Introducing... Miss Baylen Grace

What a blessing you are to us...we love you little one!

Welcoming home the newest member of our family...Baylen Grace!

Well the day has finally arrived. Miss Baylen Grace made her way into this world on Friday, May 22nd at 11:28pm. She weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 6.2 ounces and was 22 3/4 inches long. She is very healthy, alert and happy. The delivery itself was very successful and I am recovering very well. Many of you were wondering/hoping I had a C-section. Well the anwer is no...I delivered naturally with no complications. Baylen was sunny side up when she came out, which made the delivery a little harder, but we both took it like champs. I feel great and have a lot of energy, which is a lot to say from having such a big baby. It seems like we have had her for a long time and everything is feeling so natural. We stayed at the hospital for three nights just to keep an eye on my recovery. I had a lot of bleeding yesterday still and they wanted to make sure that it decreased before they let all of us come home. I am doing much better and have very little pain...also a huge blessing.

Miss Brecken came to the hospital on Saturday and Sunday to visit her new sister. We introduced them first thing when she got there and Brecken walked up to Baylen and gave her a kiss on the mouth...also she gave her raspberries on her feet...ha that is no joke, we all cracked up. My mom watched Brecken the few days we were gone, which blessed us tremendously. They got to spend some great time together and was definately a relief to know our little girl was in such good hands.

We just got home today (Monday) and are adjusting very well. Baylen is such a great baby...she is a natural feeder, which does not surprise me and she is a great sleeper. Brecken is always coming around to look at her and see what she is doing, but for the most part continues with her day doing what she does best...PLAY! We are trying to teach Brecken "soft" but she giggles whenever we say that, which makes me wonder what is going through that little head of hers. She is going to be a wonderful big sister and Baylen is one lucky girl. YHWH has so blessed us with two wonderful girls and we are very thankful...what joy they bring to life!!

We are still planning on moving on June 8th so we will be busy the next couple of weeks. I think the moving crew will be here in about a week and a half to start packing. Grandma Barbie will be accompanying us on the trip to Texas...bless her for that. John has to report in the his command on June 11th and will start school on June 30th. So he will have some time off with all of us girls...what a brave man. Thank you for all of your prayers and phone calls...they were comforting and appreciated. I am attaching some pics and a little video for you all to enjoy. More updates will be on the way when we get a chance...hope you love them!!!

The Newest Member of Our Family...

What a beautiful little baby girl...I think she has made herself right at home.

Not the most glamorous picture, but definately one to be treasured. After only 1.5 hours of pushing we were a family of four. I would do it all again if I had to, but thank goodness I don't...ha!

Welcome Miss Baylen to the family...we love you!

What a proud daddy! Two things are for sure...she has his chin and his appetite.

Brecken gives Baylen her first kiss from her big sister...won't be the last!


And one raspberry for your foot!


Grandma and Baylen...too perfect for words.

Hold on Baylen...I think daddy has his hands full...first picture taken of daddy and his TWO daughters!

What a good looking family...I may be a little bias.

Home at last and loving every minute of it...what a joy!

The SWEETEST Sound...

Here is a little video clip of Baylen sleeping...if you can't hear the sound you can turn off the music at the bottom of the blog...too cute!

Just a Little Update...Still Waiting

Taking time to stop and smell the roses...or in this case the the wild flowers.

Well tomorrow we will officially be 40 weeks. No sign of Baylen yet, but she is definatley keeping us all in anticipation. We went to the doctor yesterday and things are moving along well...I am dialated to a 2 and she is in position now... all we have to do is wait. I am swelling quite a bit now mostly in my feet, but nothing that the doctors are worried about. My foot looks like it ate another foot, but hey a small price to pay for such a big blessing. John says she will be so perfect that she will probably come on her due date. That would be wonderful! The doctor tried to locate her heartbeat yesterday and had the hardest time. Baylen kept kicking her, but would move whenever the doctor put the monitor on...it was so funny. It took the doctor about 10 minutes of trying to find it before she called in for help. All the while Baylen was kicking up a storm. What a sweet and funny girl she is...they finally found it and it was a strong 136 bpm. I am having mild contractions but nothing that is timeable.

Grandma Sue is here visiting us and helping out with Brecken. We have so enjoyed our time with her and she is wonderful to have around always helping out with cleaning, taking care of Brecken, and fixing the most wonderful meals. One could get used to this! Hopefully we will see the whites of Baylen's eyes before she has to leave on Sunday or else we might just have to ask her to extend her trip...wouldn't that be too bad! :)

John has been off for the last couple of weeks and is enjoying time at home with all of us. He got to work out in the yard yesterday and "piddle" around which made him so happy. He is very excited for the birth of his little girl also and loves to give me advice on what I should be doing to help induce labor: mow the yard, clean the car, do jumping jacks, do some squats. It has been so wonderful to have him around...he is such a wonderful husband and father. It has given me some time to relax and have time to myself.

Brecken is staying busy and loving having both mommy and daddy home with her. We were also very blessed to have Aunt Julie visit us this month. We got outside a lot, taking Brecken to the beach and to the river. Julie was able to experience the full beauty of Florida, taking home no less then a half a dozen ant bites, two mosquito bites, and a well placed bee sting as her souvenirs. I got a new camera for Mother's Day from her and John and got some really cute photos. So I thought I would send them out before Baylen came. We got a really great video of her too. She is inspecting all of Baylen's toys and clothes to make she that they are safe for her...what a riot she is watching her open all of Baylen's new stuff. Not quite sure she understands that they are not hers, but what Baylen doesn't know won't hurt her.

Well hope you enjoys some pics and the video. We will stay in touch with everyone and update you on how the little one is progressing. We have another appointment on Friday, but I would love to be able to cancel that! Thank you for all the prayers and phone calls...we love you all and will update you soon!

Family Photos

We took Brecken to the zoo and instantly she made friends. Not suprising except for the fact it was with an orangutan.

A day at the beach...or in this case Blackwater River. Either way it is water and Brecken loves water.

Brecken's friend Ben got a new sand and water table...she loves it! She has even convinced her Daddy that she would get hours of fun out of having her own...hint hint.

Brecken loves to make piles of things. Here she is playing with some of my charms... she is so "charming." Ha...am I clever or just pregnant.

The neighbor's puppies are growing fast...she loves to visit them and loves it even more when she gets to hold them...watch out puppies here comes Brecken.

Brecken has learned how to climb on the couch, but it doesn't stop there. She climbs on the couch, up the back cushions and stands on top of it to reach the kitchen counter. Sometimes she even goes over the counter to reach the soap...she thinks it's funny!

Brecken got a new book the other day and loves it when you read to her. Daddy and Brecken are sneaking in a lot of private time together...she loves it and so does he!

I think I can, I think I can...



Here is a little video of Brecken and her spatulas...she is always trying to carry them all at one time, but if she sticks to it she usually succeeds! What a good life lesson she can teach us all!