Mommy's Report

First of all, I wanted to share this picture that my mom took while she was here. This is looking off our back porch at the most amazing rainbow. I love how the sky is darker above and lighter below. At one point, there were actually two rainbows. God's handiwork is so incredible and we are so blessed to live on such beautiful, peaceful property.

Here is me and mom with Gracelyn on Mother's Day. Trent and Dad were sweet enough to get us corsages. It was such a special day, having Gracelyn in my arms and bringing her to worship. It was also really special to celebrate with my own mom. I have a new appeciation for my own mother. Her servant heart is a good example to me of how selfless I want to be when it comes to loving and taking care of my children.

Mom and I also got to go to a Mother's Day tea for church. Everyone wore hats and had a great time of fellowship.

Mommy's Report on Gracelyn--Weeks Two and Three

At two weeks old, we were very hopeful that she would reach her birth weight. On May 13th, she had surpassed her birth weight and weighed 8 lbs 1 oz. We were so proud of her and relieved to see that she is growing well and getting plenty to eat. One week later I can now start to see a little chub gathering on her thighs. Her arms are still long and skinny.

So I wanted to share some of my favorite things about Gracelyn and our time together.

1. Getting Gracelyn dressed for the day. Here she is dressed in an outfit given to her by her Aunt Monica. It is a little jumper that looks so sweet and straight from the 80's.

2. Seeing her with Daddy. She is quite cozy and secure as he reads to her from the Bible. He is such a good man and I am grateful to God that Trent is a man who leads our family in faith and truth.

Gracelyn seems to love cuddling with her Daddy. She has her hand right up on his face and the other under his chin. It's like she is reaching up to give him a hug.

3. Seeing Gracelyn loved by others. There is nothing more comforting than knowing that your child is loved by people who will point her to Jesus. Here she is with her grandmothers (Piggy and Grammy).

4. Watching Gracelyn's faces. She is such an expressive baby and I wish I could get into her little head to know what she is thinking.

She makes this face whenever she is getting ready to fill her panties!

She looks very serious to me.

5. Gracie's Feet. They are long and flat and her toes turn in all kinds of directions.

6. For the first two days after Gracelyn's birth, she was nameless while Trent and I figured out which name fit her best. During this time, I lovingly referred to her as my gorilla baby. The sweet baby is covered in dark body hair. She even has hair around the edges and lobes of her ears! Pictures just don't do this justice.

7. Gracelyn's Kisses. There's no doubt that Gracelyn enjoys getting a ton of kisses. She just melts and draws herself in closer when you start to cuddle or kiss her.

8. Gracelyn waking up. I think she will be a pure grump as she gets older when it comes to waking up from a good sleep. It usually takes her quite a while to wake up and she is full of grunts and groans and yells out now and then. It's quite endearing.

9. Her smile. It's hard to catch a pic of her smiling because it's usually here and gone quickly. But it's priceless when you get a glimpse of how content and happy she is. She most often smiles after nursing and sometimes I swear she even giggles. It's one of those things that I will probably never capture outside of my memory. It's one of those many gifts that comes with being the one who gets to hold her during the middle of the night.

10. One of my last favorite things about Gracelyn Mae is that she belongs in our family. She's just a perfect fit and I am so grateful to get to be her mommy. Even when she cries in the middle of the night and I am so tired...even when she needs me to hold her and I haven't met my self-imposed goal of getting a shower by noon...even when she wakes up when I lay her down in her crib and then she cuddles right up next to me in bed and falls into deep sleep without a single peep...in all of these moments I count it a privilege to be her Mommy. The other day we were sitting together and listening to a Plumb song called Me. It's a beautiful song that perfectly describes how dependent a baby can be on mama.

I haven't had/A chance to sleep/And when I wake/I wake with your dreams/I guess my pillow/Holds some kind of key/To your peace/Your peace/Me/I wouldn't trade your love for all the candy/In this great big world/Me/I feel so crazy blessed and oh so lucky/To be the place you go/When you need to feel safe/When you need a kiss/It's meI haven't showered/And I tried to eat/But all your tears/Oh they needed me/I need some time, some time to think/But then I hear you/And what you need is...Me/I wouldn't trade your love for all the candy/In this great big world/Me/I feel so crazy blessed and oh so lucky/To be the place you go/I wash your face/To make room for/All the kisses/Of tomorrow/And every day/That I get to Be here with you/Is sweet/Me/I wouldn't trade your love for all the candy/In this great big world/Me/I feel so crazy blessed and oh so lucky/To be the place you go/When you need to feel safe/When you need a kiss/Oh don't be afraid/Cause what you'll have is....Me

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy the pictures!