14 Weeks Old

Today Ms. Grace Lynn is 14 weeks old.

Friday she had her 3-month checkup and everything was great.  She is now 13lbs 8ozs, 24" long, with a head circumference of 39.5cm.  This numbers put her in 75th-90th percentile for weight, 75th percentile for length, and just under the 50th percentile for head size.  Doctor said she looks great and all in all is one healthy baby (well aside from this cold that she can't seem to get rid of).

She is still sick, yep, still coughing and has a pretty stuffy nose.  I feel terrible for her.  Fortunately, God has blessed us with one happy baby and she hasn't been too terribly fussy and is typically all smiles despite the obvious nose and throat irritation I'm sure she has.

Happy one minute... "get me out of this" the next

Friday night Garrett and I decided to take advantage of Alison's birthday and enjoy a date night out, so we went out to Cowboys for a couple hours... back to where it all began :)  Can you believe it has been about a year since we've been?!  Thankfully, our good friend and line dance teacher Jeff was there to remind us of any of the dances we needed brushing up on and also taught us a couple new ones.  I had so much fun!!  And to top it off, I got to leave on a very happy note after doing my favorite line dance (Pot of Gold).  Did I mention how wonderful it was to see some familiar faces we hadn't seen in a while too... yeah, it was a great night!  Thanks Nana for babysitting our sick little girl.

With some lovely familiar faces
Garrett and I are 3rd and 4th from right
(if you couldn't figure it out, hehe)

Saturday, my mama came over so Garrett could get some work done outside and do some shopping and I could get some work done inside; it was a nice, just all in all productive and relaxing day.  Then Sunday we were able to make it back to church after missing the last two Sundays due to Grace's cold; like I said... still sick!  She's been sick a while, but hopefully she is on the up side.  Now, we just have to wait until she gets back on her sleep schedule.  Right now she is only getting about 3-4 hours of sleep at a time, which means mom and dad only get that much sleep, if even that.  It's all worth it, to get her back up to full health though! :)

Nana and Grace taking a short nap in the morning

Lazy/sick evening at home with mama

Sunday afternoon Grace and I went to Ashley's baby shower and had a wonderful time!  I absolutely love our Gospel Community ladies and couldn't have been more blessed to have met such wonderful women of God.  Later that evening, Garrett, Grace, and I went downtown to Merrill's Market and Wine Bar for a delicious dinner and family time.  It was the perfect Sunday.

Shower for Baby Jackson... sorry poor quality on camera pictures
Rachel, Courtney, Ashley, Grace and I, and Pam

Here's to another wonderful week ahead and welcome home Amanda-Kay!  Was so awesome to have her, mama, and Adam over this evening to hear all about her missions trip and just hangout!!  It was also very cool that Boo bought a cute Dominican Republic outfit for Grace and got Garrett and I a shot glass (we collect them) from there.  Thank you!!  And, thank you mama for my gift as well!  Love it!!  Also, here's to also hoping our little girl's cold goes away sooner than later.


Side note: anyone that has been over since we have welcomed Baby Grace has learned very quickly that Cambrie has become quite protective of her and been a lot more snippy than normal.  She has not been the pleasant pig that we were so used to.  However, on the plus side, she's taking well to Grace and is fine with Garrett and I.  It is just strangers and others that come over she has a problem with.  I guess this could be a good thing.  Here is Grace riding our lovely little lady, Cambrie.

13 Weeks (3 Months) Old

This has been a crazy week, but our baby girl is now 13 Weeks Old and 3 months old today!!  Yay!  She is growing so fast and I fall in love with her more and more everyday!

This last week, mommy made Grace cry for the first time :( (daddy's already accomplished this, lol, but I felt so bad when I finally hit this milestone... guess it was bound to happen one day).  I was clipping her nails while Garrett was feeding her and yep, you guessed it... caught part of her finger.  She cried and cried and her little thumb started to bleed.  I felt terrible, but she immediately realized she was still hungry, went back to eating and was all better (thank goodness!).  I'm so thankful for Garrett and all that he helps with... he loves his little girl and I guess he will be clipping her fingernails from now on, lol.  Here is how we get things done around here...

Another milestone this week, but this time for Grace... she has starting grasping more!  She held a rattle all by herself and I could not be more proud of her (although I really do wish time would slow down and she could stay my little baby longer).  She also has began to play in her bouncer, which she seems to love!!  I can't believe how much head control she already has.  She is getting stronger and stronger everyday; not to mention cuter and cuter!

Loving her bouncer!

Grace also decided to either get me sick or I decided to get her sick.  Either way, we both have had a little cold for about a week.  Just when I thought we were both getting better, she woke up Saturday in the middle of the night with a terrible cough (really scared Garrett and I).  It's amazing how fast you will jump out of bed and wake up for a child when you think something is wrong.  We both were at her crib side and picked her up to calm her down.  I think she just lost her breath because of the stuffy nose, which caused her to begin to cough, which scared her because she didn't know what to do.  It really was scary for Garrett and I because she was spazzing out and shaking when we went in to check her.  She calmed down once we picked her up though thankfully.  We took her to the doctor to make sure it was just a cold and make sure it was nothing more.  Luckily the cough is not in her lungs and her ears look good.  It is just a result of her stuffy nose.  Since then we have kept her in our room and propped her up in her swing to help her nasal passages clear up a little, and we also keep the humidifier on to help clear her nose.

5 in the morning, ready for daycare, sick, but still a happy pretty little girl :)

Here's to hoping she feels better soon and starts sleeping through the night again and we can put her back in her room and so she feels better.  She is definitely a little trooper because despite this yucky cold, she still manages to smile real big and giggle and be the happy Grace she is.  Here are some cell phone pictures from the week.

In order L-R, T-B:
Watching Ice Age with Daddy
All smiles on the way to the doctor
Looking cool in the new shades Jenny and Aaron got her
Sick baby sleeping
Dressed and ready for KinderCare
Laying in bed with mommy while not feeling well (still smiling).

Saturday, Garrett, Grace, and I made a trip to Gander Mountain... and mommy and daddy both came home with new toys.  Yep, we each got a gun.  Garrett got his new Thompson/Center Impact camo .50-caliber Muzzleloader and I got my new Ruger LCR .38 special double action Revolver.  I could not wait to take them home and try them out.  After we got back from the store, we had Allie, Jenny, and Aaron over for another all-American Saturday afternoon.  We did some shooting, went swimming, and had a nice cookout.  Mama, daddy, Amanda, and Adam also showed up after they arrived back from South Carolina.  It was a wonderful day with wonderful friends and family.  It couldn't have been any better!

Grace enjoying some time with Miss. Jenny (left) and Miss. Allie (right)

Playing with our new toys

Other news:
A big congrats to Amanda-Kay and the rest of the Shooting Stars family.  They came home with several awards and honors.  Boo specifically won overall with her solo and her trio.  The studio also won the FDC (Federation of Dance Competitions) Studio Excellence Award for the week.  What a wonderful week they all had!!  Now, she (Amanda-Kay) is off to the Dominican Republic for a missions trip for a week.  I know she was very excited to share her two loves (God and Dance) with the people there.  I just pray that she, along with the others going, have a safe and absolutely wonderful experience!

p.s. also don't forget to vote EVERYDAY this week for our sweet Grace Lynn :) just go to the link below:
http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/1377406

12 Weeks Old

Well, 12 Weeks Old...

...And definitely growing; actually think she is going through a little spurt right now because she has been eating more frequently and not sleeping as well.  Some of the sleep has to do with a stuffy nose she has had the last couple days, but even before that, she was waking up at least once for food or with gas in the middle of the night when she finally had started sleeping through the night.  We again have had to prop her bed up and have been putting Vick's on her chest and feet.  I hope she gets through this fast because working all day is not easy when you are not sleeping at night.  It's all worth it though for this beautiful little girl that I love more than words can say.

Despite not feeling well, we genuinely have a very happy girl that puts a smile on my face each and every day.  I continually thank God for the beautiful, HAPPY, baby girl that He has blessed us with.

Loves her Baths, Just like her Mama

Some of her many faces in the morning,
even after a not so good night's sleep

This last week, our sweet Grace Lynn got to go to her 1st Independence Day Parade!!  I was so excited to dress her up in red, white, and blue and to see how she did with all the festivities and noises a parade has to offer.  Well, I must say she did well... actually slept through a lot of it, lol.  It was a lot of fun though and really enjoyed the time with my mom, sister, sister's boyfriend Adam, and with Grace, while Garrett and dad worked at the house.

Some Snapshots from Grace's 1st 4th of July!

After the parade we met up with Grandma, Papa, and Aunt Cookie who was in town for lunch.  It was so great for Aunt Cookie to finally meet her Great Great Niece (literally!).  We had a wonderful time and it was nice for me to see them as well of course.

Grace with her Great Great Aunt Cookie, Great Papa, and Great Granny

Also this week Grace made feet prints in the sand at KinderCare... look at how tiny her feet are compared to the other two in her class :)  She is a little  younger, so it is understandable, but they are still so cute!  Despite not feeling well at home, she's been a trooper and been doing pretty well at daycare.  The staff constantly say what a joy she is and how great she is.  She loves to smile and talk.  One of the babies is colicky, so she is really is a gem to them!  Mom, I have learned to appreciate you even more after seeing some other babies... so sorry for being the terrible colicky baby I was... at least you have a wonderful grandbaby!! :)

Helena, Grace, and Bella's Feet Prints

This weekend we had two of our very good friends Aaron and Jenny over to shoot some guns, go swimming, have a little cookout, and take them out to dinner at Garrett's favorite downtown place, the Frog and Monkey.  After that, Jenny and I got our treat of wonderful frozen custard from Operation Deep Freeze... yummy!  It was such a great day and we look forward to repeating it all over again this weekend.

Currently my family is in South Carolina for Amanda's dance National Finals.  Last night she actually competed her solo for the very last time and ended up taking home the title of National Champion, winning 1st overall.  Her duet partner JP (see below) took the Mr. title as well!  Way to represent Shooting Stars!!  I could not be more proud of who my sister is and the lady she has become.  She's been through a lot and a lot of DANCE... to end her solo competition era with such a bang only shows how much her hard work and dedication has paid off... now on to her next stage in life.  Amanda-Kay, you are absolutely incredible and I know that you are my little sister, but I constantly find myself looking up to you!  Stay yourself and true to who you are, strong in your faith, close to God, and keep family close.  If you remember all these things, you will be good.  Remember, God will guide you on your path of life and your family will always be here for you.  Love you bunches; like alpacas like to spit (right?!)!!!

Emily, Lindsiann, Amanda-Kay, JP, and Cece

Other news; Congratulations Alyssa and Kyle on the addition of your baby boy, Gavin.  He is absolutely precious and fits perfect into your already very cute family.  I can't wait to meet him and watch him grow with the wonderful parents you are and great older siblings he has.

11 Weeks Old

Today Grace Lynn is 11 weeks old.  This last week she has really began to start trying to giggle and has been very "talkative".  She puts a smile on my face everyday!  Her smiles and giggles are the best!!

She has successfully completed her 1st week at KinderCare and did wonderful!  She has already made two pieces of artwork (with the help of Ms. Cheryl and Ms. Donna of course).  I was so very happy when I got to see her first pieces of art.  She makes me one proud mama.  Her first artwork is of a lobster, using her foot and hand prints.  Notice the blobs for her hands; yep she loves to hold her hands in fists... so I'm guessing that is probably what happened when they tried to copy them.  She is too cute!  The second artwork is sand paper.  This week, the unit is about sand.  So, the teacher put glue on the paper for them and then Grace got to play with the sand in her hands and drop it on the glue.

Lobster Art

Sand Paper Art

She likes to hold that thumb between the index and middle finger :)

It is so great to see that what she is learning about and watch as she progresses from here on out.  The teachers seem to love her and she really seems to love them.  Garrett and I also really like their personalities and the entire staff that we've been fortunate to meet.  I couldn't ask for a better daycare experience for her so far.  Random funny thing; one of the little girls in her class is crawling already and for some reason loves Grace's pacifier; Ms. Donna says she is constantly telling her to stop trying to steal it from Grace, lol.  Anyways, from the looks of it, she is pretty comfortable there with them... Below is a picture of what we came to Friday when we picked her up, hehe.

This last week Garrett, Grace, and I went out to dinner with my Aunt Sherry who was in town, along with my mom, Grandma and Papa.  Of course we went to Haystax; love that place!  It was so wonderful to see Aunt Sherry again and always great spending time with my mom, grandma, and papa.

Candid shot of Aunt Sherry, Grandma, Papa, Garrett, Grace, and I...
Mama's behind the camera

Love my little family :)

Then Saturday Garrett's family came over for a cookout and to hangout by the pool.  Chuck was in town for a little while, so it was great that he got to see Grace since he's been out of town for work a while and has to go right back out of town.  It was also good to have Sandy, Sam, Colton, and Nicole over.  We had a wonderful time with all of them.

My girl and I hanging out by the pool

Later that evening Garrett had his gentleman's night with some of the guys from Church and a couple other buddies.  So I took full advantage and planned a shopping trip with mama and Grace.  Dad also met us for dinner and then we headed back home to see what the boys were up to.  It was a much needed and wanted girls night with much success.  Thankfully, I was able to get some Church and Work appropriate clothes that are comfortable and also provide easy access (breast feeding mamas, I'm sure you know the feeling).  I went home a happy girl.  All the activities of the day definitely pooped Grace out though.  She went to sleep early!!  However, that meant early morning for mommy :(

Sunday, Grace and I both seemed to have a stuffy nose... not sure where we got it, but it does not provide for easy sleep for either of us.  So, Sunday evening was another long night.  However, we both made it through the next day and we decided to prop her crib mattress up a little to help her with drainage and it seemed to work last night.  She slept all night until I had to wake her up before leaving for work this morning.  I think we will keep her crib slightly propped until she starts to breath and feel a little bit better.

10 Weeks Old

Seriously, where is the time going?!  Our baby girl is 10 weeks old and now going to KinderCare.  She is maturing and developing so quickly... she loves to talk and smile with you more than ever now.

Her first day was yesterday and I thought that it was going to be really tough, but just knowing how happy and smiley she was and that it was all in God's hands, made the transition so much easier.  Because it now takes more time to get ready in the morning, it is still hard to get a decent amount of sleep.  I also have more to do in the evening to prepare for the following morning which takes away some time, but I am trying to make the best of it and just get used to it because it is what it is.  We have Grace Lynn in bed between 9 and 9:30 and then we hit the hay and I am up by 4:30 at the absolute latest to get myself and Grace ready for the day.  She is sleeping much longer between feedings now and even slept until I woke her up this morning; yay!!  But, she does still make noises at night which will wake me up; however, I do not have to get up to feed her at those times if she just falls right back asleep.  So, my sleep may be sporadic, but not terrible; it could be so much worse.  It is all more than worth it to see that beautiful baby girl when we pick her up after a long day at work!

plenty of diaper changes the first two days and she ate all her food :)
oh and she napped well... i say she gets and A+!

The teachers all love her and say she is definitely going to be a spoiled one.  She did very well her first two days.  According to them, she wasn't fussy, she slept good, she ate well, and was her fun loving, talkative, smiley self.  She has two other girls in her class which is great because she will be able to grow up with them and interact more as they all age together.  We even got to meet one of their mother's and she was very sweet!  All in all, the whole process/transition has been great!!

Can you smile for the camera?
Nope, I'd rather play shy :)

Goofy face!

You can tell we were BOTH tired after our first long day apart!
Love my girl!!

Also this week, we had several wonderful visitors!  Favorite (Sarah) got to come into town and spend the day with us and play with Grace, Kristina came by one evening to hangout, catch up, and see sweet Grace, and my mom, sister, and Adam got to come over Saturday to spend the day with us.  It was all wonderful and so awesome to see everyone, catch up with those I haven't seen in a while and to have some help (MANY THANKS!) so I could get some more work done from home before heading back to the office full-time as of yesterday.

Favorite with Jr :)

Another exciting evening was yesterday evening because myself and two girlfriends of mine from Church started our DNA small group together.  It is so nice to study God's story with two wonderful woman and to also just get to know each other on a deeper level.  I am excited to see how God works in our lives through this new study that we are doing.


Other news worthy of being shared to show how great God is!!...

• Courtney and John are expecting baby #1!!  This definitely comes after several years of prayers and a strong faith.  God definitely works in mysterious, yet wonderful, ways; the timing couldn't be better!  This baby will be within a year old of Grace, Jackson, Judah, and Jack!  All five of these babies will get to grow up in the same Church and three in the same Gospel Community.  Congrats you two!  We will continue the prayers :)
• Jonathan and Tawnya just welcomed their beautiful baby boy Jackson!!  I know they were definitely ready for him to be here and he has finally made his arrival.  I cannot wait to meet this little guy and see the new proud parents again.  Garrett and I are so very happy for you both!!

9 Weeks Old

This has been one hectic or better yet busy week for us.  Little girl is now 2 months old and still growing nicely and is very healthy.

She had her two month checkup and is now 12lb 4ozs (~75%), 23in long (~90%), and has a 38cm head circumference (~25%).  So, she is definitely eating well and growing strong.  At her appointment, she got her first set of shots (aside from the one at the hospital that I didn't have to see).  She had to get poked in both legs!  I went into the appointment knowing that it would be tough for her and probably even tougher for me to watch, but she did absolutely wonderful overall.  I have to say that being the good guy and hugging her real tight afterwards was the most rewarding feeling!  I went immediately from a saddened feeling to the best feeling ever.  I just really felt like mommy in that moment because I was able to calm her down in an instant.  Once we got home, she did great... that is until the stiffness/soreness came in.  She was not too happy and wouldn't do anything but scream.  After getting some baby Tylenol in her and soothing her a little, she was a much happier camper (especially come bath time... she loves her baths!).  So, I am happy to say that not only did she survive and trooper through those first shots, but so did I! :)

That bright red face says it all :(

This weekend, Garrett, Grace, and I attended the Shooting Stars recital.  Amanda-Kay did wonderful as usual and looked absolutely beautiful on stage.  I love watching her dance any chance I get.  It was also great and such a small world to run into my first UCF KnightMoves dance coach, Courtney, there.  Yep, her little girl is now dancing at the studio and it was so wonderful to catch up with her.  I also got to meet a very wonderful lady, Melissa, and her family for the first time.  They have had such a positive influence on my sister's life (while she was in NYC and still today).  They have since moved from there, but were able to come visit the family for the weekend.  Then earlier this week, some of Garrett's family were in town and took the time out of their busy vacation to come visit us for an evening.  It was so great to see Curtis, Mayi, Laura, and their newest addition James.  While they were here Garrett's mom took the time to drive over and spend some time with us also.  It was a wonderful evening.  Also, a really great family friend of my family's, Nancy, came into town and came over with  my mom today to help watch Grace while I went into the office for a couple hours and then I got to spend a little time with them when I came back home.

Grace and GG (Grandma Gardner)

Sunday, Garrett got to celebrate his first Father's Day!  He got a sweet card from Grace, as well as cute little gift, and a card from myself.  It was so wonderful to be able to celebrate him as a daddy on his day.  We didn't do too much, but we did go out to lunch after church and just had a nice relaxing afternoon.

Daddy with his little girl on Father's Day

Also, thank you so much little Grace for finally letting mommy and daddy sleep more than 3 hours at night!! :)  We started her on rice cereal last week and finally on Father's Day she slept more than 3 hours and kept the same up last night.  Last night, we actually got 5 and a half hours!!  That is the most sleep we've seen in a LONG TIME!  We have had her on a nightly routine for a while now: strip her down and clean her diaper (which she now knows means bath is next and she gets so HAPPY), then she gets her bath, next she gets fed for the last time before bed, and finally she gets put in her crib.  She's been on this routine for several weeks, but it is finally kicking in and hopefully she knows that it is bed time which means sleep time.  It's perfect timing too because last week and this week I have been working part time from home (thanks to having my mama or sister come over and babysit while I work some days... they are the BEST!!!   Thanks Mama and Amanda-Kay!).  Starting next Monday though, I am back to work full-time.  I am looking forward to it, but not looking forward to leaving my little girl for the first time.  On the plus side, it will be so exciting when I get to pick her up from KinderCare and see her smiley beautiful face after work.  But, until then, I am going to enjoy every minute I can with her this week!!  Below are some more cute pictures of Grace from the week... she is so excited and happy from her bath (definitely the picture of the week!), wide awake in her crib in the wee hours of the morning, and getting ready to go to bed one evening... she's adorable!! LOVE HER!