The Harrell Family

Family of four-6wks and counting

2012-01-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

Well, life with a newborn is slightly crazier than it was the first time around. The whole "sleep when they sleep" does not apply when you have a toddler who is anxiously awaiting her time for undivided attention when her little brother sleeps. And as confident as I was going into sleep training Graham, he has managed to reduce me to tears, much like his sister did on several occasions. I just knew I would be tougher this round. Nope, I still cave when he cries! Oh well. He is only 6 wks old. We are working on it slowly. Mainly my motivation in doing it so early is just to allow more time in the day to have with Grace. By the time I nurse, change him, supervise his awake time (while trying to play with Grace too), and get him settled for a nap, it amounts to about 45 min before he is awake again needing help to fall back asleep in the middle of his nap. Which doesn't allow for much other than a quick shower or bite to eat. Anyway, you Babywise moms feel my pain. The 45-min intruder tried to take me down the first time with Grace, I refuse to lose the battle this time! :) I'll let ya know in a few weeks if I'm still crying my way through it! Haha. Besides not being a great napper, Graham is a wonderful newborn. He does great at night eating and going right back to sleep. And other than when his reflux flairs up or the occasional tummy ache, he is generally a happy and content baby. So thankful for this. It has allowed me to feel confident leaving him with Adam and the grandparents to get out for some "me" time. Which I was very hesitant to do with Grace. Perhaps that is a perk of a second child, I am definitely not as possessive this time around. I welcome the help :)

As far as Grace goes, she is still enjoying being a big sister. The new has worn off some, and she has definitely started making all kinds of new and different attempts at getting attention. Mostly when I'm nursing or rocking Graham and she knows I can't jump up and discipline her. She's a smart little squirrel. :) Potty training is right around the corner I'm thinking. She is great about telling us when she needs to #2, and we always make it to the potty for that. (Even in Kohl's when we are on a girls shopping trip-that's a different story though.) She has started telling me a couple times, "Oooppsss....I tee teed in my diaper." So, she is noticing when she goes, which was not happening until this week. I'm hoping in the next few weeks as Graham starts sleeping more at night, I will have the energy to attack the potty training during the day. For now, we are surviving, and I am thankful for a toddler in a diaper that I do not have to run to the potty every 30 minutes.

Not a lot going on in our lives other than baby and toddler-hood. Adam is going on a trip for work in February for 4 days. I'm nervous about having them by myself 24/7 but it will be good for me. And he will probably owe me a mommy day when he returns. I'm thinking massage and shopping with a friend. :) Maybe it will be worth it?? Thank goodness the grandparents aren't far.

I start teaching my classes again in 3 weeks. Also, nervous about this. I'm trying to ease back into running to build up some endurance so I'm not sucking wind for the first month teaching. Haha. Hopefully everyone will be understanding and bare with me for a while. I'm excited to be back though. My life doesn't seem normal not being able to get a good sweat in a couple times a week. And I miss all the members. I'm ready to see them and to challenge each other this year.

Here are the pictures from Graham's BIRTHday. Better late than never, right? :)

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=39c1095b42ddccf1&Bsrc=SkyMail&Bpub=SDX.SkyDrive&id=39C1095B42DDCCF1%21136&sff=1

Birth story

2011-12-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Graham Cooper Harrell has arrived! It was a complete whirlwind of a day so I figured I had better hurry and record what I remember of it. How is it that we anticipate that day for 40 wks and then it is gone in a blink?

Our day started early! We didn't have to be at the hospital until 7am, which was much nicer than the 5am check in with Grace. Of course we were up and moving before we had planned. I crawled out of bed at 5 after laying there for 30 minutes feeling anxious. Who can sleep when you have 'bring a new life into the world' on the agenda for the day? :) I was dressed and ready to go by 5:45. My mom spent the night to stay with Grace(who was talking in her bed at 5am as well-guessed she sensed something was up). My dad arrived at 6:00,donuts in hand. Before I knew it we had the car loaded and were on our way by 6:30. We got checked in quickly,and had a little bit of a wait while the nurses had a shift change. I had a wonderful nurse named Jennifer. She did a great job with my IV, which for me is one of the worst parts of childbirth. I HATE needles. Dr Cole came in at 8, did an exam, and broke my water. I was at 2-3cm which I had been at for about 2 weeks. They started my pitocin on a very low dose around 8:30. My contractions were very bare able and irregular for about an hr. my nurse checked me after an hr, no progress, Graham was still pretty high and I was at 3cm. I had a brief moment of fear mainly bc things flew after my water broke with Grace, but I think it was bc I had been on pitocin for 4hrs by then with her. My contractions became more regular and difficult over the next hour. I really had to focus and breath through them. It was not my plan to do natural labor, so I was very much looking fwd to my epidural, but wanted to push through as long as I could to make as much progress as possible incase it slowed things down. By 10:30 I was asking for my epidural (my mom,Adam,and Elizabeth all were great back rubbers as they helped me manage the pain, but I had hit my limit.) I had made it to 6cm and got my epidural at 11:00am. I need to note that again, I had a great NA and am so thankful the epidural went so smoothly. I was immediately more comfortable and was very excited to have friends and family be in and out while we waited. Adams parents were so sweet to handle Grace and keep her on schedule all day. It really allowed me to focus. I was checked again at 12:00pm and was 7-8cm, followed by 9cm at 1:00 and was told i would be pushing within the hour. Little did I know just how soon! Dr Cole set the room up all by himself. There were 4 other deliveries taking place and he had to keep calling for a nurse to come! I was very impressed bc most docs just show up to catch the baby at the end. We had a few laughs as we sat waiting for a nurse, and finally one arrived about 1:15 and it was time to push! I had 2 sets of pushes and at 1:21pm our little man was here! Weighing in at 7lbs, 7oz.(Adam guessed right on the dot!) and 20 1/4in long. It was so crazy that it moved so quickly. I had fully prepared for 30-45 min of pushing as I had done with Grace. Dr Cole held him up and Adam and I looked at each other and both said "he looks just like Grace!"

He had a full head of auburn hair (ab the only thing I contribute to my babies!) They cleaned him up and I had him nursing within 20 minutes. It was a completely different delivery than with Grace. I am so thankful that Graham had clear fluid when my water was broken bc I didn't get to hold Grace for a while bc they had to clean her lungs out. It was a completely stress free delivery and such a blessing to be done in 5.5 hrs start to finish. It has been a very easy recovery and everyone is adjusting well to being home as a family of four. I will update with pictures soon of grace's first time meeting her brother. Such a special moment. She was meant to be a big sister, for sure. Thank you all for your prayers and support. God had his fingerprints all over this special day. We feel so honored God gave Graham to our family and look forward to getting to know him as he grows up!

(birthday pics continued)

2011-10-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Highlight of the evening, Gracie's new mustang! She has no clue how to drive it--but I'm sure Ally will help her figure it out in months to come :)

Opening gifts and blowing out candles. Her favorite part of any party!

She really enjoyed when everyone sang happy birthday to her!

The birthday girl! ...And sweet baby Asa. We are so thankful he and Aunt Bella made such a crazy trip to party and have a sleepover. Love Love Love them.

Gracie turns 2!

2011-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Can it really be that my baby is already 2 years old? UN-BE-LIEVE-ABLE!!! She is such a joy to everyone she meets. (I know I say this every post--but its the truth.) She makes me laugh everyday with her funny comments. It usually has something to do with something "big girl" she did, or something "bad dog" Bentley did. And even lately she's had sweet things to say about her "baby brother come to play". :) Thrills my heart! Here is just a wrap up her favorite things to do right now. She loves to go the gym and play with her friends, go to target and Kroger, paint, color, have tea parties, and swing. She looks forward to going running with Adam in the stroller in the evenings. She also is rarely seen without a baby or an animal tucked up under her arm. She's always ready to give a bottle, burp, or put someone down for a nap. She is very into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Caillou, Toy Story, and Veggie Tales if she gets to choose a TV show to watch. She knows all the theme songs and loves to sing and dance to them. Lately we have been rocking in Graham's room when we read our books at night. She thinks this is very special and enjoys talking about all of Grahams "things" as she points them all out. I am looking forward to the new journey she will be going on as a big sister. I'm so confident that she's going to love him and want to be another mommy to him. I know in time this will create some issues, but as long as she doesn't want to give him back, I'm happy :)

Here are a few pictures from Grace's actual birthday, the 14th. We started the day with Minnie Mouse pancakes and a pink sparkle pedicure. That evening we were joined by family and a few of mine and Adams close friends at our neighborhood playground. We had Green Cart Deli cater their AMAZING gourmet hot dogs and we all enjoyed some Minnie mouse cake. Grace was showered with love and blessings from everyone and felt super special. I'm so thankful for all the people God has placed in her life. Family, and friends. She has no idea how loved and cherished she is.

32 weeks and counting!

2011-10-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today we had Graham's 32 week appointment. Our little peanut is no longer a peanut, weighing in at 4lbs. 9oz.! I can't believe he is already so big! Although my belly is definitely showing it! :) Nothing exciting going on other than that. Gracie's birthday party is coming up next Friday. She's very excited. She keeps saying "Minnie Mouse Paw-ty".."I two!"..."Eat Hot Dogs!". I'm praying the weather will be a nice cool fall evening so we can all enjoy being outside at the park. Here's to hoping, right? This is Arkansas, so, we could technically have a heat wave like last year and it be 89 degrees!

Here's a sampling of some of my favorite maternity pictures Jill snapped when they were down in September. I'm so thankful she has a talent than can capture some sweet memories for us.

Summer Wrap Up

2011-09-28T18:38:00.001-07:00

Where did the summer go? I am not complaining that the heat is slowly disappearing, but I will admit we are going to miss the lazy days of summer we have enjoyed the last few months. In 2 short weeks my sweet toddler will be two years old! And less than 6 weeks after that she will be welcoming her new little brother to her world. I am getting anxious already just thinking about about that.

My prayer going into this summer was for Grace and I to have lots of bonding time. I know being home with her I am blessed to have so many special moments and memories that I know I wouldn't have if I weren't with her so much, but I really feel like I've gotten to know my daughter over the last few months. Her little personality (some days it is larger than life) is really starting to shine through. I love that she is such an easy kid to be around. She's very flexible and adaptable. We've had so much fun this summer just playing. I'm so thankful she has been so easy as I have had a few low energy days. Its funny to watch her entertain herself by taking care of her babies and stuffed animals. She is very maternal, nurturing, loving, and BOSSY. I have no idea where she got that :)

We do have our hard days though. Today, in fact, was one of them. She loves to be in charge, and she has an opinion about EVERYTHING. So we are working on choosing to obey with a happy heart. For the most part she is very compliant, but we have a battle of the wills about every 4th or 5th day. I am struggling to be consistent with the discipline, but Adam has been very encouraging. We are praying our way through it and just trusting that the Lord will shape her heart. Sidenote: We are reading Shepherding Your Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. It's helping me stay focused on the goal. And she is making progress.

Another favorite thing this summer has been watching her learn so much about the world around her. She has learned to say so many things. We actually have a conversation a couple times a day which is very weird, because she seems like a little girl, and not my baby. But very fun at the same time. She loves to talk about her "baby brudder" who she calls "Gham Coo-pah". We are going to call him Graham Cooper. :) She kisses and rubs my belly all the time and tells me she's being gentle. Which oddly doesn't come very natural to her even though she is a little girl. She loves to feed Bentley and give him treats. He has learned recently to cry by the treat box and she will give him one just because. I caught her letting him out the back door all by herself today telling him to go potty. Which was a nice reminder to dead bolt the door. YIKES!!! My favorite thing she does is when she mimics our prayers at mealtime and bedtime. She repeats the last word or phrase we say and emphatically says "AMEN!!" It is precious, and music to my ears.

Well, that should give you an idea of where we are for now. We are in full party mode for her 2nd birthday! I can't believe it is here. She is having a Minnie Mouse Party at our neighborhood park and is very excited about it. We are keeping it small, just family and a few of our couple friends. I can't wait to see how she responds this year. She didn't get it last year...at all. No surprise.

Update soon on Baby Graham. My 32 week appt. is next Thursday. Woo Hoo! Almost there!

(cont.)

2011-09-28T18:13:00.001-07:00

First pedicure! She loved the "kitty cat chair", and threw a huge fit when she had to leave. :/

All geared up to go "nunning" (running). Shades, GPS watch, ipod, CHECK!!!

Playing dress up with Ally. Gracie loves Jessie from Toy Story!

Her favorite Sunday morning activity. Gracie reads the paper with Daddy.

March/April Update

2011-04-26T14:36:00.001-07:00

Where is the time going??? Spring is here FINALLY, and it is almost summer! Our first fun Spring thing was trip the Wye Mtn Daffodil farm. Of course, it was a fun date for Atticus and Gracie :)

This year Gracie enjoyed picking and tasting the flowers more than she did last year. It was really fun to watch her frollick through the field. I didn't get many smiles, but she still looked precious.

Gracie is so thankful Atticus got to join her on such a fun date!

Along with turning 18 months old this month, Gracie has also decided she would like to be a big girl and use the potty! We are not whole-heartedly committed to it by any means. But well on our way! Her potty adventures mainly consist of me asking/her trying to go potty between diaper changes, before bath time, and before bedtime. I have not purchased any pull-ups or underwear yet. I think I'm a little afraid she will lose interest and start reverting. So we are going no pressure right now and letting her set the pace. She surprises me with how much she knows. I never would've thought she would've initiated this--but I will take it! We will probably commit to it a little more after vacation in May.

That's it for now--more news SOON! :)

Valentine's Day Flashbacks

2011-02-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

Yes! The Harrell's are all still alive! :) I actually have no excuse why I am so spiratic with my blogging. Those of you who know me well, know I would rather nap or watch "A Baby Story" during Gracie's naptime than try to blog. One day I will try harder. Promise :) That being said, here is the update on our little family.
Special Things a/b today: Eight years ago today Adam and I said "I love you" for the first time. Its always a special day each year as we remember what a fun day that was. I'm so thankful God chose Adam as my husband. He is a blessing each and everyday. Such a loyal lover and friend. (mooshy mooshy mooshy...yada yada yada) :)

Also, 2 years ago today, we saw Gracie's heartbeat on the ultrasound machine for the first time!!! Talk about love at first sight! She is such a miracle. Today I am thankful for having the honor of loving this little girl.

Lastly, speaking of the little "lovey girl", as we call her. Today she is 16 months old. The time is flying by. She is the funniest little girl I know. She has the funnest personality. She surprises me with something new everyday. She's got several words now, and understand almost everything I say to her. She's started doing some chores .(I don't think its ever to early to make her earn her keep) :) They include: taking her bucket of diry clothes to the laundy room, throwing dryer sheets away for mommy, putting her sippy cups in the sink, and most importantly, FEEDING THE DOG!!! I always dreamed of the day this could be her job! She loves to carry a cup of dogfood to Bentley's bowl. She then tells him to "eat!". She also likes to tell him "NO NO BEN-TY" for practically everything he does. Poor guy.
We are also headed into the "training" stage. She clearly understands "no" and has been testing her limits. Oddly enough, moreso with me than Adam. Shocker! :) We have both been in tears together a few times, but I know 4 to 5 years down the road I will be so thankful we worked hard at teaching her to obey the first time. I am about to buy and dive into Toddlerwise (the continuation of Babywise which we used with her as an infant) and we have also signed up for the Growing Kids Gods Way class at church. We need all the help we can get! I'm actually very excited a/b the GKGW class because my parents studied it when we were younger. I just think thats neat and trust their judgement in choosing the material.

Nothing too exciting for us lately! I am sending Adam on an "All Dudes" ski trip (the boys words, not mine) for his 30th birthday. Its a year early but Travis and Daniel are turining 30 this year, so he didn't mine jumping in early. Gracie and I are going to try to go visit Aunt Bella and Asa while they are gone. And squeeze in a slumberparty with Shannon and Ally.

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Soaring Wings Half Marathon

2010-10-26T12:00:00.001-07:00

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!!"

2010-10-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-06-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2010-06-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-02-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

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

Christmas update...

2009-12-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Our little cheerleader would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I can't believe its almost been a month since I last posted. We are staying so busy. Time flies when you're having fun right? Grace has grown so much! We go Monday for her 8 week appointment, even though she turned 9 weeks yesterday. Don't know how that happened! Anyway, I'm anxious to see how much she weighs now. She is such a joy. Her little personality is starting to show. She is the most content, happy baby. We have tried really hard to follow most of the Babywise principals and she has fallen into a sleeping and eating schedule that is allowing me to get things done during the day and for her to finally start stretching it out some at night. I'm so proud of her! This is the picture we put on our Christmas card--one of the first smiles we could get on camera. Now she is grinning ear to ear and even shrieking some when she smiles. She is so cheesy sometimes! We are so excited to share our precious gift with our family at Christmas.

As Christmas is QUICKLY approaching, I hope you all enjoy your time with your family and make many wonderful memories. But remember in all the busyness why we celebrate. I think this Christmas has been so different already in that my heart is in such a peaceful place. Adam and I were remembering back to last Christmas. Selfishly, we were slightly depressed. It was really hard for us to stay focused on Christ's birth and celebrating that, b/c we were so desperately wanting a baby of our own. I was thinking a/b Mary the other day and what it must have been like to not only carry a miracle child, but the Savior of the world. To know that God chose you to carry his Son. I pray that I understand what a responsibility I have as a parent to teach Grace who Jesus is. That one day she will understand what a big deal Christmas is. That it isn't about presents. I look forward to hearing her little voice sing "Happy Birthday dear Jesus...". (We make Jesus a birthday cake and do this with my family.) Our biggest discussion lately has been if we will do Santa. We don't want her to think Jesus isn't real when she finds out that Santa isn't. As a child my mind never went there....but just something to ponder. I just really want her to get it. And don't want her heart to be clouded by anything else. Anyway, As the new year approaches, I am thankful for my miracle child this year. I am thankful that the Lord took us through all that he did. Our faith, marriage, and testimony is bigger and stronger than ever. I am thankful that he healed my body and that I am still seeing evidence of that. I am thankful that he is challenging us to bless others because it causes us to examine our own blessings which blows me away b/c we don't deserve them. Lastly, I am thankful for His Grace in my life. I have so far to go as a follower of Christ, a wife, and a mother. But I know he will take me there, one day at a time. We love you all and hope you have a WONDERFUL Christmas. Take some time to thank God for sending His Son as a gift to redeem the world. He is ALL we need!

Tis the Season

2009-11-24T10:25:00.001-08:00

I can not believe we are 2 days away from Thanksgiving! Where did October go? It seems like yesterday was halloween. O well! That just means Christmas is right around the corner! I can't wait for Grace's first Christmas! We've been doing a few things to get in the Christmas spirit with some of fun girlfriends and Grace's boyfriends. (We officially had our first confrontation a/b who Grace will end up with. Atticus or Jack?--Vanessa and Lauren, you can duke it out.) Grace and I met Vanessa and Atticus at "Doodles for You" to paint pottery. We made a few Christmas gifts and an ornament with Grace's footprint and 2009 on it. So cute! I can't wait to do one each year! They babies were so good! So slept mostly and didn't even fuss when they got their feet painted!

The next day Lauren, John Parker, and Jack went to Dazzle Days with us where we met up with Vanessa and Atticus. We did a little shopping. Lots of fun vendors with adorable kids stuff. (Dazzle Days is more than kids stuff but thats all I spend my $ on these days!) I bought Grace a crochetted hat to wear with her Christmas outfits and a bow for Thanksgiving. Also I found this really cute brand of t-shirts called Sweet Tee Couture. http://www.sweetteecouture.com/ I bought two shirts to wrap up for Grace for Christmas. My favorite is one that says "Souther Chic" in pink! It was fun to just get out for the day with the girls and our little ones! We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving day in Beebe with Adam's family. Many of them haven't met Grace yet so we are excited to introduce her to them! Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family and friends and all the Lord has blessed you with!

Grace is one month old!

2009-11-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I can't believe we've hit the one month mark! Grace celebrated her 1 month birthday on Saturday. We didn't do anything special. Just had a family day and took some pictures of our growing girl. She's doing great and changing everyday. I thought I'd better share the highlights of the first month before I forget!
*At 2 weeks old Grace started staying awake about 15 to 20 minutes after she would eat. Now she's awake 45 min to sometimes an hour and a half. Its so fun to see her being so observant now that she can see further. She has the biggest brightest blue eyes! I can't wait to see if they'll stay blue or change.
*On the night of her 1 month birthday Grace slept for 6 hours straight! Mommy and Daddy loved getting the long stretch of sleep and were so proud of her! Its almost like she was trying to show us what a big girl she was! Of course she hasn't done it again since but I'm still so thankful for that restful night :)
*Grace has been on two playdates this month. Her first was with her friend Atticus Simmons. His mommy, Vanessa, is my sweet friend I met through Junior Auxiliary. We actually had the same due date originally until mine got moved up a couple days. Turns out Atticus couldn't wait on Grace b/c he came 2 weeks earlier than her. I've been so thankful for all of Vanessa's advice. I think I texted her 100 times the first week we were home because I knew she had just been through it all. Grace's second play date was with Noah and Ally Foster. Their mom Shannon is such a great friend...she brought me Chic-fil-A for lunch on Friday and then we took the kids to the park in our neighborhood. The kiddos enjoyed meeting Grace. Ally said Grace was "cute". She waited a long nine months to meet her new play buddy. I can't wait to see these two sweet girls grow up together!

That's about it for this month! We go to the doctor on Wednesday so Grace can get her next Hepatitis shot. I really hope I don't cry. The last time mommy watched her girl get poked with a needle the guy drawing her blood asked me if I was OK and gave me a tissue. yikes. I was only 7 days post-partum though so hopefully this visit will be smoother! Say a prayer for me :)

Grace's first halloween

2009-10-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to show a picture of Grace on her first halloween. We didn't go trick or treating, just had a quick photo shoot this morning after her bath. Adam's parents, siblings, and grandparents came down for the day. It was really fun to introduce Belinda's parents to Grace for the first time. I love how they made such a big deal out of her even though this is their 8th or 9th great grand child!!! But who could resist this sweet little ballerina??

Grace's first photoshoot

2009-10-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Is she not the most beautiful thing ever? Grace was such a good girl at her newborn photo shoot. Aunt Bella came down for the day to go with me to take Grace to have her pictures taken by a friend of a friend, Karen Fulgham, who has a studio in her home. She did an amazing job! I'm having such a hard time choosing which one I want to use for birth announcements as well as which to order just to have! If the little pumpkin wasn't so stinkin' cute it would be so much easier! I can't believe how much she has changed in 2 weeks. She already looks like such a big girl! Anyway, just wanted to share all the gorgeous photos with you all. Maybe you can tell me your favorite so I can have some help deciding on a birth announcement photo?

Go to www.karinfulghamphotography.com. Click on online ordering. The password to view our pictures is "Grace".

1 Week Old

2009-10-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Quick update on Grace's progress. We went to her 1 week well child visit this morning and the little piggy has gained 1 pound since Saturday! Mommy's so proud! AND she's grown an inch! Looks like those big feet are meaning she might be a tall one? Who knows! We are just so thankful for a good report. The pediatrician said now would be a good time to start pumping and giving her 1 to 2 bottles a day. Looks like daddy gets to start helping with the night shift on the weekends and Meme and Pops and Sugar and Poppy will be able to babysit so we can go on a date! WOOHOO!!! Looking forward to playing with Uncle Dave, Aunt Jill, and Clarke this weekend! Other than that nothing new. Hope you all have a blessed day!

Labor and Delivery (sorry it turned into a novel) :)

2009-10-20T17:13:00.001-07:00

Hello friends! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers this past week. We are settling in nicely at home and look forward to seeing you all soon so you can meet Grace. I wanted to take a few minutes to sit and record my labor and delivery story because I haven't gotten a chance to share it with many of you, as well as the fact that it all seems like a blur to me so I need to record it before I can't remember anything!
As some of you may know we were induced on Wed., Oct. 14, one day after Grace's due date. All along I really didn't want to induce, but now I am so thankful that we did. Adam and I woke up at 4:45 to prepare to head to the hospital. We had to check in at 6am. We signed a few papers and they took us to our room to get settled. I immediately got my IV's and was started on pitocin around 7:30am. I was very comfortable, having steady contractions every 5-6 minutes, that really weren't very uncomfortable. My best friend Elizabeth Ray (Grace's namesake) arrived at this point to cheer us on! It was so special to have her with me! At about 8:30am my OBGYN, Dr. Andrew Cole, came by to check on my progress. I had been holding at 3cm and 80% effaced for about 3 weeks and was still at this point when he checked me so we decided to break my water to get the ball rolling. Dr. Cole seemed concerned b/c there was evidence of meconium (baby's first bowl movement) in the water. This is normal for about 1/3 of pregnancys but he seemed very concerned about the thickness and amount, so he called for the pediatrician on call, Dr. Hopp, to be present for the birth. Adam and I were immediately very concerned and began praying immediately for the Lord to protect our little angel because if inhaled, the meconium in the lungs can lead to pneumonia. From this point my contractions started happening every 2-3 minutes and lasting 45 sec.-1 min. I was very uncomfortable and asked for my epidural which Trae Martin, a nurse anesthetist administered about 45 minutes later. Immediate relief! The nurse checked me again (9:15am) and I had progressed from 3cm to 6cm within that short 45 minutes and couldn't believe we could have our baby so soon! Once I was comfortable family and friends came by to visit and hang out as we waited. Over the next 4 hrs I progressed from 6cm to 9cm and sat at 9 until about 1:00pm. The nurse checked me again at 1:15 and said I was at 10cm and it was time to push! They called for Dr. Cole and Dr. Hopp, and about 30 minutes and 7-8 pushes later Grace Elizabeth Harrell made her grand entrance into this world! All 7lbs. 8oz. and 19 1/2 inches of her! She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! Dr. Hopp began working on her to clean out her lungs. Once he got everything clear they told us she did great and we should have no worries. Praise the Lord for such amazing doctors! He really had his hand protecting both of us that day! Adam was an amazing coach. He stayed calm the entire time when I was so worried about Grace. Everytime I got upset and worried he sat beside me and prayed and the Lord would give me a peace. I couldn't have done it without him and I'm so proud of the amazing father he is. Well, I just wanted to share our story of the labor journey (sorry it wasn't so short afterall!) and thank you all for supporting us and praying for us! More updates soon!

Baby Grace Update Coming Soon!

2009-10-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Grace Elizabeth Harrell

Born: October 14th, 2009

Time: 1:44 p.m.

Weight: 7lbs. 8oz.

Length: 19 1/2 in. long