Happy 1 Month Birthday:o)
(belated again, of course!!!)

Gracie is 1 month old as of Monday!!

Sorry there has not been an update for the past 2 weeks. I have realized 2 things.

1) Grace is little enough that not very much actually occurs in a one week time span

2) If I want to accomplish anything else, I can't stop and record every little bitty cute thing that Gracie does- as much as I want to. Also, I needed to reduce the amount of pictures I was taking, because I would want to just sit and stare and shoot (the camera, that is), and, well, lets just face it...its just NOT practical!!

SOOO... I decided that from this point on, I am just going to write a monthly update (unless something warrants an additional post;oP)

So some highlights over the past 2 weeks:

- Nana came to visit for a week. She and Grace are very sweet on each other:o) I really enjoyed my time with my mom- we had many great conversations, I got to learn more about her and experience fellowship with her:o) We've enjoyed some walks and shopping (Grace has even more clothes now!! and her first fat, pink, piggy bank!!).

-Grace had really bad diaper rash for about 2 weeks. Well, it was bad for about 3 days (which provided for some rough nights:o(), but persisted for another 2. What cleared up the rash? GDiapers (reusable all in one diapers)/ Huggies Pure and Natural diapers, homemade wipes (thanks Lisa and Sandi!), and Arbonne's diaper rash cream.

- We are beginning to settle into a routine. Awake at 7, usually asleep between 7 and 8. Late night feeding at 10. Most nights, Gracie will wake up around 2, although the past 2 nights, she has woken up at 1 and 3:30 to eat. We are wondering if she is having a growth spurt?? Speaking of eating, Grace has been doing something very cute. When she is hungry, she smacks her lips together. LOL. I haven't been able to capture it in a picture, and I feel bad taking time video tape it when she is actually hungry.

- Grace likes kisses!! She smiles after we give her one (and/or a bunny kiss!!). I will be attaching some pics of this lovely little phenomenon. They will show daddy giving her a kiss, and couple of the subsequent looks. She also smiles when we beep her nose.

- Not only does Grace still have the darling little mullet, she is now sporting an Alfalfa sprout. As in the Little Rascals...?? Yup. I won't cut it all- though I want to:o)

- Swaddling....Grace loves it, however, she also thinks it is fun to play Houdini. She will be tightly wrapped one minute (which also causes her to smile- its almost as though she is laughing at us and thinking "Yea right people, like this is going to hold me!" I am also attaching pics of this funny phenomenon. Oh! And she cracks us up because when she gets mad while she is swaddled, she thumps her feet up and down together.

- We decided to wait a few more weeks to try the bottle again, and Sunday was the (2nd) big day. She did great again with it, but also nursed well later. Yay!

Well, that's about all I have time for!!

Enjoy the pics:o)

P.S. The bees are still around. I was stung twice as I was getting ready to nurse Grace, and we called Erlich again. They came and re-dusted, and while we have gone from finding 4 dead bees per day, to 1 every other day- we are still finding them. Brian thinks we just need to stop living in fear of them. I think we should move;oP Hopefully they will start to die off soon!!
Broke loose from the swaddle...ok at first, but after about 10 minutes of wiggling around...life became wretched for poor Gracie!!

and yet...by morning, this is often what we will find, after hour 4-6 hours of peaceful sleeping:o)


The Valentines: Before and After.... At first, Aaron protested..Mommy was holding the wrong baby!!!

X




Gracie likes to grab the liner ties of her changing tables (particularly when she is mad- although she is calm in this picture!!) She doesn't have the control of her hands though to let go, so she is stuck until I realize and loosen her grip:o)

Kisses from daddy....and proof that she smiles spontaneously....I only took one of him kissing her, but the rest (and many more) are of her reaction afterwards. Gas would not have the same consistent results!!!

This last one is of my cousin, Amy's, kids. There is actually a good one of them holding her, but this one made me smile, because as we were getting ready to take the pic, Grace started crying (it was bedtime), and the look of concern on all their faces was so sweet!!





One last picture! This is actually from this week (Today, as a matter of fact)....but just one more example of the swaddling woes we have...although I have to admit, she is very content, and I even checked to make sure it wasn't strangling her, and while she squirmed, she did not wake up- I guess this is comfy for her!!! LOL. On a more sobering note though, I am planning to stop swaddling her starting next week, because we want to start putting her in her crib in her room, and I am concerned she might manage to suffocate or strangle herself. Sigh. Wish me luck...she really likes to be swaddled (although the picture evidence would argue that!!)


p.s. she also scooted herself down somehow!!!

2 Weeks old and lots of changes already!

Well, Grace is 2 weeks old and this has been an adventurous week!!

Saturday- Uncle Steve and Aunt Laura came to visit with Eve. Laura and I laughed so much!! I think between having a 1 week old and a 3 1/2 month old, I think we were both overtired!! It was wonderful seeing my best friend...I can't believe we both have newborns!!
We also had to call Erlich to come out because we found a couple of yellow jackets in the living room. Turns out we had a nest in the corner outisde of where the living room is, AND a black wasp nest at the other end of the house, outside. Fortunately, they were only up in the attic.

Sunday- We went to church for the first time...Gracie looked so cute in her dress that Miss Tracie bought her and the hat that matched so well that Mrs Mioni made. She was quite darling:o) Our adventure started once we got home and found a total of 6 (I think- lost count) yellow jackets in our living room within 20 minutes. While I was nursing, I might add. We ended up crashing the Harvey's house...they graciously let us stay overnight, since Erlich couldn't come back out until Monday. Thank you Will, Rebecca, and Noah:o)

Monday- Relatively quiet. Some good stretches of sleep overnight. More alert times.

Tuesday- Gracie slept for 5 hours, woke for 1 1/2 hours and went back to sleep for another 5 hours!! Woah! I actually had about 45 minutes to myself while daddy and baby slept the next morning.

Wednesday- Had a great photo shoot with Mrs. Bonnie Kundrat. I will post the link to her website once she is done. She is a very talented woman who is venturing into photography, particularly with babies, and as a ministry to the families in church (and as a way to build up her portfolio), she takes pictures of newborns. When I saw the little preview, I coudln't help but cry at how sweet my little girl looked...and how she was able to capture it so beautifully!!!

Thursday- We visited Daddy's work, where everyone thought Gracie was so sweet. Then, we ate lunch at Seasons 52, which was fresh and yummy!! Then, we got free dessert, because the manager just had a baby too, and thought Gracie was so cute:o) A bit of a rough night, sleep wise. We listened to some messages on parenting a newborn as we were driving. VERY helpful! Thanks Marty M.:O)

Friday- 2 week well visit! Grace weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz., and is now 21 inches in length. Dr. Jeff said she looks great!! He said since she was growing and eating so well, and my milk has been coming in so well, that we could try a bottle. Brian got to feed her for the first time. They both did a great job!!!! Mommy was a little sad.

Overall, this has been a week of changes. Grace has been trying and holding her head up for longer and longer. She tries very hard, sometimes to roll onto her back when she is having tummy time, and she can roll to her side from her back. We are trying to get into a routine now...and trying to let her go to sleep on her own, even if it means she cries for a little while. Mostly I am ok with her tragic cries, but every now and then (particularly like RIGHT now, as I type and she tries to get to sleep), it makes my heart so sad. But she is tired, and it is not helpful for her for us to make her dependent on us to get to sleep. She always falls asleep within 10 minutes, which is great!! I had a moment tonight when I realized, my baby is only two weeks old, but already time is flying by so quickly!!

I feel like I have healed up...been walking faster and longer with Bri in the park, and being able to lift more and more. Hormones make me get emotional very quickly!!

Well, here are some more pics from the past week!
Enjoy!

Happy 1st Week Gracie!!!

Well, it has been one week since Gracie Elisabeth has entered our life and hearts:o) She has been such a delight! A rather easy baby...she is often content while awake and alert, sleeps very peacefully (except for one night when gas from mommy's spicy sausage dinner kept her awake!). She loves to cuddle with her mommy and daddy, stare contemplatively at the world around her, and poop. A lot. She poops very frequently!! LOL. The baby books say to expect her to poop a few times a day but possibly not for a day or two. Our champion goes 8-10 times per day! Yay!
Here is a quick summary of the past weeks events:
Monday, we went for a walk in the park. Grace slept the whole time, but mommy and daddy enjoyed it!!
Tuesday, we went on our first outing to the pediatrician, where Grace was announced in great health, having gained 7 ounces since her check-up at the hospital on Sunday.
Wednesday, Gracie smiled. Really!! She was in her little gymini thing gazing around, when her hand accidentally hit a dangling toy. Grace started, stared at the waving object intently, and accidentally hit the object again. I know she did not hit it intentionally, but after she did, and she saw that it was waving again, her eyes opened wide, her eyebrows went up, and a huge smile entered her face, where it stayed until she looked around and found the mirror that was hanging.
Thursday, Mommy was making a funny little noise and swooping her face close to Gracie, when Grace's eyebrows rose and she stuck her tongue out. It made me laugh so hard!! She did it over and over, whenever I made the noise:o)
Friday, ONE week birthday!! Had a cluster of feedings between 10 and 12:45 and then slept until 6:15 am!!! Mommy slept through the alarm to wake up at 4:15, and Gracie woke up on her own and hungry. Mommy felt so rested, and Grace did not seem any worse for wear waiting so long in between:o)

Finally, here are a few pics to share from the past week...I really enjoy photography and Grace has been an excellent subject:o)

She's Here!!!

Grace Elisabeth Smith

Born July 23, 2010
at 9:08 AM
Weighing in at 8 lbs 4 oz
19 inches long

:o)

Our sweet little girl is here!!
This post will just be about her actual birth, and at the end of her first week, I will write an update (and add tons of new pics, I am sure!!)

It all started Wed night. I had a couple of incidents where I thought that maybe I had either accidentally peed myself or that my amniotic fluid might be leaking. After two more incidents the next morning, I called my midwives and they had me come in to test the liquid.

Sure enough, my waters had ruptured, but since it had been over 12 hours at that point and labor had not started, I had to go pretty quickly to labor and delivery at the Reading Hospital. The urgency was because I was positive for Group Beta Strep, which is common and unharmful to pregnant women, but needs to be treated with antibiotics during labor to prevent baby from getting sick. Having ruptured membranes increases the chanc eof baby being infected (she is fine though!!)
We got there around 5 pm, and they started an IV and penicillin and gave me prostaglanden gel to see if things would progress on its own around 8 pm.. It did!! Around 1:50 am, I began having intense contractions, and from that point on, things were in full swing. I went into the hospital 2 cm dilated, 30 % effaced, and Gracie at -2 engaged. By 5:30 pm, my body was pretty ready, physically- I was dilated to 6 or 7 and fully effaced with good strong contractions, but Grace was till at -2.

It was around then that the midwife suggested that I start preparing for the possibility of a c-section, because although my contractions were great, they weren't pushing the baby down at all and she was beginning to get distressed, although nothing yet to be worried about. At 7:30, she suggested we try an epidural as a last ditch effort to move things along for a vaginal birth, and that way I would be prepped for a c-section if needed. She was not hopeful it would work though because it appeared that my bones were not working for the shape of Grace's head to come down, and while you cna relax muscles, you can't really change bones. Also, although she was still not in the danger zone, Grace was beginning to have swelling on her head due to pushing so hard. Little girl REALLY tried hard to come down!!

Getting an epidural was horrible...to those of you who strongly advocated it, I think you might all be crazy...but I think that part of it was that the way it made me feel is what I suspected, and I don't like not feeling in control of my body. Also, it was very difficult to receive a spinal shot while having a strong contraction and not move. This is the part I would like to forget soon:o)

Moving on...so Dr. Cammarano came in to check me around 8 or 8:30, and decided that I could try for a little while to labor or get the c-section now. I decided to have the c-section though, because of both his/ the midwife's concern over the baby's heart rate, and also realizing that while my dream was to have a natural birth, I couldn't do anything in my power to get Grace down in the right position. God was very kind to meet me there in the decision, because I knew that it would be best for Grace- she was already trying so hard and my body was doing what it was supposed to, but we weren't able to do it together, so I just wanted to get to meet her.

The c-section operation went very quickly..I was in at 8:55 am, and she came out crying at 9:08 am. Brian was able to cut her cord and hold her, while I was being stitched up, and my mom was there too. Within the hour the nurse brought Grace to me, and I was able to hold her and start nursing. ACTUALLY, GRACE started nursing...I was about to try some of the coaxing techniques as the nurse handed her to me, and she just leaned her head forward and found what she was looking for!! The nurse called her a little piranha, I think she just practiced sucking her thumb a lot in utero...she is quite the pro!!!

So now, we are all doing well, and home...Grace has been very impressive with her eating, sleeping and bowel movements. Also, while she has her occasional moments of a meltdown (usually once a day, somewhere between 2 am and 4 am), she is over all a very content and alert baby!! We are so blessed by her:o)

Finally, we wanted to share about why we chose Grace Elisabeth for her name. As soon as I saw the positive pregnancy test, I asked Brian if we could have Grace somewhere in her name, and he thought it was great and the first name he suggested when I asked what other name he liked was Elisabeth....So Grace Elisabeth because it reminds us of God's unmerited favor towards us at the cross. We deserve nothing and he gave us everything. We have seen additional blessing through Grace...who I did not think I could have...like John the Baptist's mother, Elizabeth, I was so surprised to find out I was pregnant due to some medical difficulties. But God allowed me to carry her to term and have a healthy little girl...We specifically chose the spelling of Elisabeth with an S because Elisabeth Elliot's name is spelled that way and we hope she will grow to be a Godly woman just like her.

Thank you to Dr. C and my midwives, Jennifer and Kate...you guys were awesome and made my baby's birth, which was NOT the way I planned, sweet better than I had hoped given the various circumstances that were arising!!

Can't wait for all of you to meet Gracie!!

Psalm 127:3A

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord." (NASB)

This is the verse that came to our mind as we pondered our impending parenthood, shortly after seeing the "Yes" on the pregnancy test stick. Both Brian and I desired children and had talked it over prior to our marriage, but we also thought we wanted to wait. Not long, mind you, but until the new year- for financial reasons, slightly, but more so we could have "our time." I personally did not want to subject Brian to the hormonal roller coaster that would be inevitable with pregnancy, at least not until he got to know the "real me," for a while.

So, it did come as a mild, sort-of, surprise for us when we had a positive pregnancy test after a mere 6 weeks of being married. That certainly was sooner than we had planned!! But the Lord determines our lot...and ultimately it is good and right. I was worried that Brian might feel anxious or angry at the timing, but he very quickly reminded me that God plans our days and that He desired for this time for us. What a blessing my husband is:o) And so, the previous 9 months happened...we weathered being pregnant while learning to live with and love each other...Brian ended up seeing the "real me" after all- my sinfulness, my fears, my joys, etc., even while under hormonal attack (and I learned who he really was...) and we grew together as a couple, constantly reminding each other that God was for us and stronger than the one against us, and that in July, we would be holding our sweet little daughter.

Now, it is July, and we are just praying and waiting. Counting down the days till our "gift" is here- Little Baby G, we can not wait to hold you, kiss you, teach you, love you, and to experience you. We can not wait to see the person God knitted you as in my womb!!!!

As an update for all you other Baby G waiters, we do have a maximum "end in site." If she does not come by God's will by August 1, we will be induced at 8 am on August 2. However, I have been experiencing some contractions and am hopeful that she will arrive prior!! We will keep you updated!!

Baby G's Room!!

We finally finished Baby G's room!! Here are some pictures to share with you. If you are wondering if we accidentally put a picture backwards on the wall, the answer is no:o) It has her name on it, so we had to hide it from you til her birth-day. We can't to meet our little peanut and for her to meet all of you. Thank you for all the blessings- both physically (in the gifts) and spiritually (via prayers and encouragement).