Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Top Ten Daily Conversation in Our House

2011-01-15T11:20:00.002-06:00

10. Me or Trent: "Gracelyn, do you need to go potty?" G: "No."
....Few minutes later....G: "Potty! Peep-peep! or Poop!"
Clean the potty and then get the treasured M&M. G: "Yank you."

9. Gracelyn, while carrying a phone or remote or book: "Four, Fife, Six"

8. Gracelyn, while sitting at the table eating a meal: "Home"
Me or Trent: "No, I'm not going to hold you until after I am done eating."
At the end of most meals, she ends up sitting in her Daddy's lap with him feeding her cause Mommy eats SLOW.

7. Me, while cooking: "Gracelyn, please stop pulling down my pants. I will hold you in just a minute."

6. Gracelyn makes multiple requests a day to watch "pat-pat" (Little Ensteins) or to play on the "i-pa" (I-pod) which she can manage to play music and pull up games like "pow-pow" (Angry Birds) all by herself.

5. G: "My!" Translation: "I am a big girl now and I am capable of doing this myself without your help, thank you very much"

4. Gracelyn, when going down for her nap or bed: "Pac?" (Paci) which was weaned over a month ago. Weird she has started asking for it again. Me: "Baby, mommy doesn't have a paci for you. They are all gone." G: "All goine? Purse." Me: "No, baby. I don't have one in my purse. Sleep tight" ...closing the door hearing G say "pac?"

3. Gracelyn: "Su-ee" (Sonny) who is my sister's dog who came with the family to visit us at Christmas. She has a little toy dog that has affectionately become our own "su-ee". We really like stuffed animals for our family pets :)

2. Trent: "Gracelyn, who loves you?" G: "Mom" said with lots of giggles and taunting. Trent: "What! No, Dad!" Followed by tons of tickles and laughter. Trent: "Whose girl are you?" Gracelyn: "Mom...hehe" More of the same...

1. Our precious bedtime routine: First, prayer by dad. Then secrets from dad...whispers like "I had so much fun playing with you today" "I love you more than I thought possible" or "I like seeing you grow up." Gracelyn returns her own secrets: "fa-fa-fa" Then a song with mommy that Gracelyn has started singing with me: "Gracelyn Mae, mommy's girl, Gracelyn Mae, daddy's world, mommy loves you, daddy loves you, Jesus loves you too, mommy loves you, daddy loves you, Jesus loves you too. Gracelyn Mae, trust in the Lord, Gracelyn Mae, will you trust in the Lord, mommy loves you, daddy loves you, Jesus loves you too, mommy loves you, daddy loves you, Jesus loves you too." Me: "Night, night baby. Love you." G whispers with a wave: "bye"

An Overview in Pictures

2010-09-18T13:54:00.001-05:00

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This Long Lost Blogger

2010-09-16T16:38:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been several months since I have blogged. Everytime I felt the urge to blog, I was so overwhelmed with all the things I wanted to say that I just never did it. How sad! It was so easy when Gracelyn was little to note all the new things that she did....they came a little bit at a time. Now, it seems that she is learning ten new things a day. Who can keep track? So instead of trying to cover all that I've missed in the past few months, here are a few of my favorite things happening now...

I LOVE when Trent and Gracelyn share secrets...he whispers sweet thoughts in her ear, things like "I love you more than I thought possible" (tear!) and "You are so pretty." Then she whispers little jabbers in his ear and asks for more secrets. Absolutely precious!

Gracelyn loves playing with her dolls, especially a soft pink doll that she sleeps with each night. She prefers that her dolls sit in the high chair with her and she diligently feeds them and shares her drink.

Sleep comes so easily for her these days, which is a bit surprising when I think back to the struggle it was when she was little. For naps and bedtime, we cuddle for a couple minutes, say our prayers and then I lay her down in her crib. She wraps her arms around her doll and I snuggle her blanket around her back. Sometimes she even waves bye bye as I leave the room.

She is talking more and more. She will mimic most words that we encourage her to say but most of the time she just gets out the first syllable. Spontaneously she says "wa-wa" (water) as she points to her mouth, "doll", "pa" (paci) again as she points to her mouth, "malk" (milk), "side" (outside), "bye bye", "all done", "mo" (more), "shu" (truck), "pow" (referring to a game on the Ipod), "bonk" (when she bumps her head), "book", "Bob" (our vacuum), "poo poo", "ba" (banana), "baby", "toot", "Pops", "Paul" (Uncle Paul), "au" (Autumn). She loves to moo like a cow and woof like a dog. She just started making a great meow sound too.

She stills love to be outdoors and we often take trips to the garden to pick "tom" (tomatoes). She likes riding in her wagon and carrying the water buckets. She also loves her stroller, so we takes lots of trips up and down the long driveway. One of her favorite places to hang outside is in the driver's seat of her daddy's truck!

She really enjoys playing hide and seek, esp with her daddy.

About a month ago she learned to run. That was really fun to witness!

Our girl still loves to watch Little Einsteins. I don't know if she will ever tire of it! She has no interest in any other TV shows...not even Clifford the Big Red Dog!

She has learned all of her body parts. Eyes, nose, ears, hands, feet, fingers, hair, toes, chin, cheeks, forehead, neck, shoulders, knees, bottom. And her favorite "bow" (elbow).

She is a bag lady, just like her Aunt JJ. She carries around various bags, walks to the door and waves bye bye as if she is off to work for the day.

She likes to help with housework...putting wet clothes in the dryer, sweeping the floor, opening and closing the dishwasher.

She has a few favorite books...a Veggie Tales book, The Belly Button book, and Goodnight Moon. But the biggest hit right now is "Hello World." It has various paintings of children's faces from around the world saying hello in their language. She chooses one kid out of about 25 on the cover and then shuffles through the pages until she finds the same kid.

Ok, so this was supposed to be brief. There are so many sweet memories that I want to store away in my memory box. Gracelyn brings so much joy into our lives and I am so proud of who God has created her to be!

Our Little Spring Flower

2010-04-12T22:12:00.007-05:00

One of our only Easter pictures

Trying to get 11 month pics

From here on out it's just enjoying the outdoors...

"See the cows mom"

Eating a leaf

Even her ears are beautiful to me

Oh the hair :)

My Favorite Things

2010-04-06T12:51:00.003-05:00

Despite the fact that I only publish posts about once a month, I actually create posts all the time in my head. I bookmark precious little moments in my head and wish I could skip all the steps required to actually document them here and just have them appear. But alas, I will try to recall them now even though I know I will miss several. Here are some of my favorite moments with or things about my family in the past couple months...

Gracelyn took her first steps. It was past Gracelyn's bedtime and somehow we were all up still playing on the floor with her. I had a toy in my hand and she was standing with her feet firmly planted and decided to step toward me. First it was two steps and then it went up to five steps at one time. We were all clapping and dancing together! She was so proud and I don't think we could have been any more proud of her. It was such a special moment for Trent and I to share together. So that was about three weeks ago. She's only walked a few times since. Now she thinks it's funny to fall forward into my arms or fall onto her knees rather than take steps. Oh well, I'm not going to rush her. She will be up on two legs soon enough and for now we have enough trouble catching her when she crawls.
I love springtime here! Just as soon as I thought I couldn't handle another day of snow and freezing temperatures, the spring rain came and hints of green started to appear and birds started to chirp and I could begin to feel humidity in the air again. Within days, the yard is full of bright green grass and buds are on the trees. The cows are back up close to the house eating their fill and Gracelyn loves to bang on the window and yell at them. Now that we live here, I actually have fertile soil and space to plant a vegetable garden. I have the desire, now I just need the knowledge. Fortunately, there are a ton of people around here who know what they are doing and are willing to help me along.
Our little peanut loves basketball. For the past few weeks, I have been going to this killer work-out at the local gym a couple times a week. We all three come into town and take turns watching Gracelyn while the other works out. One of her favorite things to do is play with the basketballs. She wraps her arms around the ball, picks it up and twirls in a circle on her bottom. She rolls it back and forth to me and will crawl across the court to chase it down. If she is anything like her daddy, she could be a great player one day.
She's made a big accomplishment by going to sleep with less and less assistance. For the longest time, I put Gracelyn to sleep in my arms in our living room. A couple weeks ago she started becoming more unsettled in my arms so I laid her down in her crib sooner than usual. We had tried this before with no success but this time she settled pretty quickly and went to sleep well. She even slept through the night without waking to nurse, which has continued for too long! She still needs a little reassurance that we are close by and in fact her daddy seems to have the magic touch needed for her to drift off to sleep. Because I am sleeping all night, I have been able to get up earlier in the mornings, sometimes even before she wakes up, instead of lounging in my bed with her until 8 or 9. I love this routine cause it gives me quiet time and the day seems longer and more pleasant.
I am so grateful for God's movement at our church recently. Between Celebrate Recovery meetings, powerful sermons, revival and incredible worship, my heart is growing in expectation of encountering Him every time we are together with other believers. I have had some amazing times of personal moments with Him alone but I need more discipline to set aside the concentration and time needed to really seek God. He has been so patient with me and is drawing me closer.
I absolutely love to play with Trent and Gracelyn. I love to hear her squeal when he is on the chase for her. She crawls to me and buries her face in my neck, all the while laughing and looking back to see how close he is getting. When he finally tickles her, she falls back into him, begging for more. Sometimes while I am making dinner, Trent will bring her up behind me and she will tap me on the shoulder. I turn around with a bunch of tickles and kisses and we will repeat it all over again. It makes her crazy when Trent blows on the bottoms of her feet.
Gracelyn enjoys baby dolls especially one doll in particular. She squeezes and kisses her and tries to put on her booties and pacifier. She has even started pointing to her eyes and ears when prompted.
I love to hear her baby chatter. When she isn't busy saying "mamamdadadadmam" then she is saying all kinds of words that start with B. Every now and then she will repeat some tough ones like "chicken" and "purple" and "blue" but it's a rarity and special.
Our girl is a meal eater. She will try new foods easily (which I know may not last forever) so I am trying to take advantage and introduce her to as many new tastes as possible. She is doing much better with grains, esp white flour. When we give her whole wheat pancakes, she seems to get a little cranky and slows down just a bit. For now, I am thankful she isn't vomiting everywhere. Lately, she's signing when she wants more or when she's done. The biggest meal time battle so far is teaching her to place her cup back on the table rather than throwing it on the floor.
Her favorite thing to share with others is her pacifier. Most people give it the ole "that's slimy with slober" look but take it anyway ;)
I am quite relieved that Gracelyn has gotten more and more comfortable with being away from me. She spends time with her daddy a couple times a week while I am away from home tutoring a high schooler and they have a blast together. And at church there are several people she trusts to take her without me around. She and I both need this time. In a couple weeks, my mom and dad will be up and plan to watch her all day while Trent and I are at a conference. I am very hopeful that she will do well.
Gracelyn and I both enjoy watching "The Little Einsteins." I am learning about composers and places all over the world and artwork....she loves blasting off in rocket!
Finally, I have had an overwhelming sense of gratitude in my heart toward God. Between having some personal connections with the earthquake in Haiti to watching friends grieve the loss of their baby, I've been reminded that there are few certainties in life. Part of me is tempted to stop in my tracks out of fear but thanks to God for teaching me and reminding me to not let the uncertainties of tomorrow steal away the joy of today. God is worthy of all my trust and honor and respect, no matter what comes my way. Still learning how to do this.

Thanks for making it this far. :)

Nine and Ten Months

2010-03-15T14:07:00.013-05:00

So I am behind a couple months and had hoped to write about the last couple months. But for now...here's pictures. Words to come later.

Looking at the snow

Quack!

Looking little in her new carseat

Sharing a bell pepper with Piggy

Eating yogurt

Pee shiver!

Hoping that if we put on sandals and swim suit that spring will come!

Note Kado with my shoes on

Eating meat for the first time

Peek- a- boo

Eight Months and Christmas

2010-01-08T15:05:00.005-06:00

Note: the photo uploader was giving me trouble so see the post after this one too view more pictures!

December was an eventful month. Trent went to Haiti for several days while Gracelyn and I stayed at the Gautney's in Kansas City. He had an incredible opportunity to travel with several others to help distribute Christmas boxes to children at a school. It sounds like it was a great trip and Trent and I dream about taking our family there again before too long. A week after his return we traveled to Beaumont for Christmas with my family. Two hours before boarding the plane, we went to the see the doctor...Gracelyn had been running fever for two days and was definitely sick. Ended up being an ear infection, pink eye and some viral thing. That was on December 21st and she is just now back to being happy and carefree. Before it was all done, she ended up having a few nights with a very croupy, scary cough and slept in bed with me, kicking daddy onto the floor, for several nights. We are so thankful to God for healing her.

It was such a special Christmas with my family. Lots of wonderful memories. And unfortunately, I forgot my camera so no personal pictures. :( We had family pictures taken by a professional photographer. I made Gracelyn's nose bleed in an attempt to clean up the green goop so in many of her pictures she is sporting a bloody nostril. She was cranky and ready for a nap before we were able to get her an individual photo shoot. But fortunately we were able to catch some priceless pictures of her sleeping on a quilt made by her great-great grandmother. We had an awesome time playing games with my family and just lounging around. The weather was incredible...in the 50s most days. Ashton and Emma have grown so much and are so fun to talk with. They are growing up into beautiful, charming little ladies who have so many talents and so much love. My sister had surgery the week prior but the Lord was so gracious to see fit that she had energy and minimal pain so that we could hang out and stay up late. Although we stayed almost a week, it seemed like just as Gracelyn was getting comfortable with everyone, it was time to leave. One of my favorite memories is when Gracelyn was waving at my mom and Mom started crying happy tears at the sight. Trent and I even got to go on a date while my parents watched Gracelyn. We had an awesome seafood dinner and were headed home when we got the call that Gracelyn was ready for us. Mom and Dad sent Gracelyn a radio flyer red wagon in the mail before Christmas and we just got around to putting it together. We drove her around the house today and she absolutely LOVED it. We will have loads of fun for years to come!

We came back home to snow and crazy cold weather. It was a slow ride home but we were so happy to be back. The next day Trent's family started coming in and stayed for three or four days. We had an incredible time with them. All the beds were taken and the kitchen was full of food from the beginning to the end. Instead of the traditional meal, we made it a Mexican fiesta with flowers in our hair and somberos and five kinds of salsa. We went to the skating rink and played card games. We were blessed with several gifts but the greatest joy of Christmas this year was the chances we had to spent time with our families. I am so completely grateful to God that all of our family members love Jesus and want to follow Him. It's nothing that I can boast about and I can only praise God for His immense blessings.

Quick update about Gracelyn. While at the doctor, she weighed close to 18 pounds. We are still complexed by the foods that she can eat. She seems to have lost some interest in eating just about anything now although for a few weeks she did great with baby food fruits and vegetables. Every now and then, I panic and wonder if she will be a "milk baby" and want to keep nursing for years and reject all table food. But then I remind myself that she is only eight months old, I'm reading some good material and praying that God will lead her gently as she is ready to take on different food. In the meantime, we have started her on a multi-vitamin with iron supplement that makes her sweet breath smell bad. Her one and only word is "mama" and she's a pro at saying it. It's one of the sweetest sounds to hear her call my name... and then I realize that it seems to be her generic term for "hey parent" cause she calls out "mama" to her daddy all the time too. We are working on this. Gracelyn is a pro at lounging in bed with us in the morning. She lays for a while, sings and then after a bit starts crawling all over us. She will look up to the ceiling and wave as if she is saying Hi to God. As of two nights ago, Gracelyn is back to sleeping in her crib. The time just seemed right although Trent and I both admitted that we missed not being able to hear her sweet breaths as she slept in our room. We are so proud of you, Gracie. You fill our lives with so much joy!

Now some pictures...

How sad is this...Gracelyn had just spent an hour throwing up everything she ate after having a few Cherrios for the first time. Apparently, she has a grain intolerance. :(

Feeling better

She was so goofy after waking up after an evening nap. And somehow her hair went crazy too.

Christmas with the Willhite side. All the grandbabes.

Everyone together!

Gracelyn loves her Uncle Todd.

Michael in his snow tunnel.

Emma getting frostbite.

Eight Months and Christmas...con't

2010-01-08T13:54:00.007-06:00

After a couple hours in the snow, Steven's cheeks are so red.

Thanks Grammy for the stroller walker. Everytime she plays with it, the first things she does is throw the baby out of it :)

Chillin'

Everyone looks so tired and in the media zone.

Steven's happy!

Sweet Kado cuddling with Sarah who loves hanging with the lil' cousins.

Me and Julie

Emma is literally falling on her skates during this shot.

Soooo pretty.

Joni and Hope

Cool Brad. He won almost every game at the roller rink..."name the artist of this song" and Limbo....well, not Limbo.

Joni feelin' the 80s hits.

Grant dressed like his father.

Gracie playing with daddy and Uncle Beau.

Most beautiful girl...

Sleeping on the couch with mama and holding hands.

Snotty nose.

Playing with her new drumset from Uncle Paul and Aunt Jamie.

Dancing with Daddy. I love when "Oh How He Loves Us" by David Crowder Band comes on the radio because Trent picks up his girl and dances with her...and sometimes grabs me too :)

Dreaming of snow.

Gracelyn was in a crazy mood this particular night after eating some baby food. I love this girl.

Seven Months Old

2009-12-05T12:08:00.010-06:00

Gracelyn is seven months and one week old today. Somehow seven months sounds years older than six months to me. And with all that she has learned in the past few weeks, life has changed quickly. Gracelyn started crawling the day after Thanksgiving. We have made some adjustments to our house but are also trying to train Gracelyn to know what is off-limits. Using the word "no" with her has brought out some interesting responses in our little peanut. She has a bit of a temper and we are trying to reign her in early before she's two and throwing tantrums in the grocery store (although there's no guarantee that this won't happen too). It's easier in some ways to be lazy, let her do what she wants, ignore her screaming and mini-tantrums in hopes that it will just all go away. It's nice in some ways to believe that this is just a phase and she'll grow out of it. Or that there's no need to tell her no and just believe that she's too young to understand what mommy says. But what is easy isn't always best. And what I want to believe isn't always true. In many ways I am in training as a mommy. Even if Gracelyn doesn't understand all that I am saying, it's important for me to start standing for what I feel is important and finding the words I want to say to her. I am amazed at what she can understand already. I pray that our efforts at parenting will be blessed by the Lord and will be a blessing to her and our family. Discipline and training is a discipline for me.

Gracelyn had a tooth poke through yesterday on the bottom. I think this explains some of her crankiness lately. Her gums are all swollen and she can't seem to get enough fingers in her mouth. It's got to hurt. We continue to struggle with cereal. I've tried about four times with different varieties of cereal and at different times of the day. Each time she spent the next several hours projectile vomiting and lethargic. I hate it for her and if she didn't need the iron I would quit all together trying. I'll give it several more weeks before trying again and in the meantime I plan to ask some very knowledgable people for ideas. As for baby food, she doing great and loves all the new flavors.

Onto fun stuff. At her last appointment, Gracelyn weighed 16 lbs 15 oz (50%) and was 26 7/8" long (75%). She waves from the across the room or when someone greets her. I love how she uses her hands...when she moves her hand like she's knocking on the door or folds her hands together. She squeals, she screams, she laughs, she whines, she sings, she talks, and she has been calling to "mum mum." Last Sunday in church, she was singing during hymns so loudly that the song leader stopped between verses to encourage everyone to try to sing louder than her. She is pulling up easily now onto furniture and her crib. She takes most of her naps in her crib and I can lay her down before she is fully asleep (this is a big accomplishment for us :) I love watching Gracelyn and Trent playing together. It seems like they are always laughing and doing something silly like exchanging the pacifier back and forth in their mouths or singing "Five Little Deer." And then there are those precious times when he slow dances and sings her to sleep or when she just really wants to be with him. I grow more and more in love with her everyday and I am so proud of the little person that she is becoming.

Now onto some pictures...

Kisses for daddy

I love her hand on his face!

I have a new affection for leg warmers and tights.

Playing in the sun

Bows and ponytails

Thanksgiving pics

She loves playing with Grammy

Somehow I missed getting Todd's face. Good friends over for Thanksgiving.

Julie and Darby

Kado sharing his cars with Gracelyn

Ready to eat Turkey!

Hope, Sarah, and Emma--my fun, sweet nieces

Steven. I love this picture of him!

Michael & Sarah playing Cranium in the basement. The girls found items in the closest and decorated the basement. It was very cozy!

Gracelyn's friend, Gentry. They are so intrigued with one another.

What a cutie!

Gentry is three months younger than Gracelyn and weighs a half pound more than her.

How do I get on the floor?

Cuddling with daddy after throwing up all day long :(

Six Months and Crawling...backwards!

2009-11-06T21:45:00.005-06:00

On October 29th, Gracelyn turned six months old. It's hard to believe that we are halfway to the one year mark. A little unnerving and yet it is such exciting times for our sweet girl. She is learning something new literally everyday. A couple weeks ago she started sitting up independently from lying on her belly. She just tucks her little feet up under her and scoots her tushy back. Trent and I both got to witness this grand accomplishment the first time. Every time we applaud Gracelyn she beams with pride and shows the best smile. Lately, she has begun to lengthen her trip to her bum by crawling backwards for several strides before finally making it on her bottom. This means the girl is making it to every corner of the room now. She is on the brink of crawling forward but for now she reaches as far as she can and ends up on her belly. She enjoys pulling up on her crib and while holding onto our hands. I love how she throws her hands in the air when she playing and reaches out with her palm up like she is trying to wave. My favorite new thing is the most delightful squeal that she makes. She's just plain happy and it shows with every high-pitched squeal. I am anxious to see her stats when we go back for WBC in a couple weeks. It's been almost three months since we've had her weighed and measured. My arms can attest that she is growing but mostly in length and not so much in chub. I think she might be tall like her Daddy and Aunt Joni.

Sleeping arrangements have continued to be an issue, although for now, we have an arrangement that seems to be working well for all of us. After several nights of attempting to keep Gracelyn in her crib and surviving the torture of hours of crying (one night of two 1/2 hours of it), we stumbled upon a new approach. One night about three weeks ago she finally fell asleep on a sleeping bag on the floor in our living room. It was such a relief to see her sleeping somewhere other than our arms that we almost left her there for the night. Instead, we decided to transfer her on the sleeping bag onto the floor in our bedroom. Unexpectedly, the girl slept all night! And each night since she has done very well. We can lay next to her for just a couple minutes on the floor if she wakes up when she put her down and this immediately settles her. When she wakes to eat, which is now back to once (most nights), I can lay next to her and catch some rest and then return to our bed once she is settled again. It's so much better than struggling to find comfort while upright in her room. I don't know if she likes to hear us breathing or finds comfort in our smell but I am so thankful that she have found relief at night...for now.

Over the past few weeks, she has been going through a major mama stage where she would whine or cry when I left her sight even for a moment and wanted to be held often. It is difficult for many reasons...sometimes it is just plain tiring, it's hard to get things done around the house when she isn't content with anything but being in my arms and yet at the same time it's hard not to hold her all day and just sit on the couch watching TV. However, in the past week, she seems to have had a shift in this and is much more content. I wonder if she started having a little more anxiety with her new mobility and just needed a little more reassurance that mommy would still be around even if she started exploring more. I am still learning her and need some much Godly wisdom in knowing how to best respond and train her. What a big task!

Here's her six month shot...notice the paper has to be out of her sight, otherwise, it is in her mouth.

Trying to enjoy the outdoors even when it's chilly.

Pulling up

Pumpkin Patch in Liberty

Exploring with her new friend, Joel McCall, who is getting ready to have a new baby sister.

Her best friend, Charleigh Ford. They still are a little oblivious to each other but will be playing together before we know it.

We traveled to Salisbury on Halloween weekend. Here's Sarah as a candy corn getting ready to play in the marching band...what!! She's growing way too fast.

This is just odd but funny!

Steven in the tree...love this picture.

Five Months & Moving

2009-10-12T14:53:00.003-05:00

Random Pictures in no particular order

2009-10-12T11:21:00.012-05:00

Friends and Babies (Gwynne & Gentry, Sarah & Charleigh, Me & Gracelyn)

Daddies and Babies (Trent & Gracelyn, Jared & Charleigh, Brad & Gentry)

Eating homemade rice cereal and loving it!

Meeting Papa for the first time!

Four Generations

Gracelyn and Piggy--we love it when she comes to visit!

Sitting up like such a big girl.

Playing on the floor

I love when Grammy comes to visit too!

Our first family vacation--Lawrence, Kansas to see Andrew Peterson in concert

Visiting Piggy and Pops in Abilene while attending Lectureship

Pigtails!

Crazy morning hair

Ok, so I never got around to posting her four month picture. Better late than never.

Stormy Nights

2009-10-01T22:13:00.002-05:00

I learned something today...Gracelyn is old enough to learn from discipline and the time has come to use it.

Situation #1
The little cutie bites! She has bitten me before while nursing her and I've flicked her on the cheek and told her no without much reaction from her. Well, today she bit again and it was the hardest yet. Calmly (ha! as calm as one can be after having my ninny clenched between her toothless jaws and her fist full of my flesh squeezing and yanking my ninny from between the death grip---sorry if this is too graphic for some readers!) but firmly, I looked her in the eye with my pointer finger in her face, said "No!" and proceeded to flick her on the cheek...harder than before. Some of you might be thinking this is horrible parenting and others may be wondering why did I wait so long! Well, she got the point and the little baby melted. She cried the saddest cry I've heard yet and I don't think it was because her cheek hurt. Unfortunately, within a couple minutes, the little peanut did it again and she got the same response from me. Again, very sad cry. It took everything I had not too cuddle her close and tell her how sorry I was to discipline her and tell her I would never do it again. But then, love for her caught the best of me. I told her I wasn't mad but that she couldn't treat me this way. She actually attempted to chomp down once more and this time all it took was a firm NO and the tears flowed. She made the connection and for the rest of the time that she ate, she was aware of her little jaws. And instead of pinching, she rested her hand on my flesh. First battle over, at least for now :)

Situation #2
Our vacation ruined the poor baby's sleeping pattern. Before we left for Texas, she went to sleep around 8:30, slept in her crib all night and usually woke up once in the middle of the night to eat, only to go right back to sleep. During our vacation, she slept in the same room with Trent and I, both in the hotel and at our friend's home. I was intent on catching her before she started to cry to keep her from waking up the sleeping heads surrounding our room. To add to it, I nursed her in bed, fell asleep a couple times and eventually put her back in her portable bed. Evidently, she loved being close to me and loved having the milk buffet open at all hours of the night. We returned home and of course, she expected the same treatment! It took me a couple nights before I realized that bringing her to bed after she woke up when I put her down was not the best idea. Last night in particular, she woke up four or five times, several minutes after I laid her down. By 4am, I closed the door to her room and got serious about getting her to sleep. She of course wanted to nurse even though it had only been an hour since the last session. After a very long, frustrating hour, we was asleep in her bed. Throughout that hour though, there was a thunderstorm outside. I really feel like it was a gift from the Lord. I felt like He was reminding me that I wasn't alone in that room with her and to remain patient, steadfast and gentle. Gracelyn slept until 7:30 so it was an improvement. But it could be another long night. Trent and I are ready for tonight...as sleepless as it may be, we are ready to get her back on track. Our strategy....lots of prayer...and...well, we've thrown out a few ideas and we'll see what works best. Just hoping now that it doesn't take too many nights to get her back into the swing of things!

Words Now, Pictures Soon

2009-09-06T16:32:00.002-05:00

So much to say...I have gone over this post in my head multiple times but the trick will be to remember all that I wanted to document now that I have a chance to sit down and write it.

Gracelyn's stats at her last appointment on August 12th (almost a whole month ago!)
Weight: 12 lbs 15 oz 50%
Height: 24 inches (that's two feet long people!) 85%

Biggest accomplishment since my last post: Rolling over! On August 17th, we witnessed her first time rolling from her belly to her back. She was so controlled and smooth that I almost didn't realize what happened. To this date, she hasn't completely rolled onto her tummy but she is close and it's fun to watch her waller (is that really a word?) around. And one of the benefits to her rolling from side to side is that I have discovered the total cuteness of her tush! When I'm changing her diaper on the changing table, she almost always rolls away from me to play with the back panel, giving me the full moon look. She is such a doll from her top side to her bottom side!

Finding her voice: Her sounds have become more varied in the past few weeks. Lots of "ahh-ahh-ahh" and every now and then a "ma-ah" which is fun to think she is calling for me. One of my absolute favorite sounds to hear is her laughter! She has developed tickle spots on her ribs and under her chin. Although I love to make her laugh, it is priceless to sit back and watch her and her daddy bust out in giggles. One of my least favorite noises is the classic whine that she has grown fond of. It's a lovely close-mouthed hum that she sings on the same pitch. It can make Trent and I just a bit crazy sometimes. But I'm grateful to hear the sounds of a baby in our home. What a gift!

Hands on: I am amazed at how Gracelyn is becoming more proficient with the use of her hands each day. She holds her pacifier with her thumb and fingers, trades it back and forth between hands and tries to put it in her mouth, sometimes successfully. She loves her orange monkey teether, chewing on its every piece. I am a bit surprised that she hasn't discovered her feet yet. Every now and then she will notice her socks but she doesn't realize her feet are connected and always ready to play.

Eating time: So I believe that breastfeeding is one of the most amazing inventions of God. I love the convenience and bonding time with baby Gracelyn. She rarely goes more than two hours without eating during the day and usually wakes once in the night. It won't be long before she will get to eat from a spoon instead of the woobie only. I hope to make rice cereal for her as it would be much cheaper and supposedly more nutritious...we'll see how it goes. I have given her the tiniest pieces of banana to try and I may or may not have seen her Piggy slide in a taste of ice cream last week. Her faces have already been quite entertaining with the new flavors.

Bathing: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday are bath days and we both look forward to it. While giving her a bath the other day, I started telling her about Jesus washing her cleaner than the soap and water. I decided that at every bath time I would share the gospel story with her. What a perfect time to talk about the filth of our sin being cleansed by the blood of Jesus. I have done it several times now and I realize I need plenty of practice before she really begins to understand my words. How many times have I verbally shared the Good News of Jesus in just a few sentences? Unfortunately, not enough because I have found it more difficult than I want to admit. So I am praying for the grace and wisdom I need to teach my daughter about the precious gift of salvation. What a privilege!

Singing songs: My mom came to visit last weekend and I was reminded why I sing to Gracelyn so often. My mama sang to me! And it's great to hear her sweet voice sing to my baby. "Cy and I", "Five Little Ducks", "Gobble, Gobble song" and "Climb Up the Mountain" are some of the new favorites. I also love to hear Trent make up songs for her. My favorite...You're my baby Grace, with a lovely face, I love your crazy hair, when it goes everywhere.

Kisses: We ask for kisses from her all the time and she is catching on quickly. Most of the time, she lunges with mouth wide open for a wet one. But every now and then, when she gets an onry bone, she will turn her little face away and pretend to be interested elsewhere. She seriously appears to know that it makes us crazy, especially her Daddy, who will keep asking for a kiss until she finally gives in ;)

That's all I can remember for now and the bed is calling my name. I promise to post pictures soon!

Let's just admit it...I'm a baby wearer

2009-08-10T14:10:00.002-05:00

Since the beginning of our relationship Trent and I have discussed the kind of parents that we want to be. Before we were parents, we would often discuss the parenting styles of our family and friends and compared notes on what we thought would fit us best. Now that Gracelyn is on the scene, I realize that so much depends on our baby.

I used to hold some things in my mind as ideal...baby and I will hold a pretty firm schedule, we will go out often on grand adventures, baby will feel good about sleeping in her crib during nap and at night, baby will breastfeed at least through the first nine months, baby will only cry when she is hungry or sleepy and I will meet all her needs so quickly that I will, in fact, be able to anticipate her need before she even begins to cry!

Ha, Welcome to reality, Mindy!

Trent and I have been wrestling with some of these things, especially recently. Not wrestling each other, but just trying to decide what is best for Gracelyn and our family. Late last week, I decided that it would be best for Gracelyn to start going to sleep on her own. I think I read it in a book somewhere. Gracelyn was not a fan. From the beginning she has either fallen asleep easily in the arms of her mommy, daddy or grandparent or while nursing. Now here I was, patting her belly, saying "time to go to sleep darling" and leaving her alone. Within minutes she was crying, was too worked up to find the slumber zone and I was stressed. And then started wondering...why am I pushing my three month old to fall asleep on her own when all of us love the way we were before? So I turned to Dr. Sears website. I read some of his material when Gracelyn was little and I was concerned about her waking up so often in the middle of the night. He provided some awesome information about REM sleep and that babies are designed to enter light periods of sleep often as a survival tool so they can tell mommy and daddy when they are hungry or cold, etc. It was just what I needed at the time to give me reassurance. Overall, he preaches that babies are designed to communicate their needs and as Gracelyn's mommy, I get to learn to listen and stay in tune with her which I have learned is a full time job! He also says that if you resent it, change it...otherwise, if everyone is satisfied with a particular method, stick with it.

After more discussion and prayer, Trent and I decided "why rush it?" Gracelyn will only be a baby once and I don't anticipate that I will ever look back on these days and wish I had held her less!

So I declare that for today...

I'm a stay at home mommy with a flexible schedule (although I do try to get a shower by noon)

who loves holding her sleeping baby (even while eating lunch, doing the dishes & blogging)

who nurses when Gracelyn wants (I am terrible about pumping so the woobie is all she's got)

who doesn't know what the heck Gracelyn wants sometimes

who needs a break now and then (Thank Jesus for Trent!)

who has a hard time telling people no when they ask to hold her although I secretly want her close

who feels like my most regular communication with the outside world is through facebook (although I really enjoy the live version of people)

who hopes to breastfeed until Gracie is at least a year old

who really enjoys spending time at home in this peaceful, beautiful house

who loves Jesus and really wants to be better at spending time with Him

who loves my husband for being the man and father of my dreams

and who has alot to learn!

One thing that Trent and I have decided to hold firm on is that our bed is his and mine, not a family bed. A couple weeks ago we had a situation that led us to both feel more comfortable with Gracelyn near us at night. Since then I have gotten lazy and enjoyed having the opportunity to sleep next to her and feed her without the trouble of getting out of bed. For us though, we realize that long term, it's not good for our relationship. Having babies in bed makes it hard to make more babies ;) So we are onto the commitment of me getting up to feed her in the nursery (which is just once a night these days) and Trent helping to get her back to sleep when she fidgets herself awake. It's a good system for us and I think it will pay off for our relationship in huge ways now and later.

Well, that's enough about parenting, here's a little update on Gracelyn's habits as a three month old.

Her new favorite toy is her hands. She has so much more control of her movement and is actually holding toys and reaching out to touch her books.

She actually laughed at me on Saturday. We were playing on her changing table while I was getting her dressed and I was pretending to wrestle a toy out of her hand while tickling her belly. She just laughed and giggled like crazy. It was one of my favorite moments yet.

She stayed in the nursery at church for the first time this past Sunday. She spent half the time in class, fell asleep in the arms of a worker (Linda H.) as church was starting, woke up happy mid-service and enjoyed dancing and singing with another worker (Ryan VP). Although I hadn't really planned to have her in the nursery this soon, I was grateful that she did so well and enjoyed being able to listen and participate in worship without interruption. I don't know that we will do it every week but it is nice to know she is comfortable with other people for a short while.

She is losing her beautiful hair in patches. She loves to sleep on her side most of the time so the sides of her head have little bald spots. Her hair on top is long enough to cover some of it.The crazy part is that her hair is very long in the back and she doesn't seem to be losing any of it there. So she could end up with a serious mullet or something worse that only babies can pull off and still look precious. It will be interesting to see what color her hair will be as it grows back in. Will she stay black?

Her eye color is starting to change a little. Found a few brown specks among the grey blue color that is dominant now.

She goes for her shots and well baby check on Wednesday. I am going to take a guess at her measurements...13 lbs 3 oz and 24 1/2 inches long. I'll let you know the real results.

All Things Fotos

2009-08-08T14:48:00.009-05:00

"You want some of me?"

"Put your dukes up!"

"Ha! Just kidding man"

Our new friend, Gentry Axel Dean Allen

The family of three -- Brad, Gwynne and Gentry

2009-07-21T22:00:00.002-05:00

It's been an eventful couple of weeks. With VBS one week and a trip to Beaumont the next, I haven't had much time to blog. But I did take alot of pictures. And I did register many memories that unless I write down, they will be out of my mind before I know it.

First, I want to remind myself of how precious it was to watch Trent and Gracelyn reunite after almost six days and five nights apart. Once we got home and settled in, Trent walked around with Gracelyn in his arms with her face up against his chest. She usually settles in that place when she is going to sleep. But this time she was wide awake and stayed there without moving for at least half an hour. I could tell that Trent loved every minute of it as well. Trent also told me that every morning at 5am he would wake up, expecting to hear her cry (that's his usual shift to change her diaper and bring her to mama in bed). Every night while we were away he slept with the computer playing KLOVE on the internet radio. It was just too quiet and lonely without us home to sleep. We were missing him just as much.

Secondly, I want to recall all the precious memories made with my family while in Beaumont. I was so excited for the Goebel family to meet Gracelyn for the first time. Mom and Jamie picked us up from the airport. Seeing Jamie with Gracelyn reminded me of watching her with her own children when they were babies. She is such a tender woman of God. Just a few hours later, Ashton and Emma walked into the door of mom and dad's house to meet her. We were all anticipating the moment and it just so happened that they came in while I was feeding Gracelyn. I think they got a little more than they were expecting :) but before long they were all bonding and holding her. Gracelyn loved to watch them and she studied them more than I have seen her with anyone else. On Sunday afternoon while the guys slept, all the girls were in our room dressing Gracelyn and reading books and making precious memories. Ashton and Emma just kept saying "Gracie is just so cute!" and I think Gracelyn was thinking "My cousins are just so cool!" I can't wait until they get to spend more time together.
I also enjoyed the morning times with mom. Mornings are Gracelyn's best times and mom got to witness all her morning time coos and smiles and giggles. They spent lots of time just chatting with one another, singing songs and learning how to whisper (a valuable lesson that will benefit church hour).
I loved spending time at the Goebels on Tuesday afternoon. We got to go swimming! I haven't been in the water all summer and it's something that I have been craving. Gracelyn even took a dip for a while and seemed to really like it. I was so proud of my waterbaby. Paul and Daddy worked hard on dinner--hamburgers and onion rings and awesome blueberry cobbler. And then we had a blast playing games.
I got to spend some time with friends on Monday. I hadn't seen many of them for a long time and it was much overdue. It was great to catch up and enjoy their company. I always laugh alot when I am with them. One of my favorite memories was when Brooklyn (Lindsey's precious daughter) was so intrigued by breastfeeding that she asked at least two dozen questions that all included the word "chee-chees." It was very entertaining for us and informative for her.
The flights to and fro went very smoothly overall. Gracelyn decided to poop both ways on the long flight and once it ended up all up her back (exactly what I was hoping would NOT happen.) But the nice man next to me informed me that there was a pull down changing tray in the airplane bathroom. I think everyone around me was just as relieved to know this as I was. Gracelyn didn't seem to have any trouble with her ears and slept most of the way.
Overall, it was an awesome trip and I look forward to doing it again with Trent around Christmas!

Now just a few changes that I have seen in Gracelyn over the past couple weeks. She is starting to reach for things. We have started reading many books with touch elements and she has since been very eager to touch things around her. Today she sat in her rocker while I took a shower and when I was done I noticed that she was playing with the bird at her side. She was touching it intentionally for several minutes. When she is awake she is very bright eyed and ready to soak in the world around her. She has even started watching Baby Einstein videos and makes all kinds of joyful noises in the process. Last night, Gracelyn slept her longest stretch yet-- seven hours! I woke up at 2:45 in a bit of a panic (like many parents have told me about) realizing that she hadn't woken up yet. Most nights she is ready to eat after 3-4 hours. I looked at the video monitor and she was gone! I glanced over at Trent to make sure he was next to me and he didn't have her. I looked again and saw a little finger fly across the corner of the screen. So my next thought was that she had accidentally knocked the camera to face a different angle. Sure enough, the little squirt had wiggled her way down the crib out of view and had her little legs through the slats of the crib. I gently untangled her and she slept for another hour. I, of course, didn't sleep a bit in that hour. I tried so hard but found myself just watching her sleep in the monitor. In the past I have heard nursing moms say that they kind of miss those middle of the night feedings and I thought they were crazy. But now, I have a little glimpse of what they are talking about. I was just a little sad that she could go so long without needing me :)

Thank you God for my family!!

Catching Up

2009-07-07T20:11:00.010-05:00

When I started blogging, I had hoped to post at least once a week. I have such a poor memory and I didn’t want to get too far behind. So, now I will try to catch up about some of the highlights of the past two and half weeks without making it too long. I'll just post a bunch of pictures and explain as I go.

Trent was fortunate enough to travel to the Boston area for a friend's funeral. He was gone for a little over 24 hours and it meant spending our first night apart since Gracelyn was born. Instead of staying home alone, I ended up spending the night at Brad and Monica's house. It was a much better way to spend my time away from Trent. It's always a blast to chill with the Gautney gang.

The Hopester

Emma-roo

Auntie "Mo"

Kado at the pool

Gracie's first visit to the pool, spent hanging in the shade with her mama

Sweet Kado enjoying the camera so much that he jumps in front of it with each of Monica's attempts to get a pic of Gracelyn and me

Almost every time that Gracelyn goes to sleep with her daddy, she nestles her face in his armpit. We have to check her breathing hole every time.

Friends at the hospital -- Shelli and Elaine (who took my position as social worker)

Hospital baby shower cake

Getting ready for the shower. Before the end of the shower, Gracelyn exploded in her pants so much that poop ended up between her shoulder blades. I attempted to wash this polka dot onesie that I love, but it ended up in the trash when it came out of the dryer with massive yellow stains.

I love how her paci is crooked

Daddy reading his new book with Gracelyn. It's called The Daddy Mountain and a little red headed girl takes on the adventure of climbing all the way up to her daddy's head. Unless Gracelyn ends up with my fear of heights, I think she will love to climb up her daddy.

Gracelyn's first immunizations at her two month check up. I think Trent had a harder time than the baby. He was seriously filling up with tears when she got her shots. He's such a sweetie.

Then I had my 28th birthday and got a new camera. I absolutely love it and hope you can see the difference in the rest of the pictures.

I love that her belly button is showing.

Reading the paper with daddy

Gracelyn somehow flipped her paci while sleeping in her crib and was sucking on the opposite end.

Birthday dinner at Papa's....

with our best friends, Jared and Sarah, who are expecting their baby in just about 9 weeks!

Enjoying her tongue while lying in her crib

She is in love with her crib mobile. She smiles and coos when it starts to sing and when her butterflies fly in a circle. The other morning she literally started yelling at the butterflies when they stopped. We wound the mobile again and instantly she started smiling again.

Just enjoying our new camera

Gracelyn has started blowing bubbles.

Her crazy hair after waking up from a nap.

This week Gracelyn has moved into 3-6 month PJ's because of the need for more length. It seems like she is stretching out longer each hour! At her two month appointment, she weighed 10 lbs 13 oz and was 22 3/4 inches.

On the 4th of July, we spent time with friends and then were able to see the Willhites. Here are the Willhite kids loving on our girl.

We spent the day at Brad and Gwynne's house where we ate tons of good food. They are more good friends and are expecting a baby in 4 weeks!

Just a funny picture of Gracelyn crying when waking up.

She just looks so long to me. And so stinkin cute!

I love our baby girl!

Happy Father's Day (A Little Late)

2009-06-23T12:12:00.003-05:00

Where Is My Daddy?

A Poem from your baby girl, Gracelyn Mae

Where is my daddy?
Here comes the morning sun
I cry out
He runs my way
Seeing him is fun

Where is my daddy?
He’s off to work till three
But when he returns
I’ll soon learn
There’s no where else he’d rather be

Where is my daddy?
Now it’s time to play
He sings me silly songs
Showers me with kisses
“You’re the best,” he’ll say

Where is my daddy?
He’s at my mommy’s side
Holding her closely
Speaking words so sweetly
His love, it will abide

Where is my daddy?
He’s praying to his Savior
Lifting up his family
Each one of us by name
Seeking God’s good favor

Where is my daddy?
He will never, never leave me
Of this I am so sure
Until God calls him home
Safely in his arms I’ll be

Trent:
I love you and think you are the best husband and father in the world. Thank you for loving us so deeply and leading our family in faith. You make us laugh all the time and I am so grateful for you!

To my daddy:

Thank you for being a Godly example throughout my life. You have left a legacy of faith that we pray will continue for many generations. I have never doubted your love for me and for mom which brought me much security. I hope you know how much I love you. I look forward to seeing you again soon and cherishing all of our time together. I am so thankful for you! I love you, daddy.

To another very influential father:

I can't acknowledge Father's day without mentioning my deep gratitude for Tim Willhite, my husband's deceased father. Although I don't know him personally, his legacy of integrity and conviction for the Father has endured. Trent has followed in his footsteps by becoming a man that resembles his father's heart. Living a good life is never done in vain and Tim, your Godly testimony has survived. Thank you God for my father-in-law.

A Little Too Much Irritability, Not Enough Flexibility and Now a Huge Load of Gratitude

2009-06-19T22:20:00.011-05:00

I'll briefly explain the title of my post. Week seven of Gracie's life has been a little bit of a rollercoaster for me. I'll start with the best parts. Trent and I went on date night with Beau & Joni, Chris & Tammy (friends of theirs), and Monica and Gracelyn. We had an awesome time pigging out at Buca Di Beppo and Cheesecake Factory and enjoying a ton of laughs. Then our family of three spent a night in a hotel on the Plaza celebrating Gracie's six week birthday...if you know what I mean. She had an awesome night of sleep and fortunately I was able to catch her waking up before she started her cry for food and hopefully we saved the rest of the hotel guests from waking up too!

The rest of the week was good but I feel like I am still adjusting to this new lifestyle in alot of ways. Some days Grace sleeps all morning long, other days she sleeps away the afternoon. And then we have days like Wednesday when she slept only in my arms for 30 mintues at a time and wasn't content to be anywhere besides my lap. By the time Trent returned home from work, I was quite ready for a break and ready to get off my seat and move. As I lamented about how I didn't get "anything done today," he kindly reminded me that caring for Gracelyn was quite a huge accomplishment. I wasn't a very gracious receiver of this very sweet encouragement in the moment and instead I was feeling down right pitiful for myself that I hadn't spent more time in the world of "productivity." So, my prayers are for patience and a growing flexibility because days spent in Mommyhood are unpredictable at best.

Then yesterday, while I was at the beauty shop getting a perm (yes, I got a perm), I heard about a local family whose two month old baby girl died of SIDS while taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Gut-wrenching. So with a new perspective, I am reminded of the gift that life is everyday and am so grateful for each moment that I have with my family. Please keep this family in your prayers as they grieve. I won't even pretend to understand what they must be going through.

On a brighter note, here are some pictures and video clips.

Curly when wet

I think she has started looking more like her daddy this week.

Ok, this is funny. My sweet college friend, Alisa, sent Gracelyn the coolest gift. It's a lamb that has a warm belly (after heating up the pack inside) and he grants the best warm hugs to all who want one. Alisa suspected that Gracelyn might appreciate this more as she gets older. I think she might be right. Here is Lamby attempting to give her a hug.

Here is Gracelyn punching him in the chin.

Here is poor Lamby begging me for help. And Gracelyn is actually calm. Perhaps we are turning a corner. I will gladly give Lamby all the cuddles he needs until Gracelyn is up for it. Thanks Alisa!

Here's a selection of pictures of me and Gracie. Quick note: I noticed that there were a ton of pictures of Gracelyn and Trent since I am usually the one behind the camera. So, I asked Trent if he would start taking more of us. He responded as usual saying, "I never think to pick up the camera." So I said "Whenever you see something that you think is precious, have your next thought be...I should take a picture of this!" I think he thinks we look precious when we sleep. :)

aha...we are awake!

Mohawk!

Gracelyn is watching the birds outside.

Now, she is talking to her own bird.

Gracelyn was quite happy and I felt the need to try and capture it with my camera. Please excuse the "pillows" that are the size of her head.

She loves to kick her legs.

She loves to eat her arm.

She really loves her daddy.

And now she has found her toys. She is growing up so quickly!

Weeks 5-6: Getting the Hang of Things

2009-06-10T14:58:00.009-05:00

Gracelyn saw the doctor last week for her one month appointment. She weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches in length. It is so cool to see her growing before our eyes. Some mornings Trent and I wake up and with just a glance we can see changes in her from the night before. We are so thankful for her good health!

I feel like Gracelyn and I have made several significant strides this week. First, I am so thankful to the Lord that He has given us a rather routine night schedule. Most nights, Gracelyn is nursing around 10:30, up again around 2:00 and then usually joins us in bed for the last "night" feeding at 5:00. Knowing that she will sleep pretty well for a three hour stretch has given me much needed rest. We try to lounge in bed for as long as possible in the mornings, often not getting up until 9 or 10. Just when I was getting overwhelmed at being up so often and at her bedside every time I heard her move, I came across an article on askdrsears.com about infant sleep patterns and REM sleep. I was amazed at how God has designed babies' natural sleep habits for their survival. It confirmed in me that it was best not to turn to those gadgets that promote long periods of deep sleep for infants and that it is not a sign of bad parenting if my baby isn't sleeping through the night at one month old.

Motherhood has been quite fulfilling for me. It is truly a full time job figuring out little Gracie--being sensitive to her cries, anticipating her needs and simply enjoying her learning new things. This week though she threw us for a loop and challenged us with a new cry. Mostly, Grace has cried when she's gassy and needs a good burp and with much practice we have finally gotten more successful at finding just the spot to pat to bring her relief. But on Monday night, she cried like we hadn't heard before and she wouldn't be consoled for any significant period of time unless we were moving just a particular way while standing with her in our arms. Trent and I traded off for several hours and eventually daddy went to town to pick up some medicine. Fortunately by the time he returned, Gracelyn was asleep on her boppy on my lap with a mom who didn't want to breath, lest I wake her up. We still don't quite know why she couldn't settle down to rest but it gave me a little glimpse of what parents might experience with a colicky baby. I have a great new respect for those parents who have to endure the hours on end of inconsolable crying day after day. Gracelyn ended up having a fine night and in fact, the next day, she and I had one of our best days yet. She was happy and slept well while I carried her around the house in my sling doing housework. I was able to unload and load the dishwasher, fold laundry, write thank you cards, pick up around the house and vacuum with her snuggled up near my chest. It reminded me (and I suspect her as well) of the days when she was in the womb. By the way, I love my sling and would highly recommend it. It's a Baby K'Tan sling that I ordered from Target and I was able to do all that work without a sore back or neck. Her weight is supported on both shoulders and it wraps very tightly so I don't have to worry about her falling out.

Trent and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary on June 3rd. We had dinner out as a couple while Aunt Monica and Grammy watched Gracie. We had an awesome time remembering our favorite highlights of our first years of marriage and dreaming big for the many years to come. You are such a good man, T and I am so happy that you choose to spend your life with me!

We also spent our first night away from home. We slept in the Gautney's basement and had a rather good night's sleep. It was awesome as usual to be in their home hanging with them. Their house is full of peace even among the beautiful sound of children. And we got to hear something wonderful. Kado said Mom!

Today I heard Gracelyn laugh. She was sleeping in my arms and seriously, she started a giggle and then busted out a laugh. She did a shorter version for daddy tonight. I wish I could get into her little brain and see what makes her so happy.

Ok, so I realize that alot of the text above is just details about our week that most people probably wouldn't enjoy reading. But this has turned into a bit of diary for me and so I am documenting those memories that I don't want to forget. There will be many milestones along the way and it's hard to recall when and how they all came about. Here's one more brief memory for my own benefit. Mindy, don't forget the dream that made such an impression...the one with the crazy lady who was OCD and didn't want me to nurse Gracelyn while I had on eye makeup, Gracelyn was put in a mesh covered box on a boppy, her "new family" fed her mexican food at two months old, and Gracie looked at me for rescue and said as plain as day..."Mommy, Jesus is arriving soon, Mommy, Mommy." Dreams are so crazy!

Here are some pictures from the past two weeks. The part almost everyone enjoys!

We both love bath time! Her legs are so strong. She is standing in the sink.

One of her favorite places to be is in her daddy's arms.

I love her lips in this picture.

More Daddy time!

Aunt Joni bought her some super cute outfits. Love the poka dots!

Morning times are so special for us. Good thing Gracelyn looks better than her mama when she wakes up.

These are videos of morning time fun!

Ok, I am slow to learn that when I take video with my camera this direction, everyone has to turn their head to see it correctly. One day I will get it right. But I am so proud of baby Grace for showing off her strong neck.

This is Gracelyn waking up. It takes such effort!

Gracelyn is one month old!

2009-05-30T19:24:00.009-05:00

Our sweet Gracelyn Mae turned one month old yesterday. Trent and I can see drastic changes in her this week, especially in her size. It seems like she grew overnight and has now outgrown two newborn outfits, her newborn diapers and is starting to hold her head up more and more. Her growth was even more pronounced when we visited our friend, Callie, in the hospital who had just delivered Ambrey, her 6 lb 3 oz baby. Callie was in the room right next door to our room in the hospital so there was so many sweet memories as we set our eyes on it again.

Gracelyn also smiled at me this week. On Sunday, when she finished nursing, she was quite content and was intently looking at me while I talked to her about just how crazy I am about her and there it was...a sweet, momentary all-out smile. What a precious moment that I would guess every parent holds dear. I can tell she is on the brink of cooing, she often looks like she has so much to say but just can't seem to make her voice work.

On her one month birthday, we ate Chinese with Aunt Monica, Hope, Emma and Kado. We also got her a new toy. It's an infant to toddler rocker seat. I love it and she seemed very content in it today. I have been desperate to find a place where she can sleep well and be somewhat entertained at such a young age. But I am not very keen about the idea of buying items that she will only use for such a short time. She will be able to use this rocker for a couple years and right now the vibration provides the perfect soothing environment for a nap.

Just wanted to mention a couple more of my favorite things that she does these days for my sake. I am so quick to forget. Whenever Gracelyn gets hungry and is sitting upright against someone's chest, she will begin to peck with mouth open. We affectionately call her "woody woodpecker." And if she is in just the right position she will start to suck on the neck or arm of whoever is holding her, most often her daddy. Watch for hickies on Trent's neck! I love how she cuddles me each and every time I have the privilege to put her to sleep. I absolutely love her belly button...it smiles! I love how she looks in a little T-shirt. I am so excited to see how long her hair is in the back...I think we could try out piggy tails one day soon. And as her Aunt Monica pointed out the first time she met Gracelyn, our baby girl has beautiful eyebrows.

One last thing...I wanted to give a warm shout out to my awesome husband. One morning this week, I was a zombie in tears realizing that I was desperately in need of some unbroken sleep that would last more than an hour at a time. Trent was so quick to volunteer more of his help during the night so for the past couple nights, he has been up to change her every nightly diaper and bring her to me to nurse. He even tried to get her back to sleep in the crib which is a huge feat. And even though it will take a little more practice for him to master, I am so appreciative to have a husband who shares in the joys and responsibilities of caring for our little one. I love you, T. God has blessed me so richly!

Below are some pictures and video of the above mentioned things for your viewing pleasure!

Mommy's Report

2009-05-21T16:04:00.009-05:00

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!

Mommy's Girl

2009-05-14T10:06:00.005-05:00

I have never been very good at being able to see the resemblence of babies to their parents and until now I have had a hard time discerning who Gracelyn looks like. My mom sent a few pictures of me as a baby. What do you think? Can you see me in her? It's actually kind of crazy to me how much we look alike. How cool! It will be fun to see if she takes on more of her daddy as she grows up. I love my baby girl.

Highlights of the Good Life--Gracelyn's First Week of Life

2009-05-11T18:37:00.015-05:00

Here we are, the Willhite family of three. Although labor and delivery was by far the hardest thing I have ever accomplished, the rewards were beyond expectation. Having Gracelyn in my arms was the greatest joy. However, I got to witness the peace and mercy of God in new ways. He provided all that I needed to endure and having Trent at my side meant the world to me. His huge hand on my face and hair provided much needed security when I was overwhelmed and his words of encouragement helped me stay diligent when the pushing went long. He had so much faith in me. I was also fortunate enough to have Lavonne (Trent's mom), Monica and Joni (Trent's sisters) at my side during most of the laboring stages. They held my hand through contractions, gave me foot and back massages, kept my washcloth wet, pulled my hair up and prayed for me. In the end, we were blessed with a wonderful delivery doctor, Dr. Ohlhausen, and Trent and Joni were there to witness the moment of Gracelyn's birth.

Holding my baby for the first time was different than I expected. I loved her from the beginning but it was a strange love. I realized that I didn't know her and there was a lifetime ahead that we would spend getting to know this little human, this little soul. It still is somewhat surreal.

Gracelyn's first bath

The nurses at the hospital did such an amazing job taking care of Gracelyn. They dressed her in gowns that had long, floppy sleeves and fixed her hair with bows and spikes. I melted the first time I saw her with a hair bow.

Here is Trent after 40 exhausting hours without sleep and very little food. He is literally hanging off the "expandable" couch.

Gracelyn just got examined by the pediatrician. Dr. Lively was awesome. He finished off her exam with a kiss on her head.

We had many visitors in the hosptial. Here she is meeting her Piggy and Pops for the visit time.

Hanging out with Pops

Gracelyn got to meet almost all of her family. We can't wait to see you Aunt Jamie, Uncle Paul and cousins Ashton and Emma. Here are Aunt Joni and Uncle Beau and cousin Grant below.

Cousins Sarah, Steven and Michael with Aunt Julie

Uncle Todd

Auntie Monica

Great Aunt Betty

I love this picture!! Gracelyn loves hanging with her daddy. He is so precious with her. My love grows for him more and more each day as I watch them together.

Here we are getting ready to leave the hospital. Trent picked out this dress for her to wear on the day we welcomed her home.

You can catch a little glimspe of her dimple on her right cheek. It is becoming more defined every day and lately there has been a hint of a dimple of her left cheek too. Piggy, Papa and I all have dimples.

We made it home!

Gracelyn taking her first sunbath.

Her hair intrigues me everyday. Everyone asks "where did she get that jet black hair?"

Gracelyn loves to sleep with her hands over her face. I think she looks like a little pink sausage all swaddled up in her blanket.

We have a thumb-sucker in the making!

Five days old and going to church.

Dreaming and grinning with Mr. Bunny

Checking out mommy's new carrier

Celebrating being one week old!

We love you Gracelyn Mae!

2009-05-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

So I have entered into the world of blogging and according to some of my friends, I am now inducted into the twenty-first century. Before now, I was never much inspired to write about my life. My days consisted of working at the hospital, growing more in love with Trent, managing the joys and sorrows of being a minister's wife and coping with life in the rural Midwest. No doubt the Lord has been at work in our lives and it's been a crazy ride at times. But, I have started on a grand adventure that deserves to be chronicled.

I am a mother to a beautiful daughter!

Just even saying this makes me shiver with fear and great joy. So I will attempt to share a little of our lives with you--the mysteries of watching a little girl grow, the many ways that the good Lord is teaching me to love and the quirks of living next to cows.

From a Pea to a Basketball

Can you imagine that this is really a baby inside?!?!?

See her in the next post!