6 Month Old

Ivy Jane is SIX MONTHS OLD today! The past 6 months have been tough at times, but SO happy! Ivy Jane is really starting to get a personality...laughing at her big sister, interacting with her daddy, and still loving her momma! She is sitting up on her own and today I found her first tooth poking through her gums!

We go to the doctor on Tuesday for her 6 month check-up...I can't wait to see how big she is!

This picture was taken literally about 15 minutes after they both woke up...they still have sleepy eyes! I put Ivy in the chair while I changed Georgia and when we were finished she was saying, "Pwee" and hiking her leg up on the chair, wanting to get up and sit with her baby sister.

She is such a happy baby...especially if she's with Momma! =)
Working with Daddy...
I cannot believe we now have a 19 month old and a 6 month old! So very thankful for this life that I have been given...

35 YEAR OLD

Today is my 35th birthday! Ivy Jane wore her cupcake onesie to celebrate...

It was SO cold here today. Georgia Claire wore her furry boots! I bought them back in November and she is just now able to wear them! They were a little hard to walk in but now that she is walking like a pro she doesn't have any trouble! Today was a MDO day...so fun but she plays so hard and doesn't get to nap very long, so she was one SLEEPY HEAD tonight...I sound like a broken record but I am SO thankful for my life...especially my family! I enjoyed my day-lunch with my mom, shopping, playing & laughing with the girls (Ivy Jane is getting to be SO much fun), and ended with a date to eat Japanese food with Shelby while Grandma & Paw Paw watched the girls. Thank you Lord for this life you have given me!

Change of Status

Yesterday I had my 6 month postpartum check-up with my doctor. Because it was so cold here yesterday (and today and tomorrow and Friday!) she had a lot of patients cancel their appointments. SO, because she didn't have another patient waiting and she needed to update my info in her new computer system, my appointment lasted a little bit longer than usual. How often do you get to sit and chit chat with your doctor about all of the incredible ways that God has blessed your life in the last 2 years?! The best update of the appointment...she changed my status to "unexplained infertility" to "one successful adoption" and "one successful pregnancy"!

While I ran to the bathroom after we got home yesterday, Ivy started crying and Georgia got in her bag, found her bottle, and was trying to give it to her when I returned! I have to admit it brought tears to my eyes to see my 19 month old trying to comfort her not-quite 6 month old sister! I'm going to have quite the little helper on my hands! =)

On February 19th we've been asked by our adoption agency to talk to the prospective adoptive couples who will be in a training session on that day. Although I do not like to talk in front of people I remember being in that same training session just two years ago and what an encouragement it was to hear the stories of the families (adoptive parents & birthmoms) about their own adoption journeys. I'm excited to share how God has worked in our lives! I'm happier now than I ever thought I'd be. The last few days I've been in a very thankful and reflective mode...all because of my sweet Georgia Claire, Ivy Jane & (Shelby Christopher, too!) =) I have such an awesome responsibility to grow and nurture and love and care for these two precious gifts that God has given me each and every day. I know that it's all by the grace of God that I can happily and proudly say I am a mother of two awesome baby girls! Right now I know of three couples who are in the waiting stages with an adoption agency, two friends who are struggling with infertility, and one who has just lost her baby (after 6.5 months of being pregnant). All of these women would be and will be INCREDIBLE mothers. I stole this from a friend's blog and I think it's the perfect verse for the mommas-to-be...

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You. Isaiah 26:3

Always in prayer for those on their own journeys to growing their family...

Speaking of growing, Ivy Jane is almost 6 months old and she is eating anything and everything I put in front of her! Yesterday she started sitting up on her own. It doesn't last long and she usually falls over after a minute or two, but she is CLOSE! She loves for me to prop pillows around her so that she can sit up.

While Ivy Jane was napping the other day I was putting up laundry...it was piled high on our bed. I went to the bathroom to put away some towels and when I came back Georgia Claire had found a comfy spot to watch!
She is hilarious right now with my bracelets and her baby and her phone and her baby stroller. She stopped for a minute while she was playing last Saturday...notice instead of a baby she has a phone in the stroller...Shelby has been in Kansas the last two weeks (week before last it was Sunday-Wednesday and last week it was Monday-Friday). By Thursday of last week Georgia Claire was walking around saying "Dada?" and putting her hands up like where is he?! She missed him tremendously! We enjoyed a home-cooked meal and family time together on Friday & Saturday we decided we would get out and enjoy the day together since the weather was BEAUTIFUL! Our plan was to run errands & play Saturday morning, eat lunch, and come home for nap time, but GC had other plans! She did NOT want to nap. Although she was extremely tired, she stood up in her bed (on the bumper pad) and yelled,"Dada!" for about 20 minutes...SOMEONE missed her daddy! I told Shelby she was probably afraid she was going to miss something! SO, since it was a beautiful day we decided a nap was not going to happen and we loaded up the wagon and headed to the park. She was excited when we got there but all she wanted to do was this...
She cried when Shelby tried to swing with her, when I tried to swing with her, when we sat her down, when we tried to get her to run & play...even when we put her back in the wagon! Can you say tired 19 month old?! Ivy Jane just sat and enjoyed the scenery and the crying...
About 2 minutes after we got in the car, this is what happened...
After going to bed early on Saturday and having a good morning at church on Sunday, she was in rare form! Here she is with her skirt on her head being silly!

Georgia's Bling

One of Georgia's favorite things to do is play with my bracelets. I've figured out that when I have to get ready and Shelby is gone (which has been often lately, unfortunately) she will sit for quite a while and play. None of them cost much and I love that she enjoys it. Today she started putting them on her wrist and did not want to take them off. I love these pictures of her with her bling...

Sweetness

I've become quite the "Betty Crocker" lately and I'm really enjoying learning to do more in the kitchen. Shelby isn't complaining either! =) One of my very favorite things to do is to get together with my parents and eat a home-cooked meal from my mom. Around Christmas I started thinking that I needed to start learning to do more in the kitchen if I was going to pass on that love of "getting together" with my girls. As I was cooking supper a few days ago I put Ivy Jane in the bouncy seat near me in the kitchen. That way, I had my eye on her and she had her eye on me! She seems to be content as long as she has Momma in sight! Georgia Claire was busy in the living room playing but before long, she walked in-carrying her little chair (the chair that used to be brown...also the chair that was Shelby's when he was a little boy) and put it beside Ivy Jane and sat down. Right after I took this picture she patted her and gave her a kiss. She LOVES her baby sister! I was thinking today what a blessing it is to have an older sister that is so sweet and so caring when it comes to her baby sister. I realize it might not always be this way, but I'm sure enjoying the sweetness of it right now!

Speaking of sweetness...I love this picture of Georgia & Caroline! Last Friday was our first experience with a playgroup that meets once a week. It involves several kids/moms from our church & MDO...including my sister and some other moms that are TERRIFIC! It gives me a break by getting out and visiting with other moms and it gives Georgia a break from our home. Ivy Jane was very happy just sitting in her stroller watching everyone! Georgia was initiated with a busted lip about 15 minutes after we got there but she was a trooper and got right back out there after most of the bleeding stopped. Caroline was SO sweet to Georgia, playing right beside her most of the time! There is a little over 2 years between these girls and I cannot wait to watch them grow to be best friends! It makes my heart happy! Caroline is HILARIOUS and if any of that rubs off onto Georgia it will be fine by me!
Thank you Lord for the sweetness of these little girls that are in my life!

Our Newest Addition

Our newest addition to our household is not another baby or a pet...it's a potty for Georgia! Some of you may be thinking that 19 months is too early, but she is starting to show the "signs" that she is interested in it! Last week she started saying, "poo poo" and pulling on her diaper. When I asked her if she had poo poo she said, "yeah yeah yeah yeah" and then I asked her if she wanted to go change her diaper and she said, "yeah yeah yeah yeah", went to the changing table, and held up her arms for me to pick her up! Since then, every time she has poo poo she tells me and points or starts heading to the changing table! I'm not going to be a pushy mom, but I wanted to go ahead and get a potty so she could start getting used to it. She's a smart girl and she'll figure it out in her time! I realize we may have the potty for 6 months or even a year before she is officially potty-trained, but that's ok with me! Here she is seeing the potty for the first time...

And so begins the next chapter in parenthood...

Growing Pains

Sweet Ivy Jane hasn't been so sweet lately...poor baby!

Apparently she is going through a growth spurt and is dealing with growing pains! Last Tuesday I thought she was sick so I took her to the doctor, only to hear that she was fine...just a little congestion. SO, we came home and started using the humidifier, saline nose mist, and I even propped her mattress up on one end with some books under it so that she could breathe easier. Wednesday night she woke up in the middle of the night...not like her! She's been sleeping 9-11 hours each night! Thursday night she woke up every 2 hours or so, Friday night she was up every hour or two! Ugh! By Saturday I was CONVINCED she had to have an ear infection since she was waking up so much. I was exhausted, and so was she. (Did it phase Georgia? Not one bit! She continued her 11-12 hour sleeping schedule! Thank goodness!) On Monday I went BACK to the doctor with Ivy Jane only to hear, "Her ears are clear. She has no fever. AND, her lungs sound clear!" SO, WHY in the world has she been waking up every hour or two? Growing pains...possibly starting to teethe. When we got home I was determined to get my sweet Ivy Jane back-the plan was to feed her as much as possible and it has seemed to help! She's getting back on her schedule & I couldn't be happier.

Even Big Sis Georgia has gotten in on the feeding!

Last night Ivy Jane woke up at 11:30 and instead of picking her up and feeding her, I let her cry it out. She had just had milk at 9:00, so I knew she wasn't hungry. I went in & checked on her...gave her her paci and closed her door...I stood in my room with the monitor in my hand praying that God would help her to go to sleep and in about 5 minutes she was snoring! Yippee! I'm sure these aren't the only growing pains we will experience, but I'm hoping these are on their way out the door!