one year old!

This week has been one of deep reflection for me. On Friday November 15, our Wild One will be one year old! This has been one of the fastest and happiest years of my life.

Geoffrey and I had always planned on naming our son Wilder, even years before I became pregnant for the first time. In 2016 came Remy, then our second baby Rowen who I lost in 2017, and finally, Wilder in 2018.

Wilder was and is our rainbow baby. He brought us great hope when we felt lost and sad.

He has been the sweetest, loveliest, and most easy-going baby from the start. I remember being pregnant and at the end of each day I would jump up and down and shake my belly in order to get some type of movement. He was just always so content in there and hardly ever moved around. The only thing that he would seem to move for was the sound of Remy’s voice. He would start dancing whenever she was being particularly loud! I was therefore certain that they would have a strong bond once he was born. That has definitely been the case! These two are as tight as can be.

Because he was so calm in my uterus, I questioned whether or not we should name him Wilder (if he turned out to be a boy) almost the entire time that I was pregnant. That is, until he was born. It was such a wild birth that everyone who met him afterwards said that he had already lived up to his name. After that, I never doubted our choice again.

Wilder is sweet and calm but with an adventurous side. He loves climbing and isn’t afraid to explore any furniture or object that stands in his way. He loves everyone and enjoys waving to and playing peekaboo with strangers. He can out-wave anyone!

He babbles constantly, says a few words, crawls, stands unassisted (!!), walks by only holding onto one of our hands and by pushing anything that moves across the house, loves to people watch, is sensitive, is a pretty good sleeper, still breastfeeds, and still has no teeth! I don’t know what will come first at this point- walking or teeth. He’s pretty close to both, I think.

Anytime I feel sad about him getting older I have to remember that it is a good thing. He is happy, healthy, and thriving. It is only natural that he will keep growing! This is also such a special time in my life- being pregnant and having children. I almost feel like my life is a fairy-tale. Once this phase is over, I will never again get to experience anything even remotely similar. Thus I am trying to soak in every moment that is humanly possible!

I am writing this post on November 10, 2019. On this exact date in 2017, when my niece was getting baptized, I found out that I was pregnant with our second child. While this time of year is one for rejoicing, I can’t help but feel a bit of sadness around our baby that I never came to know or hold. Remembrance Day alone is one for sombreness and reflection, and I will certainly be doing a lot of that during this week- for many reasons. We are blessed to live where we do and lead the life that we have. Sadness aside, I am truly thankful as well.

I wanted to include a prayer for Remembrance Day that was in our church bulletin:

Loving God,
Have mercy on your people,
And open our hearts to peace and love.
Reward all who have died for the country,
And grant that Canada
And all nations
May continue to work
For peace and justice.
Bless us in your service,
And help us to follow Jesus Christ,
Who is our Saviour and our Lord
Forever and ever.
Amen

If you are still reading this, thank you for joining me in my pregnancy journey and Wilder’s first year of his life! Also, for following me through all these trains of thought, trips down memory lane, and emotions. Here are a few pictures that I wanted to include because I have never shared them on my blog (or social media). Gosh, how my darling son has grown.

We will be celebrating Wilder this Saturday with the few family members that love him and have been in his life since the beginning.

Have a lovely lovely lovely week, everyone!

Emory

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they’re just things: decluttering my life and home

I had read a post on An Exacting Life in which she wrote about decluttering her kitchen drawer. The idea of getting rid of junk is a simple one- and yet, what it can do for a person runs much deeper than that.

After having my miscarriage in December, I felt like I needed a change. Physically, my husband and I got tattoos in honour of our child’s short life. But I needed something more than that. I craved an emotional alteration as well. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of my pregnancy. That hopefulness and anticipation of having a new life to care for. The freezer was full of healthy pregnancy foods. The basement had all of Remy’s old toys and clothes that were just waiting for someone to use them. I set up a little shrine in our bedroom commemorating our lost child. And so on. I decided to purge our house of things we had and no longer needed.

I began in the basement. While I’m not at all a materialistic person, I have a tendency to hold onto items that have a sentimental value. I also tend to take unwanted items from other, re-purpose them, and keep them, in order to give them a home. I hate to throw anything out, and yet, I decorate as a minimalist. My heart seems to be at odds with my sense of style. So, I brought up any furniture or baby items (mostly remnants from my store) that I was still holding on to, but not using. Then I gave them away.

My closet was next. I set aside only a few items that I would be taking to a consignment store, and the rest, I donated as well.

Lastly, I began to tackle our kitchen. I don’t just mean I got rid of items from our cabinets. I mean I physically removed our cabinets. Remodelling our kitchen has been on our “to do” list ever since we bought our home. I figured that this was as good a time as any to begin that transformation. So out with our old food went our cabinets. Stay tuned for the before and after next week!

Having this positive distraction was so beneficial. I was able to get out of my head for a few hours. Remy had fun watching and helping me move items around. I felt much lighter as pieces began to leave my life one by one. More importantly, they were given to a good cause. Even though this clearing out stemmed from a loss, nobody lost in this situation. If anything, we all gained something. I genuinely recommend it!

Emory

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life with a toddler: bubble baths

I always knew that Remy would be a fan of bath time. When I was still pregnant, she would come alive in my uterus every time I had a bath. I took the best videos of her swimming around in me while I was swimming around in the tub. Do you know what? I was right!

In the 15 months that she has been earthside, Remy has only gone without a daily bath 5 times. That occurred in her first week when we were told by nurses not to bathe her until her umbilical cord fell off. Since then, she’s had a bath everyday, and often twice a day. We just love them!

Bubbles are also her obsession. I didn’t realize it until she was 8 months old and one of her Kindermusik instructors brought them out. She was so amazed by them. Since then, we make sure to let her play with bubbles with each bath. They always thrill her, and they never get old.

She is truly a delight in the tub. My little fish.

This is our life with a toddler. My heart is so full.

P.S. Have a wonderful Canada Day, all! Let me know what you’ll get up to in the comments below.

<3

Emory

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life with a toddler: happy meals

Remy is quite the goofball. She’s very serious for about half of the day, and for the other half, she gets into the goofiest moods. Like most babies, she’s also silly when she shows off. That is becoming much more frequent these days.

I’m sure that you would’ve guessed just by looking at her, but she loves to eat. At mealtime, I put her into her high chair (that was gifted to us from grandma), put her food onto her tray that I’ve cut into small pieces, and let her do her thing. I do spy on her from around the corner just to make sure that she doesn’t choke on her food.

Remy prefers to feed herself, and she eats better when I’m not around. When I am there, or when she’s finished, she likes to play. Play with her food, play with her sippy cup, play with my hands. She talks and squeals and tips her head.

I love these moments with her. She’s satisfied, content, and loved, and I feel as if she’s trying to show me that. There’s nothing better than a happy child.

This is our life with a toddler. My heart is so full.

<3

Emory

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the park at golden hour

Earlier this month I met with a family and photographed them in a park near their home. They frolicked outside for about an hour. The two little girls played on the swings and in the sand.

It took a bit of bribing to get them to leave the park and go for a walk in the grass. After a promise of chasing jack rabbits and rolling down the hill was made, they finally left willingly.

It was a hot, spring evening and the sun was starting to go down towards the latter half of our session. I love Golden Hour. It brings out the warm and dark tones, and photographs need very minimal editing. It makes everything seem more romantic.

These are just a few of those photographs. To see more, or to book your own session, visit Prudence + Me Photography.

<3

Emory

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  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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