Big-girl-otosis

There has been this infection - this “condition” rather - that has been dwelling in our house the past few days.  The symptoms include crazy urges to help cleanup or cook, bathroom breaks to the big girl potty, changing into outfits “my own self”, and feeding baby doll her dinner. It became clear to me today as she drew the diagnosis of her current patient (a baby doll) in her “Big Book of Boo-Boos”, that Addisyn has been seriously infected.  Her perfectly bright blue eyes looked up at me while she confidently pulled her stethoscope off her ears, simultaneously set down her diagnosis book and said, “Big-girl-otosis momma.”


 Ummm huh? It took me a few minutes to snap back into reality. I thought through this with all logic.  Okay, she watched Doc McStuffins this morning and that is obviously where she is getting “otosis” from. Steve and I have been praising her “big girl” status often because she has been using the “big girl” potty daily, but to put “big girl” and “otosis” together? There is only one explanation...Genius!

Addisyn suffers from Big-girl-otosis. It’s affecting me in the most happy of ways and I can’t stop myself from thinking how perfectly planned this all was. Have you ever looked at the birth order or age-spread of your children and immediately known the reason they were born in that order and that far apart?  These past few weeks I have been thinking about this a bunch. I guess because I always expected to have a boy first and a girl second, and since I had Addisyn first I just expected she would have a sister next. It has been hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that we are having a little boy. How will Addisyn adjust to her new brother? The answer is obvious to me now. I had been focusing on her gender and never thought to look at her character.  Addisyn is wise, nurturing, loveable, and helpful. What better traits to have in a big sister and my eldest child?

Feeling unbelievably blessed and completely infected with Joyful-momma-itis!

With Love,

Stacy

A CrossFit Mom post | Kristin

AWow! This project has been a long time in the making. It’s probably been subconsciously nestled in the back of my brain ever since last fall when I first stepped into CrossFit Dover and was immediately inspired by all the dedicated women who surrounded me. Not only that, it was obvious that all their dedication was paying off.  I specifically remember seeing the back muscles on one girl as she was prepping for pull ups and thinking to myself that I wanted to get there one day. It wasn’t long after I started working out at CrossFit that the women I admired started to share their stories. Some of them had busy full time lives and were changing from business suits to shorts and a sports bra, others had recently reached personal records and were setting goals to reach even higher, one woman had lost over 100 lbs in a year with CrossFit, and some were new moms working hard to see their pre-pregnancy weight again. You could say I fell in love with “the box” (CrossFit lingo for “the gym”) for many reasons, but mainly because I found so much inspiration and motivation from our coach and my fellow CrossFit women.

In March I found out I was pregnant and although I was so elated about our newest little miracle arriving at the end of the year, I was sad that the strides I wanted to make at CrossFit had to be put on pause. That’s where I was wrong. Even while pregnant, I have continued my CrossFit training, but only by the inspiration from the women I have come to know who have already trained before, during, and after pregnancy. This same incredible group of women prompted an idea I had early this spring. What if I brought CrossFit and mommyhood to my photography business? It seems just perfect to me. Right? I adore being a momma, I love CrossFit and I live in photography. So without further delay, please meet my first CrossFit momma, Kristin! I’m hoping she will be the first of many.

Kristin isn’t as new to CrossFit as I am. She started in 2008 and fell in love with it just like me. Kristin says, “It was the people, the teamwork, the feeling you weren’t by yourself. You want to work hard because everyone around you was working hard. You might want to cry and you might want to vomit, but you feel like part of the team.” Kristin is a new(er) momma. Her little girl, Anna, is over a year old, but I couldn’t resist asking her for an interview. I knew she had a little one, I knew she stayed at home with her daughter, and I had seen her work so hard every time I was in the gym. She was one of the women that I aspire to be. Kristin gained 37 lbs with Anna and after delivering her she was frustrated with how slow the pregnancy weight was coming off. She started back at CrossFit five weeks after her delivery and within a few months she returned to her pre-pregnancy weight. For her, CrossFit is a release, her “me”time, and her social time. She wanted to be completely present and not stressed all day with Anna, so with the support of her husband and her family, she made CrossFit a priority.

CrossFit Mom: Kristin

Kids: Daughter, Anna is 20 months and one on the way J

Job: Stay at home mom and loving it

Starting weight after delivery: 155 lbs

Current weight: 140lbs

***CrossFit Mom Package at CrossFit Dover*** If you are expecting OR just had a baby and want to take part in a CrossFit Dover/Stacy Hart Photography package, please contact me or CrossFit Dover.  

And now for some sweet ones with Kristin and Anna. 

With Love,

Stacy

Reconnecting

Sorry about the blogging hiatus.  I guess I have a lot of catching up to do! My blogging absence has nothing to do with the fact that I don’t have anything to say (because we all know that isn’t true), and everything to do with the fact that I cannot create any more time in my day. I’ve tried. I even stayed up until 1:00am a few nights ago catching up on work. I use the term “catching up” loosely because by 1:00am it really is 93% switching back and forth between Facebook and Spotify and 7% actually catching up on work. Still, the mere fact that I stayed up to 1:00am is work in my book and I gave myself an “A” for productivity that day followed up by an “F” the following day for “Failure to remove thy rump from thy couch”. Consequently, two days went by and one day’s worth of work got done.

I missed this blog. I missed it mainly because I use my blogging time as a chance to reminisce on all the past week’s events or the very small moments that defined the exact purpose to my day or my week. Sometimes writing each blog post serves as inspiration to how I want to dive into the next few days and sometimes it makes me think about the little things that have passed by my way without a second glance. It’s a bit surreal how fast these past few weeks have flown by. I often wake up with the shocking reality of “Holy Smokes I am having another baby!!!” and as of last week, that thought turned into “Holy Smokes I am having a boy baby!”A baby boy? How am I going to raise a baby boy? When I received the news tears were cried, smiles were irreplaceable and yet the next day that happiness quickly turned to fear and nervousness. It’s been two and a half years of sweet little dresses, hair bows, rocking baby dolls to sleep, tea parties, gab sessions (yes, they happen already) and the sensitive, wise, and sweet heart of my little blonde hair blue eyed girl. What am I going to do with trucks, fearless climbing, and who knows what else? I’ve heard it all. Boys are fun. Boys are cuddly. But I just want to cry out “Addisyn is fun and Addisyn is cuddly and Addisyn needs a baby sister!”

Yesterday I lay in bed and just prayed for our family. We have a few other things going on, all potentially good, but our future is a bit unknown right now. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time. So yesterday in a long, heart-felt, and exhaustive prayer I reached out to the only person I knew could take away the anxiety…my King. And, as if in perfect response, my pastor spoke of how Jesus Christ is THE light. That He dispenses any and all darkness and He illuminates the path that we are to be on so we can see His way for us. The sermon’s parallel to my life wasn’t instant; rather it unfolded casually the past 24 hours, but upon sitting down to write this blog post, it became very clear. God blessed me with a boy because I have the heart, mind, attention and love capabilities to give to my little Kellan. God has trusted Steve and me to raise him to know Christ, to be a leader among his peers, and eventually a leader among his family. Knowing this information is making meeting Kellan even more exciting to me now and has helped me realize what a gift it is to have a boy. And Addisyn? She was made to be a big sister. Just this morning she lifted my shirt, got real close to my belly and said “Hi Kelwan, Addy big sister, I lub you”. She understands her role as a big sister already and I just know that all of this was in His perfect plan for our family.

With Love,

Stacy

Addisyn and I have been finding fun things to do this summer. We discovered a great indoor inflatable play center a few miles from our house that we plan to visit a few more times this summer. She loves it!

This is her "say cheese" face!

I love how she is looking the big guy straight in the face when he isn't paying attention to the line moving

future mountain climber!

*peek-a-boo, I see you!

She has her momma's b-balls skills! 

We have made a special trip to Virginia to celebrate grandma and grandpas 40th anniversary. Congrats mom and dad! I love this super cute pic of you two! 

Yummy! root beer floats. Just what the baby ordered.

When my family gets together, there is almost always a game going on. It could be something fun like Kan Jam.

or something more competitive like water balloon tossing...

And we don't brag at ALL. Guess who won the water balloon toss? *Chest Bump*

Why hello love!

We have come to grips with the 90 degree weather and make great use out of our sprinkler.

Love these girls!

And we celebrated with great friends for the 4th!  I swear Demetri actually loves Addisyn, he just doesn't look like it in this photo.

laying on dads tummy to watch her first ever fireworks display.

Today we had a tea party with other friends while we waited for the drizzling to stop. 

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to check me out on Instagram and share your photos with me by hitting #onemoreforlove. 


XOXO!