So Much To Be Thankful For!

Thanksgiving has almost come to a close for 2010 and again I reflect on the "things" I am most grateful for. To say that God has blessed me with a great family would be an understatement. This time last year we were so thankful for sweet Georgia Claire and now we have precious Ivy Jane to add to the list. I am thankful for my loving Lord knowing exactly what we needed, even when it looked somewhat hopeless to us. I am thankful that He blessed us with the miracle of adoption and then just 6 months later He blessed us with another miracle-pregnancy. Other things I am thankful for...a 17 month old FINALLY learning the art of drinking from a sippy cup, Ivy's belly laugh, a great sleeping routine for BOTH girls, the way Georgia not only says "Hi-dee" but "By-dee" too, the way Georgia says "Yeah yeah yeah yeah" when you ask her if she wants to do something, braces to help Georgia walk, Ivy's cuddling, teaching Georgia manners and hearing her say, "be" for "please" after we redirect her whines, watching Georgia play with the nativity and saying "Jees" for "Jesus", the way Georgia stops what she's doing and goes to Ivy when she's crying, and the list goes on and on and on.

I am also so incredibly thankful for Shelby and the provider that he has become at the young age of 33. I am thankful for his work ethic. He wants nothing more than to make his girls happy. He sees the importance of me being able to stay home to raise our girls-he knows that makes me happy and also makes our babies happy. He loves his job and does it so well that he has been rewarded for his efforts. I'm so proud of him. I'm thankful for the 11 years of marriage and each mountain we've had to climb and each valley we've had to walk through. He is my best friend and I love him so!

We made our yearly trek to Granbarry & Mimi's house Tuesday night after Shelby got off work. I got the girls bathed and in the pj's before we left thinking they would sleep the whole way (or most of it). Ivy Jane did but Georgia Claire played, sang songs, read books, etc. Shelby and I joked about our choice of cd's lately...it used to be things like Coldplay, John Mayer, and David Crowder, and now we listen to songs like, "The Wheels on the Bus", "Little Red Caboose", and "Old McDonald"...I will say it once again, "TIMES HAVE CHANGED!"

We always take pictures for the Braman family Christmas card during our Thanksgiving visit. We took advantage of our color coordination and took some extra pictures! (Ivy Jane was laughing and Georgia was looking at us like we were crazy as we were singing, and dancing around behind the camera trying to get her to smile.)

Heather (Shelby's sister) and her sweet boyfriend Julian. Georgia loves both of them...Ivy will too, I'm sure!
We have all kinds of things in the car to try to keep Georgia entertained. Here she is talking away on her cell phone (my old BlackBerry)...
And here she is in some sunglasses from Sonic & her cat...
And here she is drinking juice telling us "Shhhh" with her finger beside her nose instead of on her lips because Ivy was sleeping...
Heather baked her first loaf of bread for our Thanksgiving appetizer...OH SO YUMMY!

Ivy Jane (or should I say little Shelby?!) and her great-grandma...

Grandma brought Georgia some beads...
After our Christmas pictures, I gave Georgia my scarf...she thought it was great!
When we got home tonight Georgia immediately started playing with the Fisher Price nativity that some friends sent us on Thursday. I had to take pictures of her version of the manger...I got a close up...she was pointing and laughing...notice the angel is not on top of the manger, the shepherd is! She also added another Fisher Price little person and the merry-go-round for close-up seats to the Baby Jesus! =) This makes my heart happy!
After baths, Ivy Jane fell asleep on a blanket sucking her thumb...
And Georgia Claire disappeared to her room only to come back (knee-walking) with Scout and three books to read...
Thank you Lord for the BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS you have bestowed upon us. This life you have given me is what I prayed for..help me to soak it all in and count my blessings each and every day!

17 Months on the 17th

Oh my oh my how much fun has our life been these last few days?! Georgia Claire is 17 months old today...she is growing and changing right before our very eyes! It makes me sad in a way but it's also lots of fun! We got her ankle braces on Monday and she has been a champ! She doesn't like putting them on but once they are on she doesn't seem to be phased by them...thank you, Lord! After shoe shopping on Tuesday for 4 hours while she was at MDO I came home with a pair of purple low top converse. They were the only shoes I could find that would open wide enough to fit the braces inside! I never dreamed it would be so hard! The bad thing is that Georgia is in a size 4 (almost 5) and I had to get a size 7 to accommodate the braces. I'll keep looking...have gotten a couple of tips from some friends about taking out insoles and getting extra wide width. I'm not going to go out and buy a lot of shoes because we feel like she won't be wearing them long! Last night she took 9 steps 2 or 3 different times and today she has been taking 5 to 7 at a time. Tonight we were all four in Ivy Jane's room and Georgia Claire decided to walk clear across the room. It was hilarious...Shelby said, "look!" and we both just stood there with our mouths open as she glided across the room (like a beauty pageant contestant) looking at us! I scooped her up and we hooped and hollered and she squealed and laughed...THE BEST thing ever! Here's a couple of pics of one of her braces & her shoe...

Caroline & Georgia are becoming BEST buddies! The older Georgia gets the more fun they have together.

I asked Georgia to give Ivy a kiss and she kissed her bunny at first...
Then I said, "No, give Ivy a kiss!"
She was SO proud of herself!
Mom has a Christmas village that she puts above her kitchen cabinets every Christmas. The kids LOVE it and LOVE when she gets all of the houses down from the attic. She & Dad always put them on the low countertops in her sewing room for the grandkids to admire for a few days before they go above the cabinets on display. Georgia LOVED it this year. Here she is in her footed pj's scoping it out with Paw Paw.

We always ask her where Smokey (Mom & Dad's gray beagle) is and she points to the gray dog laying on the porch of one of the houses...
I asked her where Paw Paw was and she found the man on the green tractor! YEP! That's Paw Paw...
Dad asked her where the birds were and she pointed to them and said, "teet teet!" Such a smart girl!

I lost her for a few minutes today while I was changing Ivy Jane's diaper and here's what I found...digging in Momma's purse!

Momma's shades are a little big...
Then I got her in some play clothes and she decided to read a book to Ivy...
And pat her head...
We walked and walked today. When I ask her if she wants to walk she says, "Yeah yeah yeah yeah!"

Checking out her shoes...
We had our church's Thanksgiving meal tonight and we walked and walked around while waiting to be served. Even Luke & Mary Katherine walked with Georgia. They are SO SO SO sweet with her!

Loving This Life...Even the Spit Up

Georgia Claire & Ivy Jane had some "Daddy Time" this morning for a couple hours while I helped host a wedding shower at the church. Georgia really is sweet with Ivy. When she cries Georgia stops what she's doing and crawls over to her. She never touches her but gets close and talks to her. I think she's trying to soothe her in her own little special way. It is SO sweet. Here are the two sisters this morning hanging out!

This life that God has blessed us with has been so much fun already...I'm really looking forward to what He has in store for us with these two precious girls. With the holiday season approaching it excites me to think about all of the traditions and memories that we get to create with them. I'm especially looking forward to Christmas morning!

Don't get me wrong, life with two babies is tough at times (like tonight when we went out to eat), but we wouldn't trade it for anything! We decided this afternoon that we would try to go out to eat & we were doing great until about ten minutes before we left. Shelby took Ivy from me because she was fussy and I couldn't make her happy. He had her calm until she spit up (really threw up) all over him & the booth where we were sitting...I guess that's why she was so fussy! Thank goodness I packed extra burp cloths and Shelby was able to clean it up for the most part. While he was cleaning that up & I was consoling Ivy, Georgia was sitting in the highchair and bumped her head on the table-she dropped a toy and was trying to see it on the floor and didn't realize how close she was to the table. She started screaming but was OK after a minute or two. Needless to say, Shelby paid (with spit up on his shirt and jeans) and we got out of there quickly! I don't think we'll do that again for awhile! =)

Here are some pictures of our evening at home after supper. Ivy Jane is sitting in her Bumbo and doing a great job! She has her Daddy's big noggin though, and it's hard to hold it up for long! She's looking more and more like Shelby. BUT, look at those legs...looks like she might have her Momma's chunky thighs!
I got a call from the custom bracing company and Georgia's braces are in! We have an appointment Monday morning at 11:00 to get them and to make sure they fit her properly! I cannot wait to get them on her! Shelby & I are hoping she takes off with the extra support that they will give her. Just today she started standing on her own and clapping and turning around. If we hold onto her she pushes our hands away and wants to do it herself-YEA!!! She's taking about 3 steps and then collapses. It's as if her ankles just give out. Here are some pictures of her...she was SO proud of herself! She was saying, "Yea!" and squealing the whole time!
She is a little sponge right now, learning so much! Every time my phone rings she says, "Hi!" and she'll keep saying it until I answer and when I say bye to whoever I'm talking to she says, "Bye!" I gave her my old BlackBerry and she holds it up to her ear and says, "Hi-eee" By-eee". She's also saying, "Nay" for what a horse says, "Wuh" for what a dog says, "Mm-ow" for what a cat says, "Raaah" for what a lion says, and "Teet teet" for what a bird says. When I picked her up from MDO on Thursday Ms. Janice had taught her how to say "Jesus"...SOOOO PRECIOUS! Tonight she started saying, "I-eee" for Ivy...ugh! I could eat her with a spoon!
Mom & Dad are in the process of tagging the Christmas trees in preparation for the season. Mom called me Friday morning to tell me the cows were all up where Georgia could see them up close. So, I asked Georgia if she wanted to go see the cows and she put down her toys and started crawling to the door saying, "yeah yeah yeah yeah". As soon as we got to the farm I got her out of her carseat and she sat with me and drove. It was a beautiful day and we had the windows down while Ivy snoozed in her carseat. We drove right up to the cows and she just smiled and laughed and talked to them. Then Dad came up on the Mule and drove us even closer to them. He always pulls right up to them and turns it off and we just sit there and watch them-she is mesmerized! She did NOT want to leave and was not happy with me when I put her in her carseat to go home after being there for about an hour. I am loving this life that God has given us. It's hard to believe that this time two years ago we were thinking about adoption, this time last year we had a 5 month old, and now we have a 17 month old and a 3 month old! Thank you, Lord for the love you have shown us through these girls. SO much joy, SO much love, SO much happiness...we are forever grateful!

Weekend Fun...

Sweet Ivy Jane is 3 months old now. I weighed her on Thursday on Mom & Dad's produce scale...she's 15 pounds now! That's almost twice her birth weight! She is getting into a great little routine, eating well and sleeping well. I was afraid the time change might throw her off last night but she slept from 9:30-6:30! YESSS!!! I felt so good when I woke up this morning...thank you, Lord for babies that sleep! Georgia Claire continues to sleep anywhere from 11-12 or 12.5 hours a night AND takes a 2.5-3 hour nap! My sister Angie & her family were here this weekend and when she heard about Georgia's sleeping habits she said, "Is that NORMAL?! Have you talked to your doctor about that?!" to which Shelby replied, "Yes it's normal...and it's WONDERFUL!"

I had to take some pics of Miss Ivy Jane this morning in her church clothes...sweet girl. I love this first picture because it looks like she's thinking about something--"Hmmmm..."

Georgia Claire ready to go to Mother's Day Out a few days ago, in her pig tails & blue jeans. She LOVES her new booster seat!

Angie, Joe, Gabe & Will came in on Thursday. We went to the farm on Friday for a hayride...I love getting to stay home and do things on weekdays, especially with my sisters & their kids. It was COLD at the farm, it's always colder up on that hill than it is at our house. Kathy, Georgia, Mary Katherine, Angie & Will were cuddled up close together.

Despite the look on her face, Georgia Claire really DID love the hayride!
Will, Luke & Gabe...
Sweet Caroline...
On our way through the woods to go to the "Brown Lake" as the kiddos call it...just a pond in the woods with some waterfalls and good skipping rocks. It really is a beautiful little spot.
Georgia Claire got to drive with Paw Paw for a bit...
AND, she rode again with Kat...she LOVES Kathy.
A word about Will...we are amazed at how well he is doing! We all thought that he MIGHT get to come for Christmas, we never dreamed he would be on a hayride just FOUR short weeks after his surgery. He looks and SOUNDS great...better than ever! It brought tears to our eyes to see him Thursday night and to hear his breathing, no longer labored sounding or rattling, like he had in the past. Angie said she asked her church to take HIM off the prayer list and to put HER on it! Ha! He is OBVIOUSLY feeling REALLY good...she definitely has her hands full.

Road Trip!

This past weekend we made our first road trip since Ivy Jane has been here! We left on Saturday to spend a few days with Shelby's parents. Our friends Greg & Kathleen, along with their two boys Malachi & Creed, were in Texas (from Virginia) for a few days so we decided we wanted to make the trip! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves...Paula (Shelby's mom) cooked lots of yummy food, we played and played with the girls, and we even got to hang out with Ellen (a friend of the Bramans since before Shelby was born).

Georgia is at the age now where she's not the best traveler. She did OK, but the fact that her attention span is about 2 minutes makes it a little difficult to keep her entertained on the road! We sang songs, read books, played with toys, talked on the phone, etc! Here she is finally getting sleepy...she was fascinated with the tag on her blanket and was trying to play with the corner of the tag.

Barry, Paula, & Ellen were antiquing when we got there so we went straight to Shelby's grandma's house for lunch...she made roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, rolls, & cake! Yum! It was her first time to meet Ivy Jane. I wish Shelby's Papa could have met our girls.
One of Georgia's favorite things to do is to be upstairs and look over the walkway at people downstairs. Here she is laughing with Mimi...

We went to their neighborhood playground/park area and Ivy Jane fell asleep in the stroller. It was a BEAUTIFUL day!

Georgia sliding with Daddy...she actually liked it, even though her face doesn't show it!
She still LOVES to swing!
Playing with Ellen & her glasses. I love the pigtails and glasses! This picture makes me laugh!
I LOVE the facial expressions on each face...Georgia is hanging out with Aunt Heather & her boyfriend Julian, waiting for supper. Georgia LOVES both of them SO much! I told them I should have paid them for the babysitting...
She was so excited when we got there that she didn't nap! Here she is falling asleep while she was eating! It was 6:45!!! Shelby took her upstairs, changed her into her pj's and she slept until 7:30 the next morning!
I didn't do Halloween costumes this year, since we weren't home. I didn't want to "go there" this year...we'll tackle it next year! Here is Ivy Jane looking "BOO-tiful" for Halloween!

On Monday we went to see some dear friends, Don & Beverly. They helped us tremendously during the adoption of Georgia Claire and we were so glad she finally got to meet them! Georgia LOVED them right away. I love this picture!

Beverly had some pumpkins (not real) in her entry way that Georgia took a liking to! She "knee walked" into the entry three times to get the pumpkins. Here she is with the largest one-almost as big as she was! It was HILARIOUS and she was SO proud of herself! (As you can tell, Ivy Jane slept through the whole thing!)

Don & Beverly gave the girls their first Madame Alexander Huggums...beautiful little dolls! Georgia Claire couldn't wait to get it out of the box!

While Ivy slept, we played again at the park...The Hendersons & The Bramans (minus Georgia Claire)...she was already in her pj's asleep in bed when we took this. We debated if we should get her up and decided it was best for all parties involved to let her sleep! =)
BOTH girls were worn out by the time we went home on Tuesday...Georgia Claire slept 2 hours and Ivy Jane slept the entire 3 hours!

When we got home we pulled in the driveway and said, "Georgia, we're home!" and she said, "YEA!" and raised her arms. LOVE IT! We loved our trip, but there truly is no place like home!