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Baby
Sweet Chloé really put on the chunk in her second month of life. I'm definitely not mad about it because buttery croissant thigh rolls are my jam. She loves eating, snuggling, ceiling fans, foot massages, and skipping her naps. She smiles on purpose and has nearly doubled in size and weight since birth (she was initially the same size as her stuffed owl Hedwig, with the addition of arms and legs), and I can't get over how much fun this little cutie is!
Precious Chloé. You came three weeks early and I was completely unprepared but I wouldn't have it any other way. Now that you've been with us a month, my life prior to having you out in the world seems so empty (but also so full of sleep hah). Being your Mom is the best, darling girl.
You may have noticed how so very MIA I've been from everything recently, but I promise I have a real valid excuse. Mark and I are expecting an addition to our little Griffo fam this upcoming February 2018!
We are so excited and it's such a relief to have it out in the open now so that I can finally actually have a reason for how low energy and exhausted and completely non social I've been! I definitely had quite a bit of morning sickness the first three months (which is such a misnomer because it's more like all hours sickness) but thankfully never threw up. I've had a few really bad headaches, and I can't sit in hard chairs or even firm couches or all my joints and tailbone start to ache. My night owl tendencies of going to bed at one AM have been completely shot and turned into me falling asleep at ten most nights, and waking up at three AM to pee since my kidneys are twice as active. Oh, and everything makes me cry these days. Literally everything. I watched a lifestyle video for the stroller we picked out the other day and burst into tears at the sight of a mom pushing her cute babe, crying to Mark, "That's gonna be meeee". Pregnancy perks, am I right? Baby is finally starting to really bump (although some people are telling me they don't even notice, but when you're used to your stomach being flat and behind your hip bones and can't fit in any of your jeans without a belly band you definitely notice) and I'm so glad I don't have to worry about dressing strategically to hide it anymore since the news is out!
Everything is so exciting and new but was also really scary for the first several months because of our experience with a molar pregnancy last year. We've had a few people who we shared our pregnancy news with with early on wonder and ask why we haven't been more visibly excited and told everyone sooner, but it was so hard to stay in joy and not in fear when our first experience being pregnant went so horribly wrong. It's a hard and weird thing to talk about when you don't even fully understand it yourself and it's so personal and I am such an introverted and private person, but I hoped that in sharing our story it can bring some comfort, peace, or healing to anyone else who has had pregnancy struggles or loss, even if just to know that you are not alone - so I shared it here recently if you'd like to know more. We just wanted to be absolutely sure that everything was going the way it was supposed to and that there was a perfectly whole and healthy little baby inside me before we shared the news with everyone. But after a few months and three ultrasounds so far, we are confident that there is a healthy baby Griffo growing inside me!
The second ultrasound was super exciting and reassuring. We got to see baby's face and they (no we are not having twins, I just prefer saying they / them over it) were waving their hands and dancing around inside my belly, and at one point even flipped around and shook their cute little butt at us! So at least I now know where all my energy is going these days, they are using it to fuel their in utero dance parties haha!
We just found out baby's sex at the end of September with our third ultrasound, and are so excited to be having a sweet little girl! My heart swelled and it felt like the love I already felt for her grew times a thousand when I heard the ultrasound tech say the words, "It's definitely a girl". Mark and I both thought we were having a girl, but everyone else who has known I'm pregnant were pretty divided, so much so that I wasn't even so sure myself anymore. But now that it's all confirmed and official, I'm getting the urge to buy pink (super muted, but hey it's still pink) things. Which if you know my personal and decorating styles of all neutrals (black, white, grey, and tan / brass) is sort of hilarious. I even shocked myself by buying a soft pink vase when I was in Portland the other week!
We've already practically got everything picked out and the soon to be nursery virtually decorated via Pinterest and our still-in-progress Amazon registry, and are so ready to make room in our lives for our sweet little baby girl. I won't be taking any weddings on for the rest of the year, or in 2018 as of now, so that I can dedicate the time needed to raising and caring for baby girl in her first year of life, but I'm still doing engagements, portrait sessions, lifestyle stuff, and my favorite - food and product styling and photography! So if you need any of that, I'm still your girl.
Whew! That was a lot, but I'm so excited the news is out! Everything feels so much more real now that everyone knows, and now that we know we're having a girl. I'm hoping these last four months fly by because I just want to hold her squirmy little body (she's so active!) and nibble her cute little nose.
A huge thank you to my dear friend Madeline Metcalf for taking the gorgeous photos that filled this post. You are so talented and I'm so blessed to have you in my life! If you are in the Portland area and in need of photos, she's the best!
