First attempt at shoes...and more great news!

Fall is in the air and I know my child is already 3+ months old, but we have not had good luck with shoes! She's worn little crocheted shoes and socks, but no "real" shoes, until yesterday. We met Mom & Dad & Kathy for lunch yesterday and there was a crispness in the air, so I thought Georgia Claire needed long sleeves, pants, and of course SHOES! She is such a happy baby (unless she's hungry) and will really go and do whatever and whenever...we are BLESSED! Here are some pictures of our happy girl...these were taken mid-morning. She slept ELEVEN HOURS the night before!!!! Her sleeping habits are for another blog post...it is CRAZY how good this baby girl sleeps! On average she will sleep 8-10 hours a night.

Here are her little feet in her shoes...she curled up her toes and eventually relaxed her feet. I remember my nieces and nephews doing that, too. It has to be the weirdest feeling to babies to have these strange things on their feet! Although they didn't stay on but a couple of hours, I have no doubt that Georgia Claire will grow to LOVE her shoes...if anyone knows myself AND Shelby you know that we both LOVE OUR SHOES!!!

SO ALERT...

Here her feet are already coming out of her shoes...

AND the whole outfit...little cutie pie!

Other good news (besides Georgia's SHOES!)...Dad was officially released from his surgeon at Baylor today. Dad had a chest x-ray and appointment with Dr. Hebeler and he said everything looked great! He can drive again and he can pick up things up to 10 lbs. Mom and I immediately said, "Sorry...that means no holding Georgia! She's WAY OVER 10 lbs!", to which Dr. Hebeler responded, "Unless it's grandchildren! How can you not hold THAT?!" as he pointed to Georgia. Yea! In another month his chest bone should be 80% healed and he said he could be driving a tractor by Christmas tree season! Music to our ears! He even used the term "hoss" to describe Dad...he said farmers and ranchers like Dad are his favorite patients because they are so strong, have a high pain tolerance, and are overall great patients. I would have to agree...

After his appointment we went up to the 13th floor of the Roberts Hospital...Dad wanted to see some of his nurses and technicians and thank them personally. Mom even made homemade snickerdoodles. It was great to see Dad walk through those doors and stand at the nurses station healthy and feeling so well! Thank you, Lord! They were all so happy to see Dad looking so good...at the end of our brief visit a technician by the name of Donny said, "Have a great...life!" God is not done with my Dad...he's got great work for him to do still and family & grandkids for him to love...and that, my friends, is GREAT NEWS!

KHS Homecoming 2009

Georgia Claire experienced her first Friday night high school football game...it was Homecoming and she was decked out in her Bulldog attire! One word for you "BOWHEAD" or maybe it's two words "BOW HEAD"...however you type it, that bow is big but oh-so-cute! My hairdresser got that for her...one of the first gifts I received for her! Thanks Emily!

Shelby and I went with the Adams clan and had a good time. She did REALLY well...we only stayed until after half-time. The weather was perfect and so was she!

Family Photo--GO DAWGS!

Playing with Aunt Kathy...it's obvious Kathy loves her niece!

And then she fell asleep, and stayed asleep for awhile...even during the cheers and announcer! It seems the whole town is drawn to the Friday night lights. Everywhere we turned people were asking, "Is this Georgia?" And I heard, "Mrs. Braman! Awww...she's so cute!" from so many of my former students...middle school girls are so funny! The boys don't dare say anything! It's evident, not only is our family in awe of this journey, but so many people are, too! Thank you Lord, for blessing us with encouragement around every corner!

Precious Baby!

Everyone always asks, "Is she a good baby?" to which I reply, "Oh my goodness, YES!!!" Georgia Claire is an angel...we know that God planned for her to be in our lives and we are so thankful that her birthmother gave us the opportunity to be her parents. Really, even if she wasn't the best baby, I would still be grateful to have a baby! Here are some sweet pictures that I've taken this last week or so...precious baby!

This morning on our way to church! Shelby is headed to West Virginia for work and he had to leave early this morning, so I had to do the "single mom" thing! I impressed myself! We were actually EARLY for church!

Right after I put her down for the night last night, before I covered her legs, I had to take this picture! She looks totally relaxed...she's in the "spread eagle" position, as Shelby and I like to call it!
Happy girl in her apple outfit...about to run errands with Mama...she did so good, as usual! We were in Target and she started making sounds and then laughing like a machine gun...sort of reminiscent of Elmer Fudd, and she had so many people smiling and laughing at her! One lady even said to me, "I think you have a shopper on your hands!" She got louder and louder and was SO HAPPY! It was hilarious! I love you baby girl!

Hanging out with the girls!

Georgia and I have been hanging out with Mary Katherine and Caroline a lot these days...fun times! Kathy & I are a good team...helping each other with projects, etc. etc. We had to go to the farm last week to cut a couple of Christmas trees (since Dad is still not able to do much) for a photographer who is doing a book for Christmas. The first two trees I've cut of the 2009 season...won't be the last!

Look at these two little hillbillies...cutie pies with hay in their mouths! They LOVE being at the farm & we are all excited about the 2009 Christmas tree season!

A bunch of hillbillies...even Georgia Claire had hay in her hand! =) While we were at the farm, we got some hay bales and dried corn stalks to decorate our yards for the fall with our scarecrows and pumpkins!
Mary Katherine "driving" Paw Paw on the mule...not really driving, but having fun anyway!

Kathy had to take Luke to the doctor on Monday and while they were gone, and Georgia was asleep, I made a fort for Mary Katherine and Caroline between their two beds. They were SO EXCITED!

We also colored for a bit. Caroline gathered up about 5 crayons and said, "Look BB! A Family! A family of CAY-ons!" She was so proud of herself!

And here is a project that Kathy helped me complete...a folding table in my laundry room. Shelby made the top out of a hollow core door from Lowe's and I painted and distressed it and Kathy and I sewed the skirt for it. It's a GREAT place to hide all kinds of stuff! I'm sure it will be a hiding place for Georgia one day, too!

Life in the country...

I enjoyed my day thoroughly today...spent the day with Shelby and Georgia Claire and it was so nice. Once again, I am reminded of why we love living in a small town. Mom and Dad planted a huge garden at the farm and decided (before Dad's surgery) to plant some fall purple hulls. When we found out Dad would be having surgery we thought the peas would be ruined by the time we all got home. BUT, we were pleasantly surprised to see that they were just ready to be picked when we made it home. As Mary Katherine (my FOUR year old niece) reminded us all during the first picking, "Timing is everything!" We have no idea where she picked that up, but she is so right! Even God worked out the timing of the peas! He knows how much we love our peas and cornbread! Ha!

Shelby and I got to pick today...probably one of the last pickings, if not the last. Right after we started Shelby told me it was his first time to pick peas!!! "WHAT?!" -I said, "Well, go get the camera! This has to be documented!!!"...and so here he is just starting out on his first pea picking...does he look like a farmer or what?! Such a cutie in his Carhart overalls, white t-shirt and boots!

And here I am...yes, I am under the deer net...not so much fun for someone who's 6 ft tall! But, I survived...sore hamstrings, but I survived!

Georgia Claire slept the entire time we picked...such a sweetie! Look at those cheeks!

And a little bit of our scenery while at the farm--there's nothing like the smell of cows...

AND the sound of a drilling rig nearby! These are our skyscrapers in East Texas...

When we got home, Georgia Claire decided she was going to work some more on holding her head up...she held it up for quite some time and Shelby captured this picture of her hard work!

We ended the day at Mom's & Dad's where I made homemade chicken 'n dumplings with Mom! It's my Granny's recipe...one that I've grown up with and LOVE LOVE LOVE! Nothing cures us better than Mom's chicken 'n dumplings and now I can make them! In fact, that's what Mom made for me back in October, when we found out our last attempt at IVF had failed...they always make things better! I felt that night that God was saying, (yes through Mom's chicken 'n dumplings), that everything was going to be alright. Little did I know at that time, the time of our greatest heartache, that God had already planned for Georgia Claire's life to be in ours. Her birthmom, at the young (but VERY mature) age of 17, chose life for her baby...for our baby...and for that we are forever grateful! We love you!

Three Months Old

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." -1 Corinthians 2:9

Eight months ago, when Shelby and I made the first call to Generations Adoptions, we never imagined we would be where we are today! For over 5 years Shelby and I prayed for A CHILD, and how sweet it is to know that GEORGIA CLAIRE is the child for which we prayed. It is so obvious to us that God orchestrated the whole thing...being on the website for birthmoms to see for only 2 weeks is CRAZY FAST! It is amazing to see God's timing in it all and to look back on HIS plan. I think I've said it before, but Georgia's birthmom found out she was pregnant in October...I found out I was not pregnant in October. Georgia's birthmom first went to Generations Adoptions on April 1st. On April 3rd our profile was complete and we were officially on the website! Two weeks later, she chose us and so our journey began. Really, it began WAY before that day, but our journey WITH Georgia Claire's birthmom began.

She is 3 months old today (on her birthmom's 18th birthday!) and we cannot believe it! She is now 15 lbs. 4 oz and is 24.5 inches long! She's getting so big! As you can see from this picture, she has found her hands...and likes the way they taste!

My Uncle James "Bubba" and his wife Linda sent her this doll...she likes it! I'm sure this will be the first of MANY baby dolls that will come into our life!

Here are a couple of pictures from today...my sister Angie gave her this onesie...SO CUTE! Georgia Claire has begun to really "talk" to us while she's on the changing table. We have the best conversations! She was squealing and cooing at me in the first picture and liked what I was saying in the second picture!

A couple of verses that have stuck out to me today, as I was reflecting on our journey...

"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." -Hebrews 10:23

"Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you!" -Hebrews 10:35

These verses are under the subtitle "A Call to Persevere" in my Bible. Shelby and I definitely persevered throughout the last several years. I'm not saying that we didn't get frustrated or sad or mad, especially when someone announced they were pregnant. BUT, we always knew that God could be trusted to KEEP HIS PROMISE! We had CONFIDENT TRUST in the Lord and continue to have that trust in Him as we continue to grow as parents and continue to build our relationship with Georgia Claire's birthmom and her family. Thank you, Lord for trusting us with this precious life...we are in love with Georgia Claire!

Family Fun

We ended a great day today with family fun at Mom's & Dad's house. We had supper and just enjoyed playing together. Georgia Claire is getting stronger and holding her head up longer and longer. We had to take her Bumbo to show everyone what she can do...it doesn't last long but she is trying so hard! It's like you can see the concentration on her face!

She sat and visited with Caroline, Mom & me while Mom was making homemade biscuits to go with our meal! YUMMY!

Sweet Caroline...enough said!

Aunt Kathy had to get her Georgia fix...they shared lots of smiles!

Kathy, Mary Katherine & Caroline made homemade heart-shaped teacakes with icing and sprinkles for dessert in honor of Paw Paw! Kathy said the girls may have gone overboard with the sprinkles...to which Andy, Shelby and I said, "Is there really such thing as TOO MANY SPRINKLES?!"

Taking their first yummy bite...look at those faces!

Luke started this pile...why they thought it would be fun to pile on BB I haven't a clue, but we all loved every minute of it!

Silly Luke...my first nephew and so much fun...(I just noticed Andy giving us bunny ears in the background.)

I'll take a hug from this 6 year old whenever he wants to give me one! He's usually too busy to stop and give hugs!

Georgia Claire just cuddled with Grandma and drank her bottle while all of the silliness was going on!

And then she fell asleep while Shelby was eating some ice cream (thanks to Joel) and watching football. Such a good night...my kind of night...

Sweet Baby Girl

Georgia Claire loves to be sung to. I propped her up on the pillows on her daybed yesterday and started singing to her and she tried so hard to sing with me! I captured these pictures from that sweet time with her. At first she was just content...

And then I got a little smile...(and look at those thighs!)
And then I got a REALLY big smile!
And then she fell asleep. Being so happy takes a lot out of ya! She took a 3 hour nap...
I really didn't know what to expect last week in the hospital. I thought she might not sleep well and she might be cranky, etc. but she was an ANGEL! We have been blessed that she has been sleeping through the night since she was just a few weeks old. Last week she started waking up about 3:30-4:00 each morning, taking a bottle, and then going right back to sleep until 7:00 or so. She did that until this Tuesday and now she is back on her schedule! The last two nights she has gone to bed at about 10:00-10:30 and is waking up about 6:30-7:00...PLUS taking a LONG nap in the afternoon! WOW!

Not only is she sleeping and eating well, but she continues to be SO VERY HAPPY! She made lots of friends while we were at Baylor. When she was born she seemed so little to us, but as you can tell from the pictures above, she is GROWING! One nurse at the hospital walked by us and said, "Ooohhh...she's a big 'ol baby!" and then he walked back by us when I had her smiling and he said, "Ooohhh...she's a big 'ol HAPPY baby!" Thank you Lord, for our "Big 'Ol Happy Baby!"

A long week with a great ending!

It feels so good to be writing this post and sharing these pictures of the week. On Monday, August 31st, Dad had open heart surgery at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. WOW! We are amazed at the work of our Lord. We know that HE is the one who healed Dad. It seemed like he was healed right before our eyes...each and every day getting a little stronger and in a little less pain. We are BEYOND impressed with the doctors, nurses, patient care technicians, respiratory therapists, and even the housekeepers at Baylor! Dad got the best care! Dad went into surgery about 7:30 on Monday morning...Dr. Hebeler found that his mitral valve was too far gone to repair, so he had to replace both his mitral and aortic valves. At about 12:30 we were in ICU talking to Dr. Hebeler and we got to see Dad for the first time about 1:00. NOTHING can prepare you for seeing your Dad, who has never had a broken bone, lying in an ICU room after heart surgery. It was a very emotional time but we were so very glad that the surgery was over and it was time for him to begin healing. Georgia Claire and I were able to stay the entire week with Mom...it was tiring for all of us, but I was SO glad we could do it! Georgia did INCREDIBLY well and made LOTS of friends at the hospital! They don't see many babies on the thoracic surgery floor! =)

My Dad is so strong...one of the toughest men I know. To hear him tell his nurse that his pain level was an "8" on a scale from 1-10 on Tuesday was very hard. I wanted so badly to help him! Because Dad was in pain, they did not make him walk, but he DID walk on Wednesday morning. Here he is on his first walk with his nurse Erich and Mom...he was only able to go about 3 doors down, and was in a lot of pain, but it produced great results! He still had his chest tube in and was on oxygen at this point. Dad told me later in the week that he was thinking to himself, "What have I done?!" during this first walk...

Georgia Claire helped with our stress level. Seeing her precious smiling face was really great for me, but ESPECIALLY for Mom & Dad. Here she is with Grandma stretching her legs in our room...

On Thursday Dad said, "I would walk if someone would bring me a walker." We sat there a minute or two longer and he said, "Push that stroller over here." So, I put Georgia Claire in her stroller and Dad walked pushing her, instead! Talk about PRECIOUS! Erich, Dad's nurse, came out in the hallway right after Dad and Georgia did and stopped and said, "OH MY GOSH! That's the cutest thing I have ever seen! I am going to remember this forever!" He called some people out into the hallway to see them and they got lots of smiles!

Here Dad is sitting in a chair, playing with Georgia on Friday...getting stronger and stronger!

We knew Dad was probably coming home on Monday so I decided to make a onesie for Georgia to celebrate the occasion! She definitely brought a smile to his face!

This picture brings tears to my eyes...this is what I prayed for! When Dad went into his surgery I was afraid that Georgia Claire might not get to grow up knowing her Paw Paw! I had faith that God was going to protect him through the surgery, but whenever you are talking about open heart surgery, it makes you think differently about the future and just how precious it is!

Here she is playing with silly Grandma...
Waiting...and sleeping to pass the time! Getting discharged from a hospital is never quick!
While Dad was in the hospital, he and Mom celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary! Mom was 18 and Dad was 19 when they married on September 1, 1962. By the end of the week they realized they could both fit in the bed...along with his buddy, his heart pillow. I found them like this more than once! Their love is stronger now more than ever! Here they are waiting to be discharged...it looks like Mom is giving him some serious instructions!
And here he is getting wheeled out...
And getting in the car to come home! It will be 6-8 weeks before Dad is able to do much, but he is so glad to be home. Thank you Lord! You have heard our cry and answered our prayers once again!