Daddy and Gracie Hanging Out

Here is Gracie in one of her most favorite spots in the whole world...Daddy's shoulder.

Child of Mine

These are two pictures we took a couple of weeks after Gracie came home. These pictures remind me so much of how wonderful the pregnancy and labor/delivery experience was. Since we have been home I have realized how amazing, yet how difficult raising a baby is. Each day is different than the one before. Some better than others. My favorite days are when she is happy and content. She smiles and plays and tries so hard to talk to me. The hardest days are when she is in pain because of gas and when she can't sleep. I feel so helpless when I can't ease her pain quickly. How do people handle babies with colic?!!! What a range of emotions parenthood brings! All I know is that I will continue to do my best to love Gracie the best I can, to hold her when she cries, to pray for her daily, and to take a million pictures of every stage of her life. She is growing up so fast, we are just trying to enjoy every minute.

Breaks My Heart

Look at this sad face. It breaks my heart every time I see it.

Last night we saw this face a lot since she just couldn't seem to get rid of the gas pain and get to sleep. We tried everything and nothing seemed to work until about 4:00 this morning. She wore herself out and fell asleep. Not the best night of sleep I've ever had, but praise God these kinds of nights are few and far between!

Innocent Eyes and Kissy Lips

I love staring into her precious eyes. She is so alert and alive and her big eyes are getting more and more color to them. I also can't resist her adorable kissable lips! How do I not kiss these lips? They are so cute and pouty and absolutely irresistible!

Freedom!

Gracie took a bottle for the first time yesterday! She wasn't too thrilled about the idea at first, but soon she got the hang of it. She took the whole bottle and her daddy got to feed her for the first time! I always love my time with Gracie while she is feeding and now I am thankful Jonathan gets to have that time with her too. I am especially excited about sharing the night time feedings with Jonathan. :o) Now that she can take a bottle it will give us so much more freedom. We took advantage of that freedom today as we went on our first date since Gracie has been born. Donna Kay came up to babysit and we went to see a movie. I got to leave the house!!!! Praise God for a wonderful date with my wonderful husband!

Photo Shoots

Here are some pictures we took of little Gracie in some quick impromtu photo shoots.

This first one is in the tutu and headband her Aunt Nicole made her.

Here she is with a sweet pink hat that April's mom made for her.

This photo shoot we put her in a mixing bowl! Thank you Gracie for cooperating!

Bedtime with Daddy

Jonathan put Gracie in our bed the other day and we took pictures. She looked so tiny in our big bed!

Her First Shot

Today Gracie had her first shot. :o( It was painful for her and traumatizing for us! We dressed Gracie in a precious dress that Donna Kay and David bought for her and headed out to the doctor. We love to dress her up when we go anywhere since she rarely leaves the house. They weighed Gracie at the doctor's office and she is already 9 lbs 3 ounces! When did she get so big? She is still below the average in weight, but when I saw that number on the scale a little part of me was sad. We are out of the newborn stage. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for a happy healthy baby, but it is going by so fast! Ok, on to the traumatizing part. The nurse came in with the shot, I was holding Gracie, and then they did it. They stuck my precious baby in the thigh with a long evil needle...and remember, I was holding her! For about 10 seconds she cried the most pitiful painful cry that literally made my heart break. I put her over my shoulder ("in her spot") and she immediately stopped crying. Gracie took it like a champ! She fell fast asleep and will never remember this day that has emotionally scarred her parents!

The War Wound

Gracie in her sweet dress

We've taken Gracie to church, to the park, and to the mall already, yesterday we attempted the grocery store. She did really well on all the other outings, but the grocery store was a different story (I think it was because she knew we were going to Walmart). First of all, it was raining so we dressed her in her cute jacket which has ears on the hood (she wasn't thrilled about that) and we put her in the car seat and set off for a fun (I use the term fun very loosely) family trip. As soon as we pulled into Walmart, the screaming commenced, and would not be pacified unless the car was in motion. So, Gracie got her way, momma went in and got all the groceries while sweet daddy drove the car around the parking lot of Walmart until she fell asleep. We were able to get all we needed, but, with a newborn, simple trips just aren't so simple anymore.

When you Smile that Smile, the World Turns Upside Down

I'm not sure what she is smiling at, but I think it is either the fan, the pictures on our wall, or her crazy momma. I can't wait to hear her laugh!

Dear Gracie

Gracie,

In your short little life, you have filled us with so much joy and you've been such a blessing to us. I can not imagine life without you now. There have been a few sleepless nights and emotional exhaustion in the last 3 weeks but I wouldn't trade one minute with you. You are so special and loved and beautiful. We pray for you daily. We pray away fears and pains, we pray for joy and peace for you, we pray you will know how much we love you and how much more your Savior loves you. I praise God for you little one and the special way God made you.

Here are a few of your "favorites" in your first 3 weeks of life:

Hanging over Daddy's Shoulder like a "sack of potatoes"

Tucking your little thumb inside your fist

Your hands by your face when you sleep

Daddy's book Jungle Sunrise

and Basketball

Daddy Love

"The first man a little girl falls in love with is her dad."

“Walk alongside me Daddy, and hold my little hand.

There are so many things that I don't understand.

Every child needs a hand to guide them as they grow,

So walk alongside me, Daddy -

We have a long way to go."

-HELEN BUSH

To Jonathan, the father of my child, and the love of my life.

Today we went on our first family outing to the park. We have been pretty much home-bound since Gracie's arrival so it was wonderful to get outside. It was great to be back at the park where Jonathan and I used to spend so much of our time. Gracie didn't notice much since she slept the entire time, but it made for a very peaceful outing for us. We walked the trails, talked, and soaked up the beautiful Saturday sun. We are looking forward to living a Spirit-filled adventurous life as a family and sharing this beautiful world God created with Gracie.

Here are some pictures from the park. We used the stroller for the first time and it only took us about 30 minutes to figure out how to put the car seat in it. :o) Gracie, your momma and daddy are going to get better at this whole parenting thing - I promise! :o)

This is Gracie asleep in the car.

This is daddy documenting after we finally got the car seat in the stroller...and Gracie is still sleeping

Here I am pushing sleeping Gracie in the stroller.

And here she is sleeping next to Mark Twain

"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one." - Author: Leo J. Burke

Here is Gracie this morning after a long night of not much sleep. Really Gracie? This is when you decide to sleep? :o)

Dancin' with my Boo

I love dancing with my baby girl. I recently made a playlist for her on my computer. We have everything on it from Ray Charles' "You are so Beautiful" to Shawn McDonald's "Over the Rainbow". As we dance around, she usually falls asleep as I sing to her. I love these times with her. I know there will be a time when she is too big to hold, and when she realizes her momma's singing is not the best, but until then, we will dance and sing and fall asleep making the most of each precious moment.

Picture Crazy!

The sheer volume of pictures I have taken of my precious baby is unreal! I knew I would take a ton of pictures, but it is really ridiculous just how many I have taken. I have taken a grand total of 855 pictures and my baby is only 13 days old! That is approximately 65.7 pictures a day! I think I need help!

Here is one of the 855 pictures that captures our days and nights perfectly!

Isn't it amazing how many diapers a tiny newborn can go through!

Bad Hair Day

Yesterday we decided to bathe Gracie for the second time. Apparently you are only supposed to wash newborns one to two times a week. Well, we washed her hair and towel dried it so she wouldn't be too cold. I then decided to put a hat on her so she would be extra warm. When I pulled the hat off an hour later this was the result. She was sporting a do somewhere between punk rock mohawk and some kind of peacock thing. No matter what we did that hair would not comb down! Sorry Gracie, mommy gave you your first bad hair day. (I will say, she took it like a champ!)

this look is pure shock that mommy and daddy are laughing and taking pictures

I will say, this morning, the bad hair day produced the cutest side faux hawk imaginable! We hope she rocks this more often. How cute is my little rock star!

He is Risen!

As I sit here typing this blog, Gracie is on my chest sleeping peacefully and my husband is helping me with errands that need to be run. Sometimes I can't believe this is my life - so blessed, full of love, joy, laughter, and our Lord Jesus Christ! Sometimes when I feed my sweet girl I whisper to her how much I love her and how much more God loves her. Today, on this beautiful Easter, as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, I can't help but imagine the love the Savior has for us! I can't help but be in awe of how much i love this little one in my arms. Yet, as children of God, how much more is God's love for us. I guess I have never truly wrapped my mind around what it means to be loved as a child of God...until now.

We dressed Gracie in her special little dress for Easter, bundled our baby up, and headed to church to celebrate the greatest day in the history of the world. I pray one day my little Lovie will understand the love of her Savior!