Sick Baby

I know we have been EXTREMELY blessed to have gone 9 months without a major sickness, but Georgia Claire caught a nasty virus on Saturday (probably from her very affectionate and loving cousins). We went to the doctor on Monday and she had fever, diarrhea, nasal congestion, and "plaque" on one of her tonsils. The doctor tested her for strep and mono, both came back negative, and it was decided that she must have the virus that has been going around. For a child that normally sleeps through the night, for 11-12 hours, 5 nights of sleeplessness has been hard, on BOTH of us! Shelby has been in Kansas with work and we both miss him so much. Last night was the first night she slept better. I had her in bed with me, but had to move her to her bed when the snoring got so loud I couldn't sleep! She can snore louder than a grown man! It is so hard to see your baby sick! I hate it, but I am happy to report that she is on the mend! Even in her sickness, she still had smiles for the camera.

Her she is with MAJOR "bed head" and sleepy morning eyes...

Taking a nap with momma yesterday & still not feeling well...

Even with fever and red cheeks, she wanted to get on the floor and read books...she's going to be our little bookworm I think!

Healthy babies are an incredible blessing. As I have been comforting Georgia these last few days I can't help but think of my sister Angie and all that she has gone through as a mom with her youngest, Will. WOW! In and out of the hospital, too many surgeries and procedures to count, fine one minute, rushing to the emergency room the next...she is my hero! She is so strong and Will's biggest advocate. God knew what he was doing when he gave Will to Angie. As they prepare for the next major surgery, I ask that anyone and everyone who reads this blog will lift them up in prayer. He is scheduled for surgery on April 20th to have his stomach repositioned (it has shifted up almost to his chest cavity), his esophagus stretched, and a hernia repaired. They have the best of the best doctors on board to work on Will. As the doctors told Angie & Joe, they have their "A Team" ready. They are all nervous and worried but they know this is ultimately what will make him feel better. They had a family meeting and talked about it...Will is the most worried about his IV...he has not had good luck with those in the past. And Gabe is one worried older brother (at the old age of 5). We've always prayed for God's will for God's Will...he has an incredible story already in the four years he has been on this earth, and one that is just beginning!

Squinty Eyes

Today is my sister Kathy's birthday-Happy Birthday! We spent the morning with her (she got a yorkie, which she named Penny, that is ADORABLE and that Georgia LOVED). After that, Georgia and I took her out for lunch and a little shopping. Once we were done, and Georgia had a good nap in her carseat, she was ready to laugh and play at home with me for a little while. I mentioned in my last post about Georgia's "squinty eyes" face. She will occasionally look at you and smile and squint her eyes and it is SO FUNNY! I had a great time taking some pics of her (sorry for all of them, by the way)...I was laughing out loud at her and she was laughing out loud at me...that great belly laugh.

Squinty eyes...

Belly laughing...
Getting ready to pounce on me...
Taking time out to squint and smile at the camera...
Sweet baby...

I read the quote "Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards"-Anonymous on a calendar of mine and thought about the last year. A year ago this week we got word that our home study had been approved...actually not as bad as we were anticipating, but we worked hard getting things ready for it. I remember feeling SO relieved. It was the last thing on our list of "things to do" before we could be approved for adoption with our agency. We actually had our home study the day of my PaPaw's visitation...great day and sad day all in one. As I look back on our troubles with infertility it was so hard to understand WHY we were going through it but now that we are through those trying years, we can TOTALLY understand. We couldn't understand, yet we trusted the heart of God. We KNEW he wanted us to be parents...and now we know that He wanted us to be parents of Georgia Claire. I never knew a baby could bring so much joy and laughter and smiles and warm fuzzy feelings as she has brought to Shelby and me (and all who know her). And although I'm getting tired more quickly now that I'm expecting I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything...trying to live forwards!

Nine Month Check-Up

What a busy day! Georgia Claire and I both had doctor's appointments and they were both successful! Georgia weighs 20.6 lbs (78th percentile) and is 29.25 in long (93rd percentile). Who knows? Maybe this chunky little baby is going to be tall and thin?! She still has the best thighs...cute now, not so much when she's my age! Ha! We're also fighting issues with her eczema and are trying another cream. She has the one tooth on top and THREE more that are swollen and close to cutting through...she's such a trooper! You would never know she was in pain. Her doctor thinks she is right on target with her development, even though she has not become mobile yet. And for those of you that think that she hasn't crawled or walked because we hold her all the time, we DON'T! Although it's tempting... She spends a lot of time sitting and playing or playing on her tummy. The best thing she is doing lately is this precious little head tilt. If you say her name and look at her, she usually tilts her head and gives the best smile. What a little flirt! Today she started smiling and squinting at my mom just about every time mom looked at her...too cute! My appointment went well...heard the baby's heartbeat again, this time it was in the 150's. I've gained a pound since my first appointment. I was so sick at the beginning I lost quite a bit of weight but I'm putting it back on and feel MUCH better! We will definitely find out what the sex of the baby is, but my doctor will not do another sonogram until 24 weeks. SO, I have 6 more weeks to wait! We are SO excited to find out and hoping those 6 weeks go by quickly!

Changing the subject...a year ago on March 15th, my Papaw, David R. Crockett, passed away. He was a precious man who loved his family with everything that was in him. My sister Angie wrote an incredible tribute to him...maybe one day I'll post it. He was orphaned at 6 months of age and shuffled from family to family. He had to quit school at age 9 to work in the cotton fields and never really learned to read. He was an army cook in World War II with the 552nd Artillery. After the war, he went to work at the Whitesell Brickyard in Corsicana. His job was to fire the Corsicana Cherry Reds at the hot kilns. He did that willingly for 363 days a year for 36 years. Family meant the world to him, since he didn't have one of his own when he was a child. He knew the importance of hard work, and cherished his family more than anything. When Papaw died we all felt like we were not only mourning our Papaw, but our childhood. Every summer Mom & Dad would put us girls on a Trailways bus and we would ride to Corsicana, where Papaw would pick us up in his green and white Chevrolet pick-up with a camper shell. We loved that truck...the best part about it was the bench seats he had in the back along the sides... storage underneath and covered cushions that Granny made on top. My cousins would usually come for the week, too. We always had THE BEST time! One of my best memories is sitting with Papaw on the swing in the backyard while he peeled apples for us kids to enjoy. He could peel an apple with one long peel...I thought that was so cool. We didn't do a lot...ate really good and played extremely hard and always took at least one trip to KMart. We simply had fun being together.

We were all really worried about Granny when Papaw died because they were best friends. Papaw would look at one of us and say things like, "Beck, you know I love your Granny? I do-I love her so much." She has amazed us all and is doing EXTREMELY well, although I know she gets lonely at times. We were able to see her this past week for a bit. She loved seeing Georgia Claire again. She was the very first family member that got to meet Georgia. We made a pit-stop at her house on our way home when Georgia was 2 days old and she thought that was the best thing. As soon as we left, I heard she got on the phone and called my mom and her other kids to brag.

Here's a couple of pictures of Granny with Georgia and me...

Georgia has a ton of toys to play with, yet she loves the basket the toys are IN the most! She is definitely teething, as you can tell in this picture...

Sleepy girl going home reading her ladybug book with Mama...one of her favorite things to do.

Nine months old today...REALLY?!

Georgia Claire has now been a part of our lives for NINE months! Really?! I can't believe how big she is getting...it seems like just yesterday those newborn-sized clothes were swallowing her and now she's in 12 month and some 12-18 month clothes! As I type this she is sitting nearby playing with her toys and her 12 month shirt is riding up showing her belly! We go to the doctor on Monday for her nine month check-up so I will post her "stats" on that day. She still has not crawled, although I think it won't be long...she's definitely one laid back child. Our pediatrician was right when she said I would have to push her a little! She has had two bottom teeth now for quite some time and has just cut one tooth on top. It's not the front tooth, but the one beside it. I told Shelby she's going to look like a baby vampire if they both come in before her two front teeth! =)

Georgia is an absolute angel, sleeping about 11 hours each night and taking one really long nap and one short nap during the day. She always has lots of smiles for us, and anyone really. She has started a bashful thing where she will hide her face if one of us is holding her and someone comes up to her to talk. It's the sweetest thing! The one holding her gets good cuddle time! She also LOVES to read books. We sit in the glider and read 2-3 times a day. I have a basket of books on the floor beside the chair and when we finish one book she sits up and looks down at the basket. When I pick another one up I usually get a little giggle out of her. SO cute! She loves when Shelby reads to her because he makes all of the animal sounds and funny noises. My favorite thing to do is to listen on the monitor from the other room...I hear Shelby reading and making lots of crazy noises and then I hear Georgia's faint little giggle. She DEFINITELY loves her daddy!

Shelby came home for lunch today and we were discussing the new baby's arrival. It's still hard for us to believe that in a little over 5 months we are going to be welcoming baby #2 into our home! In Shelby's words..."we've got to get busy!" I was feeling WONDERFUL for about 2 weeks or so and then Sunday afternoon the nausea hit again. I've been reading a lot and it looks like week 17 of pregnancy (which is where I am) is a time of rapid growth for the baby...lots of hormones working overtime. I'm ready for it to pass! I told Shelby again last night, after I had been in the bathroom vomiting, that it just reminds me of what an awesome sacrifice Julia made for us. I know she was sick for several months...her decision was so incredibly selfLESS! Georgia was loved from the very beginning and continues to be loved today, not only by us and our family but by Julia and her family, as well. Happy NINE months Georgia Claire! We LOVE YOU!

Sweet, but Random, Pictures!

It has been FOREVER since I blogged and for those of you who check it frequently, I'm sorry! Our computer is SO OLD and is SO SLOW! Uploading pictures literally takes me two hours...UGH! We're getting a MAC this weekend and I cannot wait! WOOHOO! These are random pictures from the last few weeks...ones that I love and wanted to share.

Last Saturday we woke up early, ate breakfast, played a little while, and then all 3 of us got back in bed! It was GLORIOUS! I slept an hour and a half and Shelby and Georgia slept two hours. When I took this picture they were both snoring...not sure which one was snoring louder!

Our last visit with Mimi and GrandBarry...didn't take many pictures for some reason?! BUT, I DID capture this great one...
On our way out of town...this is how Georgia sleeps...she gets this blanket and pulls it up over her face EVERY night and at EVERY nap. One of us has to go in a few minutes later and pull it down so that she can breathe! She did this with her blanket in her carseat! Doesn't she look comfy?!

Happy girl today...going out with momma for some shopping and swinging!

I LOVE this chunky baby! She brings me (and our entire family) SO MUCH JOY! I love you, Georgia Claire!

Eating

Georgia is now enjoying breakfast more than she used to. Her favorite thing lately is breakfast bars...she gets EXTREMELY messy, but she will stay in the high chair for a good 30 minutes while I cook or wash dishes or do something else in the kitchen. By the time she was done this morning, a lot of it was in her lap and in her hair.

Concentrating on getting it from the tray to the mouth is hard work!

Using BOTH hands is the trick!
Happy, messy girl!

Learning how to drink from a sippy cup...with her breakfast bar in her hair!

Swinging...

Georgia has a new favorite outdoor activity...SWINGING! We've been going over to my sister's house each afternoon that the sun has been out. They have a kid's "heaven" over there with slides, swings, a treehouse, a trampoline, etc. My nieces and nephew call it their park it's so crazy big! I'm so glad we have it to use and it's less than a mile away from our house! Today it was 76 degrees and sunny with a nice breeze...PERFECT spring day!

Our backyard is getting a serious overhaul this spring and I cannot wait! We are DEFINITELY buying a swing when the backyard is finished. She will LOVE going out and watching Jasper and Dudley...she has begun laughing at them and it makes me laugh! She LOVES to watch their tails wag and to hear them bark.

Look at this happy baby girl swinging her little heart out!