Modern Beach Engagement // Phil & Chee @ 2019 Sun & Sparrow // Socal Wedding Photographers
Modern Beach Engagement // Phil & Chee @ 2019 Sun & Sparrow // Socal Wedding Photographers
Throughout my whole pregnancy we were all betting on how big he would be since Michael was 9lbs and I was 9lbs 2oz. To say the least, I was petrified of delivering such a large baby. Yet, Kaynen entered the world weighing 7lbs 9oz and he was 21 inches long, thank goodness!
On April 3rd, all of Michael’s coworkers pushed him to come home since Kaynen was due April 7th and I could pop any day. That evening I started having contractions 3-6 mins apart at 8:30pm, we kept thinking is this the real thing or is this just false labor? Regardless, my goal was always to labor at home for as long as possible. I bounced around the house on my exercise ball, did squats and curbs walks to make sure this little boy could drop down since he was still up so high. At 10:30pm my water broke at home and I had told myself all along I would shower, do my hair, make up and walk the neighborhood to ensure I labored at home for as long as possible before going to the hospital. YOU BETTER BELIEVE I ACCOMPLISHED IT ALL! At 2:00am after walking a few blocks as Michael drove next to me laughing and video taping me, I got in his truck and we drove to the hospital. We both joked all the way there on how all the movies everyone is screaming and rushing and I was happy as a clam.
We got to the hospital and it felt like they didn’t believe my water had broke but sure enough just like the movies as soon as I undressed the last of it waterfall’d all over the floor haha.
Once that happened I was strictly put in bed and told not to get up or walk around to labor as the baby was up too high and his umbilical cord could come down first causing complications. So when you think you have a birth plan… think again, it will all go out the door. After 20 hours of labor and only 4 pushes later, Kaynen came into the world bright eyed and screaming his little lungs out.
The day he was released from the hospital was very special to us. It meant that he was ours… just ours for the rest of our lives and it was so surreal. After a long drive home from the hospital, constantly looking back to make sure he was ok, Kaynen has been settling in at home better than we could have ever imagined. He loves how calming his room feels and is obsessed with his Dockatot (highly recommended to every Mom!). He’s still very unsure about the licks from his furry sisters Hurlie and Chevie, as they were also a bit hesitant in the beginning but have now become protective of him when guests come over and have to be in the middle of them. Chevie gets very excited when he cries so she still has a bit of adjusting to do.
We are absolutely obsessed with our little man. Its been 4 short weeks of sleepless nights, constant breast feeding (he’s a porker), lots of cuddling, and starring…..lots and lots of starring at him. Its been incredible watching him grow and change from looking just like Daddy when he was born, to now looking just like Mama. We got 4 weeks of pretending he was still only a week old since his belly button just fell off, so we are still in dreamland with this little guy and couldn’t love him more. 39 weeks and 4 days of waiting to meet this little guy that made Michael a Father and Me a Mother was surely worth the wait.
::Nursery Decor::
Crib – Babyletto
Mattress & Changing Pad – Nook Sleep
Rocking Chair – Living Spaces
First birthday cake smash family photographer // ©2016 Sun & Sparrow
FROM ARIA’S MOM // Where to start? From day one in the womb this whole process was a surprise. Our Aria was a surprise pregnancy! Because her pregnancy was so sudden, I did not have a chance to mentally prepare myself for being a mother. I found that when Aria did arrive, I was also not prepared for a very fussy and hard to deal with infant. Being a mother was nothing like how I imagined it would be. Never have I felt so many opposite emotions, those of such deep love and those of so much fear. I feel like my first year with my baby, Aria, was a challenging one. The more that I lived with my opposing emotions, the more I found it hard to deal with the guilt of feeling all of my uncertainty. Anything other than joy and love brought on extreme guilt in myself toward our new baby. Now, don’t get me wrong, I definitely felt moments of pure love, joy and wonder for her, but there were equal times where I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and walk away.
As she grew through the year, I realized that the best way to completely love my child, is to lean on my amazing partner, Andy. Aria and I have our wonderful Andy (Hubby & Daddy) who kept us calm when things were close to boiling over. Andy has been our rock through this whole year, through happy moments and struggles. There were times where I had questioned my own identity and faith having such a challenging child. As things began to get into a routine with a nine month old, he reminded me how it was so hard in the beginning. Thankfully, as Aria is growing into her personality, I can see her changing from being a needy baby into a cute self-sufficient toddler. I am truly blessed to see her little personality bloom before my eyes.
Aria has changed a great deal and is becoming more pleasant and beautiful with her maturities. It’s amazing to see that as she’s grown, Andy and I have also grown a great deal with her and learned a lot about love and life. We can now see that she’s silly, sweet, loving, brave, and curious, but she’s definitely also sassy, stubborn, and loves to push mama’s buttons. All of her personality or no, I wouldn’t trade her for anything or anyone. She’s our little adorable terror; a precious and scary gift from God <3
with love,
Mommy Mai
Romantic Palos Verdes Estates wedding // ©2016 Sun & Sparrow palos verdes wedding photographer
FROM THE BRIDE // Both Ryan and I enjoyed our wedding day in Romantic Palos Verdes Estates. Looking over my whole day, we loved seeing how everything pulled together—especially since most of our wedding planning was long distance. We loved our first look, getting to share a moment together just the two of us before the day of celebration began. Since the wedding is really about the vows and the commitment we’ve made to each other before God, we both loved our ceremony and appreciated getting to take communion together. Another memorable moment for us was sitting at the sweetheart table at the reception and looking out to see all of our friends and family enjoying each other. We loved sharing the day with our loved ones.
Our decor was centered around the combination of olive branches and silver geometric pieces. I love the organic look coupled with a clean modern feel. While wedding planning is big undertaking, I felt so supported through all the help by my family and friends—it would not have been possible without them. It was a huge blessing to be able to work with such incredible local vendors, many of whom are friends with me and my family. We had a truly special group of people making our day possible and we are incredibly grateful for each person involved.
My advice for anyone planning their wedding is that if you’re normally pretty shy about what you like, feel free to speak up and make your voice heard while remembering that the day should reflect both the bride and the groom. I hope you don’t feel pressured to have the “pinterest perfect” wedding and feel the freedom to do what’s right for your situation.
MY VENDORS //
Wedding Coordinator: http://www.canary-events.com
Ceremony Venue: Rolling Hills Covenant Church, http://www.rollinghillscovenant.com
Florals: Laceroots Floral, http://laceroots.com
Bride’s Attire: Dress from Bella Sera Bridal, Danvers, MA: http://bellaserabride.com, Dress designer: Essense of Australia, https://www.essensedesigns.com, Shoes from: Keds for Kate Spade New York, https://www.katespade.com
Hair and Makeup: Wild Orchid Hair & Make-Up Studio, http://www.wohair.com
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie, http://www.azazie.com
Groom’s Attire: Suit from J. Crew, https://www.jcrew.com, Shoes from Cole Haan, http://www.colehaan.com
Groomsmen Suits: The Black Tux, https://theblacktux.com
Reception Venue: DoubleTree Torrance, http://doubletree3.hilton.com
Wedding Cake: Torrance Bakery, http://www.torrancebakery.com
DJ: Night to Remember DJs, http://needdjs.com