Another month goes by....

You played so well all afternoon. Your giggles are contagious. For dinner you ate sweet potatoes; your favorite so far. You took your bath, drank your bottle, and now you are down for the night... at 7:50 pm, without even a peep. You are such a good baby! I am certainly blessed with you sweet girl. Happy 5 months today!! You are so loved.

Afternoon strolls

Isn't she sweet!!

Absurdity: Part Two

I feel a real connection with my sweet blogger role model today, Tales from the Running Mama. I remember not too long ago reading her post called Absurdity. At that time, I was a brand new mama and I laughed at her post about dedicating sweet Charlie. I couldn't even imagine Gracie being to that milestone so soon. Her rantings involved a whirlwind of a morning, but ended in a sweet moment of peace. A moment where the serenity of Jesus transcended all of it, right in the middle of her everyday chaos.

Here is where my story picks up (not quite as eloquently written as hers)....imagine, if you will, this picture.

It's 4:00 AM, AM PEOPLE.... We are driving back into Dallas from yet another gig, (this being the glamorous life of a rocker husband) and only one thought is on the front front of our minds. We need to be a church at 7:30, this is the day that Gracie is getting dedicated. I think to myself about this huge day in our lives as parents, and hers, as a daughter of the Lord.

It's 6:30 AM...We hear the alarm screeching through the silence. After pushing snooze a few times, we get up almost in a dream-like state and rummage through our closets for something that is nice to honor this day, the day she will be dedicated. Today a CT Kids t-shirt and jeans just will not work.

It's 7:30... We are driving down the road feeling barely alive and I am putting on my make-up. I think about the task ahead of me. I am about to make a promise to give her to Jesus and trust her in His care. I am really cut out for this job?

It's 7:50....We pull into the church parking lot and instantly we go through our separate routines of another Sunday as church employees. Unload the gear, set up the classrooms, (which this Sunday consisted of putting together a futon) make sure all the new volunteers get to their rooms, put on a smile, and greet all our families. All the while thinking about her, Gracie Ann, and how on this crazy day with two hours of sleep and the thoughts of teaching her all the right things and being all that she needs swirling over our heads. Am I really capable of being the one who will teach her completely about the love of the Lord, a love that I am still trying to comprehend myself?

It's 10:45...finally time. She is beautiful in pink and brown. We parade across the stage and make a promise to her and to our church family to raise her to know the Lord, to do our best to give her over to Him. The people pray for us. I take a peek of all of the sweet people with their hands extended in prayer and I feel overwhelmed. I feel blessed and filled with so much hope.

Afterwards, my mother-in-law, gave me a bag to open for this special day. Curiously, I open it to see framed, beautiful pink words before my eyes that instantly calm my anxious heart.

"....for God so loved Gracie Ann that he gave his only begotten Son..."

With tears in my eyes I realize, I don't have to be everything for her.

He already has been, and will always be, everything she will ever need.

Jesus heard my heart that morning. He was listening to a nervous mama just wanting to be enough. What my head forgot, but my heart soon remembered, He is enough.

Musician in the Making

Concentrating really hard!


Look at what I can do Mommy!

Gracie decided to help her daddy record some music tonight. She wrote a beautiful song. Her CD will be dropping any day now! :)

Four Months of Being Your Mommy

Sweet girl,

Each month of being your mommy has been better than the last and this one, so far, has been my favorite. You are so big and you are doing so much, all things I couldn't even imagine just a few months ago.

You are talking non-stop and I love it! You already have an opinion on pretty much everything and you let us know. We have the sweetest conversations all throughout the day. You talk in your baby talk to mommy and daddy as if you know exactly what we are saying to you. I love how you need me and how you know right when it is time for me to get home from work. (You let daddy know if I am late!) You grab for everything (especially your pink poodle) and smile at almost anyone. Your laugh is so sweet and we are starting to hear it more and more. You are amazing.

Grace, you have made us better. You, sweet girl, were one of my earliest childhood dreams when I would rock my babydolls to sleep, pretending to be a mama. I never knew it would be this good actually rocking you, being your mama. God blessed us beyond compare with you. I will try my best to be gentle with your heart as you grow into the woman that God has created you to be.

I love, love, love you!!

Mama

P.S. Daddy says he loves you and he can't wait to hear you sing. Also, he said be sure to cut your fingernails regulary because they hurt when you scratch him. :)

Make Over and Working 9-5, Just trying to make a Livin'...

***The lesson of this blog...When I don't post for awhile you get a lot of random information at once. Enjoy!

We got a makeover and don't we look pretty! My sweet friend Jamie (I would link her, but I don't know how) changed her background and then she told me what I should do in order to change mine. Now this daunting task scared me a little, because I am not the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to any type of modern technology, but I did it! YEAH! I love our bling-bling background! Also, we are getting Gracie's 3 month pics taken this Friday by my other sweet friend and photographer and I will post them soon.

You may also be wondering why I haven't posted in awhile. I am back at work. (Hence the Dolly Parton reference in the title, love her. I once told Chris if I could hear any voice for the rest of my life it would be hers. Don't judge.) I am not teaching anymore though. God has me in a new and awesome season right now and I am working at our church. I know it is a perfect fit for me as a new mommy. I have the greatest team and the job is such a testament to God giving us the desires of our heart. I love his continued faithfulness in our lives.

For now I will say bye-bye to a classroom full of kids and hello to an office I share with, at times, six people. I love it! I am sure you will be hearing more about my fun and crazy team soon.

Also, one more side note in the most random and information-filled post ever, Gracie rolled over Sunday!!! She is so strong and we are so proud of her! We are also getting a new camera this week that takes video, so soon I will post some videos of her showing off her new gymnastic skills. By the way, I thought it was totally cool that she performed her first gymnastic skill on the first night of the Olympic Women's Gymnastics competition. Coincidence? I think not...Olympics 2024, here we come!

The Mommy Marathon

I look at the clock, it's 4:30. I lay her down after a long day of avoiding naps. Perfect...a little time for myself! I excitedly log on and get lost in blog world, reading the thoughts of others, my favorite past time. In the back of my mind I know I should be taking advantage of this peace to get ready for the night ahead. I ignore the thought, "I don't have to leave until 6:15. I've got plenty of time... just as long as she doesn't wake up."

5:00... I reluctantly shut the lid to my pink laptop and walk to the closet to choose my outfit for the night. I choose black. (I have learned in the last three months that spit-up doesn't show up as much on a darker color.) Next, I begin my make-up and this excites me a little because I haven't worn any since Saturday. But then I hear it... echoing through the house, her faint cry informing me that her nap is over. She only slept 30 minutes and I hope, a little too optimistically, that if I put her passy back in and pat her tummy she will fall asleep again. I literally run through the house and into her room and do both respectively. I realize the "mini-makeover" I have scheduled with myself will now be canceled.

5:05...I hear her crying again; however, this time it might be considered screaming. Running back into her pink room, I peer into the crib and see her rubbing her tired eyes. She sees me and give me a gummy grin. I can't resist, I pick her up and rock her back and forth a little. She coos and I lay her down to change her diaper. We play the "making silly faces" game for a second and we both smile. I carry her to my room and open up the blinds. Maybe she will want to soak up some sun laying on my big bed while I finish the make-up I never really started?

5:20...I am back at the mirror and she is on the bed kicking and smiling. (This lasts about 30 seconds.) The next 15 minutes of our lives are spent like this:

Put her passy in, I do my powder....she spits the passy out and screams. I run in the room put it back in and give her a smile. She is content. I run in the bathroom slap on some blush. Screaming again. I run back in and tell her in a sugary sweet voice, "Baby, I love you so much and I really want to hold you all the time, I do, but Mama would actually like to wear make-up tonight." Passy in. Eyeshadow on one eye. Passy out. I run in and give kisses on her tummy. Passy in. Eyeshadow on the other eye, it is a little bit uneven, but it will do. Passy out. I rush back in, "Don't worry, Mama is here." I pick her up.

5:40ish...I dress her.

5:41...Spit up on that outfit. We find a new one, put it on and I quickly find a matching bib this time.

5:50...I feed her. I hold the bottle with my chin while putting on her shoes with my one free hand. One shoe won't fit and I can't seem to figure it out. I leave it off for a second, burp her, and put her in her swing. I spot the "too small" shoe on the floor and notice a small wad of tissue paper, from when they were brand new, still stuck in the toe. I could have sworn that she had worn these shoes before?? I take it out, throw it on the ground, and put it on her chubby foot.

6:10...Only 5 more minutes and I still need to fix my hair and pack her bag. I sprint back to my bathroom. She begins to whimper. I know the content baby I left in the swing won't be there for long. I hurriedly stick my hair up in a half pony tail and straighten a few pieces in the back. I hear her whimper turn to a wail. I take a second glance and realized that I forgot my mascara. I grab it and slap it on in under a minute.

6:15...We should be walking out the door. I run over to tell her, "Mommy is going to pack your bag and then I promise we are leaving and you get to ride in the car!" She returns my promise with a quivering lower lip. I run to the kitchen get her bottles ready, run to her bedroom grab extra burp clothes, and run to find the camera.

6:20ish...I load her in the car and run back in the house to grab her stroller. I fold it up and put it into the trunk of my Mustang, which is a job all in itself! Finally, I grab her bag and my purse, lock up, and head out.

6:30...Driving away and only 15 minutes late, not too bad. I begin to have this gnawing feeling like I forgot something. At the stop sign I search my purse. No cell phone. "What if Daddy tries to call?" I say out loud. I turn around with hesitation, take the house key off the keyring so I can leave the car running, and run into the house to search for my phone.

6:43... Back in the car, phone in hand, and headed down the road. Almost 30 minutes late. I look back and my princess is sleeping. I roll my eyes and smile. I take a drink of my now lukewarm Diet Dr. Pepper and, oddly, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

I feel like I just ran a marathon in heels, with a baby on my hip.