as a new momma and found this so encouraging: "To Mama at home with a bunch of littles, you can live a life worthy right now. Your calling is today. God makes you worthy as you desire goodness for your children, meeting needs and nurturing little souls. No future calling is any more important than your current situation. Every good, meaningful possibility is yours today. You can have access to the kingdom now: the love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. That is every Christian's calling, and the gospel is perfectly demonstrated through the daily labor of parenting...You don't need to wait another day to figure out your calling. You're living it dear one. Your gifts have a place right now, in the job you have, in your stage of life, with the people who surround you. Calling is virtually never big or famous work; that is rarely the way the kingdom comes. It shows up quietly, subversively, almost invisibly. Half the time, it is unplanned- just the stuff of life in which a precious human life steps in, the good news personified".

Here's to this new adventure of fully embracing this new stage of life with open doors and endless possibilities! And also for your viewing pleasure, precious newborn and three month pictures of Judah.