indie’s 6 month portraits!

when you’re pregnant, everyone says time is going to fly… but at what point do you really look back and think “what the heck happened to my newborn?!” – for me, indie’s 6 month milestone was the “what the heck” moment i had anticipated and more. i cried twice the week before her half-birthday… i looked back at photos and videos from her first few weeks… and of course i planned an epic portrait session with melissa batista photography, who took my maternity photos back in january. we took the nostalgia up a notch and had indie wear the same flower crown that i wore in some of my own photos! click through to see the absolutely gorgeous photography, and to read a summary of my first six months as a mom.

if you read my birth story, you know about all of the complications that we had surrounding indie’s health. month number one was pretty wild. we came home from the hospital when she was 18 days old, and the next two weeks were filled with all the visitors we wished we had in the nicu. it was freezing out. we were happy to be trapped inside. we left the house for indie’s newborn photoshoot and the pediatrician and that’s about it!

month number two was only slightly less crazy. we wound up back in the hospital due to scar tissue forming at the site of indie’s esophageal repair. she had two dilations, each a week apart. this time we were in the pediatric ward. fortunately, these procedures were outpatient same-day surgeries! indie also celebrated her first easter.

month three was cool because the weather was finally starting to improve and we felt like we could get out a little more! i celebrated my first mother’s day which felt amazing not only for obvious reasons but also because it marked over one month since indie had had any procedures or hospital visits! may 20th also marks our anniversary, and we decided to bring indie along for our date! during month three we also collaborated with a sleep consultant, and visited the esophageal atresia clinic at columbia/ny presbyterian.

on to month four… june first was my first birthday as a mom which meant the baby was getting ditched on grandma for the night!! we celebrated with one of our first real solo date nights sans-baby. indie got her ears pierced! we celebrated stephen’s first father’s day and attended a few fun parties with indie in tow. at the end of the month, indie had another repeat swallow study which showed continued aspiration on thin liquids, so we thickened her feeds even more (hence her incredible growth!) and we scheduled a laryngoscopy coming up in october to further investigate this issue.

month five came in like a firework! we celebrated indie-pendence day poolside, followed almost immediately by indie’s baptism which was the most beautiful joyful celebration of our girl! so many people got to meet her that day. she was dressed to the nines and the details of the party were just gorgeous. we had 80 guests! on july 9th indie started solids! she was four months and one week old. we started her good and early so that her muscles and nerves would get accustomed to swallowing. she LOVES to eat! she has tried so many fruits and veggies by now. it was also indie’s first (and only) trip to the beach! we traveled to long branch with our photographer lauren and my mom to shoot a big campaign for the indigo store at short hills. it was a ton of work and way too hot for the poor girl! we only stayed about 30 minutes. we’re hoping next summer we can do more beach days when we’re better equipped. at the end of the month stephen and i went away for the first time! we left indie with grandma for two straight nights while i was on bridesmaid duty in a wedding on long island. it was a tough but fun and much needed weekend! our girl did GREAT at grandma’s! total “rip the bandaid off” moment for sure. i’m glad i got it overwith.

and finally month six! lowkey and fun. all about enjoying what’s left of summer. tons of pool days. she loves the water. lots of playdates with our friends’ kids. a trip to alstede farms to shoot fall content, and a few trips into the big apple! we visited the time out new york market and dumbo, hung out with family and soaked up the sun.

it’s easy to scroll back in my calendar and list out all of the cool things we’ve done with indie in our lives, but the beauty has been in the day to day – watching her grow, change and discover. letting her fall asleep on my chest. seeing a new “first” every day. hearing her laugh, and seeing what sparks that laughter. our bond grows deeper with each passing day, and it feels like i blinked and all of a sudden she’s got her own (big!) personality! melissa captured that personality beautifully, as per usual. i can’t wait to compare these photos to her newborn shoot and to her eventual first birthday session! i’m still learning this whole mom life, but one thing i know for sure is that i’ve never experienced a love like this – and every moment no matter how small is a moment i’ll cherish with my daughter. happy (belated) half-birthday to my beautiful, sweet, feisty and strong baby girl.  you bring us indescribable joy. here’s to the second half of year one being as fun and eventful as the first! #MissIndiePendent