The Things People Say

We went to Mimi & Granbarry's house this past weekend for one last trip before Ivy Jane arrives. We wanted to go for a visit, but we also picked up the bedding for her nursery. Paula made it all again and it is BEAUTIFUL! This coming Sunday I will be 36 weeks and not allowed to travel! I can't believe this pregnancy is coming to an end. It really has flown by and I'm enjoying every minute of it...if you talked to Shelby he might say differently! He seems to be the one that I complain the most to! The swollen ankles, heat, etc. are not too much fun, but I am dealing with it! We KNOW this pregnancy is a miracle from God, just as Georgia Claire's life has been to us. WE ARE BLESSED! It's funny what people will say...some that know our story and some that don't...I've had people say things like, "How are you going to do it with two so small?" and "TWO in diapers?! Good luck with that!" and "So, you believe in having your kids close, huh?" and "See! You just had to relax!"...UGH! I don't believe that relaxing had anything to do with it. I believe that God calls certain couples to adopt and once they have completed his calling, he will bless them again, perhaps with another adoption or with a pregnancy. You cannot explain why 5 years of trying to conceive (2.5 of those years being infertility treatments with one of the best doctors in the country) ended with an "unexplained infertility" status on my file. If all we had to do was relax, Dr. Putman would have sent us on a vacation instead of putting my body through all that we did!

OK, so enough of that! I also have family & friends that KNOW what a miracle it all is and want to share our story with everyone they see. I've heard things like, "What a blessing!" and "It might be hard at first but you can do it!" and "Two little girls! They will be best friends!"...it's comments like those that get me really excited and ready to welcome Ivy Jane into the world!

These pictures are just random ones from the weekend and the last couple of days at home.

Mimi got Georgia a "tea set" with a tea pot that sings songs and makes a pouring sound, as well as little cups and cakes...she really enjoyed it! She's trying to eat the cake...

Shelby has been working SO HARD! The last two weeks he was out of town...in Houston for a week long class-gone from Sunday-Friday and in the panhandle for work on a potentially large job for his company-again gone from Sunday-Friday. Here he is talking to his boss about work...on Friday night, with "Bitty Baby" under his arm. He said later he had no clue that he had the doll. I thought it was great & definitely something we would see again, either a REAL baby or a baby doll. It's only just begun!
Shelby & I had to get out and run a couple of errands and while we were gone Georgia Claire woke up from her nap and decided that she wanted to climb the stairs! So, with Granbarry following her, she went up to the first landing without a problem, turned around, raised her arms and said, "YEA!" and then climbed the rest of the way to the second floor. Thank goodness for baby gates! Here she is so proud of herself...
And again after we got home...(and yes, that would be my swollen ankle in the picture!)
Bitty Baby sat in Aunt Heather's old baby hi-chair and ate supper while Georgia ate...she kept looking down at her and giggling.
And Monday night at home....first ice cream cone!
She likes the bottom of the cone first!
And these pictures were taken at the farm with Mr. Lloyd Bolding, who owns the farm. My dad has been in a partnership with him since about 1981. I was 5 years old when Dad started the blueberries. We had about 3 acres for many years and then he started growing Christmas trees and peaches. Mr. Bolding & Dad basically have a "sharecropping" relationship. Mr. Bolding provides the land and Dad farms, and they split the profit. He wanted to hold Georgia and he gave her his cowboy hat. She wasn't sure at first...

And then decided she would smile! =)

Happy Birthday, Paw Paw!

Sixty-seven years ago today, Opal Odessa & George Alvis Robinson welcomed a baby boy, James Vance, into the world. He's known today as James, Dr. Robinson, Butch (as his siblings call him), Dad, & Paw Paw...to name a few! A year ago he was facing open heart surgery and my family was scared, but confident that God would see him through. A year later we are amazed at how well he has done and how hard he is working. God has given Mom & Dad the best crop of peaches in a long time, and although it has been a hard four weeks for them, they are thankful for the bounty that God has given them...not to mention the fact that we are all very thankful to have fresh juicy peaches to eat on for awhile! Because they have been working so hard, we are not going to celebrate tonight with the usual family dinner, but will postpone it until the weekend. We DID, however, celebrate with donuts at the farm this morning.

Here is a picture of Paw Paw with 4 of his 6 grandkids...

And here is a picture of Georgia with her Paw Paw after a mule ride to see the cows. Dad said she just laughed at the cows and jabbered the whole time. She is so much fun these days!
Thank you, Lord, for Paw Paw...and peaches, mule rides, etc. etc.

Signs of things to come?

Georgia and I have been playing in her room more and more. Since we got her closet organized there's more room for her toys, the lighting is so nice from the two windows, and we've both just enjoyed being in there at different times of the day. This morning we were playing and I put her on the daybed and gave her the bitty baby she got for her birthday. Immediately she hugged her and held her close and started rocking...LOVE when she does that! It's like she's a little momma already!

So happy with her baby...

Trying to say "Baby"...
And then things changed! Her sweet rocking and "mothering" went to sticking her fingers in the baby's eyes...
And then she noticed I was taking pictures...I think her thought process went something like this, "Maybe if I smile really cute Momma won't notice me poking the baby in the eyes!"
AND THEN, as if poking the baby in the eyes wasn't bad enough, she took her shorts and put them on the baby's face!This picture was taken right after I said, "Oh Georgia! Are you suffocating the baby?! Don't suffocate the baby!"
Later she took the shorts off the baby's face and loved on her again...I guess it was her way of making up with the baby! =)
I called my sister Kathy and told her about it and she said, "Oh, you're going to have to do what I did...take one baby with you at all times! Even if you are just walking out to the mailbox or going to the bathroom, you can't leave them alone for a second!" And so, I'm wondering, "Is this signs of things to come?" I guess we shall see in about 5 1/2 weeks or so!

Bath Time with a 13 Month Old

Bath time every day is a highlight! We ask Georgia if she wants to take a bath and she starts crawling to the bathroom saying, "Bah"...LOVE IT! We usually can't get the water in the tub fast enough! I took some pictures of her tonight at bath time.

She just figured out that she could pour the water out....and sometimes get it on her head!


LOVE LOVE LOVE these action shots of her splashing and squealing...

Yesterday she turned 13 months old. I can't believe it...1-because the past 13 months have flown by and 2-because it means that in about 6 weeks I'm going to have another baby girl to love and take care of! Tonight my nephew Gabe was loving on Georgia and he said, "When is Ivy Jane going to be here?" and I said, "In about 6 weeks...about the time you start 1st grade!" to which he replied, "You mean you're going to have TWO BABIES to take care of? Georgia is still going to be a baby when Ivy Jane gets here! How are you going to do that?!" Aaaggghhhh...nothing like the honesty of a child to make you panic a little bit! I started thinking...how AM I going to do it?! But then I look at precious Georgia Claire and my big pregnant belly and I can't help but think how totally blessed Shelby and I are to have two girls to love, nurture, and take care of! Thank you, Lord, for the blessings of pregnancy and a 13 month old that is sweeter than I could have ever imagined.

MILK!

I said in my last post that Georgia Claire is perfectly perfect...she makes me laugh what seems like a hundred times a day. Her little personality is precious and hilarious. She's loving drinking whole mile and eating real food. For supper one night last week I baked salmon, roasted carrots & asparagus, and we had wild rice and rolls, too. I wondered what in the world Georgia would eat and she ate EVERYTHING except the asparagus! She has the best little appetite and I hope it stays that way. We're working on the sippy cup thing, and she's getting better with it, but still doesn't have it down. Just a couple weeks ago she started holding her bottle all by herself...YES!!!! That is a HUGE DEAL in my book! She still dribbles milk down her chin but Shelby & I LOVE watching her. She's SO proud of herself!

Look at that face...those little moon eyes and milky chin....

She took awhile with her bottle so we had some errands to run and she finished in her carseat...
She cracks me up!
What am I thankful for today? Milky smiles and moon eyes...

Baby #2

Well, we've finally decided on a name for Georgia Claire's baby sister...it looks like she will be named Ivy Jane. We really didn't start talking about names until we knew it was a girl, and we've thrown around a lot of different ones. On May 10th we saw this beautiful picture of the miracle that God has graciously bestowed to Shelby & me (sorry about the quality of the photo-my scanner was not cooperating tonight!)...

This 4D Sonogram was taken at 24 weeks. I am now 33 weeks and would LOVE to see her again, but my doctor is probably not going to order another one...DARN IT! At the end of May we had decided that we would use Jane some way because it means "God is Gracious". How perfectly fitting for this pregnancy?! This pregnancy that we never thought we could achieve or experience?! We are IN LOVE with Georgia Claire and as her little personality shines through more and more every day we thank God for her life and the fact that He so beautifully orchestrated putting us all together. Shelby gave a shortened version of our testimony in our Sunday School class last week and it brought tears to my eyes once again to hear how God blessed us BEYOND what we could have hoped for or imagined! Not only are we blessed BEYOND MEASURE with Georgia Claire, but now, in about 7 weeks, we will have little Ivy Jane to love, too! Why Ivy? It's just one of those names we've always had on our "short list" and it was in the "antique charm" section of our baby name book, just like Georgia.

So, as you can imagine, with about 7 weeks to go I have been nesting like CRAZY! First thing on the list of things to buy was paint with NO VOCs-safe for my pregnant self. We have now painted Ivy Jane's room, and I painted both closets (Georgia's & Ivy's). Shelby built shelves and we've organized them both...something I've wanted to do since Georgia came home! I've washed and hung or folded all of the newborn clothes that Georgia Claire wore just a little over a year ago for Ivy Jane. Shelby & I cleaned out and organized our garage and storage room on Saturday. I've washed and ironed the cover & skirt for the bassinet and put it together today. This week I am going to organize the laundry room (our catch-all) and do a little shopping...we need a few things before Ivy Jane arrives, but not much! My list is getting shorter and shorter and I am feeling better and better!

And by the way, Georgia Claire is perfectly perfect...I will post about her in the next day or so! We love our baby girl! =)

4th of July Weekend

Happy 4th of July! We've had a good weekend but I've failed to get a good "4th of July picture". Instead, I have random pictures from our weekend.

Grandma & Caroline made cream style corn out of the "ugly" ears of fresh corn Mom & Dad picked from their garden. Mom is using a tool that my dad's mom, Opal Odessa, used years and years ago. Caroline loves to help Grandma in the kitchen...

Paw Paw went a little nuts at the fireworks stand...this is just half of the loot. Luke sorted it all out and we're saving half for Gabe & Will's visit in a couple of weeks.
We attended the 4th of July program at church tonight...fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, & watermelon...YUM! Mary Katherine was sitting in my lap & Georgia Claire started crying wanting to sit with her-she LOVES her cousins!

Mary Katherine turned FIVE exactly one week after Georgia Claire's birthday. We celebrated this weekend...I can't believe this sweet girl is FIVE already!

Grandma, Paw Paw, Shelby & I bought Mary Katherine a new bike. She had outgrown her old bike a long time ago...Georgia Claire helped to get in on the unwrapping!

Three cousins...Mary Katherine on her new bike, Caroline was given MK's old bike, and Georgia Claire was given Caroline's old tricycle...she's not quite big enough for it, but she LOVED sitting on it and being pushed by Shelby. She thinks she's as big as her cousins!

Andy & Kathy brought home Archie on Friday to three VERY surprised kiddos. He really likes Georgia and wanted to give her a kiss! She wasn't so sure about it, but warmed up to him really quickly!

I am officially 32 weeks now. WOW! I can't believe we only have 8 weeks until my due date. Shelby was busy this weekend building shelves in Georgia's closet and her little sister's closet...we have to get organized with two little girls! He also got the baby bed sanded tonight and will paint it tomorrow! It's going to be a pale yellow and I think it will be SO PRETTY with the fabric I found & the blue walls. His mom is making the bedding and curtains...I can't wait to pull it all together! Here's a picture of my big belly...
Georgia & I have been "working" at the farm a few days a week. On Friday she got to ride the mule and LOVED IT! Here she is with Grandma & Paw Paw...I think she's asking him if she can go for another ride!
Sleepy bedhead...
HAPPY HAPPY BABY! Couldn't you just eat her up?!