In an effort to constantly improve my blog and make my presence known to the social media world, I am always trying to think of topics about which to write. Therefore, I have come up with a list of topics that will soon make their appearance in posts. Leave a comment below with suggestions of other topics you would like to read about on my blog!

Recent topics of interest:

+ mama style & baby style

+ tips, tricks, and information on cloth diapering, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, "5 S's" cure for soothing colicky babies

+ going against the grain (in terms of pregnancy, motherhood, and raising children) in today's society: thumb sucking vs. pacifiers, cloth vs. disposable diapering, co-sleeping vs. sleeping in separate rooms, breast vs. bottle feeding, labor & delivery methods

+ life after returning to work - finding a good balance as a working mother

+ more about me: dreams and desires, new adventures in life, daily musings

My baby is a month old already! It still seems like yesterday we were spending a weekend in the hospital bonding as a family. Over the past few weeks I have thought of that weekend a number of times. It still seems unreal to me - the timeline of events from beginning of labor to birth, the emotions we felt and how they constantly changed, the "feeling" of Vienna's birth day and the weekend ... all of that. I think about the day we came home from the hospital and everything was as we left it just two days before: dirty dishes in the sink, our pajamas and a notebook I was using to track contractions opened up on the bed, windows open, the area of the living room floor where I was doing labor positions early Friday morning. It's like we had a moment of time captured to relive; or rather, remember. I suppose the same could be said when you go on vacation for awhile and then come back home to see everything as it was before you left. Time stands still.

The first month of motherhood has been great. Getting used to having a baby around has been an adjustment, but we love it. Although I am more tired than usual, I love caring for my daughter. She is such a sweetheart, and a rather good baby, and I am blessed to have her as a part of my family. And this month, she was added to another family - our church family! We were fortunate enough to have her baptized into the Catholic community a few weeks ago. It's refreshing to know that she has so much love and support around her. We are grateful to be witnesses to this Sacrament and now have even more responsibility as parents to guide her as she grows.

Speaking of growing, Vienna has done a lot of that this month! Just a week and a half after her birth, she had already gained 13oz - she weighed in at over 9lbs! And Asa and I can tell that she has put on more weight since then for she feels heavier these days :) She has also grown in length. She is already getting to be too big for her bassinet (unless she is swaddled)! We might have to transition to a crib sooner than we thought. It has been fun to witness her growth physically and mentally over the past month.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to witness her growth in such close quarters too much anymore. Next week I must return to work so our bonding moments will be saved for evenings and during lunch hour when I plan to come home and feed her. This situation is one that has weighed heavily on my heart since a few months before giving birth, but I must trust that in time God will provide us with the means for me to become a stay-at-home mama. And although I do have to return to work, I shouldn't dwell on it too much because the past month of bonding with my daughter has been wonderful and will be able to continue even once I start working again.

But enough "woe is me" ... life is great! My husband and I are very blessed and fortunate for everything that we have and are. I am looking forward to the changing of the seasons from summer to fall, watching Vienna grow each day, our one year wedding anniversary, our future as a family and the prospect of owning a home to call our own, the everyday goods and bads, growing in my roles as wife, mother, & homemaker, and whatever else comes our way!

On Friday, July 25th at 4:08pm, Asa and I welcomed our daughter into the world. At 8lbs 4oz, she was perfection and immediately daddy's little girl.

People ask us who we think she looks like, and honestly, we aren't sure. But, she does have some visible qualities from each of us already. She has my husband's cowlick and curved toes, and my big feet and long fingers. It also looks like she is going to share our blue eye color. And of course, she's a total cutie :)

The first week at home went by all too quickly. My husband didn't work all week which was something that I really enjoyed - it was nice having him around. We also had lots of visitors who brought meals and gifts which was definitely appreciated. Obviously, there has been an adjustment with having a baby around, but we made it through - nothing too unbearable yet.

Motherhood has been about what I expected. Actually, I sort of fell into it rather easily. It has been an enjoyable experience so far learning and experiencing new things, having a new priority and responsibility, and making sacrifices for my family. I hope I'm being the best mom I can be to my little girl!

Things I learned this past week:
+ there truly are not enough hours in the day
+ caffeine and naps are a must
+ nursing is painful at first and at times inconvenient, but totally worth it
+ thank goodness we chose to use cloth diapers instead of disposables - babies go through so many of them!
+ eight hours of uninterrupted sleep at night is no longer an option (hence why naps are a must)
+ my husband is the best at changing diapers and shhing our baby when she's crying
+ I have more patience than I thought
+ raising children is definitely a team effort and I'm so thankful for my husband and all he does
+ what once was thought to be a burden is now a blessing
+ knowing I'm no longer pregnant gives me a whole new sense of freedom

I am now a mama to a beautiful girl - what a precious gift!