baby days

hello world!!

I'm poking my head out of my little hole finally, to say hi to all you lovely people and let you all know that yes, I am indeed still alive! Just slightly preoccupied, that's all. :)

If I'm being honest, life these past two weeks has been a little bit overwhelming (although wonderful), and I just now am starting to feel a little bit more like myself again. Rosalie is the sweetest, dearest, belovedest (that totally should be a word) baby in the world... but she isn't exactly what I would call "easy". She hasn't been sleeping much at night, which means I've been getting on average about 2-3 hours of good sleep a night. And we've definitely had some difficulties with nursing. On top of this, Emma and Annabelle both got sick with awful coughs and colds the week after she was born, adding to the sleeplessness.... naps are hard to take when you have two other children needing your attention... laundry is a never-ending chore... it's no fun being sore and stiff all over and in certain sensitive places...

I know, I sound like a whiny complainer, don't I? But you know what? I really don't mind all of this. Yes, I am more tired than I've ever been in my life, but, the good news is, I am extremely happy and content. I have a husband who is super sweet and caring and is always there for me, my sister Lydia has been a huge help and helped keep me sane (she's stayed up with me until 1 and 2 in the morning many times!), the girls are simply adorable with their little sister, and we've been SO blessed by so many others. Our church family has brought delicious meals and little gifts, encouragement has come in the form of mornings at the park and long talks on the phone or sweet and thoughtful text messages, family has stopped by to say hi and help where they can... I am so grateful. And then there are all of you, of course, with your sweet comments and thoughts and prayers as we adjust to this new little person in our lives. Blessings galore. God is good!

(also, with the third child comes perspective! I know, from past experience, that this is a relatively short season of our lives, and she will be sleeping through the night and all that good stuff before we know it. This too shall pass-- I can handle it!)

And the greatest blessing of all, the one thing that really makes every sleepless night and everything else totally and completely worth it?



Every time I see her smile in her sleep and look at her little round face, whenever I cuddle her tiny body up to my chest and feel her soft head resting underneath my chin, each time she wraps her itty-bitty fingers around one of mine, whenever I stroke her adorable face with my fingertips or coo and talk to her while she is wide-awake and looking up at me, every time I watch her rest contentedly in the arms of someone I love... oh yes, I'll gladly take every little "hardship" that may come too. I LOVE this tiny person more than I can say already.

some pictures of Rosalie's life with us so far:


She loves cuddling with Daddy when he gets home from work

Grandma NetNet with her newest little darling



Auntie Lydia getting in some baby-cuddles

This is her favorite way to cuddle-- mine too!



Two of my beautiful sisters with their little niece-- incidentally, this was Rosalie's first real outing: a girly tea at Auntie Jessica's. Her first time in a big bow too!

Miss Genevieve checking out her newest future BFF

"Angry Rosalie" (this kid can REALLY cry-- she's surprisingly loud for such a tiny thing!)

From screaming mad to peacefully cute in a matter of seconds.

Sister-lovin'!



All my precious girls together-- my heart is melting at an alarming rate.

She's so cute I can hardly stand it...


And that, my friends, is my life right now. When there is all this delicious baby goodness right here in my very own lap, I'm sure you can see why blogging must take a back seat for now.
I hope you're all doing well-- I'll be popping by again soon, I'm sure!

welcome, sweet little girl!

Our Rosalie Hope has arrived!!

born Sunday, March 15, at 10:55 PM

6 pounds 3 ounces

18 3/4 inches long

perfect in every way

adorably teensy-tiny

deliciously soft and baby-scented

too cute and precious for words

and, as you can see...

already very, very loved.

Welcome to the family, baby girl!!

(more stories and pictures to come later, of course)

The last "belly shots"

...courtesy of the beautiful, amazingly talented, super-fun Lorie!



















I'm sorry to inundate you with photos (especially of me), but ohmygoodness, ALL of the pictures Lorie took were so fabulous and wonderful and beautiful that it's completely and totally impossible for me to pick my favorite. She's just THAT GOOD, folks. And the locations were so perfect, and the day so lovely... So, here, let me show you some more from our fab family photo shoot with Lorie:

































...and I could show you even MORE. Seriously, I am in love with these pictures. Not only do they perfectly capture at this special time in our lives my little family that I love so much, but we had the BEST time taking them too-- Lorie is not only an amazing photographer (you should see the things she does to capture these pictures, pregnant and everything!), but a dear friend and a complete sweetheart (and hilarious), as many of you already know.

So thank you, Lorie, for the family photos that will be treasured for years to come, and for the memories that we made while out shootin'! Love you, friend.







ps. in the matter of our "belly battle", I totally and completely WIN (for now, anyways) :)

A Room for Rosalie

My very first video blog ever! Go me!

side note: I say "so", "um", and "like" waaaay too much. Boo.


Rosalie's Room from Talia Bridgman on Vimeo.

(this is especially for my mom and sisters, because it just doesn't feel right that they haven't seen her room yet. But I hope the rest of you enjoy it too! :))

Sometimes you just need to be

As we drove to Starbucks on a Sunday afternoon in the little red convertible, we talked, as always. We shared the difficulties of the day and the discouragements that had entered our hearts, the challenges that had come upon us as mothers. And even while we poured out frustrations, we knew. We knew that the Lord would provide, and that we would find the perfect encouragement somehow.

And then, we spent the afternoon sitting in the sunshine, sipping our drinks and eating leftover cupcakes as we talked to dear family members-- women who have "been there, done that", and who have a wisdom that only comes with hindsight and experience. It was perfect.

The time flew by all too quickly, and before we knew it we had to go. Back into the little red convertible, the top down and the sun shining, the temperature warm, the road stretching out before us. Jason Mraz came across the radio and we turned it up as we sang. Yes, we were headed home... but not quite yet. Soon, we would be mothers and wives again... but for now, we were just two girls in a car that was made for a drive on a day that begged to be enjoyed.

So, we drove, out onto the open road between the fields that were just beginning to turn green, the wind whipping our hair into a frenzy. I looked at Jessica and we smiled, content to just be.

It was only an extra 10 minutes that we took on that open road, only a short trip by the odometer. It doesn't matter. In those extra minutes we forgot about sick and tired whiny children, the cares of a household, exhaustion and stress. It was more than a joy-ride on a beautiful day-- it was therapy.

As we wound our way home through neighborhood streets, I found myself wanting to cry. God is so good! His tender mercies to us in all our weakness and sinfulness never ever fail. Just as we knew He would, He provided everything we needed and then some. His gifts of grace to us can take many different forms. Today, it was cupcakes and coffee, the wind in our hair, the sunshine on our faces, the stretch of road before us, the blessing of a beautiful friendship...

Luke, if you're reading this, don't worry... I didn't actually eat a cupcake in your car, I was only pretending for the sake of the picture :)

Not only sisters and friends, but kindred spirits. Love this girl.