Santa's Arrival...

This past weekend was Santa's arrival at our local mall. My sister-in-law told me about it, and while I wasn't sure how Leland would do with Santa this year {he did great last year, but I wasn't so sure about this year}, I thought it would be something fun and different to get us out of the house.

Saturday morning, we headed off to the mall, where, in the food court, were milk and cookies and a craft activity ready for us.

When Leland got bored with those activities, he tried to escape to the carousel, but it wasn't open yet.

Then Santa arrived via fire truck! Leland was in awe.

Man, the Moby wrap sure is an attractive accessory.

When we went back inside, there were little goody bags for the kids to play with while Santa made his way around to meet them.

After that, we followed Santa through the mall to the "meet Santa" area and he told a story. Leland wasn't so interested in the story. He's not one to EVER sit still, and he much preferred checking out the decorations.

After that we got our picture taken with the Man in Red. Leland did pretty well - I was impressed. And Alden did too. ;)

It turned out to be a really fun event. I'm glad we went and I'm really glad that Dave went with me, even though his back was hurting. Chasing Leland around the mall is a little difficult when I'm also holding Alden and trying to keep track of things like the diaper bag and stuff. 

We will definitely do this again next year.

Need to Vent...

Okay, friends, I need to vent for a minute. About something {someone} that a person shouldn't have to complain about. But I need to do it because if I don't, I'm going to end up saying something out loud to that person and that person will get all depressed, and then I'll have that on my conscience.

So anyway, I need to complain about...my mom.

I've mentioned before that my mom and I don't have the best relationship. To others, it probably seems like we do, but it's really, really fake. Mostly on my part because I don't want to be the reason she ends up in some hospital being treated for depression. If that happens, it won't be on me. There's a lot of backstory here, but I'm not going to get into all of it right now. Mostly because...well...no one cares.  But you will need some to understand my frustration.

My mom is always complaining about how she doesn't get to see her grandkids enough. She complains on facebook, she complains to us kids, she complains to anyone that will listen. But then when she is given the chance to see them, she always has an excuse not to. For example, she told me about two months ago that she wanted to go to church with me and then hang out after. So I invited her to come to church with us - a week in advance. She told me she didn't know how she would be feeling that day {well, duh...I don't know how I'm going to be feeling a week from now, but if I fall ill, I guess I'll cancel}. And sure enough, she was "too tired" to hang out with us. Whatever. She does this stuff all the time, so I didn't actually expect her to come. I just thought I'd extend the invitation. Later, I found out that the reason she was too tired was because she had my nieces Natalie and Audrey {her favorite grandchildren...ask anyone} over the night before and was spending time with them that day. So, I was ditched for my nieces. Not the first time, and I wasn't surprised. But it hurts just the same.

Then a couple weeks ago, my mom sent a facebook message to me and all of my siblings trying to figure out Christmas plans. She mentioned she would like to have "the girls" over to decorate cookies sometime soon. Whenever she says "the girls," she doesn't mean all of her granddaughters. She means Natalie and Audrey, even though she has others. And she has several grandSONS too. She has 11 grandchildren, but somehow it's always about Natalie and Audrey. And it's not just me who notices this; the rest of my siblings notice too. {And even if she meant all of the girls, why would she send this to me and my sisters who only have boys? Rude much?} So I made a little passive aggressive comment on this facebook message saying, "I bet the boys would love to decorate cookies too." The only boy who couldn't would be Alden. The rest are Leland's age all the way up to 16, and while the 16 year old with special needs wouldn't be able to decorate or eat them, we would all enjoy spending time with him. My sister called me and said she liked my comment. :)

Fast forward to this weekend. I invited my mom to join us for Santa's arrival at the mall {which was lots of fun - blog post coming soon}. She didn't respond to my invitation, so I assumed she wasn't coming. No big. I didn't really expect her to. But then she called me this morning to tell me she wasn't going to make it. Because...wait for it...

She had Natalie overnight last night and had to take her back to my brother's by noon.

Ummm...the Santa thing was from 10-11. She could have brought Natalie and still taken her home by noon, so I don't see why she couldn't go. And isn't it something Natalie would enjoy doing? My mom could have gone and spent time with 5 of her grandkids at once {my other nieces, Ella and Madeline, were there}.

The thing that really bugs me isn't that she doesn't come to spend time with my boys. Because my boys have another grandma who loves spending time with them. They're not missing out on anything that they know of. What bugs me is that she complains and makes everyone feel guilty that she doesn't see the kids enough, but then when she gets the chance, she doesn't take it. It's not my fault she doesn't my boys; it's hers. But I'm sure I'll read somewhere on facebook soon that she had so much fun with Natalie this weekend and she wishes she could see the other kids as much.

You can, mom. You just have to actually accept the invitation.

Ugh! Sorry, had to get that out.

Baby and Mama Well Checks...

Earlier this week, we had Alden's one month well check and my postpartum doctor's visit.

At Alden's appointment, we discovered that he is now 22 inches long and weighs a whopping 10 pounds, 11 ounces. He was 6 pounds, 8 ounces at birth, so this means he has gained over FOUR POUNDS in one month. The doctor said that sometimes babies only gain a pound, most of the time it's two or three, and once in a while they see four. So, more than four is some definite growth.

I talked with the doctor a little bit about our issues with my oversupply because I was concerned about what that meant for Alden's development. He said that it's really not a huge problem for Alden. As long as he's gaining weight, the issue is really just about my comfort. That was a relief. Since then I feel like I've gotten a good handle on it though. My milk still comes out pretty fast, causing Alden to leak quite a bit out of his mouth {nursing is messy for us...we go through LOTS of burp cloths}. But he doesn't gag nearly as much and I'm no longer in pain or look like a porn star. Phew.

Later that day was my postpartum appointment. I am now back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Wahoo! It took me a year to get back there after Leland, so this is pretty exciting for me. However, pre-preg weight is not the same as pre-preg size. I'm still wearing my "chubby" jeans and not my regular ones. But oh well. Once I get running again, that should get a little better.

After talking with my doctor, I decided to get an IUD. As much as I love having Alden here, I am not ready for another surprise blessing. We would like to wait until he's closer to three before having another. My doctor was ready to do it the next day, but I had plans. She's out of the office next week, so I go back on December 4th to get it. They will also check my blood sugar that day too, just to make sure it's ok.

So, in a nutshell...healthy, chubby baby. Healthy, not-so-chubby mama. And no more surprise babies.

Too Much Milk...

When I was first breasfeeding Leland, I worried about my milk supply because he was a preemie and didn't taking to nursing right away. I pumped after every.single.feeding for a good month, mostly out of fear that I wouldn't produce. But once he got the hang of it, I became a major milk producer. I had plenty for him, and plenty leftover to pump. Our freezer was full of milk.

When Alden was born, I did not worry about my supply at all. I didn't pump at first and I didn't want to pump. I started pumping once a day when he was a week old to relieve my "fullness." A few days later, I added another pumping session. I was pumping 10 oz. within five minutes. It was insane. Since then, I've been pumping twice a day if I feel that fullness.

I thought everything was going pretty well, so when Alden turned one month old, I tried a bottle for the first time. He sucked the thing down and slept for three hours. Pretty cool, right?

Sort of.

When he was drinking his bottle, I noticed that he was drinking it much easier than he nurses. No gagging or gurgling. No choking or coughing. No giant belch. And no spit-up after. NONE!

I realized that perhaps my milk comes out too fast for Alden. So I checked with my friend google about what the problem could be and what I could do, and here's what I found.

One website had this checklist to see if you have "forceful letdown" or "oversupply":

• gagging, choking, gulping etc. when nursing? Check
• baby pulls off breast when nursing? Check
• baby makes clicking sound when nursing? Check (not now, but in the beginning)
• baby spits up very often and tends to be very gassy? Check
• baby wants to nurse frequently? Check
• short nursing sessions {10 minutes or less}? Check
• heavy, wet diapers? Check

It looks like I have an issue with oversupply. I make too damn much milk. Not the worst problem to have, but a pain in the boob nonetheless.

So, how do I fix it? I have to make my boobs realize that we don't need that much milk. Which means...no pumping {or if I do, it needs to be for only about 30 seconds to relieve pressure and prevent mastitis}, and block feeding {nursing on one side several times in a row to make the other side realize it has made too much milk}. Oh, and ice packs. Man, it's cold, but it's supposed to help.

Beyond that, I think I'm going to have my thyroid levels checked, because that can be another cause for oversupply. And my oversupply is, like, WAY oversupply. I know my mom has some issues with her thyroid, so it can't hurt to get mine checked.

It's been two days of no pumping, and while my boobs are not as rock hard as they were the first day, they are uncomfortable. Sometimes, when Alden nurses on one side, I let the other side drip into a towel to relieve myself. It helps a little, and doesn't require any stimulation, so it's not signaling my body to make more. 

So far, it's working a little bit. Of course, I would prefer more immediate results, but that's not going to happen, so I'm just thankful for small gains {or losses, really}. Alden is already nursing a little better and spitting up less. Hoping it continues and I won't have porn star-like boobs much longer.

Also, I've decided not to give Alden any more bottles for now. Since I know he takes them just fine, I'm going to wait a few weeks before giving them to him again. I don't want him to prefer the bottle over nursing.

Leland Update...

I plan on writing a letter to Leland for his second birthday, but there are some things he's been up to lately that I don't want to forget, so I'm sharing them now.

• He likes to count now. We have always counted things with him, like stairs and such, but he never attempted to count them with us. Now he counts them all the time. He counts to six and then makes me say seven, and then he skips eight. Every time. So it goes four, five, six, seven, nine, ten. Every time. So funny.
• Whenever he has two of something in his hand {like today, he had two crackers}, he says, "Two" in his cute little toddler voice. It's adorable. He doesn't do this with any other number. Just two.
• Says "no" about everything, even when he means yes. When I ask him if he wants a snack, he'll say no, but then run to the cupboard where we keep the snacks. He used to say "uh huh" for yes, but he hasn't been doing that lately.
• He has many two-word phrases that he's been saying lately, such as baby cry and I do {when he wants to do something himself}.
• He is really interested in the moon and sky lately and points it out every morning.
• Picking up new words all the time.
• My favorite thing that he does right now is that every time he hands me something, he says "hewe" {here}. The other day, I was unloading the dishwasher, and he kept taking things out to hand them to me. "Hewe, hewe, hewe." So stinkin' cute.
• Still obsessed with Chuggington and tractors.
• Still loves kitchen utensils and drink bottles more than any toy.
• He has never paid much attention to TV unless it's Chuggington, so we could pretty much have anything on TV any time. But lately he will look to see what's on, and not really watch it, but definitely notices it. Recently, Dave was watching some movie and there was a fight, and Leland kept saying "Owie, owie." I guess we have to be more careful now about what's on when he's around.
• LOVES to dance. 
• Loves his brother, most of the time. He likes to give him kisses and cover him up with a blanket. When he wakes up in the morning, he asks for him. He likes to rock him in his car seat and tries to pick him up. 
• He likes to put his own shoes and mittens on. He almost always puts them on the wrong feet/hands, but it's nice that he does it!

He is at such a fun age right now. I know I say that all the time. But he is just so much fun to be around...I guess at any age.

One Month...

Dear Alden,

Today is November 17, and you are one month old! Part of me can’t believe it’s already been a month because it has really gone so fast, but another part of me feels like you’ve always been here. It’s hard to remember what life was like before you.

You came into this world fast and furious {and I thank you greatly for the “fast” part}. You changed our lives instantly, and in the best ways possible. You were a teeny little thing when you were born, but you’re already growing into such a big boy. It makes me sad and happy at the same time; I love that you’re healthy and growing, but I do not want this to go too fast. I know it will though. I know I will simply blink and you’ll be a toddler, or at least it will feel that way.

You came home from the hospital wearing newborn clothes, but after about two weeks, you were busting out of those and moving into three month sizes. Some are still a little big on you, but with the rate you’re growing, it won’t be long before they’re the perfect fit. You were also wearing newborn size diapers when you came home, but you quickly outgrew those and are now in size 1.

We have your one month check-up in a few days, so I’m not sure what you weigh, but I would guess around 9 lbs. And as for height, you seem pretty tall to me. Your 3 month sleepers all seem a little short. We’ll have to see in a few days.

You have dark hair, which completely surprised your dad and me. We were expecting another blondie like your brother. But you have brown hair with some reddish tints. And you have lots of it. Some people say you might lose your hair. Your brother didn’t, but he didn’t have as much as you. We’ll just have to see. You also have blue eyes just like me, Daddy, and Leland. I don’t see that changing.

Your first week, you were eating every hour. Which, I’m not going to lie, was super exhausting {and a little painful}. But now you eat about every two hours. Of course, sometimes it’s more often. Sometimes it’s only 20 minutes and you want to nurse again, but that’s not too common. You pretty much never go more than two hours. You love to eat! You nurse like a champ and have since day one, which was a relief after your brother had a rough start with nursing.

For a few weeks, we had some tough nights. You had some gas and reflux pain, and had your days/nights slightly mixed up. We’ve been taking you to see Dr. Lea, which has helped a lot with the gas and reflux, and you’re starting to get the hang of the “sleep at night, awake during the day” thing. You’re not really on any kind of schedule yet. Sometimes you do the eat-wake-nap routine, and sometimes it’s more like eat-wake-eat-nap. You like to eat…a lot.

You have a short list of likes and dislikes right now. You like: eating, being held, and bath time. You dislike: the car seat and getting out of the tub.

You have already celebrated your first holiday. Two weeks after you were born was Halloween. You didn’t dress up in a costume, but you wore a little “My First Halloween” outfit. We celebrated by going to Grandma Josie’s Halloween carnival and trick-or-treating at the mall. You slept through both of those.

In general, you’re a pretty happy and content baby. You only cry when you’re hungry or when you’re dealing with gas/reflux. You love to be held, and will not sleep in any kind of bassinet. Just like your brother, you like to be held when you sleep. You will sleep for short amounts of time in your bouncer, which is helpful when I need to do laundry, dishes, or make dinner. But you prefer to sleep with me. I actually love this. I enjoy being close to you all the time.

Your big brother was excited to see you the first time he might you. He gave you kisses and said hi, but then went about his toddler business of running around and exploring. Over the last month, he has seemed to get used to you being around. When I get him up in the morning, the first thing he does is ask where Daddy is, and then he asks where Baby is {that’s you}. He loves to give you kisses, and tries to rock you in your bouncer. He also tries to pick you up, but that’s a no-no for now. He may not fully understand what it means to have/be a brother, but he loves you already.

Alden Walker, you are such a joy in our life already. Our hearts are so full and happy with you here. You are such a blessing, sweet boy. I love you so much.

Love,

Mama

{Side note: Dude doesn't enjoy getting his picture taken. These three were the only usable ones.}

Of All Places...

Last year, for Leland's first Christmas, I wanted to get him a personalized Christmas stocking. I looked all over online and found a bunch of them that were adorable, but too expensive.

I didn't want to spend all of my Christmas budget on Leland's stocking, but then I stumbled upon {really cute} personalized stockings at Walmart.com and couldn't believe it! They have lots of different styles: characters like Santa and reindeer, needlepoint, animal print, striped, etc. They even had sock monkey stockings!

But my favorites were the snowflake knit stockings. They had more of the classic, timeless look I was looking for. A style that Leland wouldn't outgrow.

I had a hard time deciding which one I wanted. A plain color? Or one with a design? Eventually, I chose the red design with the white cuff. And had it personalized for free with Leland's name.

It was perfect! And for only $15! Yeah, seriously.

This year, I wanted to get one for Alden and was hoping I could get a similar one from Walmart again. As luck would have it, they still have the same styles available. I considered ordering a different color, but I really just like this one the most, so I ordered Alden's in the same color. 

I was a little bummed that the price went up to $19 this year, but that's still a pretty good deal with free name embroidery. But, lucky me! When I went to order it today, it was on sale for $13.95. Sa-weet! 

Eventually, I want to get some for Dave and me as well. Ours are pretty lame. But I think I'll wait until next year. I'll probably get ours in a plain color.

Anyway, I really just wanted to share this crazy good deal on these adorable Christmas stockings. I couldn't believe they came from Walmart, and I thought others might appreciate this deal as well.

Good Baby...

One question I hear often since Alden's arrival is, "Is he a good baby?"

I remember hearing this question a lot when Leland was brand new too. And, to me, it's the silliest question ever. Because, have you ever heard of a "bad" baby? I haven't. I have yet to see any baby that wasn't "good."

I understand that when people ask this question, they are really asking, "Does he fuss a lot?" or "Does he sleep well?"

But those things don't equal "good" to me; they mean "easy." An easy baby probably doesn't fuss a lot. An easy baby probably sleeps long stretches at night, and maybe even sleeps through the night early on.

So, is Alden an easy baby? No. Not really. Neither was his brother.

He really doesn't fuss at all during the day, but at night his reflux and gas get the better of him and he does spend a good portion of the night crying/fussing. He eats every 1.5-2 hours, and sometimes even more than that. So, no, we're not getting good stretches of sleep.

But is he a good baby? Yes. Definitely yes. He is adorable. He is snuggly. He fills my heart with warmth and love, and he brings indescribable joy to our family. He's a good baby.

Hate to say "I told you so," but...

Leland is a toddler. A boy toddler. Which means he's very active and curious - maybe even more so than most toddler boys. Dave gets a little frustrated with him sometimes because when he gets bored, he gets into mischief. Not necessarily on purpose, but when he's explored everything he's allowed to explore, he moves onto things he's not allowed to explore.

I could rattle off example after example, but that's not really the point of this post, so I'll just share one.

This is a photo I shared on instagram recently. Leland has discovered that the vent covers come off, so he not only takes them all off, but he tries to climb in the vents as well. Big no-no, sir.

So yeah, Leland does stuff like that {and worse} all the time. And when you tell him no, a tantrum usually ensues. But this stuff generally only happens when he's bored. On days when we're at home all day and it's raining or something so he can't go outside. He's played with all of his toys and then gets bored, so this kind of thing happens.

I have told Dave about a million times that Leland is much better behaved when he gets out and about, even for just a short time in the yard. He doesn't like being cooped up in the house. He needs to be out in the world exploring. The last few weeks since Alden's arrival have been a little tough because it's been pretty cold and/or rainy so I can't always take Alden outside. And that means a lot of time spent in the house. I try to come up with fun things to do though that are out of the ordinary, like baking cookies, playing with homemade playdough, and getting out toys that he hasn't seen in a while. Sometimes it helps, and sometimes we still see lots of fits.

Dave doesn't believe me that it's usually that simple of a reason for Leland's mischievous behavior and tantrums. He thinks Leland is just a stinker and needs more discipline. Well, he may need more discipline sometimes, but that's certainly not always the case.

The last few days, we've managed to get Leland out and about and kept busy. On Thursday, we had a play date with his cousin, Madeline. It was at her house, which meant new and different toys. Yesterday, he had a busy day at daycare and then played outside for a bit before dinner. And today, we went downtown for the Children's Book Festival and then he played outside at home for a while. None of these were major outings, but they allowed him to do something besides play at home with his same old toys.

And coincidentally...

Tonight, after Leland went to bed, Dave said that he's really enjoying Leland's better attitude the last few days. I just smiled as he said, "He's been in a really good mood and hasn't been such a jerk lately." {Yes, Dave calls him a jerk sometimes...it's kind of a joke with us. He doesn't really mean it.} I, of course, had to point out that this good mood coincides with the fact that Leland has been able to get out and have fun more lately.

Well, Dave. Sweetheart. I hate to say, "I told you so," but...I told you so.

Second Time Around...

Alden has now been here for three weeks, and I have to say that having a newborn the second time around is a lot different than the first time. Now, my first experience at having a newborn was very different than most people's because Leland was a preemie. But I am still somewhat surprised at how different things are this time.

Anxiety
With Leland, I had so much anxiety - about my milk supply, about nursing in public/in front of people at home, about taking Leland places, about everything. I don't really have that issue this time. Some of that anxiety was because he was a preemie. I didn't want to take Leland out because I was afraid of germs, and it was hard to do anything with having to pump after every feeding.

With Alden, I don't have that anxiety. I pretty much know that I am practically a milk maid, so I don't worry about my supply. I just pump when I feel full, which is about 2-3 times a day. I also don't worry about nursing in front of anyone this time. I try to be discreet if I'm in public, but I don't get all anxious about it like I did with Leland. I don't worry about taking Alden places. I do still worry about germs, but I definitely get out more this time than I did with Leland. I don't think I left the house with Leland until he was a month old!

It's nice to not have that anxiety this time. It was kind of exhausting to be worried all the time before.

Nursing/Schedules
Leland was a slow starter with nursing, but he eventually got it. He was on a three hour feeding schedule in the NICU and we were able to continue that when we got home. It was nice to know exactly when he would be hungry, but that also added to my anxiety a little. I wasn't able to just go with the flow. Alden started nursing like a champ right away, but is not on any kind of schedule yet. Sometimes he goes two hours between feedings, and sometimes he only goes a half hour. He's unpredictable which forces me to go with the flow.

Mommy Guilt
With Leland, I had all kinds of mommy guilt. I felt guilty if I wasn't holding him enough. I felt guilty about him being in the car seat because he hated it, and also because it's terrible for babies' backs, so I didn't want him to be in it for long. I felt guilty about everything. Truthfully, I still have mommy guilt. It's just different this time. It's doubled.

This time, I feel all the same guilt with Alden that I did with Leland, but then I also feel guilty about not spending enough time with Leland. I want to hold Alden all the time, but I also want to continue playing with Leland the way we always did. I feel like I can never give either of them the attention I want to.

Leland goes to daycare about 3 days a week. This is great for me to get to spend some alone time with Alden and try to rest {since Alden doesn't sleep so well at night}, and it's great for Leland to spend time with his friends, and get to really play, but I miss my time with him. But then when he's home, I feel bad that we can't spend much, if any, time outside because it's been so cold and rainy. I hate having him cooped up in the house. So I feel guilty when he's home, and guilty when he's at daycare. I think that the guilt just comes with motherhood; there's no avoiding it.


Having two kids under two years old has been easier than I thought it would be in many ways. I was really worried about how Leland would handle this change in our family. But he's actually done really well with it. Sure, there are times when he just doesn't understand what it means to be gentle, but overall, he's done great and is really sweet to Alden.

It has also been harder in some ways. Mostly when it comes to giving Leland enough attention - or at least what I feel is enough attention. And getting him outside to play enough. This is just a yucky time of year to take a newborn outside, and it won't get any better for another 6 months or so. So I just have to find ways to get Leland his outside time. Like having Dave snuggle Alden so Leland and I can play outside. Or playing in the garage like we did yesterday. It was still something different than being stuck inside, but it was a lot warmer for Alden and easier for me to manage both kids.

So, this whole having-two-kids thing? Harder? Yes. Easier? Also yes. Absolutely amazing? Definitely. My heart is full. And so are my boobs...time to go pump.

Christmas {and Birthday} Prep...

Someone posted on facebook this morning that there only seven Sundays left until Christmas. 

Say what?!

I guess it's time to get my butt in gear and figure out what the heck these boys are getting for Christmas. And what Leland is getting for his birthday, just three days after Christmas.

Dave and I tend to not get too crazy with gifts. We do things pretty simple. Mostly because we lack in the financial department {especially these days}, but also because we lack the extra space in our house, and because we're minimalists in general.

I have a few ideas for Leland's Christmas and birthday gifts:

• Tractors and Trucks - can't go wrong with these in Leland's eyes. He has one toy tractor, but I think he would enjoy some more, especially bigger ones, and maybe one of those big yellow Tonka construction trucks.

• Musical Instruments - Leland loves music and is always playing with musical instruments at daycare. I think a couple of simple ones, like maracas, a tambourine, etc. would go over well with him.

• Little People Farm - Leland has a few Little People toys, but I think he would really enjoy the farm. He loves animals and has played with the farm at a friend's house, so I know he likes it.

• Vtech Go Go Smart Wheels - our daycare provider gave Leland one of these little trucks when she came to meet Alden. He loves it. I saw a commercial about these toys, and apparently there are several sets. Since he has the cement mixer, I think I would go with the construction site set. They can connect with the other sets too, which I think is pretty cool.

• Books
• Pajamas - dude is already outgrowing the jams I got him in September.
• Stocking Stuffers - bath crayons/toys, extra Go Go Smart Wheels trucks, Play-doh

Leland may not end up with all of these, but these are the ideas I've come up with.

As for Alden, he doesn't really need toys yet, and when he does, we've got all of Leland's old ones. So for Christmas, he will probably be getting:

• A snow suit - he will need it for daycare and I'm sure for home as well.
• Nursery decor - I haven't completed his nursery yet and I have a couple of ideas that would make good Christmas gifts. Like a piggy bank {with some money in it, of course}, and some wall art.

Those are my ideas so far. Any other suggestions for a two year old and two month old?

Gone Fishin' {Newborn Photos}...

For Alden's newborn photos, we went {again} to my friend, Alisha. She also did our maternity photos. I love her creativity and incredible speed at editing pics. Our shoot was Sunday, and I got our CD in the mail today. Holy cow.

Alisha said she had a little "Gone Fishin'" set up that she had been dying to use. I wasn't so sure about it when she told me, but when I saw it, I agreed that it was adorable, and was excited to use it for our sweet Alden.

So anyway, enough of my chit chat - here are some of our favorite photos from our shoot.

These are just some of my faves. So many great shots that I just adore. I am so thankful to have these treasures.