Okay...So here's the "Quick" version...and by that....I mean this will just not be AS long as it could be.

Molly: She is the most flexible and sweet baby girl. We were gone for 10 days over the holidays to Mobile to visit my family, and made a quick 2 day trip to another part in Alabama to participate in the Nowlin/Johnson wedding to see two very dear friends get married. During these 10 days, Molly had no resembelance of a schedule at all. She would just eat and sleep whereever we really needed her too, slept through the night just fine in her pack n play, and even managed to sleep UNSWADDLED at the wedding, since we forgot her swaddle blankets. She was so good with letting people hold her and love on her, as long as she wasn't tired or hungry, she just kinda "went with whatever", and even in those times, she was fine as long as she was with me or Aaron.

She is growing so much, it's crazy. She was 5 months on Christmas day, and she is now sitting unsupported, learning about fruits and cereal (which she LOVES), and even trys to constantly get her little mouth on our cup or grab our food off of our plates. She's a stinker. :-)
She is pretty content to play by herself, or to be sitting and playing with us, is thinking about trying to roll from her tummy to back, for now, she's content to just roll from back to tummy and stay there. She is so chill the majority of time, and I just thank God for her constantly.

I think it's a possibility that she may be starting some teething. She has been drooling like a mad woman and chewing on everything since almost 3 months. But today- she has been very unusual and cranky all day. Even being held doesn't help. So for her last nap- I rubbed a little orajel on the her gums, and she stopped fussing within 2 minutes and was asleep within 4 minutes. So...we shall see what the next couple of days hold for her.

We very much enjoyed the holidays with our families, and being apart of the wedding. We have been home for a week now...and well...perhaps by Valentines day we will be caught up on laundry, putting away gifts, luggage, and Christmas decor.

Until then... We are just enjoying these quickly passing days with our sweet Molly as she grows.

Hope you all have a wonderful start to 2011!

Well...I suppose I could update a little (which means this will be alot). I have been debating lately on starting blog spot to share our daily ventures with Molly so that our families and friends can keep up. I have so much to say, though, and not necessarily the time. I have found that when I do have time to write, I am trying to write little letters to Molly and put them in a binder, just letting her know things about her first "bigs" and her first few months of adjustment to this world around her.

She will be 4 months old on Thanksgiving!! WHOA! How fast this has all gone. Aaron and I have grown so much closer in our marriage these past 4 months, and I just thank God daily for how amazing Aaron is with Molly. He adores this sweet girl, and that is an understatement really. He is amazingly helpful with her and the house. I'm so grateful.

Molly: Well...last I wrote, we were having some tummy troubles, and we seem to finally be getting through that. Just this past week, she has been such a different baby! Over the past month, she and I have had such a wonderful day time "routine" (it changes like every 3 days", but we were struggling a little with Molly and the likings of other people. She was truly preffering Aaron and I, and this "bothered" us a little, becuase we wanted people to see our happy baby, and at the same time, it made us feel good that she wanted us. (Aaron says that he only wants her to want him for the rest of her little life :-)

She is such a content little girl as of lately. Loving to play in her play gym, on the floor with her toys, in her jump-a-roo, or sitting in her bumbo in the middle of the action in the kitchen or at the dining room table. She is SO curious!!! She has been rolling over as of this week, from her back to her tummy, and she just smiles at herself once she gets flipped over and situated. She prefers to just be laid down for her long afternoon naps, or be in her swing for her short naps, of course I wish we could snuggle a little, but I'm thankful for this easy sleepy time routines during the day finally so that I can get some things done! She is also such a great car baby and shopping baby, and we've learned that if we have a booth at a resteraunt, she is very content to be able to lay between us and kick her little feet around. Oh the things we learn each day!

Night time: She changes so frequently with how she goes to bed, but after she is asleep, stays down for 10 to 12 hours, with a couple of pacifier needs and that is it. She has been doing this since 7 weeks, and we are VERY THANKFUL. This week, we can swaddle her up (in her swaddle blankies) and lay her right down and she goes to sleep within 10 minutes. Last week, she fussed and fought sleep and needed her daddy to walk her around, we are hoping that we can continue to snuggle and loving and putting her down awake routine, that we will be strong enough to hold to this on nights where she isn't having it. :-)

Swaddling: We still swaddle Molly, She has always slept best this way. Even witht he velcro blankies, she manages to get a hand out at somepoint. If she isn't swaddled she wakes herself up at least 6 to 8 times a night, she flails her arms EVERYWHERE, and hits herself, and tries to eat her hands. She just lays there talking to herself, but seems so much more restless the next day from not having a good nights sleep. We wonder at what point we should stop swaddling her, but have decided to just start following her cues. WHen she starts fighting the swaddle, then we will stop. As of now, it soothes her, and she isn't rolling herself over at night, which is our biggest fear that will happen in the swaddle. Anyone else swaddle their little ones for a while?

Oh yeah: And this past Saturday, we had our annual "Friendsgiving" dinner. It was at our house, and we managed to have close to 40 people, couting kids, here at the house. Molly did AMAZING! This is the 2nd time we have had a large group over, and I'm even gradually getting back into the routine of having people over for dinner or Sunday lunch. Granted, this requires lots of help from my friends in kitchen to finish getting the meal on the table, especially since Molly really only wanted me for a while there, but never the less, we did it. It makes Aaron and I both so happy to share our home and blessings with God, and we pray that we can raise Molly to enjoy such blessings of times with friends and family as well.

Every day, I thank God for Molly's smiles, and crys, and for the piles of laundry that are due to her throwing/spitting up, or having "diaper explosions", I thank him for the bags under my eyes that may be there from the days where Molly hasn't napped, but that means I've had lots of Molly snuggle and loving time. I thank God for all of my good friends here that help, and especially for my amazing Husband!

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. Molly has already made ours better (and we have already bought a pink and white christmas tree for her room), We can't wait to share our love for HOliday traditions with Molly!

Love to you all!

Wow. Time has gone so quickly- and yet some days see never ending :-)

We have been in the house for about 3 weeks and are settling in wonderfully. We are exhausted. But settling in! I have had several sweet friends give up a day or 1/2 a day and come over the first week or 2 that we were in, and help me unpack and handle Molly. We are so appreciative of these friends!

Aaron: He has pretty much put this entire house together. He is so excited to be in, and so excited to have it "put together" for guests. He is too funny, Yesterday, I had a Dr. appt and he stayed home with Molly. I came home and he had hung her ceiling fan, and several pictures down stairs. He has tons of projects here in the house (pretty big ones) and he has completed most all of them. He is amazing. I feel so guilty sometimes, becuase I can't help him as much since I'm with Molly.

Molly: She sleeps SO GREAT at night, usually down by 10 and sleeps a good 6 to 7 hour stretch. She has been sleeping 4 to 5 hour stretches since she came home, and since about 3 weeks has moved to the 6 to 7 hour stretch. In the past two weeks, she has gone to being able to eat and go back to sleep within 30 minutes of waking up (anywhere between 4 and 6). Before, we were up about an hour and half to 2 hours. She then sleeps in her bed or hours from about 6 to 9 most mornings. :-)

Now...let me clarify our days. She does not sleep during the day except for maybe 30 minutes at a time. She has pretty icky digestive issues and reflux, and it never fails that she wakes up with a "pain" cry after about 20 or 30 minutes. It breaks my heart, and I'm learning better how to just let her "cry" it out so that I can actually shower, eat, etc during the day. ;-) Her belly to working itself out a little, and I have changed my diet to all bland things and she is starting to stretch her feedings out to 3 to 4 hours at a time instead of every 2 1/2. This I think helps alot too.

Last Tuesday we decided last minute to go to Mobile. So we loaded up Molly and Apache on Wednesday and headed out. THe normal 7 hour trip took about 8 1/2 or 9. That was only 2 stops, 1 for lunch, and another feeding. Molly did AMAZING!!! She slept contently most of the way! We then decided to go to Panama City Beach for 2 days on the way back, Molly did WONDERFULLY in the car on the way there and on the way back home too. Sleeping for 3 or 4 hours at a time in the car. I think this helped her to stretch her eating schedule. :0) :-)

She has changed so much in the past week and seems to be becoming a more "content" baby during the day when she is awake. I hope that means her belly is working itself out. It breaks my heart to see her in pain. We still have those couple of hours from 5 to 8ish where she is just so uncomfortable but her bedtime routine of a warm bath and eating seems to calm her down.

She's so precious, and perfect, and I am so thankful to God for her. I LOVE Aaron with her. I knew he would be a great dad....but seriously, I can't explain how incredible he is. He just jumps right in with her all the time, he lights up every time he sees her, he is so instinctive to her needs, and...he loves to dress her and choose her little bows :-) (she is pretty bald so it's a headband/bow combo :-)

That being said. We are so grateful for God's blessings. I can't imagine what we did before Molly to fill our hearts with so much love and smiles!

Okay...that's my brief update. I'm off to bed. Hope you all are doing great!!

July 25th
10:16 PM
7 lbs 5 oz
20 1/2 inches long

Well...most of you are on Facebook and have seen pictures of our sweet Molly. I will probably not post them on here, as I am not a gold member.

July 25th was Molly's due date, and she was very punctual! I had been having contractions all week prior, and had been to the doctor three times, with the doctors saying that Molly would most likely come "that night'. Well...she proved them that she did things in her time, and we went a whole week of contractions. We checked into the hospital at about 10:15 or 10:30 AM, and she was here at 10:16 PM

My labor and delivery was such a positive experience, and Aaron was AMAZING. He immediately turned on his fatherly nurturing side as soon as we went to the hospital. He is so very wonderful with Molly, I always knew he would be amazing...but wow, he's even more patient and incredible than I already anticipated he would be.

We had over 20 visitors in a 5 hour period in the hopsital, and were so overwhelmed with love from these visitors. Especially since our families hadn't made it in yet.

We are still living with Adam and Stephanie (Aaron's brother and sister n law), and things are going good. We found out today that we close on our house on August 27th, and of course are anxious to be in our new home.

In summary: Molly is PERFECT. Even through my exhaustion during her night time awakening- I look at her sweet face, especially as it becomes so content once she is changed in fed, and i just melt. Molly is such a content little girl. She doesn't really get too upset very often, not really at all in the middle of the night, just a little fussy, and is easily soothed. God is amazing with his blessings in our lives. We are so very grateful. I pray that we will train Molly in the Lord and teach her to walk in His pathways before all other things in life.

Hope all is well with you all, especially to my friends from afar who also had sweet babies born the same week as Molly, and to my friends who are still pregnant with sweet babies.

Happy Friday!

Well...I don't update much on here anymore, but I lOVE reading updates from friends on here. So I figured I'd take a minute to share with you the blessings of God in our life. And....our chaos.

We are getting very excited to meet sweet Molly. I'm 33 weeks, and can't believe how close it is to the "end" of my pregnancy, and the beginning of life as parents. WOW!

We Since April, we have had 4 showers to celebrate Molly!!!! 1 in Tampa, 1 in Mobile, 1 given by Aaron's co-workers, and a surprise one today given by previous co-workers of mine at the middle school I USED to work at. This was quite the sweet surprise. I feel VERY thankful the 150 plus thank you cards we are still in the midst of writing.

Oh yeah....

and we are MOVING! CRAZY! We are building a new home in the next subdivision over. Originally projected to be finished at the end of August. It took MUCH prayer and thought and anxiety to make the decision. Aaron has been AMAZINGLY reassuring and helpful with packing, and assures me that he will do all of the moving and unloading when the time comes and that I can "relax" with Molly while he settles us in. (Yeah right!) He is going to take off a few days when she is born (end of July-ish), and then 2 weeks off when we move into our new home.

We are turning our current home into a rental property. God has blessed us to find tenants already. They signed a 2 year lease. They also want to move in sooner than we were ready to move out, but all is working out. We will temporarily be living with Aaron's brother and sister n law until our house is finished (which is going to be earlier that we anticipated, most likely right AFTER Molly arrives)

So....we are crazy. That's it in a nut shell. Oh. And I am also finishing my Fellowship year. So hard to believe that last August I was graduating with my Masters, and this August we will have a baby! I will be a Nationally Certified SLP as of the end of this month, and will be on a "leave of absence" from the schools. I am very much looking forward to staying home with Molly. I will need to work a small amount (about 8 hours a week), in which I understand I can not really complaign about. God has worked out so many things, and we will continue working towards me being home full time.

Basically....life is very good, very overwhelming, very chaotic, and very blessed.

Hope you all are doing wonderful as well!!!! Also hope you aren't as crazy hot as we are in Tampa (preggo in June/July....eh-I just smile when I see another pregnant lady "waddling" through target or the grocery store as well :-)