Dear Sweet Girl,
I feel like you've grown up so much this past month and it makes me so sad! How can you be nine months old already?! You're still my little baby!
Alas you've been very busy this month making strides to rid yourself of the baby title. First of all, on September 10th you started pulling up all on your own, and you looooved it! It is still by far your favorite thing to do, and on the 16th you took it a step up and stood unadded for a good 5 seconds straight. I think your longest record is currently around 15 seconds so its not like you're just a full on stander-upper ( that's a word, right?) but you're making some big progress. That being said you've also made some strides in the crawling department too! You can officially go backwards and you spend a lot of time on all fours rocking back and forth and babbling loudly at whatever it is that you really really want. One day, little one, one day.
This month we went to Nacogdoches for a few days for Uncle Ryan's cookoff competition and you cried when anyone other than your Mommy tried to hold you. Uncool daughter. Especially since this month you showed and great interest/love for dogs of all shapes and sizes. I'll have you know that dogs are FAR more likely to bite you than the sweet ladies at the Burger cookoff....you really need to work on those intuitive skills. Looking back however, once again we visited Nacogdoches right in the middle of a major learning bender on your part and you just have a harder time with people during those times. Just two weeks later we went to Cleburne, TX to visit some other family and you went from person to person without any trouble at all! Come on, kid! Let's get consistent!
However, if there was a person I wouldn't mind hanging out in my lap for hours and hours and days on end, it would definitely be you! You're so fun and sweet and I love watching you learn. Probably because you have the constant entertainment of your brother, this month was really the first time you watched Baby Einstein. On our last two road trips you got kind of bored so we rigged up a slide show of baby pictures of Ransom and your cousin Kilsyth on the first road trip ( which you fully enjoyed) and on the second road trip I was prepared with Baby Einstein, and. you. loved. it. You would babble and talk SO loudly any time any of the puppets came on and you would get fairly upset when the video would end. I swear you watched that thing three times in a row during our five hours in the car.
You probably wont get many chances to watch Baby Einstein unless on a trip, but don't worry, you have a lot of fun playing on the rug in the kitchen while Mommy cooks, on the floor in the living room watching your brother run around and play and in Ransom's room where you try to scoot to as many corners of the room as possible to create the largest amount of mess. Your favorite thing is to pull things out of buckets or baskets or cups...really anything that can be taken apart, you're all over it.
In the practical department, this month we replaced a Mommy feeding with a Bottle feeding. I was definitely not ready for it, but if Daddy and Mommy are going to take a trip to NYC in November then we had to start teaching you about the bottle now. You took to it great and are very cute holding on to the bottle for yourself. I think you actually like having the freedom to take the bottle in and out of your mouth and lounge while eating.
Your feedings are now as follows:
7am-wake up/Mommy feeding
8am-breakfast
9:30-nap time
10:30-bottle
1pm-nap
2:30-Mommy feeding
5pm-dinner
7pm-bedtime/mommy feeding
Any day now you will be cutting FOUR new teeth on the top and I can't wait for them to pop through and allow you to eat even more yummy things ( you definitely like solid food more than baby food!)
Baby girl, may I never forget what a gift you are to this world and to our family. I am so grateful for every day I get with you!
Love, your Mommy
Monday, October 7, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Eight months
Whaaaat?! How are you already eight months old? It snuck up on me so quickly that I literally missed it ( it was yesterday)! And I would say that one day won't make much difference, but in the last 24 hours your front 2 bottom teeth FINALLY broke the surface! Hallelujah! I was really starting to think you were going to be the toothless wonder forever!
It's a good thing those teeth came in because you've definitely been not your happy go lucky self. But when you have a bad day no one would ever really notice. You're still incredibly sweet and easy to get along with. There was just far more drooling and your loud "talking" which is half way a fuss, half way a babble.
The only thing that will kinda get you worked up is for someone OTHER than your Mama to hold you while I'm still in the room. That's right. The stranger danger or more like the "other people dislike" is back. I'd blame your teething but, really? I feel like you've had waaaay too much of this behavior!
But back to the positive things about you from this month- you dropped your third nap with very little fanfare. I'm not going to compare you to a certain brother of yours, but lets just say that I was preparing myself for major drama and it was NOT. The only big thing is that you need to go to bed even earlier ( sometimes as early as 6:30) for you to not get over tired so that you will to get a good nights sleep....but other than that you have taken the changes in strides.
This month as I mentioned you've become far more vocal and you talk a lot when you're playing. You love chewing on anything you can get your hands on and nontoy items are your favorite. Mom's phone is by FAR your favorite thing to try and get your hands on. You're still pretty happy being stationary but you will reach for things that are far away and will do your best to stretch both arms and legs out as far as they will go without leaving your current location to reach something...we've explained that crawling would help in this area, but you have yet to take us up on that suggestion.
You're still enjoying pretty much every food we put in front of you and you're enjoying the practice of putting food into your mouth. You're pretty good at it actually, though your chair and the floor would beg to disagree. Luckily you have a puppy/brother who really likes your puffs and will eat all the ones that you drop.
This month I finally dropped your dreamfeed, basically a feeding at around 10:30 at night where I would wake you up, feed you and put you right back to sleep. Basically I should have gotten rid of it months ago but you were just so cute and cuddly and it was just so convenient that I kept it for way longer. Once again it was no biggie and you haven't seemed to have any reaction one way or the other. As with most things, I had a much harder time pre-worrying about it than actually going through with the process. You'd think I'd learn my lesson from you and start being much more laid back!
But since this is how I am, and one day I'll want to remember: here is your current schedule:
Wake up and eat: 7am
Have breakfast: 8am
Go down for your first nap: 9 or 9:30
Wake up and eat: 10:30
Have lunch: 12
Go down for second nap: 1pm
Wake up and eat: between 2pm and 2:30
Dinner: 5pm
Bath and last feeding: 6:30
Bedtime: 7pm
Of course as I write that those times will often vary from day to day which doesn't seem to bother you too much. A shorter nap here, a longer nap there...you go with the flow and we flow rut along with you.
Thanks for continuing to laugh and learn and remind us every day of God's great blessing to us through your little life. This month marked the year anniversary of the surgery that helped to save your life. We went out and sent balloons up into the sky in honor of your sister Priscilla who was lucky enough to go first to heaven. In doing so she gave you an even greater chance of survival. In a way she gave her life for you and I hope that we will all learn from that and live each of our days to the fullest knowing that ALL of our lives were made possible because Jesus died for all of us. We love you so much baby girl and are grateful for ever miracle that brought you to us.
Love, Mommy
It's a good thing those teeth came in because you've definitely been not your happy go lucky self. But when you have a bad day no one would ever really notice. You're still incredibly sweet and easy to get along with. There was just far more drooling and your loud "talking" which is half way a fuss, half way a babble.
The only thing that will kinda get you worked up is for someone OTHER than your Mama to hold you while I'm still in the room. That's right. The stranger danger or more like the "other people dislike" is back. I'd blame your teething but, really? I feel like you've had waaaay too much of this behavior!
But back to the positive things about you from this month- you dropped your third nap with very little fanfare. I'm not going to compare you to a certain brother of yours, but lets just say that I was preparing myself for major drama and it was NOT. The only big thing is that you need to go to bed even earlier ( sometimes as early as 6:30) for you to not get over tired so that you will to get a good nights sleep....but other than that you have taken the changes in strides.
This month as I mentioned you've become far more vocal and you talk a lot when you're playing. You love chewing on anything you can get your hands on and nontoy items are your favorite. Mom's phone is by FAR your favorite thing to try and get your hands on. You're still pretty happy being stationary but you will reach for things that are far away and will do your best to stretch both arms and legs out as far as they will go without leaving your current location to reach something...we've explained that crawling would help in this area, but you have yet to take us up on that suggestion.
You're still enjoying pretty much every food we put in front of you and you're enjoying the practice of putting food into your mouth. You're pretty good at it actually, though your chair and the floor would beg to disagree. Luckily you have a puppy/brother who really likes your puffs and will eat all the ones that you drop.
This month I finally dropped your dreamfeed, basically a feeding at around 10:30 at night where I would wake you up, feed you and put you right back to sleep. Basically I should have gotten rid of it months ago but you were just so cute and cuddly and it was just so convenient that I kept it for way longer. Once again it was no biggie and you haven't seemed to have any reaction one way or the other. As with most things, I had a much harder time pre-worrying about it than actually going through with the process. You'd think I'd learn my lesson from you and start being much more laid back!
But since this is how I am, and one day I'll want to remember: here is your current schedule:
Wake up and eat: 7am
Have breakfast: 8am
Go down for your first nap: 9 or 9:30
Wake up and eat: 10:30
Have lunch: 12
Go down for second nap: 1pm
Wake up and eat: between 2pm and 2:30
Dinner: 5pm
Bath and last feeding: 6:30
Bedtime: 7pm
Of course as I write that those times will often vary from day to day which doesn't seem to bother you too much. A shorter nap here, a longer nap there...you go with the flow and we flow rut along with you.
Thanks for continuing to laugh and learn and remind us every day of God's great blessing to us through your little life. This month marked the year anniversary of the surgery that helped to save your life. We went out and sent balloons up into the sky in honor of your sister Priscilla who was lucky enough to go first to heaven. In doing so she gave you an even greater chance of survival. In a way she gave her life for you and I hope that we will all learn from that and live each of our days to the fullest knowing that ALL of our lives were made possible because Jesus died for all of us. We love you so much baby girl and are grateful for ever miracle that brought you to us.
Love, Mommy
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Seven Months
Dear Tabitha,
You are seven months old today! You've had another busy busy month of growing and adjusting to life! You started the month off with another reminder that you are Loved. Not just by your Mommy and Daddy but by your heavenly Father! We had a little accident involving your carseat that ended with you on the pavement of a parkinglot and substantial bump on the head. I lost several years of my life worrying over you the next 48 hours or so, but other than some initial crying and the awfulness of being poked and prodded at the hospital you came out no worse for wear! ( but you've now visited the Picu and the Pedicu...busy girl) How blessed and happy we were! And how much I was reminded that you are indeed our miracle baby!
In other much less dramatic news, thankfully, you went on another plane trip this month to a Calhoun Family Reunion. No one would even have GUESSED that you've suffered from such crazy stranger danger the last few months because you smiled and flirted with complete strangers at the airports and on the planes and continued to charm the pants off of everyone at the family reunion too! Its funny that now you seem to definitely have a preference for men and the rougher the better. There was a big dude with a huge beard sitting behind us on an airplane and as soon as he caught your eye you started grinning and cooing. You're too funny!
We had such a great time at our family reunion and you got to meet so many people that have prayed for you over the last year! Its hard for us to believe that at our last family reunion you and your sister were still hanging out in my tummy all teeny tiny! As easy as you were to carry around in my tummy you're almost as easy outside. You were SO good traveling-sleeping whereever you needed to and not putting up a fuss when you couldnt sleep at all or when your meals were a little off schedule. You continue to blow my mind with how wonderfully laid back you can be.
We ended your month with a visit to Nacogdoches for Ransom's birthday, you showed your angel colors yet again by being SO good on the train ride birthday party. It was super HOT and you completely missed a nap and yet you just chilled in peoples laps and looked around at all the people. THANK YOU for making our lives such a joy!
This month you continued to perfect your sitting skills, I'd say you've mastered the art, and the way you've started lunging for anything in sight I bet you aren't happy being stationary for too much longer. You're still working hard on your first tooth ( or teeth?!) but not one has pushed through yet! However, this month we did start you on some solid foods! I've gone so much slower than with Ransom, but you've enjoyed everything that's been put in front of you. In fact, if we don't get it into your mouth fast enough you start lunging at the spoon with your mouth open like a little baby bird. While we've let you play with some cheerios and mum-mums you're not a fan of the "actual" solid foods...maybe its going to take some teeth before you figure out the actual "chewing" concept!
At the end of this month you've started taking "cat naps" instead of actual normal length naps so it looks like you'll be dropping a nap in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how our days change now that you'll only have two naps...Whatever happens we are so grateful for your little life and the joy that it brings all that you've impacted. If there is one thing I have learned in your seven months of life it is that Life is a Gift and I am thankful every single day that I get to spend living it with you!
We love you baby Bee,
Mommy
You are seven months old today! You've had another busy busy month of growing and adjusting to life! You started the month off with another reminder that you are Loved. Not just by your Mommy and Daddy but by your heavenly Father! We had a little accident involving your carseat that ended with you on the pavement of a parkinglot and substantial bump on the head. I lost several years of my life worrying over you the next 48 hours or so, but other than some initial crying and the awfulness of being poked and prodded at the hospital you came out no worse for wear! ( but you've now visited the Picu and the Pedicu...busy girl) How blessed and happy we were! And how much I was reminded that you are indeed our miracle baby!
In other much less dramatic news, thankfully, you went on another plane trip this month to a Calhoun Family Reunion. No one would even have GUESSED that you've suffered from such crazy stranger danger the last few months because you smiled and flirted with complete strangers at the airports and on the planes and continued to charm the pants off of everyone at the family reunion too! Its funny that now you seem to definitely have a preference for men and the rougher the better. There was a big dude with a huge beard sitting behind us on an airplane and as soon as he caught your eye you started grinning and cooing. You're too funny!
We had such a great time at our family reunion and you got to meet so many people that have prayed for you over the last year! Its hard for us to believe that at our last family reunion you and your sister were still hanging out in my tummy all teeny tiny! As easy as you were to carry around in my tummy you're almost as easy outside. You were SO good traveling-sleeping whereever you needed to and not putting up a fuss when you couldnt sleep at all or when your meals were a little off schedule. You continue to blow my mind with how wonderfully laid back you can be.
We ended your month with a visit to Nacogdoches for Ransom's birthday, you showed your angel colors yet again by being SO good on the train ride birthday party. It was super HOT and you completely missed a nap and yet you just chilled in peoples laps and looked around at all the people. THANK YOU for making our lives such a joy!
This month you continued to perfect your sitting skills, I'd say you've mastered the art, and the way you've started lunging for anything in sight I bet you aren't happy being stationary for too much longer. You're still working hard on your first tooth ( or teeth?!) but not one has pushed through yet! However, this month we did start you on some solid foods! I've gone so much slower than with Ransom, but you've enjoyed everything that's been put in front of you. In fact, if we don't get it into your mouth fast enough you start lunging at the spoon with your mouth open like a little baby bird. While we've let you play with some cheerios and mum-mums you're not a fan of the "actual" solid foods...maybe its going to take some teeth before you figure out the actual "chewing" concept!
At the end of this month you've started taking "cat naps" instead of actual normal length naps so it looks like you'll be dropping a nap in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how our days change now that you'll only have two naps...Whatever happens we are so grateful for your little life and the joy that it brings all that you've impacted. If there is one thing I have learned in your seven months of life it is that Life is a Gift and I am thankful every single day that I get to spend living it with you!
We love you baby Bee,
Mommy
Saturday, July 6, 2013
six months old
Dear Tabitha,
Your fifth month was quite a busy one and a growing one for you! As I mentioned last month you had some pretty significant stranger danger that meant that even friends could not make eye contact with you for long periods of time ( and strangers?! definitely not!) without you bursting into dramatic tears. I was starting to think it was going to go on forever and we'd have to buy stock in Kleenex, but lucky for you and us, we had a month stock full of visitors that basically FORCED you to become more social.
We had about a three week period where we had some College friends of Brett's come visit us before starting more of their training to become missionaries in South America. Your namesake Tabitha visit from Canada and your Papa and Spicy from Nacogdoches. At one point we had five adults and two other children in the house with you. Through sheer survival you learned that other people deserved your smiles and the privilege of holding you just like your family. Well done!
On June 6th ( so barely into your 5th month) you laughed for the first time. It was pretty cute. I was holding you while Ransom was "doing his business" on the potty. I was also reading the book "Blue Hat, Green Hat" to Ransom. It seemed like, for the first time, Ransom got the humor of the book and started belly laughing. You in turn started laughing at Ransom laughing and it was like a bathroom comedy hour! Now you laugh quite frequently, but mostly at Ransom or other children.
The other thing that you did for the first time this month was sit up by yourself! You still can only do it for about 10 seconds at a time before you start to leeeeean forward for support, but you're pretty adorable and look very grown up when you're practicing.
You had your very first Independence Day in Nacogdoches and you were very good and allowed all sorts of strangers to look at you and hold you! You seemed to really loved meeting many admiring fans and family members and we hope that you'll start to show the love more and more in return! Afterall, pretty is as pretty does!!
We are still struck by what an easy going baby you are and how, even when you haven't gotten good sleep or you are hungry, you really are very good about not making too much of a fuss! You still light up when you see your Daddy or Mommy or Ransom walk into your view and you love to chew on anything that is within your grasp!
You are our Angel and our little Miracle and with thank God for you every single day!
Much love, Mommy
Your fifth month was quite a busy one and a growing one for you! As I mentioned last month you had some pretty significant stranger danger that meant that even friends could not make eye contact with you for long periods of time ( and strangers?! definitely not!) without you bursting into dramatic tears. I was starting to think it was going to go on forever and we'd have to buy stock in Kleenex, but lucky for you and us, we had a month stock full of visitors that basically FORCED you to become more social.
We had about a three week period where we had some College friends of Brett's come visit us before starting more of their training to become missionaries in South America. Your namesake Tabitha visit from Canada and your Papa and Spicy from Nacogdoches. At one point we had five adults and two other children in the house with you. Through sheer survival you learned that other people deserved your smiles and the privilege of holding you just like your family. Well done!
On June 6th ( so barely into your 5th month) you laughed for the first time. It was pretty cute. I was holding you while Ransom was "doing his business" on the potty. I was also reading the book "Blue Hat, Green Hat" to Ransom. It seemed like, for the first time, Ransom got the humor of the book and started belly laughing. You in turn started laughing at Ransom laughing and it was like a bathroom comedy hour! Now you laugh quite frequently, but mostly at Ransom or other children.
The other thing that you did for the first time this month was sit up by yourself! You still can only do it for about 10 seconds at a time before you start to leeeeean forward for support, but you're pretty adorable and look very grown up when you're practicing.
You had your very first Independence Day in Nacogdoches and you were very good and allowed all sorts of strangers to look at you and hold you! You seemed to really loved meeting many admiring fans and family members and we hope that you'll start to show the love more and more in return! Afterall, pretty is as pretty does!!
We are still struck by what an easy going baby you are and how, even when you haven't gotten good sleep or you are hungry, you really are very good about not making too much of a fuss! You still light up when you see your Daddy or Mommy or Ransom walk into your view and you love to chew on anything that is within your grasp!
You are our Angel and our little Miracle and with thank God for you every single day!
Much love, Mommy
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Five Months
Dear Tabitha,
You are five months old today!!
You had a busy month of growing and learning. For starters this month you had your four month wellness check up. This was rough for you because it required another person outside our immediate family to make extended eye contact with you. This made you beyond sad. You were definitely Miss Sensitivity this month! But I enjoyed some extended snuggle times with you after your appointment, and I must admit that I love it when your Daddy watches your brother so I can hold you while you sleep. Snuggles with you are a gift from God.
Your stranger danger got pretty extreme this month, you literally cried when people looked at you on FaceTime, or when I tried having you facing outwards in the carrier at the grocery store. ( all things I tired to get you use to other people!) you even cried at other moms holding their own babies... Lucky for us our Aunt Donnave came to visit us this month and she did a great job of helping you work through your hesitations and by the end you had learned to smile and be happy around another person! This is good because you have such a sweet smile! We hate not getting to share it with others! Remember that you are a miracle to a LOT of people, my dear!
This month you continued to develop your voice and are really good at babbling and often let out little squeaks and high pitched screams ( very girlie of you). Your eye hand coordination continues to develop and you can now grab toys and shake them around, or more than likely, stuff them in your mouth.
You continue to be a really easy baby to have in our family, even if we're out and about and you miss a nap time, you're so laid back about it. Even though you are now way too alert and looking around to fall asleep outside your bed most of the time, you're very contented to sit quietly and look around, even when you're tired.
Tabitha you are such a sweet heart and you bring such joy to our lives, we look forward to all that you will continue to learn and do, and we look forward to when you will understand all the many gifts The Lord has given us in you!
Love you,
Mommy
You are five months old today!!
You had a busy month of growing and learning. For starters this month you had your four month wellness check up. This was rough for you because it required another person outside our immediate family to make extended eye contact with you. This made you beyond sad. You were definitely Miss Sensitivity this month! But I enjoyed some extended snuggle times with you after your appointment, and I must admit that I love it when your Daddy watches your brother so I can hold you while you sleep. Snuggles with you are a gift from God.
Your stranger danger got pretty extreme this month, you literally cried when people looked at you on FaceTime, or when I tried having you facing outwards in the carrier at the grocery store. ( all things I tired to get you use to other people!) you even cried at other moms holding their own babies... Lucky for us our Aunt Donnave came to visit us this month and she did a great job of helping you work through your hesitations and by the end you had learned to smile and be happy around another person! This is good because you have such a sweet smile! We hate not getting to share it with others! Remember that you are a miracle to a LOT of people, my dear!
This month you continued to develop your voice and are really good at babbling and often let out little squeaks and high pitched screams ( very girlie of you). Your eye hand coordination continues to develop and you can now grab toys and shake them around, or more than likely, stuff them in your mouth.
You continue to be a really easy baby to have in our family, even if we're out and about and you miss a nap time, you're so laid back about it. Even though you are now way too alert and looking around to fall asleep outside your bed most of the time, you're very contented to sit quietly and look around, even when you're tired.
Tabitha you are such a sweet heart and you bring such joy to our lives, we look forward to all that you will continue to learn and do, and we look forward to when you will understand all the many gifts The Lord has given us in you!
Love you,
Mommy
Thursday, May 2, 2013
4 months
Dear Sweet girl,
This month we finally got over the grumps at night...either you grew out of it, or we finally wised up and put you to bed earlier...probably a bit of both! Parenting is such a crazy guessing game sometimes.
This month you learned to roll over ( from tummy to back)! Yay! You did it for Papa and I when we were visiting Nacogdoches. You rolled over 3 times in a row just to prove that you really knew what you were doing. Speaking of our trip to Texas. You also chose that time to get a serious case of Stranger Danger and proceeded to cry when all of your grandmothers tried to pick you up! What gives?! Those ladies would do ANYTHING for you! But don't worry, you will soon learn your mistake and they are all very forgiving.
Along with rolling over you are now sleeping with one arm out of your swaddle. Your left arm to be exact, and you do the cutest thing: you loop your arm around your bears leg ( or arm depending) and nuzzle in.... You will often hold on so tight to your bear that when we go to pick you up and you're still asleep, we'll take bear along too by accident, because you just dont let go. I hope you love your bear as much as Ransom loves his!
One thing I KNOW you love is your own fist. You try to shove the whole thing in your mouth all at once, and you enjoy chewing on as much of it as you can manage.
I would give your current schedule. But right now that's a bit tough to say... You're going through another growth spurt and are eating extra meals at random times and getting up earlier in the morning. It does not make this Mama very happy, but then again you growing healthy and strong DOES make me happy and I am continually reminded how quickly this time is over! You're already four months old! This is hard for me to believe.
You continue to bring us all joy every day. You are truly our little miracle and I hope that I never forget what The Lord did in giving you to us.
This month we got to walk ( just kidding you threw a royal fit right before the walk started and had to stop to eat) in the Nacogdoches March of Dimes with our friend Dub Dub. We love honoring her twins Elliot and Evan and all the other babies that have benefited from that organization every year. This year I can truly say I understood and appreciated the stories of these families struggles and stories so much more because of this last year with you and your sister. Another gift you have given me!
Dub Dub also surprised us with stickers that read "Honoring Tabitha and Remembering Priscilla" on them for her whole team to wear. It was so sweet and your Mama cried. We are truly blessed by wonderful friends!
I'm excited to begin a new month with you, I know we have many fun new milestones to go through together!
We love you "baby bee",
Mommy
This month we finally got over the grumps at night...either you grew out of it, or we finally wised up and put you to bed earlier...probably a bit of both! Parenting is such a crazy guessing game sometimes.
This month you learned to roll over ( from tummy to back)! Yay! You did it for Papa and I when we were visiting Nacogdoches. You rolled over 3 times in a row just to prove that you really knew what you were doing. Speaking of our trip to Texas. You also chose that time to get a serious case of Stranger Danger and proceeded to cry when all of your grandmothers tried to pick you up! What gives?! Those ladies would do ANYTHING for you! But don't worry, you will soon learn your mistake and they are all very forgiving.
Along with rolling over you are now sleeping with one arm out of your swaddle. Your left arm to be exact, and you do the cutest thing: you loop your arm around your bears leg ( or arm depending) and nuzzle in.... You will often hold on so tight to your bear that when we go to pick you up and you're still asleep, we'll take bear along too by accident, because you just dont let go. I hope you love your bear as much as Ransom loves his!
One thing I KNOW you love is your own fist. You try to shove the whole thing in your mouth all at once, and you enjoy chewing on as much of it as you can manage.
I would give your current schedule. But right now that's a bit tough to say... You're going through another growth spurt and are eating extra meals at random times and getting up earlier in the morning. It does not make this Mama very happy, but then again you growing healthy and strong DOES make me happy and I am continually reminded how quickly this time is over! You're already four months old! This is hard for me to believe.
You continue to bring us all joy every day. You are truly our little miracle and I hope that I never forget what The Lord did in giving you to us.
This month we got to walk ( just kidding you threw a royal fit right before the walk started and had to stop to eat) in the Nacogdoches March of Dimes with our friend Dub Dub. We love honoring her twins Elliot and Evan and all the other babies that have benefited from that organization every year. This year I can truly say I understood and appreciated the stories of these families struggles and stories so much more because of this last year with you and your sister. Another gift you have given me!
Dub Dub also surprised us with stickers that read "Honoring Tabitha and Remembering Priscilla" on them for her whole team to wear. It was so sweet and your Mama cried. We are truly blessed by wonderful friends!
I'm excited to begin a new month with you, I know we have many fun new milestones to go through together!
We love you "baby bee",
Mommy
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Dear Priscilla,
Dear Priscilla,
Your sister is 3 months old today and that's when I mark things like how much she's grown and what she's learning and doing. It is days like this that make me miss you the most. You see, when you went to be with Jesus before you could even make it outside to meet us, I knew that you were going to a place that would be without pain, without sorrow and that by going there before you were born you would miss out on some awful things-like pimples, heartbreak, bad hair days, traffic jams, hunger, bullies, taxes, sickness, suffering and sin, all things that a Mama never hopes here child would face, but that she just might have in her life. And in this way, I was able to comfort myself when we lost you.
But, when I look at your sister and when I see her little grin and I rock her and think about her future life-a life that I hope includes, days that she feels beautiful, days that she feels smart, a day she knows that Jesus loves her and that she wants a relationship with Him, days when she finds purpose in her life, a day when she finds someone who loves Jesus too and that will love her above all others, a day when she might marry such a person, days that she gets to meet her own children-physical or spiritual, a day when she sees beauty in life....and as her mother, I look forward to hopefully getting to celebrate with her on such days. And, to be honest, it makes my heart hurt that I will not get to do the same with you.
It hurts my heart when I hung Tabitha's baby picture on the wall last night and it was virtually identical to Ransom's newborn picture. Identical. To think that in someways I get to see your face every day in my other babies, and yet I still long for yours! Strange.
But then when I do start to feel sad about all that you are "missing" I hear a little whisper in my heart reminding me that Heaven is not just the absence of bad things, it is also the very FULLNESS of all good things! You my dear are both beautiful and smart every single day, and you also know Jesus in a way that even your Mama doesn't understand, but I do envy! You also are not alone in that love, but are enjoying the great "cloud of witnesses" as the Bible calls them, young and old-but all ageless in heaven. You are living in a world of True Love.
So where does that leave us, your parents... Your sister, who I am sad will miss the joys of having you as an earthly sister, where does it leave us? Well, I've thought about it and I think your absence from our lives has left a hole. A hole that must be filled, with either grief , pain and despair OR hope and faith and conviction. It is my job to fill that hole, and loosing you has made me choose how I'd fill it all over again. It has made me look harder at my take on Reality. Thank you for giving me surer footing on that which I choose to stand. Thank you for giving me legit ties to heaven even now, and thank you for your little life that spent twenty one weeks with your sister and I. One day we will celebrate the life you're living now, together with Jesus. But until then know that I love you,
Your Mommy
Your sister is 3 months old today and that's when I mark things like how much she's grown and what she's learning and doing. It is days like this that make me miss you the most. You see, when you went to be with Jesus before you could even make it outside to meet us, I knew that you were going to a place that would be without pain, without sorrow and that by going there before you were born you would miss out on some awful things-like pimples, heartbreak, bad hair days, traffic jams, hunger, bullies, taxes, sickness, suffering and sin, all things that a Mama never hopes here child would face, but that she just might have in her life. And in this way, I was able to comfort myself when we lost you.
But, when I look at your sister and when I see her little grin and I rock her and think about her future life-a life that I hope includes, days that she feels beautiful, days that she feels smart, a day she knows that Jesus loves her and that she wants a relationship with Him, days when she finds purpose in her life, a day when she finds someone who loves Jesus too and that will love her above all others, a day when she might marry such a person, days that she gets to meet her own children-physical or spiritual, a day when she sees beauty in life....and as her mother, I look forward to hopefully getting to celebrate with her on such days. And, to be honest, it makes my heart hurt that I will not get to do the same with you.
It hurts my heart when I hung Tabitha's baby picture on the wall last night and it was virtually identical to Ransom's newborn picture. Identical. To think that in someways I get to see your face every day in my other babies, and yet I still long for yours! Strange.
But then when I do start to feel sad about all that you are "missing" I hear a little whisper in my heart reminding me that Heaven is not just the absence of bad things, it is also the very FULLNESS of all good things! You my dear are both beautiful and smart every single day, and you also know Jesus in a way that even your Mama doesn't understand, but I do envy! You also are not alone in that love, but are enjoying the great "cloud of witnesses" as the Bible calls them, young and old-but all ageless in heaven. You are living in a world of True Love.
So where does that leave us, your parents... Your sister, who I am sad will miss the joys of having you as an earthly sister, where does it leave us? Well, I've thought about it and I think your absence from our lives has left a hole. A hole that must be filled, with either grief , pain and despair OR hope and faith and conviction. It is my job to fill that hole, and loosing you has made me choose how I'd fill it all over again. It has made me look harder at my take on Reality. Thank you for giving me surer footing on that which I choose to stand. Thank you for giving me legit ties to heaven even now, and thank you for your little life that spent twenty one weeks with your sister and I. One day we will celebrate the life you're living now, together with Jesus. But until then know that I love you,
Your Mommy
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