My Very Own Mini Mouse

Once again due to being born in the midst of holidays and the season of sickness (I repeat definitely NOT due to second child syndrome), Miss Brynn's first official photoshoot with Aunt Shawna didn't happen until Saturday December 6th when she was 2.5 weeks old.

To say that day was a disaster would be an understatement.  Thirty minutes prior to her arrival, Brynn was screaming in the rock n' play, Ryan was frantically trying to make our house look less like it's inhabited by squatters, Emery was running amuck, I was drinking wine in the shower to calm my frazzled nerves and the exterminator showed up out of nowhere.  I legitimately thought there was a chance he would call CPS.  I know I tease about this a lot, but as I looked around me the threat felt very real.  Why was Brynn, who's allegedly the happy baby, screaming?  She had a slight cold courtesy of her sister.  Turns out sharing isn't always caring.

If you're thinking this story has a happy ending, you haven't dealt with 2 under 2.  It didn't.  Things continued to unravel and Brynn was awake, and very angry about it, the entire time.  I was convinced that there was no way Shawna had any good photos and that Brynn would hate me forever for not capturing this short window of time in her life.  To appease my over-anxious self Shawna agreed to come back again later in the week to take a couple of pictures while big sister was at school in hopes that there would be less going on and that Brynn would be in a more photo-friendly mood.

Of course, as fate would have it, Emery woke up that morning with a fever of 101 and full o' snot.  Awesome.  Luckily although she was awake the entire time, Brynn was feeling more ready for some close ups.  So, that, my friends, is the behind the scenes of this photoshoot.  Why do I tell this story?  So you can question my parenting abilities?  No, I recognize you and I both already do that.  I tell it so that you can see how amazing Shawna is.  When you look at these pics, you won't be able to tell ANY of that was going on.  She really is a miracle worker.  We love you dearly, Aunt Shawna!  THANK YOU for dealing with us and for capturing our little cutie pie.

*sigh*  This is my life guys.  I tried to appeal to that exterminator to no avail, so you'll have to do.  Heeeeelp!

Ugh.  You again.  Are you sure you're my Mama?

Seriously y'all.  I mean it.  Get a phone.  I will create a distraction.  Heeeeeelp.

If no one is going to rescue me, I may as well make myself comfortable.

Does anyone realize how exhausting screaming for 3 hours is?

You seeing this?  Gross.

Please enlarge this picture and check out her facial expression.  Ryan and I must have some very skeptical genes.

I love this tiny cobra!  She melts my heart.

Are we done yet, Mama?  I'll love you a lot more when we're done.  (Probably.)

How do second time parents handle endless screaming?  By laughing.  Like this.

Mama's mini mouse.

Psssst.  Photog lady- I think I'm too long for this pose.

Shawna was also kind enough to let us attempt a few sister/family pictures.  Patience of a saint, I'm telling you.  Have I sold you on her services yet?

EM:  OMG, OMG, OMG, they're letting me hold her!  (This was legitimately the first time we chanced this.  Note we chose to do it on a king-sized bed where the margin of error was pretty conservative.)  BRYNN:  OMG, they're letting her hold me!  Again- heeeeelp!

EM: I'm still holding da bebe!  BRYNN:  Lord, please let me survive this.

EM:  Feeeeeeeeeet.  BRYNN:  Are my feet still there?  Do I still have all 10 toes?

EM:  This is the most exciting day of my life!  BRYNN:  Is this the last day of my life?

This about summarizes the chaos.  Er'ybody looking at someone else.

Annnnd, last but not least, Emery was being a serious ham and Shawna managed to nab quite a few cute ones of her solo.  She is at such a HILARIOUSLY fun age.  I can't wait to see what Brynn is like when she hits almost-2.  

You guys want a picture of me destroying this tree?  Sure.  Let's do it.

These two.  Make my heart so full.

She looks like she has an idea.  I have a feeling about 0.005 seconds later I was saying "no no Emery!"

"WOWA!!"

Me?  Sick?  Nah- I faked that so I could watch this photoshoot from the sidelines.  (Can 21 month olds manipulate thermometers yet?)

Sister Act

In the late afternoon on November 18th, Nonnie went and picked Emery up from school to come up to the hospital to meet her little sister.  The introduction was a moment that I'd been anticipating from the second I found out I was pregnant, and even more so when I found out that Bucket was a girl.  I've always been so grateful for the siblings my parents gifted me and I pray that my girls feel the same way.

Given her age and how well I know my little boog, I have to admit that I was slightly worried.  (Slightly might be an understatement.)  Sure, I had no doubt that she loooooved herself some baby as noted in her 18 month post, I just wasn't sure how she would feel about the screaming variety as opposed to the type you put in a bucket.  I figured any screaming she would have to endure would just be karma though. My main concern was how she would handle sharing "her people."  Emery had grown attached to "her" support system over her 20 month reign as queen of the Martin household.

Luckily from the second she walked into that hospital room door Emery has been VERY excited about "da bebe" (she has yet to adopt calling her sister or Brynn even as I sit here writing this a month later).  She loves looking at bebe and pointing her out to people.  She loves to show you, and bring you, the things that belong to bebe.  However, as I suspected, she does NOT like when one of "her people" picks bebe up.  The first few times that happened Emery launched into an Oscar-winning fit that was more than a little heart wrenching.  Over time, thankfully, this has subsided.  Are things perfect?  Definitely not but there are more aww-inducing moments than "omg-do-I-need-to-give-one-away" incidents.

I remember the first time I watched Ryan hold Emery, and then again with Brynn, thinking that my heart could not possibly feel any more full.  It turns out I was wrong.  Watching my girls together, even if one or both or screaming, truly takes the cake.  There is something so indescribably special about knowing that she has a built-in best friend.  I feel confident that one day these two will grow to love each other as much, and share the same type of bond, that I do with my own sister.  Hopefully they will look back on these pictures with as much pride and joy in their hearts as I do knowing that this is where it all began.

This was the first look Emery got at Brynn.  Please note the size of that beam.

This is a familiar sight around here - Emery pointing and saying "bebe!"

Just 2 mamas with their girl(s).

Emery is probably telling Aunt Googoo she better not dare touch that baby.

She reallllly wanted to hold baby.  Unfortunately her idea of holding is aggressively showing us Brynn's "mouth," "nowse," and "eeeyes."  It's a wonder Brynn still has both eyes at this point.

Not a great picture of any of us but man do I love it anyway.  (P.S. When Emery came home from school with that scratch on Monday I told Ryan that it was a sure sign I'd have the baby the next day so that it would be forever immortalized in pictures.  Turns out I was totally right.)

Brynn brought her big sister a present- a crawling Minnie and a book about sisters.

You know.  Just hanging out in bed with Minnie.

Popping a squat...

.... and subsequently making everyone else follow suit.  It may have been Brynn's day but Emery was the dictator.

That's a wrap.  Did I mention this was (tied for) the best day of my life?