Four Months: A Letter

September 28, 2014

Molly Ann,

What a big month you've had?!  You have learned so much and grown so much and have really started to show your personality:)

You love to smile, you love to kick your legs, you love to watch brother, and we love to just be with you!  You have completed our little puzzle and we couldn't be happier;)

You've settled in perfectly at Ms. Kelly's and we soak up every evening we have!  We travel to Daddy's games as much as we can and you and Lucas make many trips to the grocery store with me.  It's a challenge sometimes, but I love it:)  This season won't last long, as I already know.  It's already flying by!

You started off this 4th month with your first little vacation:)  We went to Shawnee for a softball tournament.  You stayed in your first hotel and you and Lucas got to come see OBU where I went to college.  It was so fun walking around with the two of you:)

You then got to meet my sweet friend from OBU, Chandra:)  We always go to her house for Labor Day and she and Justin loved meeting you!

Your other major event was meeting another 2nd cousin, Mayson!  We went to see her at the hospital and then at her house.  You looked huge next to her!  She's so sweet and tiny and I'm so glad you all live so close to each other:)

Other than that, we spent most of our days going to softball games and lounging around:)  These weeks go by too fast and we can't get enough of you and Lucas!  He just adores you and loves on you and calls you "my baby".  He loves when you smile and loves when you make noise and loves when you look at him!

You now eat 6z every 3.5-4 hours and are just starting rice cereal.  We went to the doctor for your 4-month check-up and you weigh 14 lbs 14 oz (75%) and are 25 1/4 in long (82%).  Chunky monkey:)  He says you're just perfect.  You have rolled from back to belly a few times and Dr. Freed that you went this way first. Usually it's the other way around, but Lucas did it that way first too.

You go to bed around 7-7:30p and we have to wake you up at  6:30a to go to Ms. Kelly's.  You sleep great.  You are still sleeping on your belly swaddled under your arms, but once you can roll from belly to back, we will have to put you in a sleep sack.  You take a good nap in the mornings and in the afternoons, with a catnap after lunch and sometimes in the evenings.  You absolutely love your bath and you kick like crazy and laugh the whole time!

You love to lay on your mat and you really like your bouncer too.  We are starting to put you in your Bumbo to get you ready for solid food, but you just love to lean forward.  You are really good at holding your head up, but you don't "sit up" very good yet.  You do love tummy time, so I know you'll get the hang of it:)

I just can't believe we are already at this point.  You are about to get very mobile and experience all the yummy baby foods.  It's such a fun stage and I'm excited, but I'll miss these days more than you'll know.

This month especially, I want to remember your chubby thighs, your coos, the way you love to kick your legs, your "droopy" cheeks, and the way you rub your eyes when you get sleepy.

You are a breath of fresh air and just the sweetest little thing.  We love you so much and are so grateful for your little life.  We can't wait to watch you grow and change and our prayer is to someday love the Lord and serve Him with your life.  You will do great things, Molly Ann!

We love you,
Mama and Daddy

Three Months: A Letter

August 28, 2014

Dear Mollz,

I can't believe you are three months!  I can't believe it's already September and I'm just now getting around to posting this!  I can't believe how busy we've been!

You are just the sweetest little thing:)  You are very easy-going (two children that way...lucky, I know) and laid back and we are just loving life with you!

You smile so much now and we want to capture every single one of them:)  Your cheeks raise up so we can see you smiling from across the room!  You have even started to laugh just a little bit...it sort of sounds like you're sucking in air really hard!  It's the cutest.

We have been so busy with school starting up.  You and Lucas helped me so much by coming to my room every day for a few hours to get it all set up.  You just laid around on the rug and took naps and watched Lucas play.  You were wonderful:)

Daddy has been really busy with softball games too and we go to all we can.  You love all the softball girls and they all love you too.  They've all been so helpful and will hold you any chance they get:)  But we like when he's home and we soak up every minute:)

You have settled into Ms. Kelly's really well.  She loves you and Lucas being back!  You take good naps there, play on your tummy, sit in the swing and the bouncer and get lots of kisses from Lucas:)  I'm so glad you are both there and taken care of!

You are eating 5 oz, every 3-3 1/2 hours and you have moved to a Level 2 nipple which has been amazing!  You eat in 15-20 minutes now and you don't get sleepy!  Woohoo!  It's helped so much in the mornings getting ready and when we are out and about:)  You have just moved to size 2 diapers and you are still wearing 0-3 months clothes.  You go to sleep at 7:45p and we have to wake you up at 6:30a.  You are still sleeping on your belly, swaddled from the waist down.  Sometimes you do a 180 in your crib and it's so crazy!  You are about to get mobile, I'm sure.  You take about three 1-1 1/2 hour naps and a cat nap in the evening.  You still do really well in your carseat, stroller and the Baby Bjorn.

You are starting to get better at tummy time, but you still flail your arms and you don't really do a "push up".  You are learning how to keep your head up for longer periods of time, though, so I'm sure it won't be long before you figure out where your arms go.  You like your bouncer a lot more now because you are starting to kick and bat at the toys.  You still won't hold onto anything for very long.

You met some more new people this month.  You met Megan and JD because they finally got back from Spain.  You've been able to hang out with them a few times...swimming and playing games:)  You also met your Great-uncle Greg and Great-aunt Debbie, Mommy's cousin Russell and his family and Mommy's friends Erin and Brittany:)  They all loved you so much!  We also got another picture with your Great-grandpa Dennis...a 4 generation pic:)

This month, I want to remember your funny little laugh, the smile you give me when I pick you up from Ms. Kelly's, how fast you eat your bottle, the way you have started to look at books, and your fuzzy-stick-straight-up hair!

It amazes me how fast time has flown!  You have fit into our lives and our schedule like a glove and we couldn't feel more blessed:)  I don't know what we ever did before you came.  You are starting to get the sweetest little personality and I can't wait to see what all you accomplish!

We love you so much Molly Ann!

Mommy and Daddy

Home Sweet Home

As many of you know, in July 2012 we took a leap of faith and left our home in Miami to begin new careers and a new life in Broken Arrow.  We had high hopes that our house in Miami would sell quickly, but it definitely didn't.

We moved in with my mom for about a month and a half and then we moved in with Cassie for almost 3 months.  During this time, we found a couple to rent our home, so we got an apartment.  We thought
we would be in the apartment for a few months and that the couple would eventually buy our house.

Well, about eight months later, they called and said they couldn't buy the house and were moving out.  Oh my goodness were we worried!  What were we going to do?!  If we couldn't find another couple to rent our house, we would have to move out of our apartment and back in with my parents.  Living with them was amazing, but it was a long drive to Broken Arrow everyday with Lucas and I had just found out I was pregnant again!

We decided to put our house on Craigslist and found a couple that wanted to rent again, so praise the Lord we didn't have to leave our apartment.  In February 2014 we heard from our renters that they wanted to make an offer on our house, but it was CONSIDERABLY lower than what we owed.  What were we going to do?  This was the first offer we'd had in a year and a half and I was 6 months pregnant!  We talked to our parents and thanks to their amazing generosity we accepted the offer and managed to figure out a way to make up the difference:)

So we immediately started looking at homes.  We looked at about 4 and finally fell in love!  We thought it was well above our price range, but after crunching numbers and figuring out the insurance cost and property taxes and a few other things, we were able to make an offer and they accepted!  After a few scary moments in there with our renters and the closing, we closed on each house within the same week in March and moved into our new home April 9!!!  We painted every room (including the trim) in the house except the office and we couldn't have been more blessed to find it.  We know that we waited a year and a half for this house!  It's absolutely perfect and the timing was incredible.  We were able to settle and get the nursery ready just in time for Molly's arrival and we loved bringing her home to this place:)

It's on a cul-de-sac and has a great big backyard and sidewalks and we have great neighbors:)

When you walk in, you step into the entry and see the living room

This lovely piece is in our entry way along with these awesome hooks Poppy made

You look to the left and see the office/4th bedroom.  This is our work-in-progess.  We have some ideas with this room (a bed/couch/fancy futon so someone could sleep over, a bookshelf, get rid of the desk, buy a lampshade of the lamp on the piano, etc) but we are having to take things as they come.  We'll get there:)

You come out of the office and take a left in the living and go down the kids hall:)

Straight ahead is the guest/kids bath

Turn left in the hall and you pass Molly's room (if you want to see it in more detail, go here.

Go a little further and you get to Lucas' room (we still need something above his bed).  His room is big and has lots of Poppy's handiwork...crates on his wall and the toy chest.  Also, a special shoutout to Curt Gwartney for the ruler!!

Back into the living.  We love how open it is and the height of the ceilings and of course the hardwood

On the other side of the couch is our bedroom.  We love the bay window and the ceilings and the size again!  Ya'll have no idea how small our apartment bedroom was!!!  We still have some pictures to hang and we want to get a chair to put next to the tall dresser, but again one thing at a time:)

We have a big closet and then you walk into the bathroom (the selling point for us)

Back out and into the dining and kitchen

Through that door is the laundry and a big pantry and then out into the garage!  There's a door right by the dining room table that leads to a covered patio and a big backyard with a shed:)

You guys have no idea how blessed we are with this house!  We absolutely couldn't praise God enough for His perfect timing and for our amazing parents who have helped us so much!  We really feel we could be here for a very long time!

Hope you enjoyed the tour and I'll keep you updated with any updates we make:)

Two Months: A Letter

July 28, 2014

Miss Molly,

Oh what an exciting second month we've had!  You are changing so much and it's all so wonderful!  You are growing and getting a little personality that's so sweet and we just love you so much:)

Lucas is still infatuated by you and kisses you every chance he gets:)  He is so helpful getting you your paci when you're fussy, taking your diapers to the trashcan and laying by you on your mat.

You don't absolutely love your swing yet, but are starting to like your bouncer more and your mat more.  You take naps on our bed, in your crib, on the couch, and have also taken a few naps in your Boppy.  We are starting to figure you out more and more.  It's amazing how much we "know" you already and have learned what makes you you and what makes you special:)

You have started to smile this month which has been amazing to watch!  You smile at this silly noise we make while playing with your burp cloth (just like your brother did), when we smile at you, when you "ride a bicycle", when we make kissing noises, and when you're on your changing table.  You love your room so much and you've started sleeping in there too.  It was a necessary transition.  It took you a few nights to adjust, but we finally got the hang of it.

You love sleeping on your tummy; which I know is a "no no", but you try to turn that way anyway.  I think you'd eventually flip yourself over and you are pretty gassy, so we flipped you over one day and you've been like that ever since.  You now sleep 9 hours at night, so I think it's working:)  The mommy in me worries, so I wake up every 2-3 hours checking on you.  You start to wind down around 8p and we lay you down at 9p and you wake up at 6a.  You get a bath every other night (with brother; you got too big for your Puj tub in the sink) and you still love to be swaddled under the arms.

You both have so much fun in the tub:)  He loves having you in there and you do everything you can to wiggle yourself down and get a foot in the water!

You experienced your first fireworks show (with Mama and Daddy's Sunday school class) and your first 4th of July on your first trip to Miami:)  We stayed at Grammy and Grampy's one night and Papa and Nana's one night.  You did pretty good:)  You sleep better in your own crib, but who doesn't?!

You are still wearing 0-3 months clothes and size 1 diapers.  I wanted to wait until your 2-month check-up to write this and you weigh 11 lbs 11 oz (72%) and are 23 3/4 in  (92%)!  You are growing so fast and some of the smaller 0-3 month stuff is too little!  I'm trying to put you in some of it twice just because it's so cute!

You eat 4 1/2 oz every 3-3 1/2 hours of Similac Sensitive and you are still a sleepy eater!  Your Great-aunt Rhonda got to feed you at the Children's museum and she laughed at how hard we have to work to feed you!  Girl, you get lazy when you eat:)  We have been to the Children's museum twice, swimming several times, to Mimi and Poppy's a few more times, and to hang out with friends:)  You are so easy and so good and you rarely get fussy!  When you do get mad, though, you go from 0-60 in 5.2!!!  Your cry is so sad:(

We've also taken a few walks and you enjoy being in the Baby Bjorn which is very unlike your brother.  He didn't like to be cooped up at all, but then again he hated being swaddled and being on his tummy too:)  So while parts of your personalities are the same, you are still very different!

You've met some very important people this month.  Your Great-grandpa Dennis, your first cousin three-times removed Jenni, and your Great-great Aunt Nancy:)  They all loved you so much and just wanted to hold you all day!  They loved your pretty toenails, your sweet smile, your blue eyes, and your soft skin.

I want to remember the way your hair fell out except the very top and started to grow back in looking like a buzz cut, the way you grab for my fingers when I'm feeding you your bottle, your big crocodile tears, the loud grunts you make while pooping, the way you start to smile with your eyes, the way you stare at the pictures above the couch, the way you chew on your hands, the way you roll your neck when you're trying to hold your head up, and the beginnings of your little voice!

We just can't get enough of you and we are soaking up these last days before school starts!  You bring such a different dynamic into this home and we really love it!  And you!  You complete us:)

Love,
Mama and Daddy