"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has yet to come. We have only today. Let us begin."
by Mother Teresa
Just a little over three months ago I felt that time was standing still as I waited for Amalie to be born. I was so excited and so tired of waiting, and I just wanted to whole thing to happen. Now, I feel like time is flying by and I wish I could go back and start all over again so that I could experience this blessing one more time. I never thought I would say that only 3 months later, but yes, I would do it all again tomorrow if that meant I could experience all of the amazing and sweet moments with Amalie again. I feel like it is kind of crazy to already be mourning the fact that my baby is growing up so quickly. But then I guess I am just crazy.
The past couple of months have been truly amazing. Amalie is developing such a fun and sweet little personality. She loves to socialize and smiles and coos all the time. She is so curious and ever since she gained more control of her neck has been turning her head from one side to the other just to make sure she sees what is going on around her. The result has been that she has a sweet little bald spot on the back of her head. She is great at letting us know when she needs or wants something. Instead of crying she just calls out and waits for an answer, then tries again if we didn't respond. It is amazing to watch her grow and develop from day to day.
So back to the topic of time. I have always been very conscious about not letting days pass me by. It has really been placed on my heart to enjoy and be thankful for each day. To appreciate the small things in life and to take time to appreciate the beauty in the world. I am well aware of the hurt and pain in the world as well, which makes me want to be even more grateful for the beauty. Since Amalie was born I have started mourning the time that has already gone by. I don't know if this is healthy or normal, but I keep thinking of the time I will have with her before she moves on with her life as an adult. There will be only 18 summers (give and take a few) where she will be my little girl living under my roof. There will be only 18 springs and 18 falls. I want all of those springs, summers, falls and winters to be magical. I want her to feel loved and cherished for all 18 and the rest of her life. I want to show her the beauty in the world and I want to teach her to have empathy for all of the hurts and pains. I want to teach her to find the beauty that resides in every person and I want to show her the love that the Lord has for all of his children. Time will fly by and I want to cherish every moment. I will not succumb to silly daily stresses. I want to live each day with a thankful heart. I want to be spontaneous and give Amalie a magical childhood.
Although I feel like the past three months have flown by, I have loved every moment. I will actually miss waking up with Amalie in the middle of the night when she starts to sleep through the night. I love those sweet quiet moments at night when she is so calm and snuggly and when she nestles so close into me. I will miss rocking her in my arms when she is fussy. I love those sweet eyes looking up at me and being able to give her all the love I have. I will miss all of the sweet moments with my infant but I am so excited to experience the joys of my baby and then of my toddler. So I am going to cherish each and every day. From the words of Mother Teresa "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has yet to come. We have only today. Let us begin."
We have had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. It is wonderful when you can find a way to celebrate with all of those fun Christmasy things while appreciating the true meaning of the holiday. This year was just that. We had all of the 'fixins' but we started out the celebrations praying and being thankful for the peace, joy, love and freedom that we have in Jesus.
To start off December we had an amazing visit with Keith's parents. We relaxed together, celebrated Keith's graduation, made good food, went on walks (despite the cold), enjoyed the winter wonderland that Norway is in December, played with sweet girl, and watched movies together. The 2 weeks flew by and we were so sad to see them go. We then had a sweet Christmas Eve with my family and woke up to find out Naomi was in labor. We then welcomed our precious little girl Eva into the world on the 26th. For New Years Eve we celebrated with a few couples at our sweet friends' Egil and Veronica's house. We are now ready to welcome a new year and all of the adventures that come along with it!
Happy New Year!! Here is a little pic update!
