Two Years of Wren.

(24 months of this beautiful girl)

I cannot believe Wren will be two whole years old this weekend. It has been the best time of my life being her Mumma. She was born after over 48 hours of labor and finally entered this world at 11:19pm, 41 minutes before her due date, with black hair and blue eyes. During her birth the doctor said I could reach down and feel her head - so I reached down and felt that warm, fuzzy little head and it blew my mind a million times over. She wasn't all the way born yet but in that moment I was changed forever. Our first physical contact, besides her growing inside of my belly, haha. Sometimes when I put my hand on her head it transports me back to that first moment. She had that special twinkle in her eye from day one and over the last 24 months that light has just grown brighter and brighter. 

She is innately compassionate, concerned when she hears other children cry and quick to comfort anyone she feels is in distress. She is insanely lively, outgoing and confident. She loves making new friends, giving high fives, waving at any older kid she sees, and giving those she loves lots of hugs and kisses. She is all about music; making music, singing, dancing, and tapping her feet. We have been taking her to museums and galleries since she was just a few weeks old and she definitely enjoys observing artwork. Animals and babies are another one of her most favorites. She is a natural nurturer. She loves water, kicking and throwing balls, running, jumping, climbing on everything (especially me lol), slides, swings, crawling through tunnels, going on hikes and collecting rocks, pine cones, acorns and twigs, yoga, getting and giving tickles, picnics, tea parties, helping me bake treats...She is just the best. I am sure you can tell I am insanely proud and deeply in love with my sweet Wren. 

She truly inspires me everyday in a zillion ways. She helps me stay on top of my game. She has taught me how to be patient, which on somedays is still challenging for me. She has ripped open my heart and expanded my ability to love endlessly. She has shifted my entire world view. She has opened my eyes to what really matters in life. She just makes me such a better person. Regardless of the day I am having she motivates me to always treat others with respect, kindness and understanding. I definitely tried to do this before becoming a mother but sometimes a bad day would get the best of me. They still do on a occasion but I have become so much more resilient to challenges and adversity. She makes me want to be extra healthy and take care good care of myself so she will learn to do the same and I will be around for as long as possible to be there and witness as much of her beautiful life as I possibly can. I have gained cat like reflexes. It's crazy how when you become a mom you do somehow grow eyes on the back of your head and you can shoot across the room and catch your kid in mid air in a flash. Being a mom in some ways does in fact make you a superhero. 

This is her last birthday as an only child which makes me feel a well of a million emotions. Motherhood has a way of making you feel overwhelmed with strong, opposing emotions constantly. These big moments have a way of bubbling up all of these feelings, making you want to cry and laugh and beam with pride and weep with grief over how quick it all passes. I know I will love and enjoy this next little girl just as much but sometimes I get a little sad I won't be able to shower Wren with all of my attention. I can't help these conflicted feelings. Don't get me wrong I think it's so great to have a sibling. Daniel and I both have siblings and agree that you learn so much from having brothers and sisters. You learn how to share, how to fight, how to compromise. You have a built in best bud to talk to about everything. So in short I will probably cry a lot on her birthday for a variety of reasons both happy and sad because I am mom which means I am an emotional wreck, and I am pregnant. Haha.

A couple of Wren anecdotes that stand out in my mind:

She has been a bit tentative at the beach this summer, I think the vastness of the ocean was a little overwhelming for her (she was fearless at ponds & pools). It would always take her a while to warm up to the idea of going in the water at the beach. But by the end of the summer I took her in when the waves were kind of big(at least for Cape Cod bayside standards) and she took a wave right to the face and I braced myself for the tears but instead she surprised me with a big "I did it!!!!" And when I did take her out of the water she wanted right back in. I was taken aback by her bravery and new found confidence.

So when Wren was really young we took her to Zimman's and there is a portrait of Daniel's grandfather Barry up in the office. We had never talked about him before or showed her a photo (he passed away 6 months before she was conceived). But somehow she pointed right at the picture and said "Barry!" it was kind of eery. And now that she is older she is insistent that her name is "Barry". She responds perfectly fine when you call her "Wren" but if you ask her 'Whats your name?' the answer is always 'Barry' and if you try to tell her 'No, your name is Wren' she becomes very aggravated and will say "BARRY!!!!!" It will be interesting to see how this evolves as she gets older. Daniel and I joke that maybe we should change her name. haha. 

She loves clothes and dressing up, she especially loves to accessorize her outfits  She can't get enough jewelry, hats, sunglasses, purses, make up, nail polish...such a girlie girl. She is endlessly entertaining. She is old soul full of adventure, love and tenderness. She beams with brightness and spreads joy wherever she goes. She is curious and loves to sit and figure things out on her own. She is eager to learn new things, currently all about the alphabet, medical care and Daddy's tools. She loves caring for animals although it sometimes translates into mildly torturing our two cats. She has started preschool this last week and is doing great as I said in my last post. It will be so exciting to see her grow during this next year. I have a feeling it's going to be full of exponential growth in so many ways. Plus, she will become a big sister this December. It's going to be an incredible year for her, lots of big changes and learning. 

Here are 20 Questions for Wren:

1. What is your favorite color?

Blue & Purple

2. What is your favorite toy?

Doc McStuffins Vet Carrier & Assortment - Cat 

3. What is your favorite fruit?

Blueberries

4. What is your favorite TV show?

Curious George

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?

Chips and Salsa & Pizza & Pickles

6. What is your favorite outfit?

Anything with a tutu or a good twirling dress

7. What is your favorite game?

Running and getting chased by me to get caught and tickled. 

And putting Clover the bunny in her picnic basket.

8. What is your favorite snack?

Lemon Zest Luna Bars and any kind of fruit 

9. What is your favorite animal?

Owls & Cats

10. What is your favorite song?

"The Fall" - Rhye

"Concrete Wall" - Zee Avi 

11. What is your favorite book?

Room on The Broom & Curious George Halloween

12. Who is your best friend?

Mumma & Daddy

13. What is your favorite sport?

Dance

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?

Running in the sprinklers

15. What is your favorite drink?

Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks(which she calls Mumma's Tea)

16. What is your favorite holiday?

She seems pretty keen on Halloween like her Mumma

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?

Blankie, Sleep Sheep, Bunny Love, Light Up Giraffe and Lamby

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Pancakes - blueberry or banana

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?

She would probably pick cupcakes haha

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I would guess a fashion designer, artist, doctor...


I am so grateful to have my magical, little Wren. It is a true joy to have her in my life. I don't know how I ever got so lucky. She fills me entirely with love and happiness that gets into every deep nook and cranny inside of me. I am constantly illuminated by her vibrant, shimmering light. I swear she literally shines like the sun. 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH WREN RAMONA ZOFIA ZIMMAN

Wren's First Day of Preschool.

So last Thursday my little Wren had her first day of preschool!!!!!! Excuse me while I cry, freak out and beam with pride...haha. She did great. She went in and found some babies, paints and all kinds of fun things to play with, she was in heaven. It amazes me how confident, comfortable and outgoing she is. I managed to keep it together in front of her, but once we walked out of the room and down the hallway it all hit me like a ton of bricks. The water works were in full force. She isn't my baby anymore, she is this fierce, strong, fun, independent little lady. Part of me is just in such awe of her and beaming with pride, and part of me is so sad at how fast she is growing up. 

She is my best buddy, I am so used to having her with me all of the time. And I know I need some me time too. I didn't expect to miss her so much. It's only twice a week, what is the big deal? Luckily the timing of baby girl number two couldn't be more perfect. It is the prefect distraction for me to focus on while Wren is at school. And once the baby is here I think it will be great for Wren to get to be at school on her own, especially because she seems to absolutely love it. I can blame it on being pregnant but I think Moms just have so much love for their babies they can't help getting all emotional. I am so glad Daniel was there with us the first day, I think I would have been a bigger disaster if I was alone. Next time I will be by myself. Yikes. 

Oh my sweet Wren. You continue to amaze me with your strength, grace and sense of adventure. 

I love you more than you will ever know. Thank you for being you and letting me be your Mumma. 

// Wren's shirt and overalls - Gap // Shoes - Zara // Backpack - Here //

Leaves That Are Green.

It is officially September and my little Wren is going to start preschool twice a week! They grow up way too fast! It felt a bit like fall over the weekend. My favorite time of year!!!!! It makes me so happy to be living in New England during this time of year. The leaves are already turning a little bit. Halloween stuff is officially everywhere! Pumpkin and apple everything please and thank you. 

It's hard to tell in this billowy dress but my bump has seriously popped. I am almost 26 weeks. Just one more week and it's third trimester time. This pregnancy is going by lightning fast. The second trimester has mostly been dreamy(minus a migraine that landed me in the ER). I love feeling all the kicks and moves. And this girl moves A LOT. I am pretty sure she is practicing to climb Everest or she is choreographing the most epic dance of all time. I am going to have my hands full when she makes her debut. 

Meanwhile my little Wren is in school! I mean preschool...but still. She somehow manages to get more wonderful every day. It blows my mind. I was crawling to grab a toy in her room and my knee landed on some plastic play food and it hurt so bad. She was quick to comfort me, got the arnica gel and applied it to my knee. Then she looked at me with that angelic face and said "All better Mama?" I about burst into tears. She is so caring and thoughtful. This new baby girl is going to have the best big sister ever. She also pets and kisses my belly all the time and talks to me about the baby in there. 

Since time is going by in a blur I made Daniel snap these pics of Wren and I in our backyard. I want to have some sort of documentation of this pregnancy and all these precious moments. 

Also did I mention Wren will be two in ten days?! TWO!!!!!! I can't believe it. I just love that wild haired, sweet little soul so much. This last year has been truly magical. It just keeps getting better and better. 

On me: 

// Dress & Boots - Free People // Bracelet - Dannijo // Diamond Circle Bracelet - Rachel Brenman // 

// Ring - Heather Hoffman // Other Jewelry is family heirlooms or collected on my travels // 

// Sunglasses - The Rowe 8 by Linda Farrow //

On Wren:

// Tree Slouch Dress - Rylee & Cru // Ruffle Socks - Zara // Boots - Gap (similar here) //