13 Weeks!

Our preciousness turned THIRTEEN WEEKS today!  That is only half as crazy as the fact that she will be 3 MONTHS tomorrow!  Look at this photo!  She looks so grown up...sigh...and sweet...and just all kinds of preciousness.  I sat her on the couch to "practice" sitting for her 3 month pictures tomorrow.  She is sitting very well.  It's truly amazing how much babies develop in one month!

We have my sweet college friends staying with us, so it's been fun and busy around here, and I don't have a lot of time to blog!  Blair, Brittney (and Britt's boyfriend Danny) won't leave until Sunday, so Grey is going to be rotten with all the spoiling! ;)

Because I will be [hopefully] blogging tomorrow too, for her three month update, I will try to include a little of what Grey has been up to this past week.

Grey spent her first night away from us last weekend!  Tisha and Jimmy Jim kept her while Chet and I enjoyed our first date in a long time Saturday night in Fredericksburg.  Grey LOVED spending time with them, and to be honest - cried when we got back and picked her up. (Not the homecoming I pictured in my head haha!) :)  I think she could have stayed there and been loved on forever, which was wonderful to see.  As much as I missed her every moment, it was surreal to see her being loved and cared for so much from "grandparents".  During her stay there, she had her first swim - which was captured on video, of course ;).  Grey really enjoyed the water and splashed around happily the whole time!  Speaking of "captured on camera", I don't think I could have managed being away from our little Bop if Tisha didn't send us the constant photos and videos that she did...it made our hearts happy to see she was enjoying herself so much.  Even though under the best care, oh my...my heart won't be able to handle another overnight stay for awhile.  :)  (Chet and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves though, and I know it was needed!)

Grey has been sleeping better and developing her own schedule!  I had been stressing over this for weeks...months...and lo and behold, she has pretty much set a schedule on her own.  My personality is a touch "do it right or go home/do things my way", so I had been robbing myself of some of the joy to be had in the small things when I worried over her schedule.  Having a baby who was colicky and has reflux has nearly been impossible to establish a schedule with, so we are extraordinarily grateful her 'clock' is more predictable.  I think if I am ever going to give advice to new mommies, I will let them know that comparing their babies to others is only going to make them crazy.  Each baby and family is different, and it doesn't matter what advice books and friends give, what works for each family is what matters.  Chet and I love our little minimal sleeper, and even though I want her to sleep enough to be healthy, it's ultimately not going to do any good if I stress over a day that she sleeps only a couple hours.  :)  She is sleeping more and more though; we are praising the Lord for a baby who usually falls asleep in her Daddy's arms around 9 or 10 (Daddy's "magic hold" is truly MAGIC), sleeps in her crib until about 2, and then joins us in our room until about 4 or 5.   We wake up early, which works wonderfully for our family since Daddy goes to work early.   I am beyond blessed to spend the early morning hours snuggling, laughing, cooing and reading with my precious daughter!

Sweet girl is laughing so often now, and her favorite things (little kids, animals, grey bunny and blankies) make her laugh for hours!  Looking in the mirror and being outside bring on some fun giggles too! :D  When she is around little kids, I always think about her big brother...I believe God gave me a special gift with Grey loving toddlers so much.  Her "toddler" brother in heaven would make her laugh if he was here, and I adore watching the joy in her face when she is around my friends' kids.

These past couple of weeks have been crazy busy for Chet and I.  I feel as though it can't possibly be late June already!  Each day we fall more and more in love with the beautiful daughter the Lord has blessed our home with.  We've been given 13 of the best weeks on earth.  We love you dearly, precious Grey Danelle!

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty - and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  Psalm 145:5