Arriane Lay

23 • Mama of 1 • Married to Dustin

[raisingemma]

Note to self: need more beach days because we move next spring. 😬

[thenordroom]

[raisingemma]

I need a room like this.

[raisingemma]

I'm quickly learning how much more challenging it is having a walking baby. But it's also so much fun! I am so proud of my baby girl; she is so brave and adventurous!

[secretdreamlife]

[themommymemoirs]

My life

[menoutoftime]

if you claim to love your children but can’t accept their gender or sexuality, you only love your idea of them.

[oliviatheelf-deactivated2016012]

Venus Envy by Heidi Taillefer ”This painting by Canadian artist, Heidi Taillefer, offers the viewer a sumptuous depiction of the pregnant body’s internal world.  Rich images of fruit and flowers fill the woman’s form, while her baby is nourished within a floating sac of clear water.  Her full breasts are glorious machines that produce and pump milk through an intricate system of faucets and tubing.  Like a cross between a Dutch still life painting and a Surrealist masterwork, Taillefer’s composition is lavish, detailed and luxuriant, reminding the viewer of the fertile bounty and reproductive powers intrinsic to the female body.”

[boys-and-suicide-deactivated201]

I don’t want my kids growing up afraid to tell me things. You drank? Okay. You smoked? Okay. You’re struggling? That’s alright. I want them to be able to talk to me without feeling like they’re going to be punished, so they end up isolating and keeping things from me. I want them to feel safe opening up to me without fear or judgment. When it’s hard to trust anyone nowadays, I want them to know I am always here, even when everyone leaves. 

[raisingemma]

As Emma grows older, my urge to have a newborn gets stronger. It seriously goes by way too quick.

[raisingemma]

4 days 'til Christmas! 🎅 #emmalacostelay #vsco_mom #vscocam #childhoodunplugged #lifewithkids

[pixie-dust08]

[raisingemma]

Got caught eating Santa's cookies. 🍪🍪🍪 #emmalacostelay #vsco_mom #vscocam #childhoodunplugged #lifewithkids

[raisingemma]

Some moments I want to pause and just live in them. My dear daughter is growing faster than I'm ready for. #emmalacostelay #vsco_mom #vscocam

[raisingemma]

🌿 There was a short time I wished Emma was able to stand so I could snap cute(r) photos of her. Little did I know, it is more difficult photographing an active child. Now I have to do silly things to catch her attention for just one second. In some ways she is becoming independent and it makes a part of me sad. How I wish I could take back our first few months- those sweet months where I did nothing but hold and nurse her. Motherhood is such a hard journey! I'm getting teary just writing this out. #emmalacostelay #week37 #vsco_mom #vscocam #childhoodunplugged

[raisingemma]

Nomads

One thing I never thought about before I married Dustin was the difficulty of being a military family. And it’s only gotten harder now that Emma is here. I wonder if she will form a bond with our extended family since we will be moving a lot? It makes me sad that her grandparents are going to miss out on her childhood.

[raisingemma]

Daddy says no but one day, we're going to have a horse. Isn't that right, Emma? Practicing for it this morning. 🐎 #emmalacostelay #childhoodunplugged #vsco_mom #vscocam #lifewithkids

[raisingemma]

🌿 This rocking chair has been in the Lay family for 60 years and I am so excited for Emma to have it! #emmalacostelay #vsco_mom #vscocam #liveauthentic #lifewithkids