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01.15.18

Meet Harper Gray

She’s finally here! Harper Gray Da Silva was born on January 3rd, weighing in at 6lbs, 14oz, and 20” long. It still feels very surreal as I write this post to know our baby girl is home with us and actually physically in our arms. You guys, she’s absolutely precious in all ways and Mike and I both are so in love. We talk about how much we miss her when she’s sleeping, we can’t stop saying to each other, “she’s so beautiful”, and we can’t stop snuggling and giving her kisses. Despite the tired days, we’re doing our best to be in the moment with her to soak up all the newborn goodness.

The past couple weeks have been quite exhausting to say the least. We talked about not having guest right when Harper was born early on in my pregnancy, but it’s been hard considering most of our immediate family doesn’t live here and all flew in to see us. It’s been nice to share this memorable time with them, but on the other hand, it’s been overwhelming and probably not ideal (lesson learned!). Mike has been an absolute saint. I call him Mr. Mom. I ended up having a C-Section (which was not expected), so I wasn’t able to do a lot right away. Thankfully, Mike is super hands on and loves his new role so much. I can’t even begin to express how much that man has meant to me and this family in the last week. My love for him has grown even greater if that’s possible.

We soaked in as much knowledge while in the hospital, so that we could dive right into parenthood just Mike and I. We met with several lactation specialist and asked all the questions. Thankfully, since coming home Harper has been doing awesome. She’s on a schedule (an adaptable one) and she’s been thriving so far. I know babies change after the first few weeks, so I shouldn’t get my hopes up quite yet, but she’s been sleeping and eating like a champ!

As mentioned above, I ended up having a C-Section after being in labor for 24 hours. I don’t know if I’m going to share her full birth story. It was long and daunting and at this point I can’t physically sit down and write about it yet. If I get enough interest or courage, though, I may change my mind.

We started a family Instagram account where we’ll be documenting all things Harper, puppies, our parenting journey, and family adventures. If you’re interested in following along, be sure to follow @crystalinmariefamily. I have a handful of motherhood/baby content coming in the next few months, but if there’s anything you want me to cover, please leave a comment below or email me.

I’ll be posting to the blog here and there until we catch up on sleep and find our new normal. I’ve been posting consistently to Instagram, so if you’re wondering what we’re up to or looking for Harper updates, be sure to check @crystalinmarie and follow my Stories.