Warm Weather is Here and Teething Again??

It officially feels like Spring now. This weekend has been BEAUTIFUL with temperatures actually in the 80's! We have been spending a lot of time eating our meals on the back deck. I will put Grace in the pack n' play and she really likes being outside. On Saturday morning, I had a Women's Devotional at our house. We ended up going outside and having our devotional on the back deck. It was at 10am and the weather was just perfect. It had not gotten too warm yet and the wind was blowing a lot. It was so nice to share and be encouraged by other women!

Later on Saturday we took Grace to the park for the FIRST time. We put her in a baby swing for the first time and you can see by the picture I will post.. what she thought about it! We let her sit in the leaves and she like playing with the leaves and sticks. We ended up getting a blanket out of the car and put it down in the shade and we all sat on the blanket and enjoyed the beauty, sounds, activities.. of the park. Grace played on the blanket and watched all the little kids that were playing! She also kept trying to EAT the leaves!:)

Today, we ended up just going to church the 2nd hour because Grace had a bit of a rough night. On Wednesday or Thursday of this past week Grace was noticeably not feeling very well. She started running a fever for a few days. She had no other symptoms beside her gums are swollen on the top. She also has been putting more things up to her mouth lately. She has been on and off fussy and needy and we have been alternating Tylenol and Motrin with some oragel too. She started with some mild diarrhea and runny nose yesterday that can be associated to the teething. Last night, she woke up twice during the night crying and went back to sleep pretty quick but just obviously needed our love and affection and we gave her some medicine for the pain one time. We went ahead and took her to church because we were going to be in the nursery with her today because we were working in there today and I thought she would like being around the other babies and it would distract her. She usually LOVES playing with the other babies at church! Today, she was very quiet in there and just wanted to be held and just kind of sat and stared. She just DID NOT feel good! So sad! So after church and after her nap we went to the grocery store today and I got her some teething tablets that someone suggested to me to help her with the pain. So far they have seemed to of helped. She has been sleeping. Poor thing though... I can only imagine when she gets some of those later teeth that are hard to 'cut'!

She DID NOT like the baby swing! I don't know if it is because she didn't feel good??

Playing with the leaves and the grass and sticks!

Check out the sticks in her hands. She was holding on to them! :)

A Great Weekend

The weather was BEAUTIFUL on Friday and Saturday and lately Grace and I have been able to get out more too and go for walks. Grace really LOVES it outside and gets real excited when I take her out. (She is like her Momma) With the warm weather she has been able to wear more of those summer/ springtime clothes that she got for her B'day! On Saturday Adam and I worked outside in the yard while Grace was napping and then we brought her out to the back deck and put her in the pack-n-play and let her play and watch Bud (our big dog) run around. (She thinks Bud is hilarious to watch him!:) Adam and I sat at the table and ate lunch out there with her. It was so nice!

(Digressing,) On Friday, Grace and I were able to go on another walk through the neighborhood while Daddy was working. Later that evening, I went to a friends (Laura G.'s) for a girl's night out. Adam stayed home with Grace and worked on homework and I went and had a GREAT time with the girls. We had planned on playing games or something but we ended up chatting, laughing, and eating the whole time! It was so much fun! I truly thank God for the friendship I have found here!

This was Grace before church today in this dress that was lended to us. She looked so pretty!

Grace in her summer dress on Saturday

On Grace's 1 Year Checkup and more transitions

We took Grace to the Doctor on Tuesday for her 12 month check up. She weighed 22 lb 12 oz. and 29 1/4 inches long. She was in 75% for weight still and 60th % for height. She has had a bit of a growth spurt in her height since last visit. She was in 50th% for her height. Dr. Knights thought she looked great and we talked about what we have to work on now with Grace. I knew that right after we came home I was going to start Whole Milk with Grace and start trying to get her off the bottle. The Doctor did encourage going ahead and working on decreasing the bottles she gets during the day and have her milk in the sippy. We had started working on this just at her snack time and not at her meals. The only thing is she still want us to hold her sippy for her most of the time. She can do it esp. if she is leaning back but when she is sitting up she fails to tilt the cup up to get the drink and I think she still likes that dependency on us. Anyways, we left the Doctor on Tuesday and went straight to the grocery store and bought Grace some whole milk. She had this for lunch that day and didn't really know what to think about it. We had it in the sippy and she kept taking it out of her mouth. We soon learned that she didn't like it because it was cold from the refridgerator. (She was always use to the formula being warmed). After heating it some she takes it without any problem. Now we just got to start getting her use to drinking it cooler and cooler so that this won't be a habit we have to break!:) She still has a little bit of formula though that I am trying to use up and have added a little in with her milk at some feedings. We are already learning that the bottle may be harder to break than we thought too! We have tried to just give her the bottle at breakfast and bedtime now but by evening she is really missing it.... she will start to fuss when we hand her the sippy at supper and it is evident she wants the bottle! She did better today. No fuss at all so we'll see.... Next... we'll be working on getting rid of the paci... (whew)

Also, Grace is officially saying "Ma, Ma"! YAY!!! The only thing is when she usually says it is when she is upset. I guess "Da, Da" is her play friend and she calls on "Ma, Ma" when she is needy!:)

She is also cruising more now. Holding on to furniture and walking more and more and will briefly let go of things but will realize she isn't holding on and fall/ sit down.

Here are some pics

Just some pics from the other day. She wasn't really 'up' for my picture taking but I thought she looked really cute with her 'light up' shirt on and new tennis shoes (she got for her B'day). The shoes are so cute on her!

This last picture is this FIRST time she tasted whole milk. She was drinking it in the sippy!

Grace "Showing Off" for Nana!

Grace was having A LOT of fun this night while we were in AL. She was getting so 'tickled' at herself when she would take off REAL fast behind this push toy....

Our New Nephew -- Vann

When we went to AL this past weekend we were able to get to see our new nephew Vann for the first time! What a blessing he is. (This is Adam's sister's new baby). I look at him and I am just overcome with emotion because I think about what a gift he was to his Momma and Daddy. You see, it was a LONG time of wait for his arrival! His Momma and Daddy had been wanting to have a baby for about 10 YEARS. After a lot of things, the Lord blessed them with there wish! I know that must have been a WONDERFUL day, the first time they got to see little Vann! He is truly precious!!! He is doing so well and so far.., is a wonderful baby!! :)

Grace's FIRST Birthday and Easter!

Our little baby is now a toddler! It is so hard to believe that 1 year ago I was still trying to get adjusted to life as a Mommy! This year has been AMAZING! We had our 'rough' days in the beginning with the colic and feeding issues! Overall, our baby has developed into a fun-loving little girl! All the different ages and stages have continued to be so much fun! It is always neat to watch her accomplish a new milestone or make a new sound, or face, etc. I truly don't know where this year has gone though!

We were blessed to be able to go to AL this past weekend and spend Grace's first Birthday as well as Easter with our family. It was so nice that Grace's 1st birthday fell on Easter this year! It 'hit' me a while back about how special that is. To celebrate Grace's first year of life on THE DAY we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is the most important day of all because that CHANGED EVERYTHING for us! We now have a hope and a future because of that! I pray that Grace will quickly understand this...!

We celebrated her Birthday on Saturday because of this, and had many family and friends over at my Mom's and Gary's to celebrate. Grace REALLY enjoyed her cake and 'dug' right in to it!! She was also blessed with many gifts in which we are very thankful! She LOVED being around the children that weekend. She has got to where she loves being around and playing with other babies, toddlers, and kids. She will just watch older kids and laugh at them when they play and she gets so excited when she gets down in the floor to play with them. She will bounce up and down in excitement!

Grace was showing everyone how old she is:) (We didn't even ask her to do this.. funny enough, she just kept holding up 1 finger!!:)

On Easter, she got her Easter goodies and we went to church with Mom and Gary. We later had a wonderful and BIG lunch with my family and spent time with all of them at my Grandmother's. Grace even went outside and we sat her in the grass to see if she would go after an egg on the ground (my little cousin's were hunting eggs). (By the way, Grace LOVED playing with those little plastic eggs!) Grace didn't know what to think about the grass on her legs though, so she didn't move!:) We then went to spend time with Adam's family and got to see our new nephew!!! (More on that later..)

Doing the Laundry

She loves to help get the clothes out of the dryer!!!!!

Grace...up to "no good":)

Grace is exploring more and more of her environment. She even knows now certain things she shouldn't do after we have said "no" and she will look back at us to see if we are watching and smile before trying to do something she knows she isn't suppose to do... I am amazed at how you don't have to teach a child to sin. You can truly look at children from birth and see that we are ALL sinners and 'fallen' from the very beginning. Just another testament of how we all need's God Grace....

Grace loves to catch a moment where Adam or I have forgotten to block the hallway (as we usually do) and will take off crawling as fast as she can go when it is clear and head straight for Allie's (our Pomeranian) water and food bowl. I have been catching her just in time before she could actually put a piece in her mouth but the other day she managed to get a piece (of dog food) and put it in her mouth and started back for the living room and when we came after her she just laughed! She KNOWS she isn't suppose to go after those bowls after multiple times of telling her 'no' and redirecting her. It is like a game to her!:)

She also loves to get in the refridgerator now. Every time we open the refridgerator she crawls very fast to get in there before we shut the door and tries to pull things out. I got some pics to prove it!:)

She has also learned in the last two days how to open cabinets by herself. She has done it a couple of times now so we are in trouble now....!:) Adam has to put those safety locks on the cabinets now.. when he is not working...

Goin' for a Walk

Fun Times

Grace is a lot of fun these days! She is our daily entertainment! Enjoy the video and pics...

When Daddy Dresses Me....

Adam knew I was taking a picture of Grace after he dressed her. I always get a good laugh after I see what Adam has put on Grace without my input!:) He will decide last minute to "get out" with Grace when I am working or sleeping after working night shift and he will just throw anything on her. The worst is when I find out that he doesn't even change her. He will take her out to Walmart or wherever in her sleeper! (I think that is fine when they are a newborn but not now!:)

Just for laughs... (He knows I give him a hard time:) Sound familiar to any of you??

Here is a "famous" outfit!:) Adam always says "what??, ... 'I think she looks cute'!:)

My Baby is Growing Too Fast!

It has officially sunk in that Grace will be 1 year old next month. It is so hard to believe! Where has the year went?? I look back to where I was a year from now and I was anxiously anticipating Grace's arrival. Little did I know how my life would be FOREVER effected! I never truly understood a mother's love! I always saw myself as a career women in my nursing career that would eventually have a family and juggle both. Now I want nothing more than to take care of my household! As she is growing we are learning that discipline comes as well as a lot of teaching. We are SO thankful for the privilege the Lord has given us to do both! But what a HUGE responsibility to rear our children IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD!

THANK YOU LORD for our SWEET little blessing! We know that she is a GIFT from You and that we aren't promised anything so we truly count HER a blessing!

This is Grace's NEW accomplishment. She has started to hold her own bottle most of the time!!.. She fed herself the entire bottle lying in the floor for the first time yesterday! She still needs help with the sippy to tilt it up:). Also.... she is also officially SICK of MUSH! She is tired of the pureed foods. She LIKES her table food now!!

These were taken today before church

This was my attempt to get a picture of her HUGGING her stuffed bear. It is a big bear and she started lying on the floor and hugging it the other day. It was SO CUTE! She really will 'LOVE' back now. She will hug, snuggle, and even give kisses!

Grace on the Move

AL visit and SICKNESS

Grace started having some congesting and runny nose and cough on Wednesday of last week. I ended up taking her to the Pediatrician on Thursday to make sure it wasn't anything that needed an antibiotic since we were planning on leaving on Friday to go to AL. The Doctor said it was just a bad viral cold. She was also having a fever with it but this went away by Friday. Adam and I debated on even going home for Carey's shower (Adam's sister/ my SIL) because Grace wasn't feeling well and we hated to put her through the long drive. She can hardly stand it when she is WELL. She gets tired of being strapped down in the car seat and esp. now she wants to be ON THE MOVE! :) I really wanted to go though, b/c I was helping with the shower and I was very excited for them having a baby! (They have been trying for a LONG time! I also knew that Adam's family would really want to see Grace since they hadn't seen her in a while and we were staying with his parents. So.. the doctor thought she would be okay if we wanted to go but we decided we would let her sleep through the night and see if she has an ok night on Thursday night and how she was on Friday morning. She slept really well that night and didn't have a fever on Friday so we decided to go ahead and pack up and go!

I road in the back seat with Grace the whole time and she liked that. I helped entertain her by playing with her and reading to her in the car. During the trip she was tired but thankfully, she was able to get all her naps and we just didn't push her. She continued with the cough, congestion, and runny nose, and she got to be hoarse too on the trip. We were doing the saline spray, and vick's baby rub. She slept REALLY well down there in the Pack-N-Play. I was PLEASANTLY surprised. This was with her naps AND at night!

We stayed around the house most of the time b/c it was cold and rainy some. On Saturday, we did get out though and go and pick up some corsages that my Aunt Margarette made for Carey's shower. We took Grace and Debby (Adam's mom) and I, rode with my mother to her house. They haven't seen Grace since she was 7 weeks old. They really enjoyed Grace and she liked them too! We stayed briefly and then Grace was back home for a nap. I went on to the shower and the plan was to let Grace sleep till she woke up from her nap and then she could come to the shower. She ended up sleeping a while and then had to eat when she got up and Adam was caring for her and he said she woke up VERY congested and "rattly" so she didn't end up coming to the shower. Some people came over to the Brown's to see Grace that day b/c of this, including my Grandma and my Mom's best friend Marti and my mother. Grace was showing them what all she could do... :) She was pulling up constantly this past weekend. She has officially got it down now!:)
We came back on Sunday, but we have all been hit with this sickness. Adam was sick all weekend with this viral cold (I guess) and I had a sore throat too that developed into the "crud" and so now we are all still trying to get over all of this! Also, on Sunday, after we got home from our trip Grace vomited once and has had some ugly diarrhea since then. I think she came down with something viral there too! The diarrhea lasted thru yesterday but I believe it is all gone now. Her appetite has definitely been down but thankfully she still drank some during all this sickness! She has faired pretty well considering ALL that she has been through... ! Grace is still LOVING practicing her new found ability to PULL UP on anything and EVERYTHING!:)

Regretfully, I didn't get my camera out on the trip so I don't have any pics myself. My mom sent me some via email and I asked Adam's mom to send me some b/c I don't have any from the shower,etc. I had planned on uploading from her card to our computer before we left but I forgot..! I will post more pics later if I get them....

Grace is CONSTANTLY pulling up now!

Grace with Marti (my mother's best friend)

Grace with her Great Uncle Larry

Adam's Birthday... Addendum

For Adam's 3oth Birthday, I wanted to do something special. Because it was the BIG '30' you know.. ! :) I didn't know what to do for the longest because I worked last Monday night and then he was working Wed. and Thurs. night of last week and then we were leaving on Friday to go to AL for my sister-in-law's baby shower (Adam's sister). So I knew I couldn't have a party and the weekend before I was scheduled to work. The only day left open was on Tuesday (2 days before his B'day). I decided last minute to just invite some people to go out to eat Mexican (b/c that is Adam's FAVORITE) and have all of them be at the restaurant and surprise Adam when we showed up at our usual Mexican restaurant. He thought we were just going out as a family to eat! He WAS surprised and we had a great time! One of our friends Laura, was even nice enough to make a cake without me asking AT ALL and bring it to the restaurant all decorated for Adam. (She knew that I couldn't make a cake and bring it that night b/c Adam would know something was going on!:) We had a lot of fun!

On his actual B'day I didn't actually see him just about all day till 9pm b/c he had a project he was working on that morning and then had school and work. I had made his FAVORITE cake for him and we didn't actually cut it until about 10pm on the night of his b'day!... Busy Birthday for Adam!

Adam's Birthday Bash

Just wanted to throw some quick pictures on here, I'm sure Holly will give details soon. We have to get ready for Bama now!