7 weeks!

Can't believe 7 weeks has gone by! And yet at the same time so many things have changed. I know that technically you are a newborn for the first three months, but Grace just seems to have outgrown the newborn phase! She is officially in size 0-3 clothes! All the newborn things (with an exception of a few pants which she still fits) have been put away for good! She looks a little small in some of the clothes, but the newborn outfits were starting to look stretched! Here we are, notice how attentive she is!

Grace has also fallen in love with yawning. She always loved to stretch but now she gives good yawns while she is doing it! I wonder what developmentally makes you learn to yawn? I tried a couple times to see if yawns really were contagious - I would yawn right near her and loudly - but she didn't seem to pick up on what I wanted her to do! lol. She is still smiling often, but we are waiting to see the first real responsive smile. I want her to recognize us! But I know she will in time. =) She sure does recognize Dad's chest as a safe place to sleep! hehe

I had to take another picture with her and her pink bear. I can't believe how big she looks next to it now. In her one week pictures she was the same size as the bear! How is that possible???

Thought this was so funny! Of course she sleeps in her crib - but we were getting ready for our nightly story book! Bean is still a little confused by someone else being in the bed! She is used to being the only thing under 15 lbs in the bed! haha

She is so beautiful. Of course we would love her no matter what, but every time we look at her we are amazed. How could the two of us create something so perfect. Obviously there is a God involved! Who could argue? Look at her. =)

Grace is getting in her tummy time with Daddy's close eye. She has a "rain ball" that makes noise when you turn it like a rain stick. Daddy puts the ball close by Grace's arm and she hits it away, not sure if she even knew what she was doing, but it sure did tickle Daddy and Mommy!

Grace got to meet her Great-Grandmommy Knapp! (J-Pa's Mom) The love just poured between the two of them! Grace is so lucky to have so many people love her so dearly!

Of course Mimi gets all the pictures where Grace is just smiling up a storm. She just LOVES her Mimi! I just love this picture!

Another one just admiring her Mimi - is there anything better then this??? =) Plus I think Mimi was wearing really cool shiny earrings which really caught her attention!

J-Pa "resting his eyes" yup, he has adjusted to the grandfather role perfectly! haha

Our beautiful boy. Don't worry we remember that we loved you first!

4 generations of girls!

J-pa admiring his first born's first born. =) Tongue twister!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We also went out for a little photo shoot in the fall leaves. We needed some family pictures for our Christmas cards this year. We got so many good shots thanks to Uncle Taylor's eye and J-Pa's fancy camera! =) Here are just a few of our favorites!

Of course had to get at least one of the WHOLE family!

Well that wraps up the week! She is growing so fast it is hard keeping up with all the changes. We feel so blessed each day to call her ours. We love you little girl. =)

6 weeks and dedication!

So many things to tell about this week! Grace got to meet her Grandma and Grandpa Mac. They thought she was perfect! Which of course we already knew!

We were so glad that Grandma and Grandpa Mac could come down for Grace's baby dedication! We know it is a long drive from Ohio, where they live, but it means so much to us that they made the trip. The baby dedication was wonderful. We got to the church at 4:40pm. We had pictures taken, listened to a talk on parenting, and got to share our hopes and dreams for Grace as she grows and matures. We invited both sets of grandparents, uncle Taylor, and our dear friend Jen and her boyfriend Seth. After the dedication we came back to the house for football and subs! Here are some pictures from the night. Of course to start off we have Uncle Taylor loving on his favorite niece!
Daddy and J-Pa after the dedication waiting to go home for dinner! =)
Mommy and her Grace before the dedication started.
The centerpiece on the table when we got there. Love how they used real pictures of Grace to fill the pot. =)
The big screen as they introduced the different families.
A shot of the room. About 13 families participated in the dedication. Each family had a table.
All the grandparents: Mimi, J-pa, Grandma Mac, Grandpa Mac
Grace and her Caleb. =) Best friends before Grace was even born. (We used to tell Caleb that I was cooking him a girlfriend and she'd be here soon!) hehe Caleb was also being dedicated.

Jen, Seth, Gabe, and Me. Grace is so lucky to have so many people in her life who love her and want the best for her. Auntie Jen has seen Grace every week since she was born! We love you Jen!

Our family.
Other exciting things that happened this week. Grace is starting to look at smaller details. At first only large bright strips interested her. This week she spent some time looking at the details in the book Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb. It is fun to watch her eyes really study the pages. =)
She still loves a good stretch after a nap. She always seems to lift up her right arm/hand way high in the air. Also note her adorable scrunched up face which seems to say, I think I may have to poop! hehe
Here are some of those big strips I mentioned earlier. She could stare forever at those lines! The other side of this toy has a mirror on it, but the lines are way more interesting at this point. =)
Mommy loves her baby girl! We spend lots of time on the boppy like this. Grace loves snuggling right between Mommy's tummy and the boppy. Must be warm in there.
Of course Daddy doesn't need a boppy to help produce heat - Grace and Daddy make all the heat they need! It is like a heater blanket in there. Often when Mommy takes Grace off Daddy there are sweat marks left! These two are like peas in a pod.
We went to the doctors this week and got another weight/height check. Grace is now weighing in at 9lb 3oz with clothes on! Can you believe our little 5lb 14oz tiny is now over 9 lbs! She also measured 21 inches long! This means she has grown an inch and a quarter in just a week and a half! Just imagine if you were growing at that rate! It is unbelievable. We love you Grace Jacklyn. Can't wait to see how you grow in the next 6 weeks!

5 weeks!

Grace is 5 weeks old today and how the time is flying! She is so much more confident and sure of herself. We still occasionally see the newborn curl up into a tight ball, but more often she is kicking and reaching out. She is starting to have definite awake periods of the day, usually for an hour or so in the morning, then again in the afternoon for another hour or two. Then in the evenings after her dinner she is usually up for two or three hours. I am glad her most awake time is when her Daddy is home too! She is probably more awake then because it is so exciting to look at someone besides Mommy! hehe.



Athens is licking her toes in the next one. She has decided she does NOT like being licked!
Hanging out with Daddy and Mommy during her night time awake period!


I love her precious little toes! She did have socks on but she stuck them in her diaper while I was changing it! So... they had to go. Luckily it gave me a chance to get her tiny feet on film. =)


Uncle Taylor brought over a toy and diapers (YAY!!!) for her 1 month birthday (Friday during this week). Grace loves to be nuzzled by her uncle!
Our precious angel is still in newborn clothes. We did try on a 0-3 month to see if it would fit, but she was still swimming in it. So newborn clothes it is! For the first time this week we did have someone ask how old she was and when I said almost 5 weeks the response was "Wow she is tiny still!" I guess up to 5 weeks they expect you to be little, but when there are babies born at 8 lbs people guess she is younger!

Grace is also doing a lot more cooing and talking this week. We love hearing her little voice! This is from earlier this week, some of her first sounds! =)

As you can see, she is growing up a storm. We love you sweet girl! Keep growing healthy and strong.