We had a baby!

June 10, 2014personal, newbornjacqueline horningComment

Well friends, I'm sharing a post I drafted, oh, two months ago maybe? I had one image to add and never got to it, so this post sat. Hillary and Dan's wedding came and went and kept me busy, and it sat. But finally! It's fun to read something I wrote when she was about six weeks old since life already seems oh so different. So, enjoy! Here's a glimpse of our early days with the little darling. (Although, at the time I was calling her my little tiger since she was so full of passion.)

....................From April 20th, 2014: ..................................

She's here! Our little peanut (I'll call her baby e) surprised us and everyone else by coming three days early. We met her just over a month ago and wow have these weeks flown by. She is wonderful. I really wasn't prepared for how much I'd enjoy her simply because she's ours.

So, if you noticed things have been a little quiet around here for the past month or so, now you know why. I knew I'd want to take a break from all things JHP and focus on our wee one, but I didn't expect it to be so hard to find a few hours to write this entry. It turns out everyone is right: newborns take tons of time! So, don't mind the crickets around here. We're busy with more important matters. :)

[click images to enlarge]

She's sleeping in our bedroom for now and I finally moved her changing station to our bureau too. Why did I (ahem, more like P) spend weeks walking down the hall at all hours of the night for diaper changes? Yes, he's awesome and when getting up was still an ordeal for me would wake up just to change a diaper.

I used to dread the nights - bedtime just meant the unknown of how much I'd sleep and how long I'd spend rocking a baby in the dark, watching the clock move towards dawn. Thankfully she's a decent sleeper and I no longer get depressed at dinnertime. I may nod off during a 2am feeding and celebrate when I get more than three hours of sleep in a row...oh newborns...but I'm still happy to see her every few hours when her belly wakes us both.

................................. And that's where I left off. Baby girl, you've come along way in just 14 weeks. I can't get my head around the fact that you'll be sitting, crawling, and walking one day - then growing up?! Oh my.

Thanks for being excited with us! I have more to share here, but in the meantime, I post images from my iphone to instagram or my VSCO grid. Feel free to follow along.

(Also: More newborn photos for your baby fever.)

a Wedding Day in May

May 21, 2014Weddingsjacqueline horningComment

William Penn Inn, Montgomery County, PA

It may have been calling for thunderstorms that day, but Hillary and Dan managed to soak in some sunshine on their wedding day. They gathered their most intimate friends and family to celebrate with them and married at the William Penn Inn in Ambler. As they stood at the alter, the priest called for everyone to take pause: "When we walked in here today, these two were Hillary and Dan. Now, a new family has formed." And he was right.

Hillary and Dan, it was lovely to see how happy and content you are together. Your family clearly thinks highly of you, and I was honored to take a small part in your day. Congratulations to the new family!

Cheers! I love a good ending.

Happy Mother's Day! (one day late)

May 12, 2014personaljacqueline horningComment

Happy Mother's Day to all! I'm belated in posting this but still wanted to share this little excerpt.

This was my first Mother's Day. It was fabulous. I am in love with our little one and feel so grateful to be her mom. A card from my parents offered their wish: "May your day be filled with joy as you consider the precious gift given to you and P." That's exactly what it was. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I get it - 10 weeks worth anyway - of what you must feel watching your three kids and three grandkids hang out around the table.

P and I were gifted a book when our little E was born called Morning Song: Poems for New Parents. I've loved reading through it (and reading some to e - she's currently indifferent to poetry) and wanted to share this:

"To love an other only for being."

It's one little line from Denise Levertov's "Relearning the Alphabet" and it ran through my head yesterday. It's why the joy of being a parent doesn't make any sense; it's a lot of work, money, and sacrifice, yet every parent I know loves it. Since we live in a culture that celebrates life free of responsibility or limits, it's encouraging to me when hard or sacrificial things in life, like marriage and children, are also the most important, most life-giving, and most worth celebrating.

Wishing the best to you and yours - and to your mother.

and two from the iphone:

A Name Fit for a King

April 30, 2014newborn, Portraitsjacqueline horningComment

Glenside, PA

Samuel George - isn't it regal sounding? I think this baby is going places. If his family has anything to do with it, I'm sure he will. I so enjoyed meeting the Nutts a few weeks ago. He swaddles, she shushes: the perfect parenting team, don't you think? :)

We talked pacifiers (amazing inventions, especially when they don't fall out), outings with a baby (pretty sure they've had as many in two weeks as we have in six), and how our dogs are adjusting (I'll say Gus is winning). Quite the life change, and so worth documenting.

Nutts, I'm sure he's even bigger now than he was two weeks ago! Thanks for letting me celebrate baby Samuel with you.

Above: This chair belonged to Dave's Grandfather and now lives on after receiving some updates from Dave and Sara. I love the sentiment, the chair's new look and the tangible legacy it leaves.

And below: a proud father. :)