Laughter is the Best Medicine

We got Elizabeth laughing the other day. She sure does warm our hearts. 

She is very talkative these days (especially in the morning). 

I love listening to all her jabbering & cooing. 

Big & Little

We had our regular Tuesday photo shoot today. I included Jonah this time. Taking pictures of two moving targets is not easy. Especially when they are not synchronized!  But, I am always glad I have the photos. I am happy to capture whatever kind of moment we are having. 

12 Weeks

Twelve weeks! Wow, what a whirl! 

These past six have been much better than the previous six. Really, the last three weeks have been pretty great. I feel like we're finally hitting our stride.

This collage is not my favorite/best work. But, it will do. (the 10 week photo is my favorite)

Today, when I was taking pictures I clicked one that immediately reminded me of 

one of my favorites of Jonah. 

So, I dug through my files and found it. Isn't the comparison amazing! 

I love that they are making nearly the same expression. 

 He was two weeks younger when his photo was taken. I sure do love these beautiful kids! 

Grandparents

This one is dedicated to grandparents. Just because. 

 Yesterday, I let Jonah have bubbles in his bath. He looked up at me and said, "Hey, I wanna look like Grandpa!" I had to take a picture so Grandpa Atkins could see...

I had this shirt for Jonah, back in the day. I know I put it on him once or twice, but it was really the wrong season for him. It works great for our girl. And I was especially proud of that cute bow I made to match it. (just so happened to have that ribbon, which is a perfect match)

And this one is 'just because it is cute.' I was glad I got a picture of this funny moment...she was looking so intently/angrily at Jonathan. I love it! 

Jonah Visits the Farm

 While I was recovering from this:

Jonah stayed with Jonathan's parents. 

While he was there Jonah's Aunt Melody had him out to visit her farm. She and her husband, Tim, have all sorts of animals.

  every farm needs a good dog

 he got upset that the pigs got dirty right after he washed them!

 his cousin, Effenni has a miniature horse

that's enough of the donkey

 better get all the straw off of the egg!

 Chillin' with Aunt Mel. 

oh, there the goats are! 

a well deserved drink!

He was taught to sing 'Tim & Melody Have a Farm' to the tune of 'Old MacDonald'...I just haven't been able to catch it on video. 

Six Weeks

Our darling daughter is six-weeks-old today! 

The early weeks are a blur in our memories..good thing we have photos! 

I'd bet weeks two and three are most blurred for Jonathan. He was working a lot and not sleeping much. Some of his co-workers have commented to me how rough he looked dragging into work some mornings. 

Jonah is just as smitten with her now as he was the first week. He loves hugging and kissing her. Every now and then he asks me not to get her (when she's crying for me), but usually he just jumps in and "helps."

meeting a great

Last weekend I loaded up the car and headed to Mom & Dad's. This was Miss Elizabeth's first trip to Arkansas. She sure did make a debut!! (lots of screaming). 

She also got to meet her Great Grandpa Brewer.

You may remember, from my earlier post, Elizabeth shares his birthday. 

They sure are a sweet pair! 

sweet baby love

Big Brother/Baby Sister

While we were at the hospital Jonah spent the day with the Sparks family. They helped him make some pink lemonade cupcakes to celebrate Elizabeth's birth. When he came to meet her they put a candle in one of the cupcakes and he "gave" it to her. 

 This was Jonah's first little moment as a big brother!

And here he is wearing the gift Elizabeth "gave" him...

a shirt that reads "Big Brothers Rule."

 Our sweet little family of four!!!

 A few days later, when we were all home together, Jonah helped me give his sister her first bath. He presented her with a pink duck he and I had picked out for her a few months ago!

 They are my sweet babies!

I sure do love these little blessings. I pray that they become friends and truly love & appreciate one another someday. 

Elizabeth Anne has Arrived!

 On Tuesday morning, we loaded up and left the house as a family of 3. Jonathan and I made a quick stop to drop Jonah off to spend the day with some of our favorite people. Then we headed on to the hospital! 

 They asked us to be there 2.5 hrs before the scheduled c-section time. I couldn't imagine that it would really take that long to get checked in. There really wasn't a lot of "down time" though. We were busy filling out forms and answering questions right up until our scheduled time. THEN the waiting began. The surgical team was running behind. We were delayed almost an hour. 

 They got started at 12:49pm. 

She was out by 1:17pm. 

That crying (and let me tell you, it was some darn good crying) was the sweetest sound a mama could ever hear! The Dr.'s first comment was her good coloring. The nurses told us later she was one of the most beautiful babies they have seen. They see a lot of babies, so I'm not just biased when I say she is BEAUTIFUL! 

While the Dr. was stitching my belly, Jonathan accompanied the nurses who cleaned and checked the baby. We were very anxious to hear her weight, and then SHOCKED to learn she was 

8lbs. 9oz. 

Did I mention that she came a week before the actual due date?! That is nearly two pounds heavier than Jonah who came out full term! 

 As soon as I was put back together they let me recover in a delivery room...WITH my baby. This was different from my first c-section. When I had Jonah the labor and delivery was too crowded...I had to recover on the surgical floor away from my baby. THAT was torture. 

We feel so very blessed. My heart overflows with thankfulness. Jonah came home from Grandma and Grandpa's house last night. We have spent the day as a family of 4 and I LOVE it. I love our children so dearly. I am so thankful that God gave us such wonderful treasures. I pray I can parent them in a way that gives HIM praise! 

Beautiful Bedding

Would you like to see what I believe to be the most beautiful baby bedding I've ever laid my eyes on?

My mother is a genius with fabric. 

Mom and I don't usually agree on colors/styles. I usually like more colorful things, she usually likes more ruffles. But, when we found the fabrics used in Elizabeth's bedding, we both had love at first sight! And it's even more beautiful all put together. 

We had picked out a quilt pattern a long long time ago. Before I was pregnant, much less knew I was having a girl. We loved the Amy Butler quilt pattern. She took it a step further and made it two sided. I love both sides very much! 

I'm not sure the pictures do it justice. I LOVE it. 

Also pictured: our sweet baby bag (vera bradley, folkloric)

and my latest craft project...I took a wooden letter E for less than $3 and covered it in those pretty beads! 

This baby room is a joy for me to walk into! I'm loving it. 

Weekend Update: Baby Shower

This weekend my mom, aunt, and sister hosted a baby shower for me. We gathered at Emily's house for a Night Owl party! It was very very cute.

(yes, party is spelled wrong...because they reused the sign from my cousin's shower last weekend. It was originally written to match her baby's name, which is Charli Pepper) 

Isn't my cousin, Courtney, creative...she's the one who created this from scratch...chalkboard paint and everything!

The banner with Elizabeth's name will probably be hung in her room when I get it put together. And the cake is another Aunt Caroline masterpiece! It was strawberry on the inside...and just so you know, it was very tasty!

Lots of credit goes to my mom, who orchestrated the whole thing. Where would I be without such a fantastic mom?! I am also grateful my mother-in-law made the trip down for the occasion. I really appreciate my family. They are amazing! 

It was a lovely little gathering! Thanks everyone! 

p.s.... thanks to Auntie Em, Elizabeth may not have to ever wear the same thing twice. 

A Birth Date

Due to babies (mine and my cousin's) arriving at the end of July my mom's side of the family got together early this year. We usually gather to celebrate my grandpa's birthday. I have aunts and uncles who travel great distances each summer for our get-togethers. So, on Thursday June 7th we had an early birthday party for Grandpa Brewer. 

This was the card we made for him, explaining the gift we're planning for his birthday....

Since I will be having a second Cesarean, we got to pick our delivery date...and July 24th worked out to be right on track with when the Dr. thinks she'll be ready to come out. (a week before the actual due date) I'm so excited to have a date picked. We are scheduled for the 24th at 12 o'clock noon! Very exciting stuff. Now we can make plans with family coming to visit. (as long as she doesn't come early) 

Jonah Bear

I don't know if I ever posted pictures of Jonah Bear. He was Jonah's first stuffed animal. We made him before Jonah was born...and included a sound card with Jonah's heartbeat inside of him. 

Today we went back to Build-A-Bear to buy another sound card...for the new baby. 

We let Jonah bring his bear to get some clothes. He chose a football uniform (which came with a ball and helmet). 

 I secretly had hoped he might choose something "cute" (ie: a shirt with a collar and pants with a button), but his choice made him very very happy. 

I also could not resist buying a little pair of glasses for the bear. 

My Favorite Jonah Quote!

Tonight Jonah said something really cute. It might be my favorite thing of all the cute things he's ever said! I smiled myself to happy tears. (but, then, that doesn't really take much when I'm pregnant)

He was sitting on my lap; we were face-to-face, or, more importantly, belly-to-belly when he said: 

"What's that?"

(me: what's what?)

"The girl, she's knocking!"

I guess his little sister had moved right when Jonah settled against my belly. It was a moment I will treasure for a long time! 

IT's A......

Drum roll, please......

*

wait for it

*

*

* 

The ultrasound revealed that we are having a....

healthy baby.....

and ......

Her name shall be Elizabeth Anne. I might just call her Eliza. I can't help myself! We are so in love with her sweet feet and cute little toes that she kept moving for us to see!