Soaring Wings Half Marathon

Just taking a minute to share a quick "Hooray!" This picture was taken at the Soaring Wings Half Marathon here in Conway this past weekend. Adam's sister Morgan trained and finished her first half marathon! Woo hoo! I am so proud of her! Huge accomplishment!

This was the first half I have done since having Gracie. Training this time around was different---but in a good way. I was telling my friend Stephanie when we were running the other day I've felt an added pressure/challenge this time around. I don't know if it is the idea of really making my training time count, or just the thought of giving birth in the last year allowing for no excuses to not challenge my mind and body in new ways, but I definitely felt like I needed to kick it up a notch.

Before I had Grace I did 3 half marathons, all for the fun of it. I really just enjoyed the social aspect of training with a group, and the accomplishment of just completing 13.1 miles. But about a month ago I decided I wanted to set a new PR (personal record) for this race. Thankfully I had a few good friends who were willing to meet me at 5am for some challenging training runs and it all payed off! My original goal was 2:05 (my PR up until now was 2:13)....but somehow I managed to kick it up and complete the race in 1:58:50. Definitely the hardest thing I've ever done. Yes, there were parts that hurt worse than labor. But then again the pain of this race is a little fresher on my mind than labor last year :)

Anyway--just wanted to share--its been a hard few months of training and for now, I'm happy with the new PR. My blisters, and stress fractured foot are looking forward to some time off. Thank you to my hubby for not complaining when my alarm went off at 4:30am 3 days a week. And praise the Lord that He has blessed me with a healthy body that is capable of doing some amazing things.

"She's berry sweet and oh so fun....Grace Elizabeth is turning ONE!!"

Well here we are....one year after Grace Elizabeth changed our lives forever! I know every mother says this about each of her children,but she really is the most amazing creature ever. It is so fun watching her learn and grow each day. She is the funniest, happiest, busiest, little girl I know. Here are some of my favorite things she is doing as of lately:

Gracie is working really hard on growing some "toofies" as we like to call them. (Don't act like you don't have silly words like these!) She currently has 2 on top, and 2 on bottom. She is getting better with her finger foods. Her favorite things (which she will feed herself) are cheese, ham, turkey, fruit cereal bars, and graham crackers. She enjoys, but doesn't like to feed herself, peas, green beans, carrots, and baked apples. She really isn't particular about what she eats, thankfully. We are still doing several purees just because she can't chew very well and has a very sensitive gag reflex. Not so fun. I am praying a few extra teeth will help with this. We are working on transitioning to a sippy cup. She likes to drink water from one, but is not thrilled about milk. She plays with it when we try the milk instead of trying to drink it. So I am just being patient and focusing on working on our table manners right now. Losing the bottle can come later. Don't judge. :)

Gracie can say ma-ma, da-da, bye bye, uh-oh, go, hey, and she shakes her head "no", but hasn't said it yet. I am thankful for this because little miss independent is probably going to tell me "no" a lot.

Speaking of independent....she is crawling EVERYWHERE!!! And walking in her walker. She can hold onto the couch and walk back and forth. I am waiting on her to let go any day and step to something else. She walks on her tippy toes a lot, so I don't think she's going to be really walking anytime soon. But she loves to hold your hands and pretend she can. Those little legs can't seem to go fast enough for her! She loves to dance and sing. She coos with me when I sing to her, which I love.

She is such a joy to be around. Always smiling, laughing, and jabbering about something. My absolute favorite thing she does is "give loves". She is not a super cuddly baby at all. But every now and then she will lay her head down on my shoulder, leg, whatever she is close to, and say "ooooooooo". She also does this to her babies, animals, and yes, even her sippy cup. Amazing how we don't have to teach them this. She's never seen me "love" a cup. Unless it had a milkshake in it, maybe ;)

Here are some pictures from her birthday party. It was a vintage Strawberry Shortcake party. She played outside in the wagon most of the day. And her favorite part of the party was when we all sang happy birthday to her. She looooved all the attention. She still is not a fan of cake, which I am NOT complaining about. It was such a fun day. We felt so blessed to be able to share the celebration of our special little girl's first year of life with our family and a few close friends. I thank God everyday for choosing us to be her parents. Such an honor!

What Gracie is up to....

I wanted to add a few things a/b what Gracie is doing these days:

*She is loving summer so far. Atticus has come over 2 days in a row for a pool party!! This picture was actually in the living room (with no water) while Vanessa and I were getting ready for our lunch. But they have enjoyed playing in the backyard in the pool as well. She looks so precious in her bikini. I only wish it was still cool to "let it all hang out" when you're my age. :)

I will note that this was taken after she had eaten lunch. So shes a little "fluffy", which I love!

*Grace has been army crawling all over the place since the week before we left for Costa Rica. I keep waiting for her to figure out how to get her knees under her any day now. Time for baby proofing!!

*She has 2 teeth now! You can kind of see them in this picture. She loves to twirl her tongue around and feel them. And she has learned to make clicking noises with her tongue (like a dolphin).

*Gracie has also learned how to say "byebye" (which sounds like "bahbah") and wave her arm when prompted (sometimes). And she reaches for us to pick her up now. Which thrills my heart since she won't snuggle with me!

She is still growing like a weed! Almost 22lbs (as you can tell from this picture)! We are currently on the search for a convertible car seat since she has outgrown her infant one. I am loving this phase that she is in. I know I've said that every update. But she really is the funniest little girl. I can't wait until she can talk to me. I'm sure we are going to hear some funny stuff from this one!

Sizzling Summer!!!

I can NOT believe summer is already in full swing! May and June have been a whirlwind at the Harrell house! Two beach trips later I've finally found a moment to update. So here's what we have been up to!

At the end of May we went to Destin, FL with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, and one of my cousins who recently graduated high school. It was a wonderful week, full of family fun and relaxation. I feel like Clarke and Grace are growing up so quickly. I can't wait until they can actually play together though. Sugar and Poppy are going to be busy grandparents with these two! This picture is of Gracie and Adam getting ready to head out to the pool at the beach house. She is stylin' and profilin'!!

This picture was taken in Costa Rica. Adam won a trip through his company for being a top performer! I am so proud of him for working so hard this past year. It was a treat to getaway just the two of us for an all expenses paid trip. Definitely a once in a lifetime sort of thing. We snorkeled, got a couples massage, and enjoyed some AMAZING food. Gracie enjoyed splitting her week between each of our parents house. She was a sweet girl they said, and stayed on schedule perfectly. Thank you Lord for grandparents that live so closely that we are able to get away when we need some quality time!

Mother's Day

Well, here is a picture from my first mother's day!!!! Grace has started this silly Elmer Fud smile, and its gotten worse since she's had a tooth come in. So cheesy. But it always makes me laugh! It was a great day! Adam did his best to make it so that I didn't have to lift a finger which was so nice. He even changed the dirty diapers! :) He ran a hot bath for me that night after we put Grace to bed. I got to relax and read Dr. James Dobson's new book "Bringing up Girls". I'm only a chapter in but I'm already loving it. We have a huge responsibility to guide this little girl. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the task because I know her little heart is going to be so fragile. I just want to protect her from this world and the lies little girls are told a/b who they should be. It's definately been challenging me to learn to live the things I want Grace to immitate. Everyday, Lord, please give me the words to fill her heart with true confidence in who YOU created her to be!


My favorite thing Grace is doing right now is giving kisses! She is still not a cuddler....but she totally understands "kisses"! She loves to kiss this dog, her babies, and her glow worm! And if we are lucky, mommy and daddy get one every now and then!


Just wanted to share some pictures of our sweet girl! I will update with beach pictures soon! She's going to be so cute with all those rolls in her little swimsuit!

A few things I forgot

So, I forgot to mention a few things in my post the other day.

(1) This is my favorite picture from our Easter trip to Austin. Clarke (my nephew) loves his "Gracie Beff". And she loves him too. She can't take her eyes off of him when he's around. He's always busy...which is very entertaining. She is usually a very talkative girl, but its hard to get anything out of her when she is watching him. It's pretty funny. Just wanted to share this one because its so sweet. I can't wait until they can finally play together!

(2) Proud moment!!! Grace had her first Sunday in the church nursery this week! We have been visiting Fellowship Bible Church in Conway, which we are really enjoying. But are still praying about where the Lord would have us. (Please pray for wisdom if you think a/b us.) Anyway, I dropped her off, acting as unemotional as I could. After 6 months of being in the nursing mothers room, I was ready to sit in a service without distraction, but at the same time knew I would think a/b her the whole time. My sweet friend Casey checked on her and told me she was "happy and as content as could be" which gave me a huge relief and I actually could enjoy the sermon. When I picked her up, all the nursery girls went on and on a/b what a happy girl she is! And what a fun smile she has. Why was I EVER worried???

6 month update

Gracie will be 6 months tomorrow!!! I can't believe it has been half a year since our beautiful girl entered this world. Adam and I were laying in bed last night talking about her personality and all the things we think she will do when she grows up. He was very sad when I said I didn't know if she would enjoy golfing with him because she is very talkative and busy. I must admit I am giggling as I picture him taking her out and trying to get her to sit still and be quiet while the other men are golfing. We shall see! Who knows, maybe she will surprise me! Here is update on all the fun things she is doing now.
~Eating all kinds of babyfood! Her favorite fruit at the moment is peaches. And her favorite vegetable is avocado. I will admit that I swore I would never make her eat something I do not eat, but I gave the sweet peas a whirl and she LOOOOVED them. I'm so proud of her for being brave. Mommy still refuses to eat them though.
~Sleeping on her tummy! This may seem like no biggy to most mommys. But its huge for me. We had a week where Grace refused to fall asleep on her belly if she rolled over in her bed. (Even though she knows how to roll back over!) I think I had to flip her back over 8 times during one nap. Luckily she has since learned that sleeping on her tummy is actually comfortable!
~Jogging! Well, not literally. But she is riding in the jogging stroller so I can. Its so nice to be able to get outside with her. She has actually been having some allergies this week so we are on hold right now, but hopefully will be out again soon.
~Sucking her thumb. I wrote in a post early on that we had a passy monster. She has changed her mind. So thankful we won't have to take it from her in the future. When she started putting herself to sleep on her own she decided she would rather have her thumb. Luckily its always there :)
Those are all big things for this month. But here are a few of my favorite things about her.
~She constantly has a smile on her face!
~She is ticklish under her chin. She makes the cutest face and shrugs her shoulders when I clean her babyfood out from under her chin after she eats. I LOVE IT.
~She sings to herself when she wakes up.
~She looks just like her daddy. This may be my favorite thing. I know I've said before how sad I was that I did all that work to get her here and she doesn't look like me. But I really do love that she looks like him. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Just a quick update to fill you all in on what Grace has been we've been up to lately! February has FLOWN by! And has been filled with tons of milestones for us! First of all...Adam is creeping closer to 30 (and not wanting to talk a/b it!)....he celebrated his 28th Birthday last Sunday. I keep telling him he's lucky to have such a young hot wife to keep him active ;)

Grace has been achieving something new every week. Everyone warned me that 4 months would be a turning point. Crazy how right they were! The first week of Feb. we got out first official "giggle" out of her! Of course it was at her daddy and not me. We were in Dallas with my family for the weekend while Jill and I got our Pilates Cert. Unfortunately she waited until the day after we returned home to find her feet and roll over!! I was sad everyone missed it! She's also getting much better at eating her cereal with a spoon. She gets so excited when she sees that hot pink spoon headed toward her mouth!

Adam is going for an allergy conference to New Orleans this weekend so Grace and I will be staying with his parents for some much needed "Meme and Pops" time for Grace. She's very excited! And then the following weekend we get to see Daniel, Jill, and Clarke again!

That's about it for us...pray for me. Grace gets more shots tomorrow. On the upside, we get to see how much shes grown since Christmas! Always fun to hear the pediatrician tell you good job and that you could nurse a small village! :) I'm so proud. Have a blessed day!

infertility

Let me preface this post with the fact that I am going to attempt to keep this from becoming a novel, but it is very hard to sum up 2 years in one paragraph. But here goes. I have several friend on my heart today that I'm burdened for as they are struggling with infertility. Having been there myself I know there really aren't any words that bring comfort or peace, just prayers. So this is what I'm praying for them today. (You know who you all are.)
(1) That God would show you today, in lots of small ways, how well he knows you, how much he loves you, and that he hears you. (Ps. 33:13-15)
(2) That your view of who God is would not be shaken by your emotions or feelings, but grounded in scripture. That you would remember he is GOOD. (Ps. 33:11; 27:13-14)
(3) That no matter what Dr. you see, drug you use, or procedure you undergo, you would remember that the Lord ALONE is the creator of life. We will be disappointed if our hope is any person or thing other than Him. (Ps. 139:13)

These are just a few things that friends prayed for me that were a constant struggle during that time but kept bringing me back to my knees. Being on the other end now, can offer a few words of encouragement? He hears your prayers. He wants you to be honest in those prayers. It took me the first year to actually be able to express to anyone other than Adam, especially the Lord, the bitterness and frustration I was feeling. And once I did, he started to change it. I so badly wanted to be content and strong...and the more I admitted I wasn't, the more He helped me to become those things. If you're waiting for healing, do not give up. Grace's life is testimony to this. When we come before His throne humbled and broken and ask for His healing on our bodies, He is willing and able! ....He very well may lead us to a Dr. or toward a procedure to help us along the way, but it all starts with His hand.

I love you all. I look forward to hearing the stories of all of your "faith babies"! (Thank you Heather K.)
Psalm 30:2 "O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me" vs.11-12 "You turned my wailing into dancing. You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my god, I will give you thanks forever."

15 weeks

First of all, apologies I haven't updated in 6 weeks. I knew that would be my problem when I started this blog, but I promise to work on it :) Second, I need to clear up the Santa controversy. We ARE going to do Santa for Grace at Christmas. I was just thinking out loud on here and apparently need to not do that. Lots of people were concerned that Grace wouldn't experience Santa. No worries. Santa as well as an elf on the shelf will make an appearance next year. Though they won't be emphasized as much as Jesus. I'm not going to worry about--as my brother pointed out, I grew up having Santa and know that Jesus is what Christmas is about and I am not scarred from finding out Santa is not real. ANYWAY....MOVING ON!

I realized I haven't been recording Grace's milestones like I would like to, so thats the goal today. So far:

5 weeks: started smiling on purpose

8 weeks: staying awake for an hour of playtime after eating

10 weeks: slept through the night for the first time (11pm to 7am)

10 weeks: moved into her nursery for naps and nighttime

11 weeks: umbilical hernia completely healed...Praise the Lord!

13 weeks: first roadtrip with mommy to see Aunt Bella in Fayetteville

14 weeks: started babbling (and hasn't stopped since!)

And here we are at 15 weeks tomorrow! Grace is so much fun! She is so silly. I was telling Adam the other night it is so fun to wake up and see her smiling and talking at the camera sitting on her bed. I have no idea how long she's been awake but she's so happy entertaining herself in the mornings. We've almost gotten a giggle out of her a few times. I can't wait for a real one! She babbles and coos all the time, especially when she's trying to go to sleep. We've caught her on video a few times. She's definitely a mamas girl right now. She loves playing with daddy, but sometimes refuses to eat and sleep for him. (Although I keep telling him its b/c she barely protests and he won't try very hard to make her do anything she doesn't want to.)

I am looking forward to starting cereal in a couple of weeks, although it makes me sad she will be old enough to eat out of a bowl...with a spoon...sitting up. Where does the time go?

That's all for today, I hear her yelling "mommy" from her crib! (i wish).

And here we are

And here we are