Christmas Family

I love this picture. My favorite time of year, my favorite people and just happiness everywhere. Love being a family.

O' Christmas Tree.. Growing Girl and Jolly Ol' St Nick

What an eventful week! We have our first official "Baillie Christmas Tree!" We headed up to Crest Ranch in Bonny Doon with Aimee, Kevin and family and found our little 4 footer. It was Stephens first time searching for, finding and cutting down the perfect tree! (I married a city boy) Though it was freezing cold, it was the first of many years going up there with our family. The tradition we are attempting to start involves a hearty meal of eating biscuits and gravy in the morning then heading up to the mountain, drinking cider and finding our tree!

Grace saw St. Nick for the first time and sat on his lap, though she couldn't ask for any presents, she made sure to tug on his beard!

Just yesterday she sat up all by herself for the first time!!! She is growing so quickly it's crazy! She also has a favorite toy, a stuffed reindeer we got when we were at Knotts Berry Farm. It's the first toy that she holds her arms out for and gets a huge smile on her face. I know my last blog I was kinda overwhelmed with being a mom, but let me tell you that she has been sooo fun this last couple weeks, so happy and just bubbly! God knows right when I need a little help.

Below are some pictures of the last weeks, my friend Amy came down and took a lot of pictures of myself and her God-daughter.

My happy little munchkin...

Grace Elizabeth and Eliana Grace going to take communion together...sooo precious. Eliana is about 2 months older than Gracie... Just feeling each other out

Daddy absolutley in love with his little girl,

Momma in love with her little girl...
One of my favorite pictures ever!!!
Grace and St. Nick
Tugging on his beard

Daddy cutting down our tree

Posing with our new tree

Changes

I am so excited to have my own family this holiday season! My dreams are coming true, from having a wonderful husband, healthy baby that is mine... it still trips me out that I have my own child, who came from my womb...and as her shirt says is"50% Mommy and 50% Daddy."

How things can change in a year!!!! I am now a stay at home mother and wife, have dinner ready every night, husbands lunch packed every morning...going to moms groups, attempting to keep the house clean, cutting coupons and planning meals around the sales at the grocery stores.... If you would have asked me a year ago what my life was going to be like the same time next year... I would have never imagined cutting coupons or the ineffable joy that is in me daily.

Grace is getting bigger and bigger, obviously.... that is her only job right now. She is now 14.1 lbs heavy (my back is feeling the gain) and 25 1/2 inches long (as we are seeing her mow through all her clothes that have feet in them. She is almost out of 6 month clothes, and into the 6-9 months and bigger. She is in the 87th percentile for height and 56th percentile for weight.

Developments

She has a fantastic belly laugh, becoming so alert, noticing everyone that comes in the room, usually with a smile, can hold a toy consistently and keep it in her mouth, rolling over more and more, but still only from back to belly, she gets stuck on her belly often. She is also so close to sitting up... just not yet and loves to talk to us. She will bring everything to her mouth whether it be hands, toys and her favorite toy right now... PAPER!

Not so fun developments

Gone are the days of sleeping through the night! She now regularly wakes up once or twice a night, usually she goes right back to sleep after eating, but lately after our long road trip she wants to stay awake a lot more. She spits up a lot more (literally just seconds ago all over her and myself)

She can scream like the dickens and is for sure getting teeth but they can take months to come in!!! She just seems to be a lot more fussy lately.

Her doctor says that by waking up more, drooling, putting things in her mouth and watching everything that goes in our mouth... she is getting ready for solid foods, and I should start soon!!! I was trying to wait for 6 months, and she is just almost 5 months, I am just very hesitant to start, but if she is ready, she is ready..... I just don't want to rush her into anything.

Hopefully that will help, as much as I am joyful most of the time.... motherhood is getting harder for me. Since she has been such a chill baby, I find myself easily frustrated with her cries because I am not used to the sheer volume of it. I am not used to getting up during the night all the time, or her being fussy a lot throughout the day. I find that I am always second guessing what I am doing, what I am eating, if I should put her down rock her to sleep, if she is sick or is it just her teeth.... I have to put her down and leave the room just to cool myself down and be a loving mom, not a mad, frustrated mom. I feel bad for being so frustrated and feel that I am not loving enough!!! I ask God for more patience... and He just seems to give me more opportunuties to practice rather than peace within.....