What's in a name?

Dear Miléna,

Picking out your name was not an easy task.  We had no idea what to name you.  Your name is the first thing people will learn about you.  Giving and receiving a name is an event of major importance.  This will be part of your personal identity.  Your dad and I didn’t take this task lightly.  We took as many moments as we had to really come up with the perfect name for you.   We truly wanted to see you before we officially chose a name.  I had a short list in my cell phone of names and their meanings.  Occasionally, your dad and I would come across one that struck our interest. I would look the meaning up and add the name to the list.  We wanted something feminine.  We didn’t want to give you a name that every other little girl had, but we also didn’t want to give you a name that was so too unusual. Eventually, we had to choose a name from the list. One of our favorite names on the list was Miléna. Our families were all so anxious to know what your name would be, but we kept our list to ourselves.  Your dad and I wanted to see you and hold you before we decided 100% on your name.  When we saw you, we knew your name was Miléna Jean. Pronounced “Mil-Lay-nuh”, It was perfect: strong, feminine, unique.  And the meaning was perfect.  Miléna means love, warmth, grace… all of the things we do our best to live by, all of the things you have already taught us so much more about. You are our love. Jean is after Kiley's late mother's name, Jeanne as well as his grandmother's middle name.  It means "God is gracious" in Hebrew.  We chose your name because it’s strong, but it has such a sweetness about it at the same time.  We love your name, sweet MJ. I hope you come to love it as much as we do.

The first few weeks

All throughout the pregnancy, you hear people tell you to "Make sure you get your sleep now" and "Oh, parenting will be the hardest thing you will ever do".  It's almost as if people are trying to scare you.  Perhaps they have a flawed outlook on what it  means to be a parent. Parenting is not a chore. Since the very first breath Milena took, I have not been scared of parenting because I viewed it as a blessing and a gift.  I don't sigh with frustration in the middle of the night when I wake to feed her.  I look forward to seeing her bright wide eyes staring up at me.  I am excited to provide all of the nutrients she needs to survive.  I look forward to our mid-morning snuggles.  I like making sure she is taken care of and comfortable.  It's not like you have to wake up and run a marathon.   You get to sit quietly in the comfort of your home, snuggling your sweet bundle... watching them coo and be cute.  Then you get to go back to sleep. Although my sleep schedule has shifted a bit, I have gotten plenty of sleep from day one.  Milena is on a feeding/sleeping schedule that she has been pretty used to since the first week.  She eats every two hours throughout the day and has only one feeding a night.  She hardly ever makes a fuss... she cries a little bit but only momentarily when she is hungry or needs to be changed.  She is such a smiley baby and I think it has a lot to do with her schedule.  She is comfortable and knows what to expect and when to expect it.  She doesn't have to worry about her next meal or being too hot/cold.  She is comfortable. Having her on a schedule keeps me on a schedule and allows me to know what to expect or plan for throughout the day as well.  Don't get me wrong, we are far from perfect and veer from our schedule often.  But, it helps keep us all on track.  I have been told that I am blessed because she is such a great baby.  I couldn't agree more.  Milena is such a huge blessing.  She has brought so much joy and love to my life.  The first few weeks of motherhood have had its challenges with healing from the delivery/birth, seeing my mom leave and being away from my family and friends, nursing and balancing school with motherhood.  However, this has been the most amazing few weeks of my life.  The challenges I have faced don't even place a shadow on the immense joy I have found in parenting this little girl.  It is such a miracle that she is even here.  I am so blessed to have been chosen as her mom.  I can't compare the feelings I feel to anything in this world.  It is unlike anything I have ever experienced and I am elated to know that I am forever going to be this sweet little girl's mommy.  Parenthood is not hard and it is not a chore. Yes, there are challenges but they play a beautiful role in this journey. Being a mommy is an incredible joy and blessing. So if you are an expectant mother, anxiously awaiting your child's arrival, know that everything in your life is going to be so incredible. There's absolutely nothing to fear. Although people would love for you to believe that your life will take a downward spiral and will be increasingly more difficult and chaotic with a child, it wont be. Your life is going to be so enhanced, indescribably amazing, riddled with reward-bearing challenges and completely filled with JOY and LOVE.  You are about to experience one of the most incredible blessings in life. 

Welcome Sweet Baby

I suppose you could've guessed it due to my hiatus, but the baby has arrived!!!

Welcome Milena Jean Grant!

Born August 16, 2013 at 6:26pm
Weighing 7lbs 6oz and 20" long

Leaving for the hospital at about 10pm on August 15, 2013.

Snuggles with our daughter

Sleeping Beauty

Grabbing a hold of my mother's ring

Love

Daddy's girl

My MJ

I will write her birth story blog soon, but for now, visit the Three Nails Photography blog to see a post about the arrival of our sweet baby girl!






I have completely neglected my blog since the baby was born but I am working to stay on top of it.
Future posts are:
-1 week, 2 week, 3 week and 4 week updates
-Fitness and postpartum body
-Birth story with professional photos of the entire birthday
-Newborn/Family photos