Georgia's Room

The other day Georgia and I were sitting in the glider together and I started looking around the room. Her WHOLE room is filled with items that friends and family have either made for her or have given us. She is LOVED by so many!

I finally got the "icing on the cake" for Georgia's room and I HAD to post pictures of it now that it's done! Katriana, a very talented friend of mine, painted an old window for us to hang above Georgia Claire's bed. She took swatches of the fabrics we used and copied it onto the window! It is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Thank you, Katriana!

This picture shows it above her bed...PERFECT!

I bought Georgia's bed from my cousin Matt. His son used it just a few times. I actually bought it a few years ago, thinking we would need it then...my mom used it at her house for awhile, my friend Amanda used it for awhile...now, finally it's our turn!!! Shelby & Dad painted it off-white using Dad's good sprayer that he uses to spray tractor parts...I can't believe he let us use it! Who am I kidding?! He'd do anything for this baby girl or ANY of his grandkids! All of Georgia's bedding, the pillows for the daybed, and the curtains were made by my very talented mother-in-law, Paula. The bumper pad has a soft melon-colored fabric on the inside and the paisley print that I LOVE on the outside, with a turquoise nubby fabric for the ties and cording. The crib skirt is a plaid with the nubby turquoise for a trim on the bottom with tiny pink ball fringe...she is SO GOOD! The "taggy" blanket on the side of the bed is made by my friend Ginger and has Georgia's name embroidered on it...I JUST LOVE IT!

Here is the embroidered picture that my friend Kathleen made for us...it says, "For This Child We Prayed". The bottom is a poem that my friend Angie had matted and framed for us...it's called "Baby" by George McDonald and it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it!

Shelby bought the bird cage at a cool place in Ardmore when he was there for work called "The Cloverleaf"...it is a funky store with lots of cool jewelry, decorations, clothes, and shoes that you will not find anywhere else! If you are ever there, and you like that kind of thing, STOP! It's FABULOUS and it's really handy...right off the interstate! The changing table was Andy's & Kathy's...I just updated it by painting the baskets, the bottom drawer, and adding glass handles to make it fit with the decor in Georgia's room. The small table beside the changing table is one that Shelby's grandparents gave us.
Here is a closer picture of the bird cage...the initials were made by my sister Kathy. I also clothespinned cards and notes that we received for Georgia, as well as her hat and hospital bracelet from her birth.

The pottery was all either garage sale finds or given to us by Shelby's parents or my sister Angie. The small blue cabinet was also given to us by Shelby's parents. The picture frames were made by Kathy, too!

The turquoise chest was given to us by my sister Angie...she no longer wanted it. I bought pink glass knobs to make it a little more "girly". This was the inspiration piece for the room...I wanted turquoise in the room!
This little chair was Shelby's when he was a little boy, but I just painted it. His Grandma bought it for him in an antique store...he used to sit in it! The plate is a state of Georgia plate...Kathy got that for us!
The large picture in the middle is a scene of flowers and birds that my sister Angie made. They are all made from scrapbook paper...all circles or parts of circles...it's so pretty! The 3 bird prints were made by Kathy's kiddos for Shelby on his birthday. He LOVES birds and we were excited to get to use them in her room! The ABC's book is from Shelby's sister, Heather. The small turquoise bird is from Shelby's parents' collection.
And, here is a picture of the daybed (given to us by my parents) in the room...pillows made by Paula and numbered bird cards were given to us by Kathy.
Georgia Claire's room would not fit in with the rest of our house if it was filled with brand-new things! She's going to have to like antiques! =) After all, I DID see her name in the "antique charm" section of the baby book! Thank you to all of you who contributed to making her room so sweet! I think she is going to LOVE it when she is old enough to enjoy it!

Laughing with Aunt Kathy...

My sister Kathy was just saying the other day that this is the time when we will all start acting like crazy people in order to get a smile out of Georgia...well the craziness has started! Now that we know she can and will smile at us, we are all trying to get a smile or grin out of her...Kathy was the recipient of some precious smiles last night. We were at Mom's & Dad's celebrating Dad's birthday a few days late and Kathy & Georgia were hanging out together after supper when I got these pics...

Georgia is copying Kathy, making a funny little face...

I started laughing and she turned and I caught this smile...

And then she was basically laughing at Kathy!

Ohhh...I LOVE THIS LITTLE GIRL!!!

I've been reading this devotional book since January 1st, that my mom gave me for Christmas called "God Calling" by A.J. Russell. It is amazing at how it has spoken directly to Shelby & me over the last 7 months, especially when in the days before Georgia was born! Today it is called "Gratitude" and one sentence that stood out to me said, "Man proves his greatness by his power to see causes for thankfulness in his life." Shelby and I are both so thankful, not only for Georgia's life, but for the whole entire journey to her...thank you, Lord! Georgia Claire is cause for GREAT THANKFULNESS!!!!!

Quality Peach...Second Time Around!

If you've been following the blog, I know you remember this picture of Georgia...taken on June 24th...just one week after she was born! Well, today we were back at the farm selling peaches and I decided to weigh her again!

Today, a little over 6 weeks old, Georgia Claire now weighs 11 POUNDS!!! She weighed 6 lbs 14 oz when she was born! Two weeks ago at the doctor she was 9 lb. 2 oz...I knew she was getting bigger but I had no idea!

She's getting those fat thighs and double chin...I could just eat her up! She is such a sweet baby.

I also had to get a picture of her "talking" to her cow...she LOVES this cow and was just smiling and cooing at it for the longest time! TOO sweet...

Happy Birthday, Paw Paw!

On July 27, 1943, James Vance Robinson was born to Opal Odessa & George Alvis in Corsicana, TX. He is my dad, and known now mainly as Paw Paw. Georgia Claire makes his 6th grandchild...3 boys and 3 girls. Here are just a few of the many reasons we all love Paw Paw...

• he is a Godly example of what a husband and father should be to us and so many others
• he has worked hard to make a nice life for mom and his whole family
• he taught us right from wrong and that hard work and trials in your life build character (Angie, Kathy & I have heard that our ENTIRE LIFE!)
• he is a whole lot of fun...likes to play hide-n-seek & gives tractor rides at the drop of a hat
• he started growing Christmas trees, blueberries and peaches in his "spare time" in order to put his three girls through college
• he is the best farmer and shares his bountiful harvest with us...peas, squash, tomatoes, corn, new potatoes, & peaches
• he gives the best bear hugs
• he loves us unconditionally

Here he is peeling a peach and giving bites to Mary Katherine...he couldn't peel it fast enough!

Here he is reading to Will and Caroline...they LOVE climbing up in Paw Paw's lap!

And here he is talking to Georgia...she loves him already!
Happy 66th Birthday, Paw Paw! We love you!

Busy Weekend!

On Friday we went to see Shelby's parents Paula & Barry, his sister Heather, and his Grandma. They live in Keller...about a 3 hour trip from our home. It worked out great with Georgia's nap because Shelby was able to take off early and we left right when she fell asleep. She slept until Irving and then started crying. Of course, we were in the HOV lane and it took a while to get out, but eventually we were able to and stopped for a bottle and diaper change. After that, she was good to go again! She was the best little traveler on her first road trip! Paula cooked a delicious dinner for us and we enjoyed just hanging out Friday night. We took the pack 'n play and Georgia slept 7.5 hours!

Here she is going...SO EXCITED! Ha!

Saturday morning we got up and toured a model home of the one that Barry, Paula & Grandma are building. IF they sell the homes they are in now, the plan is for them and Heather to all move in together...it is a BEAUTIFUL home and everyone has their own space..there is even an area in the game room for Heather's old Fisher Price toys for Georgia to play with and a reading nook especially for reading bedtime stories with her! It will be a lot of fun for Georgia to have all of them in one home together. After touring the home we went to eat at the antique mall. Barry has a space there and he also does the decorating for the owners and their spaces. He is so talented. Heather also helps decorate and waits tables there while she is going to school at TCC as an art student. She was our waitress for lunch and once again, Georgia slept through the entire thing!

Here she is with Aunt Heather...
Barry & Paula (or Granbarry and Mimi as we think they will be called...or we will see what miss Georgia comes up with!) are in love and enjoyed the cuddling and rocking this weekend. Barry wasn't sure about a new baby at first, I think he was thinking she was too fragile. BUT, as you can see from the pictures below, he cannot stop looking at her! He has DEFINITELY gotten over his insecurities about a newborn and is loving Georgia, as is the ENTIRE family! These pictures cracked me up...Paula was trying to burp Georgia and Barry was squatting behind the chair talking to her.

Paula sang to Georgia each time she had her...Georgia likes music and singing. Her birthmother is musically talented and I know it must be soothing to Georgia to hear it! Remembering the words to the sweet little lullabies is something we are all having trouble with...have to freshen up on those!
Each time Aunt Heather held Georgia she had her FULL attention...she even cooed at her a couple of times. SO sweet...
I mentioned earlier that Heather is an art student at Tarrant County College...one of her paintings was bought by one of the deans from her school and put in an art show at the Ft. Worth Community Arts Center. Here we are in front of her first masterpiece in a series that she plans to do with Fisher Price Little People. This one is called "Away From the Crowd". All of her paintings in this particular series will be scenes from her life, using Little People. She LOVED Fisher Price Little People when she was little, and being the antique collectors that they are, Barry and Paula saved everything. We are very excited that Georgia will have all of those GREAT toys to play with one day soon! Heather is VERY talented and will be VERY successful with her painting career, I'm sure!
We ate supper with our friends Greg and Kathleen on Saturday night. They were leaving the next morning, moving to Virginia! While we waited on them to get to the restaurant Georgia had a little snooze with her daddy...
AND a snooze with momma...
After dinner we headed to a farewell party for Greg, Kathleen, and Malachi. This was their first time to meet Georgia. Here is Kathleen, being the natural that she is!
And here we all are, before saying good-bye. We met Greg and Kathleen at church when we lived in Euless from 2005-2006. They became such dear friends of ours...we will greatly miss them, but we will DEFINITELY be going to see them in Virginia! I love this picture because Georgia is in it with these precious friends that were prayer warriors on our behalf. They prayed for us for so long while we were struggling with all of our infertility issues. We love you Greg, Kathleen, Malachi, (and Trooper)!

A great invention...

We're getting ready to go see Shelby's family this weekend, and I had a lot to do so I put Georgia in the sling so that I would have both hands. She slept right through it all...I've decided the sling is a great invention! My sister Kathy used one with her girls, especially Caroline, and she always slept SO SOUNDLY! I washed dishes, vacuumed, and did the laundry and she never woke up! Sweet girl...

Smiley Georgia

I've learned that Georgia usually has a smile or two for me when she wakes up, so today I was ready with the camera and just look at the precious pictures I captured!

Here she is just waking up...

And here she is with a happy face for me...

And then smiling so big that she has a wrinkled nose...SO SWEET!

We love you Georgia Claire! Thank you for being a PRECIOUS BABY! Her outfit says "little miracle" on the collar and was given to us by her biological great-grandmother on the day she was born. She is defnitely our little miracle...really she's our REALLY BIG MIRACLE!

Bath Time

Bath time has become a favorite of Georgia's, although it didn't start out that way! Here is the first bath Georgia had at home...her first night at home! She screamed the whole time! Shelby took the picture and I think he was actually stressing me out more than her crying! He was so worried and hated to hear her cry. I think he eventually just left the room. Of course, I felt the same way, but I knew I had to get her little body clean! =)

We received this great thing called the "Bath Luve" (pronounced luvee) and after her umbilical cord fell off, we were able to start using it. It's basically like a really thick washcloth and I lay it on her body and it immediately calms her! It is WONDERFUL! She never cries at bath time anymore! Yay!

Our friend Chad sent us this towel and I just LOVE it! I think she looks like a little mermaid! There are four shells around her head that stick up from the hood. This picture makes me laugh! We love you Georgia Claire!

One small gift brings lots of joy

Shelby did some work around the house today...made a folding table for me in the laundry room and re-caulked are bathtub. I am one happy girl! While he was doing that I cleaned some and went through some papers and ran across the fortune in the picture above. We ate at Pei Wei the weekend before Georgia was born and this was the fortune I got in my fortune cookie. I kept it because I thought about how this small baby was going to indeed bring much joy to the WHOLE family! I didn't realize how MUCH joy she would bring! Not only is Georgia bringing joy to Shelby and me, but she is bringing joy to our entire family, including our friends and church family! This morning I went through the senior adult department with Georgia before Sunday School started...a group of about 15-20 widows started oohing and aahing before we even stepped into the room! They were all so excited to see her. One lady told me that she went to grade school with a girl named Georgia and another told me that her mother's name was Georgia. They all seemed to really like her "old" name. I couldn't help but think...this small baby (one small gift) is actually one LARGE gift, such a sacrifice for her birthmother to place her for adoption! This one little baby is bringing smiles to so many faces! Thank you doesn't seem adequate, but...once again, thank you to her birthmother and to our Heavenly Father for bringing our two families together!

Here she is in her Sunday morning outfit...yes, she's a bow head in this picture!

And here she is after a bottle with Shelby after church tonight...very content! She did SO well in church tonight! She woke up about half way through the service, drank some milk, and stayed quiet until it was over! Yay!

My sister Kathy wrote on my chalkboard in the kitchen...last week Mary Katherine added the picture at the bottom! I thought it was pretty good for a 4 year old! (That's "Baby Georgia Claire" on green grass with blue flowers for those of you who can't tell!)

JOY indeed...to the WHOLE FAMILY!

Georgia on my mind...

Here is a picture of the little sleepy head this morning...she has slept so much today! I just love those fat little cheeks and how she sleeps with her arms up--totally relaxed!

My uncle George (Alvis) and his wife Wanda came for a visit today and met Georgia...of course I forgot the camera. I wanted to take a picture of George A. with Georgia! He is my dad's oldest brother and is hilarious...Aunt Wanda says he's been telling everyone that Georgia is his namesake, that she was named after HIM! =)

And here is Georgia at the end of the day today...we got a package in the mail today from Skip & Peggy, good friends of Shelby's parents. They were in seminary in Ft. Worth together. They live in Georgia and wrote in the card that they "especially love her name!" Peggy embroidered the towel in the picture below...it has a big peach on the hood and says "Georgia on my mind"! We LOVE it! Thank you, Peggy!

On June 17, 2009, this is the precious angel that entered our lives...so alert, so sweet, so tiny!

Today, July 17, 2009, this is the angel that has changed our lives forever. Georgia Claire we love you! Look at those fat cheeks! Of course she smiles when I DON'T have the camera! And then when I DO have the camera she either looks worried, scared, or just relaxed with not much of any expression...this was the closest I could get to a smile! I told Shelby tonight that maybe I just need to carry the camera in a fanny pack all day so I could be ready at a moment's notice! Really, I wouldn't do that...I don't think...no I would DEFINITELY NOT do that! I'm just saying it would be nice to have it handy when she DOES give us one of those ADORABLE gummy smiles!

When she was born she weighed 6 lbs 14 oz and was 19 3/4 in long. Today, one month later, she is 9 lbs 2 oz and 21 in long! As you can tell, she's not missing any meals! Wednesday night Mom & Dad came by to hold her for a few minutes and Dad said he thought she weighed about 9 lbs...I was thinking more like 8 1/2...Dad was close! The doctor today said she was "very pleased" with Georgia's progress. She is a WONDERFUL baby, on a great schedule, and so easy going. We are blessed, we know!

We're enjoying hanging out with her...here she is with Shelby...

And here she is (totally relaxed) with me...

Shelby and I were talking about how much our life has changed in one month...we wouldn't change anything. We are enjoying more time at home, more home-cooked meals, and just simply being Georgia's parents. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."James 1 :17 Thank you, Lord for this perfect gift that you have given us!