Officially Six Months Old

Sorry it has been so long for me to update. I was trying to give the blog a little holiday face lift and I did not know what I was doing. Gracie has been growing by leaps and bounds. John has been working with her to teach her how to give high five's and she is doing very well. She sits up on her own for longer periods of time and reaches for toys to play with. She has always gotten the hiccups very easily, even in utero. Gracie's doctor told me at two months that she could have a little apple juice mixed with water. Normally I give her a few sips of that from the bottle to help them subside, but the other day I put some in a nuby sippy cup and gave it to her. I can't believe it but my six month old can hold a sippy cup and give it to herself. It was the neatest thing to watch. She is beginning to laugh allot more and it is nice to see the lighter side of her personality. I joke that she will be our little engineer of the family. She studies everything and looks like she is analyzing it to see how it works. It is very refreshing to watch the eyes of a child who is seeing something new for the first time. So often I forget how pretty a sunset or a blooming flower is, but she marvels at all these things. She just loves being outside. She cries when we have to come in sometimes. Gracie must bee about to cut a tooth because her drueling has been insane. Everything she touched goes in her mouth. We did go trick or treating with John's whole family. My little duck had a good time for about an hour but at 7:30 she was ready for bed. Her Aunt Leigh's neighborhood has a big production for Halloween. We pulled a decorated trailer from John's truck through the neighborhood. By the end we had so many people on that trailer you couldn't even move. I will post plenty of pictures of our beautiful little girl. Happy Holidays!

Halloween costume

Gracie's halloween costume came the other day and I just had to take a picture and post it. She is the cutest thing. She is battling a little chest cold right now so I am praying it doesn't get worse than it already is. It causes her to wake up a little earlier than normal these days.

5 Months Old

I know it has been way to long since I have updated her blog. But now that she is getting older I probably will update it a little less. Today she is exactly five months old. Yesterday was the first time she rolled over in bed and woke herself up. So she is now doing it constantly which makes nap times much shorter. I did manage to get her on video this morning performing her new trick. We have been working on Mama and I swear she is saying it. Ok, more like mimicking me but still she is trying it. I have noticed in the past few weeks how much her personality is showing. She is very serious, she studies everything! My Mom asked me if I ever thought a serious child would come out of me and I just laughed. She definitely has her fathers personality. We have been putting her in one of those walkers on wheels in our carport. She has figured out how to move in it. She zooms all around an discovered that there is a dip when you pull out that she can slide down. You have to watch her because she goes for that dip every time. She even knows she is not suppose to because she will look back at John or I before she does it and grin. That part of her personality sounds more like Mom. Everyday seemed to bring more adventure with this child. We had some pictures taken by a local photographer and it will be interesting to see how they turn out. I will have to post some. For now I am just posting some updated pictures that we have taken. It has all gone by so fast I feel like all I will have to remember this time with is my photographs!

Big girl

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. We went to Atlanta to pick up my Mom and bring her back here with us for this past week. It was so nice to have her help again. Gracie went back to the doctor on Tuesday and got her 4 month old shots. She is actually 41/2 months old now. It is amazing how fast it has gone by. She is really starting to enjoy her toys much more lately and interacts with us so much. She will laugh so hard that she gives herself the hiccups. She has been eating baby food and has started reaching for us when we go to pick her up. She still has her fussy times at night but I am happy to report she sleeps through the night great. It might have taken awhile to get here but it is such a relief to get a full nights sleep again. I have got her on a pretty good schedule. She really likes to get out of the house and see what is going on with the world. I have a few pictures to put up so you can see how she changes!

We are moved in!

I can't believe it myself, but we are actually all moved in our new house. If you know John and I then you know we do not wait and do anything. So, pictures are hung and the rooms are decorated! It has only taken us a full year to accomplish everything. We look around at our beautiful new home with such satisfaction and pride. We have worked so hard on this house, it literally has our blood, sweat and tears in it. We did all the demo ourselves, all the painting ourselves (and when I say painting I mean priming, two coats on all walls, and even the woodwork). My Dad and Mom helped us but it was mainly John's dedication that accomplished everything. He worked so hard and I am so proud of him. After all this hard work our bodies must have been really run down because the whole family has been so sick. I was first, then John, and now Gracie. She is only four months old, so naturally I panicked when she had 100.4 temperature last night. We took her to the doctor this morning and he thinks it is just a bug. It breaks my heart to watch my daughter wheezing, coughing, sneezing, and watching her little eyes run constantly. She has been a real trooper though, for a sick child she has not been too fussy. I try to do everything I can to ease her pain. She can't really take any medicine since she is so young, so we bought a vaporizer to put near her crib and propped up the head of it. It is so cute to watch her snuggle up and suck on her thumb to soothe herself ( I know that is a bad habit, but one she came by naturally from her father). She is so sweet despite her sickness. I told John I would rather us be sick 365 days a year than for her to be sick even one. I feel so guilty because I think I am the one who gave this virus to the rest of my family. We are anxiously waiting for the closing of our house in Augusta on Monday. Please pray that everything goes smoothly. Sorry it took so long for me to update but we do have our Internet now as well as our home phone and direct tv! We just do not get good cell phone service so I think we will switch carriers soon. I will post some pictures of Gracie. Please pray that she feels better soon too! When I take some pictures in the next week or so of the house I will update them too! Take care everyone! by they way ROLL TIDE!!! Since we have been together (6years) our two colleges have never played each other, but John and I handles it with such grace. He said I was a very graceful winner. But inside I could not be happier for the crimson tide!

No Internet

I realized this weekend how much I take the Internet for granted and just how dependant I am on it to stay in touch with the rest of the world. We have been in the country working on our new house since Friday. The do not offer DSL out in the sticks so we are looking into satellite. So after this Saturday there is no telling when I will be able to update next. Everyday brings something new with Gracie. She can hold her head up and has been preferring to sleep on her stomach whenever possible. We had dinner with our new neighbors in South Carolina (friends we have known for awhile). They had twins on my birthday July 7th! Jack and Katie are there names and they are so cute! I know they will be Gracie's best friends. Their nursery is the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. It looks like something from a movie. Since they are twins Gracie has a jump on them in the size department. Their Mom Ashleigh is going to stay home with them so it will be nice to have play dates right down the street. Being out there for a whole weekend made me appreciate the grocery store and pharmacy right down the street from our house in Augusta. There is no jumping in the car and running to the store. You have to be prepared for everything. So we decided we will need two refrigerators. I took Gracie around the property in her stroller with the dogs by our side. She was overwhelmed trying to soak it all in. On Sunday afternoon we both took nap and it amazing how quiet it is out there, you can hear the crickets and see the stars at night. It will be a nice change from the city living I grew up in. Thank you all who read our blog and think that our life in amusing enough to keep coming back. I will definitely post pictures of the house once we are in. Wish us luck!

No longer a newborn

It finally hit me the other day that Gracie is no longer a newborn. She is rapidly approaching four months old and gets bigger everyday. She can hold her head up on her own and sits up well in her little bumbo seat. For some reason she is having difficulty again sleeping through the night. I know she is too young to be teething and we have tried the cereal thing. She was sleeping through the night at least every other night but now it is either at 1am or 4am. Since she does not like pacifiers so nothing will seem to soothe her but the bottle! I am enjoying being home with her so much. I get to be apart of every new and wonderful thing that happens to her daily. We will be moving to the country August 23rd and I couldn't be more ready. We have been working on this house for almost a year now. It has been one of the hardest challenges John and I have ever taken on together. It was harder than building a house since we did most all of the work ourselves and gutted it completely. At night I seem to collapse from exhaustion between packing this house during the week, painting and preparing the other house on the weekends, and taking care of our little one during all of this. My family has been a big help, they come over to help paint, clean, do wood-work, and all the other odd jobs. My parents have been amazing and I can't thank them enough. My sister and Mom are coming back for the move. My sister is the biggest work horse you have ever seen. She and John are very similar with their work ethic. John's Mom has been a big help too, she keeps Gracie so that we can get all of our work done. That on top of giving us the house, she has been a saint. Please just pray that we make it through the move! We will miss Augusta, but I know Gracie is going to enjoy being a country girl.

3 Months old

I can't believe I have waited so long to update Gracie's blog. Things have been a little crazy around here. John was in Atlanta for three weeks of training with his new job and I had my last day of work on the 25th. I am officially a stay at home Mom with little Gracie. It couldn't have happened at a better time because we are also in the 12 days of due diligence for selling our house! It is a rough market for people selling there homes right now so we are very grateful that this buyer came along. It will be a little bitter sweet since this is the house we came home to when we were married and brought our daughter home from the hospital. It has been a great home and we have met some great friends here but now the next chapter of our lives is beginning. We are off to the country. We now need to spend every weekend packing and finishing up our new home. We still have some rooms to paint and alot of cleaning. Gracie has grown by leaps and bounds, she is now 3 months old. She grabs objects and pulls them to her face, smiles at our silly expressions, and laughs out loud. She is starting to hold her head up. But the the best new development has been sleeping through the night, the past two night have been 9pm to 8am. We are praying this continues but we know when she starts teething it will get rough again. Gracie had such a good time in Atlanta with her Aunt Julie and Nana. She is having a hard time adjusting to be home since she was held constantly at my mothers house. We had dinner with some of our friends from church and there babies. It is so much fun to see them all together since they are only a few weeks apart. Our best friends Betsy, Walt, and Luke will be moving to Fountain Inn to start a new church. There son Luke was born two weeks after Gracie. Betsy and I went through our entire pregnancies together (even our classes and same doctors office) and usually go to lunch weekly. I am sad to see my best friend go, but I know they will be bringing the gospel to people who need it! I am posting several pictures of Gracie since it has been so long. Thank you all for being such great friends!

10 Weeks

Gracie is rapidly approaching her 11 week mark. She is growing like a weed and I notice changes in her everyday. She is still not sleeping through the night, she gets up between 2:30 and 3:30 every night ready to eat. She is very healthy and enjoys her feedings so I can't complain. Last week we went to Atlanta with John for two days and got to spend some quality time with my family. My Mom and sister are so good with her and her sour hours were very mild for her. I have noticed she is much better at night when she has a good long afternoon nap. She still loves her bath time and smiles all the way through it. We need to film it one night. I apologize for not keeping the blog up the past two weeks, I am trying to juggle work too! My last day will be the 25th. We have been very fortunate to have John's family and my family helping us with Gracie while we work. Here are some good pictures we took recently.

Two Months old!

I am sorry it has taken me awhile to update. I am back at work for the month of July so I have less time to update her blog than I did on my maternity leave. Monday was her two month check-up and her first round of shots. John was out of town and my Mom was here to watch Gracie so she went with us. Gracie was so good and fell asleep in my arms, until they came at her with three big needles. They gave two in one leg and one in the other. Luckily she has a little bit meatier legs thank some two month old babies so she might not have been quite as sore. She screamed for a minute or two then fell back asleep. They told me she might be a little groggy and fussy but to call them with any concerns. She had a rough afternoon. She cried most of the afternoon and the only thing that made her feel better was being held. I was working so my Mom did all of the holding. Our house is not very big and since I work at home, I know that anyone who called me wondered if I was running a day care or working for LLS. That night she went to bed at 9:30pm and slept until 6am. I went in twice during the night to make sure she was breathing. I was so excited until last night came and she woke up at 3am for her usual nighttime feeding. I guess it was the shots and we are still a little while away from sleeping through the night. I have confidence it will come soon! The doctor said she looked healthy and is growing on her curve! I will not reveal her weight since a lady never tells, but she is definitely healthy. She is smiling at our facial expressions and is starting to make noises at us. It is so much fun to watch her respond. Before we know it she will be sitting up on her own! This weekend she is going to John's Mom's house for the fourth so that we can enjoy some much needed R&R at the lake! Happy fourth to everyone!

Gracie is growing

So this past week Gracie is officially 7 weeks old. I tried to weigh her last Sunday and she is rapidly approaching 13 pounds. I always said I wanted a chubby baby and I definitely got my wish. Now I would just like a baby that could sleep through the night, I hope I get that wish too! We went out to Johnston again this weekend to work on our house. We ended up spending the night both nights. We have a queen size bed and Gracie's pack'n play. I related it to camping, but as John pointed out we have a full functioning kitchen and a jacuzzi tub. That is hardly roughing it. But I did go without TV for a full weekend. That is really something for me! Gracie's sour hour at night is starting to expand from her 7 o'clock bottle to her 11 o'clock bottle, a little bit more than just one hour. She really just wants to be held during that time if she is awake. John is good about taking her for an hour or so during that time so that I can relax in a bubble bath for a little while. He is focusing on trying to teach her to say Daddy, he would love for that to be her first word. Her favorite time of the day is bath time. She kicks her little legs in that baby bath tub and smiles. We were just saying how fun it is to see her react to our words and facial expressions. She will smile and make funny noises at us and we think it is amazing. I am posting a picture of Gracie right after her bath. She looks so cute in her ducky towel John saved the picture as his desk top. When John called his friends to let them know Gracie was born, his friend Tyler summed parenting up so well. He said, "this is when life really begins". I have to agree with that.

Big Weekend

This past weekend was big for Gracie. We had her dedication on Sunday morning at church. She slept throughout the whole dedication and then woke up once the sermon started and was ready to eat. She looked so cute in her little outfit Nana gave her. We have several friends at church who have also become parents recently so it was fun to be at the dedication with everyone. There were fifteen boys and only five girls, so I think her odds are great. After that we went over to Gama's (John's Mom) to have pool party with all of her cousins. The water was still a little cool for her so she watched from the sun room. She is so content. We are still trying very hard to get her on a nighttime schedule, which seems to be our biggest challenge. Last night she made it 6 hours without a feeding. I was so happy when I looked at the clock and realized how long she went. She just likes to cry when it is time to start the bedtime process. If anyone has suggestion let me know! I am reading the book by Jo Frost from the TV show supernanny. I haven't gotten too far yet. I am trying to read everything I can get my hands on and then take what I want from each persons suggestions. The only thing I have learned so far is that nothing is constant and I have to do whatever is best for Gracie and myself!

Lunch Date

Today Gracie and I got to go to lunch with one of my good friends and her son. Her son is only two weeks younger than Gracie, and much smaller. Gracie looked rather large next to him. She is doing so good, today she smiled and laughed at the same time. I couldn't help it, I cried. I have turned into that sap I always dreaded. I happened to be on the phone with my Mom at the time and then she got sad that she wasn't here to see it. This time I know it wasn't gas and she wasn't dreaming because she was wide awake. I know this is the first of many amazing moments I will have in my life with Gracie. This elderly woman sitting at chic-fil-a stopped me and wanted to take a look at her. She asked me what her name was, when I said Grace she teared up and said that my little girl was filled with Grace so the name was perfect. Then she about hacked up a lung (almost on Gracie) and ruined the beautiful moment. My pediatrician Steve said people will be dying to touch her in public just like a pregnant woman's belly. I told him when I was pregnant if a stranger touched my belly I touched there's back! He liked that. I go back to the Dr. on Thursday, hopefully I will get the ok to start working out again. I am ready to get the rest of my baby weight off before I put on a bathing suit! This Sunday is Gracie's baby dedication at church. Of course her Nana had to buy her a new outfit, so I will post pictures once I have some.

4 Weeks Old

I can't believe that Gracie is 4 weeks old today. It has gone by so fast, I know everyone says that but it really does. She is getting really strong, moving her head around and she can even flip over to one side. It is so wonderful watching her change daily. She had a rough afternoon the other day but hopefully it was just gas. One of my good friends reminded me today that they are still trying to get adjusted to life in the world and since they cannot communicate with us, we just have to be patient. I thought that was great advice (she has a two week old at home). John has been working on the in South Carolina daily so Gracie and I get to spend our days together. Then at night Daddy comes home to get his Gracie fix. John and I really enjoying our family growing and can't wait to have another one! (But we will wait until she is at least out of diapers before we do this again :)

Busy Weekend

This past week Gracie's umbilical cord finally fell off. So she got to take her first full bath. It was much more fun than those sponge baths we had been giving her. She just sat there in the water kicking and splashing. (Well we had to help hold her up of course). But she was so good and seemed to love every minute of it. We took her to the mall this past weekend and to a memorial day Bar-B-Que and she was so pleasant. Of course she cries when she is hungry or has gas, but other than that I can't complain. We have nicknamed her Gaseous Gracie because she seems to have an abundant amount. My nephews thought that was hilarious. We just enjoy having her as a part of our family!

Great Day

Yesterday Gracie had a great day with her Great-Grandmother. My Mom's Mother, Nini came to town to meet her. My sister drover her over from Atlanta and they spent Thursday night here. We haven't been able to remove Gracie from her Nini's arms. It is so special to see four generations of women together. Every day we see something new and amazing from Gracie. I have enjoyed every minute of being home with her. Tonight we are going to dinner with our friends Andrew and McKenna, their son is a few months older than Gracie and we are having talks of an arranged marriage. :) Gracie is starting to learn the difference between day and night and we are very thankful. We are still awaiting a six hour night! We have also been blessed that John got a new job with Solvay pharmaceuticals. He will start here in the Augusta area on June 9th with at home study. He then goes to training in Atlanta in the middle of July. We are very pleased that his training is so close, that way he can come home on the weekend to be with his girls! Gracie is scheduled for her baby dedication at church on June 8th. We are very excited because several of our good freinds will be participating with their children as well. I will definetely post pictures from this blessed event. Thanks for keeping up with our lives.

Doctors Visit

Gracie went to the doctor yesterday and she is doing great. She is weighing in at 9lbs 7Oz. Dr. Steve said she is in the 95% and that is awesome. He also said for Mommy to not get hung up in the percent and weight. As long as she is gaining weight and eating she is doing great. She is starting to turn her days and nights around. We get up for two feedings a night and then she self soothes her way back to sleep. John and I said we would have ten more if they had this personality, but since we can't guarantee it we will stick with just Gracie for now. She really only cries if her diaper is dirty or she is hungry. What a blessing for our first child. She also had to go get her hearing re-tested yesterday. She did not pass in her left ear at the hospital, but yesterday she passed with flying colors. John has been reading baby wise out loud to her at night and she seems very soothed by his voice. The nurses in the hospital told us it is very important to start reading right away, since she doesn't really understand what we are reading baby wise works. :) Tomorrow her Nana will come back and bring my grandmother Nini with her. I am so excited for Nini to meet little Gracie. We took her to South Carolina this past weekend to see her new house and meet her cousins. They were so good with her. Her four year old cousin Carter just couldn't get enough of her. He was so intrigued and cautious, he made sure everyone who came near her washed their hands! I will post pictures of her adventures. Thank you all for keeping up with our progress. I will try to keep updating as often as I can.

A Happy Mothers Day

This was my first mothers day and it was definetely a special one. Nana watched Gracie so John and I could get up and go to church. Gracie sent me tulips for my first mothers day and Daddy let me have a nap this afternoon. It is so amazing to look at my daughter and know that I gave her life. She is truly amazing to me, even at ten days old. She can already move her head around and tries to roll from side to side. It is good to see that she is so strong. We still have our days and nights mixed up, she is wide awake until about 2am and then she calls it a night. Despite all of our efforts it is very challenging to keep her up during the afternoon and early night be we will continue to try. I wake up every morning excited to see her and what she will do next. I will post a picture we took in our front lawn after we came home from church. Our first family photo!

A Week Old!

I can't believe a week has gone by already! She is not nearly as swollen as she was after she came out. Of course I thin she is beautiful but that is what mothers are suppose to think. Gracie is actually quite dainty She has been getting on a little bit better schedule at night. We go to bed at 12:30 and have another feeding at 3:30 and then wake up around 6:30. It has been heaven lately! I can't stop staring at her in amazement. She sleeps alot so when she has her awake times where she just stares at me I treasure them. I have already forgotten about the pain of a c-section and would do this again in a heartbeat! She really has a great temperment and cries when she is hungry or has made a mess in diaper. She has peed on my twice already. I thought only little boys did that, but Gracie has defied gravity. Last night I snapped some pictures of her feet and I was laughing so hard I htink I poppes a stitch. It was totall worth it. She defientely has her father feet. Thank you all for checking in on us I will try to stay on top of things.

She has arrived!

Sorry it has taken me a little while to update. Things have been crazy and my recovery will take a little while. We went in on Thursday the 1st to be induced at about 6am. Neither John nor I slept the night before from all of our excitment. We got there and they started the induction at about 7am. Then my doctor came over and broke my water around 7:45. I did good for about two hours of contractions then I requested my epideral. It was great until about an hour and half later when it stopped working. The needle has come out of the part of the spine it was suppose to effect. So for the next hour and a half I got to experience natural childbirth. For those of you who can do it my hats off to you. The anesthesiologist came back in and had to give me a second epideral which stopped the pain, but not the pressure. At about 3:30 I was fully dialted and started pushing. We pushed for about an hour and 45 minutes and nothing was happening. My doctor came in and gave me the news I had been dreading, I had to have a c-section. I cried a little then sucked it up and said lets get the show on the road. I always knew it would be possibility. The took me in for surgery and then brought John back a little later. Grace Elizabeth Kelly "Gracie" was born at 6:10pm. She was 8lbs 14 oz and 22 inches long. The first time I heard her cry I had to join in. This is truly the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. She has already humbles John and I to the amazing grace of the Lord. I came home a little early for a c-section but figured I would rather recover in my own bed. My Mom has been here ever since and I do not know what we would do without her! Aunt Julie even came over to help for a few days. (She taught her how to ROLL TIDE !!) John has been doing everything but feeding her since I have to do that. With a c-section I can't lift her or change her diapers but I just started today. He has been my rock and was amazing through the whole process. I will try to be better at posting, but here are some pictures. Thank you all for your phone calls and prayers. We are all trying to adapt to our new lifestyle with our little blessing. God bless!

It looks like a week from today.

We went to the doctor today and everything went well. The sonogram technician told us Gracie was measuring 8lbs 7oz. Which was a big increase from the last weeks 7.2. My doctor said there is about a half a pound room for error. I don't think sonograms are too accurate. But any way I have only dialted 1cm so she thinks I will make to my induce date of 5/1. So John and I have to be at the hospital next Thursday at 6am to start the long process of induction. She did a great job todayof letting me know about all the circumstances that could come about. We are going to try and deliver this baby the old fashioned way, but she wanted me to know it was a possiblility that I might have to have an emergency c-section. Another patient of her pushed for two hours the other day and just couldn't deliver the baby. She just doesn't want me to be upset with her if Gracie needs to come via emergency c-section, and I completely understand where she is coming from. By next Thursday she could be closer to 9 pounds, but we are waiting til that week to make sure her lung developement is complete. I just want to do what is best for Gracie and I know my doctor does too. I have actually enjoyed that fact of knowing I have another week with just John. My parents are going to come over the night before and I told them I want to go to a "last supper" before the big day. I can't eat anything throughout the day so I want to make up for it the night before. I will probably do one more entry before the big day so check back. I am also going to give John instructions on how to post pictures of Gracie once she arrives. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers, please continue to pray for a healthy delivery and baby girl!

No baby yet!

We made it through the weekend without going to the hospital. She will definitely be coming on her own time. The good thing is that she is full term. We are officially 38 weeks, the sonogram technician has me measuring at 39 weeks but apparently they will not change your due date because the very first sonogram is the most accurate. I know I am suppose to be resting, but John and I have been walking through our neighborhood at night, yes I am trying to walk her out. :) Last night I was especially slow, but John was patient and waited for me at the top of the hills. We went to dinner Saturday night with John's old partner, Tamera and her husband Steve. Steve is going to be Gracie pediatrician and I know he will be great. He is very calm and laid back, which if you know me I will need! He had some great advice about becoming a parent and told us to call him anytime we need him. I promised I wouldn't take advantage of his offer. I have another doctors appointment Thursday so I will post after that. My mom has been begging me to make it past today so that she can take care of her customers before she comes and I told her I would try my best. I am so excited about her coming to be a part of this. The best advice I have received from friends is to let her stay as long as she will! She might be moving in at that rate. :)

Good News!

We went to the doctor yesterday and looks like I will be able to avoid a c-section! The sonogram technician had a difficult time measuring her head because she has dropped so low, but it looks like she is weighing in around 7.2 give or take a pound. I was very excited at the opportunity for a normal delivery. The doctor gave me a date of May 1st, so if I have not gone into labor on my own before then she will induce me. She said is very possible that I could go into labor on my own since she has dropped so low and my cervix is starting to soften. John thought I would be upset since I was hoping that next week we would meet our daughter, but I know the best place for her right now is right where she is. It is just getting very uncomfortable lately and the braxton hicks are getting rather intense, especially at night. Please continue to pray for a safe and healthy arrival for our daughter. As it approaches we are getting anxious and excited! We also pray that John will find a job in the next few weeks as well, especially since I will be on maternity leave. I go back to the doctor again next Thursday for my last appointment. I will be sure to keep everyone posted!

Still Waiting

I went to the doctor yesterday just to be checked since my braxton hicks have been picking up. She said I have not dialated but Gracie's head is very low and that I must be carrying her low. I said I can still feel her in my ribs so I think she is a big baby. She laughed and agreed with me. I still have to go back tomorrow for the sonogram and stress test. This is when they will take in depth measurements and try to figure out her size. The doctor wants to do a c-section if she is too big! I would like to try and deliver her myself so I want her to completely rule out a normally delivery first. I get more and more uncomfortable the bigger I get, but after my visit yesterday I am reminded that the entire process is a blessing. Many women sitting in the lobby were discussing their battles with infertility and miscarriages, it made me feel awful that I am complainig about selep and frequent trips to the bathroom. John and I pray daily that our child is healthy and that is our main focus. Thank you all for checking in on us and I will post again tomorrow with our results! Have a great day and God Bless!

April 11th

It is the Friday of Masters week so John and I are praying Gracie decides to stay where she is! It would be a mess to try and make it to the hospital during all of this! I go back to the doctor on the 17th! That is when we will make the decision on how Gracie will be born and pick the date. We are pretty sure it will be during the week of the 21st since that is my 38th week and the doctor thinks she does not need to go past that. For those of you who do not know she is going to be a big baby! I have been blessed with the gene of having big babies (if you call that a blessing)! Despite my constant worrying about my weight the doctor says I am on track and her size has nothing to do with my weight or what I have been eating. I decided to do a blog so it will be easy to communicate with everyone once she is here! We have been so blessed with such wonderful friends and family who have helped us get everything we need to prepare for her arrival! My frequent trips to Babies R Us have helped too! If you know John and I, then you know we are as prepared as we can be. The nursery was done soon after Christmas (that was more my doing) and now the car seat has been loaded and the bottles sterilized! I think I have made my other pregnant friends annoyed with my extreme organization! Every night John and I watch TV and wait. She moves so much John jokes that she is trying to get out, and believe it or not she settles down when her Daddy talks to her! It is truly amazing to think that John and I have created this little person growing inside me. As the delivery approaches I get nervous, but as I told him last night having my best friend by my side, I know I can do it! The braxton hicks have been picking up at night so we keep our bags packed just incase! As we wait for our daughter Grace Elizabeth Kelly "Gracie" to arrive I find myself reading 1 Corinthians 1 :4 "I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." The Lord has blessed us with a child and through the last few weeks of this pregnancy I remind myself daily!