Month Six: Happy Half Birthday!

This month was packed full of firsts. I can't believe how big and how grown up you became this month. You found and chewed on your toes--with your brand new teeth! I haven't really been looking for teeth but last week you were a little fussier than usual and I thought I'd just check. Lo and behold there were pokies in your mouth. You currently have two good-sized teeth and hopefully we are past the worst of your pain. At least until the next few decide to work their way up. You've been a tough little cookie and I've only put on the orajel for you a couple times. Cheerios, anyone?

I've been hesitant to start you on solids because, well, I just don't want you to grow up so fast doggone-it. But I've been able to tell that you are still hungry at night before bed so I figured it was time to break open the box of rice cereal. You gobbled up the whole bowl with no problem at all with probably only 30

percent on your face. Ok, maybe more.

You've been sitting up great for at least a month now and can play all by yourself with a basket of toys until you've pulled every one out. Nothing better than a good game of "Take the Toys out of the Basket." We just got a box of blocks so you can start learning your letters...we'll have you writing within the year. Right? After that we'll hit philosophy and the meaning of life.

And of course, we are pretty sure you're already a virtuoso. You can pound in what we like to call "artistic harmony." You usually stop to listen to daddy pound a little more gracefully, but as soon as he's done, you add in your own melody to his. It's lovely.

We went to two birthday parties of your friends. Of course, you don't really know yet that they're your friends, but that's ok. You like getting all dressed up, meeting new people and we like all the food, friends, cupcakes and party favors, aka bottles of bubbles. You are now a big fan of watching us blow bubbles into the wind. Summer is the best time for bubble blowing.

Ah, the crib bed head look. It's totally all the rage right now.

Some days you seem to keep every sip of milk down and other days you barf up half of it all. You are such a mess sometimes. But darn it, you're adorable. Let's just get a washcloth before any kisses, m'kay?

This month we finally got a bike trailer to pull along and go for bike rides with you. You had your shades, some fun rings and after being strapped into your car seat you held on for dear life. However, I was the one driving, so we couldn't really go too fast. Next time we're going to make Dad pull.

You can't pull yourself up or get into a sitting position from lying down, but you want to stand up all day long. You're starting to take steps with us holding you up. It's exciting, but at the same time it sure is handy to be able to leave you in the saucer while I make dinner or plunk you down with your basket of toys and a pillow and know you're not going anywhere. Oh the mischief you will get into when you're mobile! Stay little and stationary, my sweet.

We're still working on finding a way to make you like tummy time. We try new tricks every day in hopes that something will make you happy. Propping you up on a boppy pillow in front of an activity center and helping you play with all the wheels and knobs. Lying you on one of our chests and making faces. Flying you up above our heads or hovering you over the floor. The pool was the newest one--you had to hold your heavy little head up or it would get all wet! Fortunately, you did really well with that one. And you do love your pool.

We're starting to discover a few of your favorite things. A couple favorite books, your bunny blankie and, of course, your kitty. She is getting more patient with your hands grabbing for her soft fluffy fur and pulling her ears.

It was a good month, baby girl. There's a lot of junk in this world. A lot of frustration and heartache and pain for a lot of people. But when you put your tiny little arms around my neck for a hug it's all a bit better for a while. At least it is after I pry my hair out from between your fingers.

Gross-out Moment of the Week

After feeding the baby at six in the morning, I'm about to put her in her crib and stumble back to bed myself when she barfs right down into the front of my shirt.

Fabulous.

Pics from the 3rd / 4th

Fabulous traditional party across from the fireworks. Posing for a family picture.








Having fun during the parade this morning. Baby loves to fly up in the sky.








She has been sitting up for very long periods of time the past few days. Her favorite game is "take all toys out of the basket." It's pretty fun.







We had a fun photo shoot outside in the grass today. This kid is too darn cute.

My Old Man

This past Monday we celebrated Andy's 30th birthday. His best friend also turned thirty this month so his wife & I decided we should have one big bash and call it their 60th Birthday Party. Man, those guys are old.







After a day of prepping salsa and hummus, making cupcakes & drinks then marinating several pounds of chicken, I got to be the grill master for the evening and spent some time flipping the juicy birds and hot dogs for the kiddos.




Of course, I did a bit of playing with my baby when I wasn't grilling. She's just so darn cute and fun!



There was tons of food for all, (including a fabulous noodle salad, corn biscuit casserole, cookies and more cupcakes from my party-mate) Frisbee, hillbilly horseshoes, and a rousing game of croquet which all the dads played while carrying their tots. I have no idea who won. Anyone else know?






But they all looked super studly out there with their babies and croquet mallets.








We have always loved living close to downtown, but also half a block away from our local zoo and beautiful park. We call it our back yard with the bonus that we don't have to mow it and there are plenty of picnic tables at our disposal.






With 20 adults, 15 kids and 1 dog it was a beautiful evening and a huge success!








Hopefully, his next 30 years will be just as much fun as his first 30! We're just hoping we'll still remember where we put that birthday candle.

My Baby? You Decide.

The other day I was sorting through a few items in my daughter's baby book and found her birth certificate. I looked inside and notice that they had stamped her feet in it after she was born. Awww.

My baby book came with a special little "clean" stamp pad where you press the baby's foot onto the top of the pad, which is covered in plastic, and it makes the print on the paper below.

In looking at the prints I had made of my baby's feet, and the ones done in the hospital, I noticed something strange.

They are nothing alike.

Those footprints on my child's birth certificate? Not my child's feet.










See for yourself. They are not the same. Totally not the same. Not to mention the fact that the ones taken two weeks earlier are bigger. Huh.

Do I do or say something about it? The small print on the bottom of the page says that they are not a legal document and are a memento. Ok, sure, but not a memento of my kid.

Andy says that they did it right in the birthing room. Apparently, after they took the card away, they filled out some other kids' info on it.

Baby 5.5

(She is now five and a half months old. I kept missing and then putting off writing her five month post. Apparently, she was also neglected this month as she has very few pictures. But she's got lots of fun video. It just needs editing. A very time consuming project.)




This month you seemed to make so many changes! Not only are you getting bigger every day, (and always cuter) but you really seem to be learning new things. I still have a hard time distinguishing whether you are doing something intentionally or accidentally, but it is starting to move more often toward intention.





You love to grab. Anything and everything, but most especially people's faces. Noses, hair, eyes, lips. Your toys hold new interest for you and you can play with a toy for a lot longer now. You notice the textures and the movements and you are more concerned with all their different sounds.





It's possible that you've started teething as you can go through your whole pile of bibs in a day with your drool. The binkie seems to keep some of it in, but you can leak all over in mere moments. I have been making waterproof bibs so you don't have to change your clothes as many times.





You now love to stand up. You can only handle lying down or rolling around for so long before you want to stand. Sitting is only a means for you to be closer to standing. I think we may need to buy some more sticky-footed socks so you don't slide all over.

We still try to enforce tummy time as often during a day as possible, but you are not a fan at all. You will tolerate it, and our silly shenanigans for about five minutes until you have had enough. I have a bad feeling that you are going to be a walker long before you crawl.

Joining In: WFMW

I don't usually do a daily post or a "scheduled" topic, but today I was specifically thinking of a few things that worked for me today.

Craigslist. I don't know if you have a craigslist community near you, but you should definitely check into it. I sold a ton of great stuff yesterday and am steadily purging my house of things I don't need, hardly use, and am completely sick of. Plus, I am building up my home improvement fund for remodeling the attic & the basement this winter.

Paying my car insurance premium semi-annually instead of monthly. With our last car, we only had the minimum insurance coverage and the premium reflected this. I was easily able to pay it up front and didn't have to see regular bills. I have been saving up enough lately to pay the most recent one altogether and am looking forward to not having to pay it again until December! Why shouldn't I collect some interest and avoid the (albeit small) monthly fee? Plus, it just makes me feel much more on top of things to get this done.

What doesn't work for me on this beautiful, sunny Wednesday? The piles of laundry to put away, the dishes, the garden to clean and move, the luggage still sitting out, the odds and ends and junk around that needs to be returned to rightful places. All in due time, I suppose. Reading a book and being back in the cottage on the lake would work for me a whole lot better I think.

At the Lake

Growing up, we would go to the lake several times during the summer. My grandparents owned a small, cozy cottage on Lake Chautauqua in Western New York. We'd spend the day in the shallow, rocky water searching for mussels to try to pull apart or roll on the gentle waves in our inner tubes.

Fishing was a given. Gramma was an avid fisher who not only could fillet a mean perch, but could catch one just by winking at it. If you went to the cottage, you had to fish. It took me years to learn to string my own worms, but still never had the courage or ability to get the fish itself off of the hook.

I loved sitting and staring lazily at a red and white striped bobbin riding the waves. Waiting until it came in too far past the best fish spot and reeling it back in only to throw it out again immediately into deeper waters. It wasn't about how many or how big; it was just about the soothing, relaxing time of fishing with Gramma. She'd show you the best way to cast the line and where it was easiest to catch a fish. She knew when a shiny little minnow would catch a bigger fish and when the little worms were better.

Far too often Pop would have to get his waders on and walk into the water to dislodge my hook from the rocks in the shallows. He never complained, just chuckled that it was only fifteen minutes since the last time.

It wasn't really summer unless we had spent time at the cottage. Eating macaroni salad, chicken barbecue and chocolate chip cookies while sitting on the dock. Laying for hours on the green cloth hammock stretched tight on the poles while staring up at the clouds floating by. Laziness was a virtue at the cottage.

Last year they sold it to their long-time neighbors. Most of the family has moved far enough away that we didn't always make it up even once a summer. The new owners have renovated it beyond recognition of it's original style. Instead of dark paneling, piles of old magazines and the musty smell of a too-long-closed-up room we arrived this week to find a fresh, airy, light vacation getaway. You can still see the original walls, but that is about all that has survived the transition.

The deck which used to sit off the front and face the water is now completely enclosed and a new deck added. The kitchen, with its ancient appliances and cramped cupboards has become a bright new room with updated everything and a beautiful, chic stand-alone island. The whole place has a feel of sunshine, pale blue water and summertime instead of a dark, cold fishing cabin hiding in the woods.

I loved the old cottage. I loved the musty smell, the coziness, the familiar piles of old games, books and knick-knacks. I loved hearing the easy-listening channel on the radio all day. I loved sitting with a pair of binoculars and looking at the boats sailing or speeding by. I loved digging through the closet to see what random junk could be found for play. I loved meeting the whole family for a day of talking and laughing and eating, fishing and swimming. There were years of happy memories stored up in that cottage.

I also love the new cottage. We'll still only be able to come up here once a year, but it feels more like a vacation now with the added benefit of modern conveniences. Instead of musty, it smells like fresh water and just plain clean. Instead of fish heads nailed to the boards on the porch, there is framed artwork inside. We don't have to haul in a bucket of water to flush the toilet and the shower has continual hot water. We can watch movies on the HD flat screen and still listen to the waves crashing on the shore. We can cook and bake and grill and eat with brand new appliances.

We are the first customers this cottage has ever lived with. It seems fitting that we get to gently break it in and give it some new memories.

The old was good. It was very good. But the new is good too. Maybe the new is even great. See for yourself.


Cottage from Anne on Vimeo.

So, You Wanna Hear Something Really Gross?

This morning we were up early to listen to a friend who was on the radio. Ok, I'll be honest, I slept through half of it, but the baby finally made me get up at 7:30. Ugh, that is not my favorite time of the day.

After the radio show, hubby made a yummy pot of coffee and then we walked a couple houses down to meet some friends who were checking out a home for sale. It was interesting to say the least. The house has been vacant for over a year, the previous owners having vanished into thin air. (KIND OF LIKE THE ISLAND!)

Frankly, it wasn't nearly as horrible as I was expecting for the price at which it was listed. We wandered through imagining with them what it could be like and what could be done for improvements.

Baby happily looked at each new room and peered cautiously around every corner.

I happily sipped my hot coffee with foamed milk. Mmmm.

I noticed some had spilled onto my sleeve (sometimes I over fill my travel mugs) so I slurped it up. What? I didn't want to waste it!

Yeah. That was not foamed milk on my sleeve.

Stuff I've Done (Beacase It Makes me Feel Good to Make a List) (Also Because It's Nice Not to Have to Check Grammar)

I've kind of been a bit of a Suzy Homemaker the past couple of days. Daddy's gotten extra baby time as I occupy myself with various and sundry domestic tasks including, but not limited to:

Homemade:

salsa

tortilla chips

hummus

brownies

banana bread

spaghetti sauce

Cooking several actual dinners for my family

Weeding both flower & vegetable gardens and planting my front step planters. (Granted, I had an excessive amount of help weeding & planting from a friend. Even though she did it out of the goodness of her heart (Plus? She likes weeding!) I paid with dinner & DQ, but I am still indebted!)

Cleaned for and had a fantastic Memorial Day BBQ

Sewed:

bibs

aprons (hooray for a sale!)

diapers

binkie straps

I have another big sewing project I'm working on and will post pics after I'm done. It's something I've never made before so I'm really hoping it turns out well!

Just Like That

I realize that the following information is only momentous to me, but here goes anyway.

Baby decided to sleep through the night again. She took a few weeks off in order to eat several extra meals and grow a bit, but now she seems to be back to her regularly scheduled program.

At least she was last night. We'll see how tonight goes. My fingers are crossed.

Baby Goes to Bed

I'll warn you right now that this is over 6 minutes, so if you're not a relative you may not necessarily be enthralled for the whole time. However, if you do watch the whole thing, the end is humorous.


Baby Goes to Bed from Anne on Vimeo.

Time for Crunches

I often find that I fall so far short of my goals. Right now, life is good. Baby is healthy and happy and learning new things every day. Summer is around the corner and the world is fresh and green again. Andy & I are coming up on our 7 year anniversary while discovering our love to be stronger all the time.

In spite of all of the goodness around me, I am unsettled. My procrastination seems to be at an all-time high in a time when I have so much to do. Ever-growing mounds of laundry, dishes piling at every turn and my garden needing vast amounts of attention. Not only do I want to be successful at motherhood, I want to be a better housekeeper.

This spring I paid to go to exercise classes and every week something comes up to prevent me from attending as often as I should. The excuses are usually pretty weak. Last night I just wanted to spend time with my baby and this morning, well, I think it's just gotten to a point where I don't care any more. Sure, I should go. I'm even up early enough to have time to eat long enough before I go. But I don't.

Budgeting has also fallen by the wayside for me. I feel as though I have been pretty good about not buying extraneous items, but at the same time I am off the mark from where we need to be. Stupid mistakes that end up costing a lot of money. Stupid and so frustrating.

Worst of all is my spiritual life.

So here I am, highly frustrated with myself and throwing my vulnerability out into the world. They say you should only work on one new habit at a time, but I feel as though there are so many things in my life that need complete overhauls.

Debbie Downer signing off.

Sales

Last night hubby and I took a stroll with our bebe on our local walking/biking/running trail and chatted about the year to come. He's turning thirty in a month and I asked him what he was hoping and dreaming for this momentous year.

It was a beautiful evening for a walk. Birds were chirping, everything was green around us and the mosquitoes were just beginning to bite. Ok, so the mosquitoes weren't quite so beautiful. I did make the decision that we won't be going back on the trail until I purchase a baby bike trailer.

The bike trailer was part of our year-goal-chat last night. One of my goals is to sell more and buy less. Sell more products that I make as well as to start siphoning off a lot of extraneous items around the house. I keep listing (and relisting) things on craigslist in hopes of reducing my material goods. Not to mention the fact that I work less and therefore make less nowadays.

At the same time, there are a few things (bike trailer) that we want to buy in the upcoming year. Or week, as the case may be. Our tax refund was mailed to us yesterday (according to the official irs schedule) and I want to use the majority to pay off some debt, but also use a bit to purchase a little camcorder.

Baby girl just keeps getting sweeter and cuter and we would love to be able to record some of her cuteness on tape! Or on hard drive, in our case. We want to do our part to stimulate the economy anyway.

What are you using your refund for?

An Epic Tale

It was a dark and stormy night. The wind whipped each drop of rain fiercely so that they felt like needles against my skin. Eternity stretched before me as I took each staggering step forward into the inky blackness. Fearing what was behind me yet terrified of what was ahead, I could only move blindly toward what would later prove to be one of the greatest moments in my life.

Ok. That might be a bit of an overstatement. It wasn't night and it wasn't raining either. Aaaand I suppose I wasn't really scared about anything, nor was it quite that monumental.

The actual story just didn't have a whole lot of pizazz to it so I figured I should try to spice it up a bit. Ah well.


Today was baby's First Shot. I don't want to go with the regular immunization schedule for a lot of reasons, but for one, I'm just not comfortable giving such a tiny person so many shots all at once when she's so young. We're just taking it slow. What goes in can't come back out and I don't want any regrets. So she just got one today.



I gave her a bit of Tylenol before we left to go to the doctor's and hoped for the best. The visit was uneventful. I was mostly just nervous about whether they would be okay with my choice or if it would be a big deal. No worries needed. Everything went perfectly smoothly and I don't think she even noticed the poke. Frankly, I think she was more grumpy about how our arrival at the office interrupted her nap.

The cat seemed to be more needy and clingy today than the baby was. So they both got a little extra snuggling and everyone is happy.

Time for bed. Lately, Baby has been getting up earlier than usual. Earlier than I would prefer, if the truth be told. I should just be thankful that we have gotten as much sleep as we have up until now. I know it will only continue to get earlier, so remind me of my thankfulness in a few months, ok?

Momma's First

Mother's Day always causes one to think of their mother. Obviously. Yet, this year I get to think of myself as well. What kind of mom am I going to be?

Will I overprotect? Will I be too free? Will I be able to fall somewhere comfortably in between?


I remember my mom as having plenty of rules, yes, but loving my brother & I so much in spite of the rules. She made each of us our own stuffed animals. Even when we didn't have much money, she made sure we got presents we loved. I remember her sending me cards when I was at "camp," (Grandma's) and my brother got care packages all the time at college. She showed us her love with her gifts.

Will I be able to have enough rules that Randall will not feel claustrophobic yet she'll know we care enough to make the rules and stick with them? Will I be able to shower her with gifts, yet teach her their value and meaning? Will I be able to make her feel special yet not spoiled?

My mom loved to cook, to bake, to can food. She ate incredibly healthy herself, yet let us eat things we preferred while still getting our veggies in us. She showed us her love with her cooking.

Will I be hardworking? Will I put the effort into making healthy, sustaining food for my family? Will I put the time into working to be frugal and pinch pennies where I have to in order to insure we have enough?

Mom was always a hugger. She never shied away from hugging us and hugging others. She showed us her love with physical affection.

I don't have to ask myself if I will succeed at this. I know that I will want to hug and kiss my daughter even when she prefers I stay away.

Andy got me a pink rose plant, a sweet card and a huge cookie that said, "Mom." Frankly, the cookie is super corny, but it still made me tear right up. I gotta love the guy for his corny-ness. Today will involve church work this morning, prep for a party tonight, a party for my volunteers and then hopefully going to bed early!

I want to cherish my first day. I want to ponder what it means to be good at this job. I want to thank God for the reason I get to participate in this holiday. I want to enjoy being honored. And tomorrow I want to work all the harder to deserve it next year.

Month Four

This month has been full of all kinds of craziness! You met your namesake, your grandma, tons of great-aunts & uncles and even great-great aunts! Our trip to New York, while planned, ended up being completely different than we expected. Even though mama was stressed out the entire time, you took it all in stride and loved everyone you met.



You were spectacular on every flight and slept through the night like a champ. Granted, you refused to sleep in the pack & play we hauled around with us and chose your carseat instead, but we were just happy you slept!










This month you learned to roll from your back onto your belly and as soon as you found yourself there for too long, you let us know how unhappy you were about it! Rolling back and forth and all around was your favorite past-time for a few weeks and then you just stopped doing it. It was as if you had accomplished a task, checked it off of your list and moved on to something new.



We have started instituting "nekked time" every evening for about a half hour. There are few things that make you happier than rolling around and playing without your clothes or diaper on. I always make sure to keep a couple cloth diapers under you to protect the carpet, but so far there haven't been any squirting problems! You are so stinking much fun that I love to just watch you play and roll and smile you gummy little smile.



Bath time is still one of your favorite times of the day. You never seem to laugh or smile during your bath, but you are so quiet and content and enthralled with the whole process. We just bought you some new bath toys too...not that you can play with them yet, but you'll have fun with them when you are able.




It seems as though you will only take short naps during the day unless you are being held and snuggled, in which case, you'll sleep for hours. Sometimes it is frustrating as I want or need to get stuff done, but when I'm holding you and watching your sweet little face, I don't mind one bit. I don't think there can be anything better than snuggling with a sleeping baby.



We haven't heard it very often, but every now and then your laughs have come out as actual giggles. Usually, you will laugh at our silly faces and get so excited to "run" and "jump" and love being held up high and then float down to our laps. Yet it's rare that we hear a giggle come out...but this month we have heard a few. It's amazing the things we'll do to try to get you to laugh and smile. We must look like complete idiots, but you love it.






You keep getting bigger and sweeter every single day. I love to dress you up and show you off. I love to take you for a walk and let you look at everything around you. I love to kiss your little mouth and chubby belly. I love to hold your tiny hands and nibble your teeny toes.

This month we dedicated ourselves and you to God. Hopefully, we remember all that we promised and that we will do our very best for you.

Nursing News (aka: guys, please move along)

I don't know that there are a whole lot of guys that read this, but I have given fair warning that you need not read any further. Seriously.


That said, I am happy to announce that we have been silicone free for about a week now.

Medela has been my best friend since I first had Randall. They say that you should not give up nursing until you have tried it for at least six weeks, but after less than a week of fighting with my child for every single meal, we switched to my pumping and her receiving a bottle. For as much as I wanted to only breastfeed her, I also didn't want to spend every moment with her angry. She wasn't getting enough to eat and she was always mad. With bottle feeding my expressed milk, she was calm, full and happy. Pumping was simple and much faster as well. To me, this seemed like the best way to go.


Until I heard from a friend who had had similar nursing problems and solved them with the nipple shield. Now, the nurse in the hospital had mentioned this option to me when we were working on the latch there, but I didn't know what it was and when she asked if I wanted to try one, I just said (for the second time), "I don't know," and they didn't press the issue. I wish they had.

This little guy was magic. She latched onto it immediately and from then on all was well. Pumping was getting rather tedious for every feeding and was very difficult when I was home alone during the day or at work with the baby.

We did spend a couple days where I had to keep fighting with her to stay awake for a full feeding, but she quickly grew out of that as well.

While we were in New York last month, we had a very bad feeding incident. I had only brought one of my three shields with me (mistake #1) and the one I had I left behind (mistake # 2). The best place to keep it is tucked happily right in my bra, but had I put it there? No, I left it on the dresser instead.

The decision had been made to stop at my mom's for one last visit before flying home and when we arrived there and the baby was hungry I discovered my glaring error. She would not nurse without the shield and it then took another ten minutes to hunt down a cup & hot water to warm up the bottle that I had brought along in her cooler. All in all, it was not a pretty situation.

I knew I couldn't rush her to stop using the shield and that she would wean off of it in her own time. Frankly, I wasn't too concerned. Even if she ended up using it for the next six months, at least she was still eating well and happy and it was not that big of a deal on my part, so long as I don't lose them.

So here she was, approaching her four month mark and she just decided one day that she was done. Eating was a bit fussy one evening, so I popped the shield off and gave her a shot at silicone-freedom. She hasn't looked back since.

I tell you all this (quite personal) info not just so I can document it for myself, but because I don't think enough people know about this option. It saved our nursing and my sanity many a time. If you know of someone who just had a baby and is having a hard time nursing or teaching her baby to latch, let them know that this is a fabulous option to be able to nurse and not have to switch to formula or have to pump all the time!

Baby Dedication

Dear Randi-

You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and cleverly and thoughtfully named as well. Randall Gabrielle F is a name with a strong family connection and one with a lot of history. We chose this because family is important to us as well as a sense of your heritage, but more than in a genealogical way. We believe that as children of God we are part of a lineage that traces back to the foundations of humanity itself. May your name remind you that you are part of something that is bigger than what we know and broader than what we can imagine.

You will grow up surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses; parents and grandparents and great grandparent s; sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles; generations of our family have chased after our Lord and Savior and we pray that our stories and examples would challenge you to do the same. Never forget that you are part of something Big. Our God has spent all of history building for himself a nation, a kingdom, a priesthood… a family who will be his light and blessing to a very beautiful yet broken world in need of redemption and restoration. But in this big story our prayer is that you would come to realize the unique and individual way that God has called and designed you to be His child in His world.

We loved the name Gabrielle and it reminds us of the angel Gabriel. In German, Randi means beautiful and you, our sweet daughter, are our Beautiful Angel. Every day you are more precious and more beautiful to us. We can’t stop looking at you and loving every moment of your life.

Everyone is always commenting on who you look like. Sometimes it’s Mama and sometimes it’s Daddy. We just know that you are going to be a part of us both and altogether yourself. You are becoming your own person more every day and it is going to be so much fun to see you grow up and discover who you are! May you rejoice in who God has made you and always strive to become the woman He designed you to be.

You will always be loved unconditionally. Even now, there is nothing that you could do or have done to make us love you more or less. God has specifically given you to us, and us to you and we love you for exactly who you are.

We hope you are fun and silly and can appreciate your Daddy’s sense of humor! We hope you will love art and music, animals and the beauty everywhere around you.

May you grow in wisdom and stature (but not too tall!). May you grow in favor with God and with man (but not with men until you are at least 30!). May you know the goodness of your Savior and show His love to everyone you meet. May your heart be soft yet strong, and your mind sharp and thoughtful. May you be pure and honest, full of grace and truth. We desire the very best for you and your life and will do everything in our power to teach you and raise you up in the way you should go. By the grace of God we give you back to him. Today we dedicate ourselves in His service to bring you up in His Word and with His love.

We love you our blessed daughter.

Love, Mama & Daddy