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2 daughters.
2 dogs.
3 houses.
4 states.
2 countries.
8 moves.
10 years.

a decades worth of memories and adventure
and there is no one else I'd want to share it all with.

Happy Anniversary.

baby caroline

There's some wisdom that comes with a second child.

A sense of familiarity that allows you to relax a bit and enjoy the newness.

But with that wisdom comes the acknowledgment of time.

That is goes fast.

That brings us here.

The one month mark. 

I don't know how it is possible that she's been here a month,

yet I am not sure what we did before her.

I've tried to soak up all the moments I could.

I took in her scent and let her head lay on my chest in an effort to etch the feeling into both my heart and mind forever.
And the funny thing is,
only time will tell if I succeeded.

It's probably not a secret that I love photos.

I love the emotions they evoke 

and the moments they represent.

I'm already knee deep in mom guilt about the lack of photos or video we've taken.
I missed the first bath and didn't get a picture of her with her grandparents together...
But,
while I haven't been behind the camera,

I have been enjoying the moments, 

breathing in the memories, 

and taking mental pictures.

And that's where the real memories are.

While I enjoy capturing the real moments that go on in our home
and in our daily lives,
the photos that capture all the love,
the togetherness of a new family,
and the little tiny newborn details that I never want to forget
happen at the newborn session.



caroline newborn session from Sarah on Vimeo.
photo cred: Rebecca Penny Photography 

I'm so thankful for all these tiny memories
and look forward to so many more.

one month

At one month, this sweet baby girl...

... weighs in at 9 lb 12 oz. She's healthy and we're all happy.
... is so vocal. She has made her presence known since day one with little grunts and groans and once in a while we hear a little coo.
... is a great little sleeper. I am afraid to even write and post this for fear it will stop, but she is my sleeper and I am very thankful for that.
... has a big sister who falls a little more in love with her everyday. This morning as she held her, she pointed to each little body part and said pretty. "Pretty eyes, Caroline. Pretty hair, Caroline. Pretty toes, Caroline. Pretty ears, Caroline."

We just know we are pretty lucky to call these two girls ours.

4 weeks

Caroline at home

It's hard to believe we're approaching the one month mark since Caroline joined our little family.
I've already forgotten what life was like before she was here

So, let's go back and revisit those first days of Caroline at home.



One of the things I looked most forward to about arriving home
besides my own bed, my mom's cooking, and a glass of wine
was seeing our girls* together.
Watching Lauren step into her role of big sister melted my heart...
and it still does.
Their little sisterly bond gets stronger each day.




*The use of the term 'girls' still makes me smile.

Just like her sister, Caroline came home and immediately began cheering for her favorite football teams.








We were so blessed to have both of our parents here to spend special time with us as a family of four.
And they were a whole lot of help...



My parents arrived a few days before the Christmas and were on Lauren watch while we made our way to the hospital.
My brother flew out the morning of Caroline's arrival and my sister was able to stay for a few days to play with Lauren and hold Miss Caroline.
Matt's parents arrived a few days after Christmas.
Lauren was thrilled to have both sets of her grandparents here and couldn't get enough play time or give enough hugs.
Not only did the grandparents help keep Lauren entertained,
which gave us time to focus on Caroline,
they helped with Caroline, so we had some special time with big sister,
helped around the house,
and gave Matt and I the opportunity for some rare date nights!



My sister and mom helped me with a few projects to prepare the nursery for Caroline
 and the grandmas and I continued to work on them through the week...
but let's be honest, the grandmas did most of the work.
Lucky little Caroline.

We will never be able to express how thankful we are for all their help
 or for the way they love our girls.
It was such a blessing to have so many extra sets of hands
and to see Caroline meet the grandparents who are already so in love with her.

We've made it almost two weeks without any 'extra hands'
and while there has been moments, 
we've been pretty successful.
even making trips to dance, gymnastics, Target, and the mall!
Things like that will make a stay at home mom of two feel really accomplished.

Granted, we're still living off freezer meals that my mom stocked us up on,
but I have to say I feel pretty proud...
and I think Caroline is too.

a birth story

a birth story: Caroline from Sarah on Vimeo.

three weeks

Our sweet Caroline...

... is so so sweet. She remains a content little gal, although this weekend she liked being held. No one seemed to complain about it.

... shows us more of her big eyes each day and is quite expressive.

... is doing fabulously through the night.

... wore her last piece of NB clothing today. It fit a little snug, but I wanted one more moment to cuddle our sweet girl in the littlest of clothing.

weeks one and two

The past two weeks {plus} have flown.
But we knew that would happen.
There's a bit of wisdom that comes with a second child.
With that wisdom in tow, we hunkered down and soaked in all things Caroline and Lauren for the past two weeks.
Thankfully we also had Grandparents here to both help and enjoy the McQuinn girls.

After spending the last two weeks getting to know Caroline, we've learned...

... she likes to move. I watch in awe as she stretches and wiggles. Because those were the same stretches and wiggles I felt as I carried her.
... she is calm and content. An amazing little baby.
... the only time she is not calm & content is on the changing table. Little Caroline doesn't love being naked. or cold. So getting dressed, bathed, or changed, is not on her list of favorites for the day.
... she is coming around to the baths.
... she has an expressive little face. We could watch her for hours. I wonder where she gets that from?
... that her sister loves to hear her sneeze. It is immediately followed by "Bless you, Caroline" and some fake sneezes by LEM, so she can get some love too.
... she resembles her sister, but day by day we see less Lauren and more Caroline. Lauren had thicker hair at birth and they have different hair lines and different eyes. {here Lauren is at one week}
... she is a great sleeper. Lauren wasn't the best sleeper and I see that now that I've got some comparison. Caroline has been doing 4 hour stretches overnight, pretty much since we returned home from the hospital.
... that we are completely in love with her and can't imagine life without her.