{Week(s) In Review}

I've shared a little of what we've been up to lately, but there's a lot I've left out too.  The last few weeks prior to Aksel's arrival were busy and fun-filled, so busy and fun-filled in fact that I haven't gotten around to blogging the bulk of our activities.  Now I'm playing a little catch up.  Get ready for a photo-heavy post that's a little all over the place, y'all.

In mid-March I got a new camera lens.  Naturally I needed to test it out on one of my favorite models.  It's just too bad he's so camera shy...

One day while my mom was in town we ventured the short distance north to hang out in my sister's neighborhood.  If you can look past the hipsters with their electronic cigarettes and epic beards, Denton Square really is the perfect place to spend the day wandering around.

It's cozy and quaint, the streets lined with coffee houses, thrift stores, and boutiques.

We attempted to get some group shots in front of the old, beautiful courthouse that stands at the center of the Square, but it was so windy that we didn't get a single blog-worthy photo.  

At one point we needed to stop for refreshments and found ourselves here.  This is my sister in her element.  Hemingway had Cafe La Rotonde; Hannah has Jupiter House.

And a visit to Denton Square isn't complete without visiting the Atomic Candy shop.  Anders was completely enamored with the vintage lunch boxes, although the more familiar characters won his attention in the end.

As my due date quickly approached, we took a day trip to the Fort Worth Zoo.  All that walking was sure to trigger labor, right?  Spoiler alert: it didn't work.  But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

I have always loved going to zoos, and it's even more fun now that Anders gets excited about seeing all the animals.

We lounged with elephants...

 ...kissed turtles...

...and had our picture taken in front of giraffes.  

With Texas summers being so hot, it was a wonderful experience to enjoy the zoo on a mild spring day.

How weird was it having Easter in March this year?  That just seemed so early to me!  Even though his face doesn't show it, Anders was very excited about our first Easter egg hunt.

He took his job seriously, darting around the backyard and carefully piling eggs into his overflowing Elmo basket.

Nina with her oldest grandson... 

...and a picture to remember our third (and last) Easter as a family of three.

Just for fun, here are a couple of pictures from Easter 2011 and 2012.

Well that's all I've got for our March recap.  Look out for April's review coming soon!

{Project: Newborn Photos}

As I mentioned, I attempted to take newborn photos of Aksel yesterday.  Keep in mind of course that I am not a professional, but rather a mom armed with a DSLR and some extremely weak Photoshop skills.  Our home office served as my 'studio', complete with furniture, sheets, and blankets collected from around the house as props.  My sweet mother-in-law was my 'assistant', her duties ranging from rocking to singing to involuntarily using her shirt as a diaper.  Honestly between the pee, poop, milk, and sweat our office saw yesterday, it is in desperate need of some Lysol and elbow grease.  Any volunteers?

Having completed this venture, I have an even greater appreciation for professional photographers.  It was hard, y'all!  I mean I knew it would be, but Pinterest and Google searches could not prepare me for the drama that is newborn photography.  

So, without further ado, here are the final results!

From above, it's appears that the basket may have been a bit too small for my big baby.

I managed to capture a little brotherly love...

...and some sweet, quiet moments of Aksel alone.

I captured tiny, newborn feet and tiny, newborn yawns.

But this is my favorite picture of the day.  My two boys.  I love them so.

{Project: Newborn Photos}

Today I attempted to take newborn photos of Aksel.  It was a raging success chaotic and hilarious from the start (Aksel managed to poop a record amount within the first 5 minutes), but I'm excited to share the results with you all.  First, enjoy a few outtakes...

{Introducing: Aksel Jacob Vang}

Well friends, he's finally here!  I'm happy to announce that Aksel Jacob Vang was born at 5:33pm on Wednesday, April 3rd.  He weighed 9 pounds, 4 ounces, and measured 21 inches long (and he's the smaller of my two if you can believe...).

It seems my belly is a cozy place to be because this little guy wasn't ready to leave on his own.  Thanks to modern medicine, he was safely evicted.  Even though I didn't get the VBAC I was hoping for, I can't say I'm disappointed.  I mean look at that perfectly round head!  In all seriousness, I'm thankful to God for a healthy baby regardless of delivery method.

Anders is pretty fond of him too.  Every morning he wakes up and runs to our room looking for his 'babies', just to make sure his brother didn't disappear overnight.  Check out these two buddies...

Best friends in the making!  I can only imagine the fun ahead with these guys around.

{Bump Watch}

Well, it is officially D-Day.  And by that, I mean Delivery Day.  At 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant I will be meeting my son, regardless of delivery method.  My C-section is scheduled for 5pm tonight, so there is still a slim chance for me to go into labor naturally.  

Either way, the time has come for the last bump photo.  So without further ado, here I am in all my full-term glory...

To those who deal with me personally today, I would like to apologize in advance.  I can only imagine that I will continue to be an emotional rollercoaster.  Because of the scheduled C-section I haven't been allowed to eat since 9am, which means I was starving and irritable by 9:30am.  Other phases to follow could include but are not limited to:  waiting-induced insanity, drug-induced agreeability, baby-induced bliss, and nursing-induced exhaustion.  Please don't take it personally.

Check back soon, friends.  I can't wait to share our latest addition with you guys!